Fernandes FGJ-85RC Robbin Crosby Signature Firebird White 1986

The Fernandes FGJ-85RC is an exceptionally rare Japanese-made signature model created for Robbin Crosby, guitarist for Ratt during the band's classic 1980s period. Introduced in 1986, the FGJ-85RC took the familiar Firebird silhouette and transformed it into a thoroughly mid-'80s performance guitar, pairing its oversized offset body with a single humbucker, locking tremolo and pointed headstock.

Unlike many Fernandes artist models of the era, the Crosby Firebird appears to have been produced only briefly and examples surface relatively infrequently today. The model designation was FGJ-85RC, with the original Japanese price positioning reflected in the "85" designation. Period examples are known in both red and white, with this guitar finished in the considerably less aggressive but equally striking White. A documented 1986 white FGJ-85RC provides a particularly useful comparison for confirming both the year and factory colour.

Construction is equally distinctive. The guitar uses a soft maple body paired with a three-piece maple neck and bound rosewood fingerboard, with the long 25.5" scale giving it a tighter, more immediate response than a traditional Firebird. The shark-fin fingerboard inlays, white binding and extreme headstock complete a design that could only really have come from the mid-1980s. Contemporary surviving examples also confirm the 22-fret layout.

Electronics are deliberately simple: a single original Fernandes humbucker feeding a master volume control. It's a pure hard-rock setup with nothing unnecessary in the signal path. The bridge is Fernandes' original Head Crasher FRT-6B double-locking tremolo, a period-correct Japanese Floyd Rose-style system that completes the guitar's hot-rodded specification.

The white finish is also worth mentioning on these. Surviving FGJ-85RCs frequently show significant ageing, yellowing and finish checking; documented white examples have aged considerably over the intervening four decades. This is very much part of the character of these now-vintage Fernandes instruments rather than something unusual for the model.

Specifications

• Model: FGJ-85RC Robbin Crosby Signature
• Year: 1986
• Made In: Japan
• Finish: White
• Body: Soft Maple
• Neck: 3-Piece Maple
• Fingerboard: Bound Rosewood
• Frets: 22
• Scale Length: 25.5"
• Nut: R3 / Approx. 1-11/16"
• Fingerboard Inlays: Shark Fin
• Pickup: Original Fernandes Humbucker
• Controls: Master Volume
• Bridge: Fernandes Head Crasher FRT-6B Double-Locking Tremolo
• Tuners: Japanese Gotoh / Fernandes
• Hardware: Chrome
• Pickup Configuration: 1H
• Modifications: None

Condition

• Frets: 8 / 10
• Visual Condition: A genuine vintage instrument with cosmetic wear and finish ageing consistent with its age. Please refer closely to the photographs for individual marks, chips and finish checking.