Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum
Forum Ringside => Guitars, Amps and Effects => Topic started by: sambo on June 24, 2007, 01:09:56 PM
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ok there's been a lot on here in recent times about MIJ LP copies...
just wondering if there was a best-of-the-bunch manufacturer that people would recommend, as with such MIJ's it's hard to play the thing in person a lot of the time... (blind ebay purchases e.t.c.)
obviously it's better to go and try something out and decide which guitar is best on an individual basis.... (i know that!), but im just asking if there is one that, consistently, stands out against the others, as there's so many...
-Signature
-Burny
-Greco
-Tokai
-Edwards
???? maybe one i haven't even mentioned...?
out of all of them, considering value for money, as well as overall quality, which one would people go for if in the market for such a guitar? what would sway it for you?
cheers,
sam.
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For me, it would depend on the neck. A lot of the Japanese copies copies have very chunky necks. Not a problem for some, but a big problem for me. I love the Gibson 60s slim taper neck and I've been told that the only Japanese guitars that have that profile are the Greco Mint Collection models.
I was considering getting a Japanese flame top LP until recently, but the necks have put me off. I'll have to save up for a used Gibson R0 instead.
What you consider to be "best" is very subjective - do you want a flame top? Must it have the long tenon neck joint? Will you be swapping the pickups out? How much cash have you got?
For the price of the very desirable Japanese guitars you can have a used Gibson Standard...
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thats verrry interesting that you mention the necks.
one of the models i was looking closely at was the Mint Collection Greco, and my melody maker had a 50s or 60s slim taper neck (cant remember which). and i loved that. im definitely not a fan of the big, big chunky necks.
hmm.
money-wise its low-budget. i was gonna go all-out custom but got hit with baddd money problems so im having to scale down a lot. probably £500 tops at the moment.
and yer the 'best' thing is a bit unclear. i was really just wondering if there was a particular manufacturer that outshone the others overall. but i spose it will differ between each model respectively.
Top/aeshetic wise, i dont mind, as long as it ISNT sunburst... i despise it. Cherry, amber, honey-burst, solid-colours, black, white, whatever... just NOT sunburst... or tobaccoburst in fact.
i will definitely be swapping the pickups at some point. end of this year at latest.
and the long tenon neck joint would be nice, though not essential.
never tried a standard LP surprisingly, other stuff i have though. SGs, Studios, e.t.c. How much do used standards go for nowadays?
cheers,
sam.
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Why not add Agile to the list?
Perhaps not Japanese, but I've only heard good things - And they're dirt cheap!
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Pardon my ignorance but what is a long tenon neck joint?
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its like a set neck... but the neck is set further into the body... its supposed to add sustain..? i think.
and ah yer, id forgotten Agile. i know next to nothing about them as well.
enlighten me!
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£500 won't get you a used Gibson Standard - they're at least £800 I would think.
What about a used Gibson Les Paul Studio? Good quality, no stupidly think necks, solid colours (no sunbursts!) - sounds right up your street :D
Studio on eBay (http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Gibson-Les-Paul-Studio-Wine-Red-w-Gibson-USA-Hardcase_W0QQitemZ270135833447QQihZ017QQcategoryZ33040QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem)
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looks good!
it is everything i want basically. but i tried a studio a while ago and it was terrible (probably just a bad apple). but its got me associating them with rubbish. so i'd really prefer to try it first if a Studio it was going to be.
hmmm!
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Look up the old ibanez lawsuit LPs theyre pretty awesome
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The Ibanez LPs are rising in value, so you might find them out of your budget.
Sambo - try and find a 90s Les Paul Studio, the earlier the better. Quality was very high then and they're great guitars. Cost cutting has crept in more in recent years. I have a '96 Standard, a '99 Junior Special and a '99 Junior Lite. Top quality, great necks, no issues what so ever.
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http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Gibson-Les-Paul-Studio_W0QQitemZ300122273817QQihZ020QQcategoryZ33040QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem#ebayphotohosting
thats the earliest-ish i can find. pretty cheap, ending soon. not bad.
out of all the other MIJ models, i was focusing mainly on the Greco's and the Signature's. theres a Signature in the UK for £400, and i know from Nick (dakine), who got one, that they're fantastic guitars. he said it was damn close to rivalling his Gibbo Standard (which he took a while finding).
so emerging from the pack as it were, are the Signature's, Greco's, and possibly Gibson Studio, (i wouldnt by a post-2000 gibson studio though i dont think, especially as they actually seem to be quite expensive, £500 minimum.)
of course the Greco would probably have to be imported, and most of them cost about £225+ on ebay. meaning it would come out at around £400+ after all the extra costs.
the Signature's can be got in the UK, one on ebay at the moment and ive seen a couple of shops that stock them. theyre at £400 so thats a safe bet.
not sure!
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My mate has an LP Studio and the neck on it is massive, it feels horrible! I think I prefer those 60s slim taper necks as well.
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mm the neck was what ruined the one i tried a while ago.
but as i said, i loved my melody makers neck... that was perfect for me.
just found out- on an interesting side note, the Signature necks are supposed to be very close to the slim-tapers...
im getting ever so tempted.
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Get a jap one with a fat neck and shave it down!!
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:lol: :lol:
im looking for a guitar Woogie, not devising some kind of torture ritual for oriental people...
:lol:
the Signature is looking so damn good... theyre cheaper than the Studios, leaving more money to get pickups sooner. then again theyre very unknown, which could be cool, but could be a big risk as well.
Grecos are praised highly, but you've got the dodgy import issue... if somethings wrong i havent got a hope in hell of just sending it back or something.
grrr
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Hehe.
Shame you aren't getting your Legra anymore :( :(
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i know, im gutted. :evil:
i will get one ONE day though... thats a fact... and i know EXACTLY what i want in my head now for when that time comes.
its just gonna be postponed for a looong-ish time.
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Hehe.
Shame you aren't getting your Legra anymore :( :(
ditto, mine came in yesterday and it's awesome.
i've been looking into edwards, sambo, but my reasons are probably a bit different from yours (i'd prefer to buy new, prefer 43mm nut, etc.).
though i might take a chance with the edwards strat and tele, even if it is only 42mm (i think that's close enough, i've been noticing that narrower necks have been annoying me less recently...)
also, i'll have to buy blind, as i haven't tried them.
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yer im a bit annoyed about it really... but hey ho, the money situation didnt work out.
glad your pleased with yours though dave- expecting a detailed review!
and yer the buying blind is the main issue with them really... with past experiences i dont want to buy something solely from recommendation...
although those Signatures are coming to close to making me break that rule of miine :evil:
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yeah, i'm a little worried about the thick neck too... though i think i'd probably be ok if I didn't try too much shred on it.
meh, i'll probably chance one anyway. problem is those edwards are always backordered, which is a pain...
i'll write up a review in a few days, i want to play it a bit more first!
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yer ive heard a bit about that.
i think it was Twinfan.. ? who was saying hes waiting 'til december or november or something for a particular model to come in stock.
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i don't know if it's that bad for the ones i'm after (i hope not), but when i last emailed ishibashi, it was around a month for the LP's and tele, and september for the strat. in the colours I wanted (as that affects it too).
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not too bad then really.
the whole ordering from japan thing is tempting... but the extra costs of importing and shipping mean a Signature thats already in the UK would be cheaper.. and supposedly, at least as good as, if not better, than the edwards/greco e.t.c.
although in your case, as you said before, the buying from new, with the correct nut width e.t.c. is important. so that changes it a bit.
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yeah, i think i have my sums right for the importing (i've been on the uk customs site), i think the LP comes in at just under £500, but i'd definitely try to make sure before I ordered.
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yer that was the ballpark figure i arrived at as well.
not bad really, especially if the quality is as high as everyone says it is.
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Interesting timing for me!
I have been searching for a REALLY nice 335 for the past 3 years or so. I have played quite a few by now and whilst some have been nice enough, they have all suffered from some "fault" or problem that in my mind made me keep searching. The Holy Grail (as far as I was concerned) would have been a Stop Tail 345 from around 1960 through to 1963, but (a) They are Rare as Hen's Teeth (b) the Two that I did hook up with were NOT particularly nice examples and had been Modded. So, I widend the search and started looking at 335s as well.
Well........ I have FOUND ONE!!!
BUT......It isn't a Gibson :D .
It's actually a 1980 Greco!!!
It comes from the era before CNC Routing and is essentially a Hand Built Guitar. The Neck is a Dream, No Bassball Bat here, think of a Recent LP Standard and you're in the right Ball Park. The Fingerboard is Glorious, lovely Dark Piece of Brazilian Rosewood. All the Hardware is Nickel and has dulled down superbly! The Pickups are the sought after "Dry-Z" PAF alikes. And it looks absolutely STUNNING. The Sound is absolutely Beautiful, a very nice Bass Response which then translates across the string range into a very Warm and responsive sound. Reminds me of the 345 that started me off on this quest.
So......Where did I get it? I got it from a specialist Dealer who is based in France. Deals in nothing but "Vintage" (sic) Burny, Greco, Tokia, Navigator etc.
And How Much did I pay? Including shipping .............£1045.
OK.....There will no doubt be those who will say "But it hasn't got the Re Sale Value of a Gibson, Nor does it represent the investment value".
Wrong on Both Counts. The Guy that I have dealt with has already passed on 4 e.mails from Japanese Collectors whom are frantically searching for this particular model from this era. The Figures that I been quoted are frankly unbelievable and IF I had been doing this as an Investment ONLY opportunity.....Well I would have received the highest return imaginable.
After lengthy talks with the Chap in France I now know where I am investing any spare Cash. The Vintage Japanese Guitar Market is VERY Alive and Well Guys. You have been warned!!!
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At the weekend, I picked up a strat copy from my wifes uncle. It needs the electronics sorting, but it's been in his garage (without a case) for the last few years, so that's no suprise. Everything is still dead straight though.
The guitar was built in Korea by Fenix guitars. Wasn't that expensive, but is an absolute dream. It's thicker than a strat and really heavy, the pups are also HB's (although in single coil format - they look like lace sensors). It was built by Young Chang who now makes pianos.
I'd say it's definately worth a look. I think I'm going to fix it and then steel it :P
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The Ibanez LPs are rising in value, so you might find them out of your budget.
quote]
they go on ebay every now and then for about £150-200
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Interesting timing for me!
I have been searching for a REALLY nice 335 for the past 3 years or so. I have played quite a few by now and whilst some have been nice enough, they have all suffered from some "fault" or problem that in my mind made me keep searching. The Holy Grail (as far as I was concerned) would have been a Stop Tail 345 from around 1960 through to 1963, but (a) They are Rare as Hen's Teeth (b) the Two that I did hook up with were NOT particularly nice examples and had been Modded. So, I widend the search and started looking at 335s as well.
Well........ I have FOUND ONE!!!
BUT......It isn't a Gibson :D .
It's actually a 1980 Greco!!!
It comes from the era before CNC Routing and is essentially a Hand Built Guitar. The Neck is a Dream, No Bassball Bat here, think of a Recent LP Standard and you're in the right Ball Park. The Fingerboard is Glorious, lovely Dark Piece of Brazilian Rosewood. All the Hardware is Nickel and has dulled down superbly! The Pickups are the sought after "Dry-Z" PAF alikes. And it looks absolutely STUNNING. The Sound is absolutely Beautiful, a very nice Bass Response which then translates across the string range into a very Warm and responsive sound. Reminds me of the 345 that started me off on this quest.
So......Where did I get it? I got it from a specialist Dealer who is based in France. Deals in nothing but "Vintage" (sic) Burny, Greco, Tokia, Navigator etc.
And How Much did I pay? Including shipping .............£1045.
OK.....There will no doubt be those who will say "But it hasn't got the Re Sale Value of a Gibson, Nor does it represent the investment value".
Wrong on Both Counts. The Guy that I have dealt with has already passed on 4 e.mails from Japanese Collectors whom are frantically searching for this particular model from this era. The Figures that I been quoted are frankly unbelievable and IF I had been doing this as an Investment ONLY opportunity.....Well I would have received the highest return imaginable.
After lengthy talks with the Chap in France I now know where I am investing any spare Cash. The Vintage Japanese Guitar Market is VERY Alive and Well Guys. You have been warned!!!
:D You cant write this & not give over a web site or Email address !
as it go`s the Yamaha LP series are excellent. the Lord Player NOT the Studio Lord, which is a bolt on neck made for the UK market the Lord Player was a set neck ( glued) for primarily the Jap market but they were so good people started importing them. this helped lead to Gibson taking out the lawsuit. As for neck size i`ve played Greco`s & didn`t think the necks were particuly thick the same with the Yamaha`s.
:D 8)
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Muwahahahahahahaha Oh YES I can!!! :D
But then again....... http://www.japanguitars.co.uk/index.htm
My next one is on there too. :wink:
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yer that was the ballpark figure i arrived at as well.
not bad really, especially if the quality is as high as everyone says it is.
yeah, basically. i mean a les paul studio is like £800. by all accounts, the edwards is close to LP standard, which is more like £1500 odd. and it has the long neck tenon which the standard doesn't.
A while back, a shop over here had a LP studio for £475.... that was pretty good value. I didn't really want a studio though, didn't like the colour etc.
:lol:
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The guy at Japan Guitars (Mark Fletcher) sometimes sells stuff on eBay if he can't shift it via his site - look out for user name generalunrest
You may pick up a bargain compared with his website prices..
:-)
Mike
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:D Cheers Rob !
as it go`s i`ve come across this guy on Ebay. I didn`t realise he was in France though.
:D 8)
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whats his ebay name?
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generalunrest
Doesn't have any items for sale at the moment - I got my Greco from him and the 2 guitarists in the band got an Orville LP and a Greco LP from him.
Postage can be a little expensive but he generally sells nice kit
Mike
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Did you pay VAT & Duty?
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I bought my guitar when he lived in the UK but there is no VAT or duty to pay - he is based in France which is in the EU - therefore you don't have to pay any further taxes - only if you get the guitar directly from a supplier in Japan - then the equation is +3.5% duty plus 17.5% VAT on purchase price PLUS shipping costs.
Mike
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There are other uses to having a "Tame" French Address too.....coff coff.
I imported a rather costly item from the States. Instead of it coming to me in the UK it was shipped to the French address. Their Import Duties being far more lenient than ours really paid dividends.......Then it was shipped on to me having been Reboxed. Total saving on That particular item was in excess of £500 in Duties.
However.......I imagine that PK Gordy Brown will see to it that this Loophole will get closed ASAP?
Never Do!! Having the Public getting one over on HM Government eh?
Rob.
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my...... lord....
thank you whoever posted the link to that French shop...
that blue Burny custom is just.... :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o :o
i need it... now.
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I had my eye on that one !
Good job I'm looking for an SG.
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yes, yes it is!
:lol: :lol: :wink:
gorgeous though isnt it.
theres a £700 Greco that looks lovely as well...
i was just about to take the plunge on one of those Signatures as well!
grrrr!
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Usual Commision Rates Apply....I own your Souls OK? :D
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:lol:
deal!
i dont care as long as i get to play that Burny in all its shiny bluey-ness for all of time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :D :D :D :D :D :D
on a serious note, if i get the cash from a guitar im selling- that thing's mine.
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For £700 sambo surely you`d only need a few hundred more until your Legra quote ;)
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ha i wish man...
double it and then your somewhere near the final figure of the quote i had :evil:
and even that £700 is out of my league unfortunately...
its £500 tops.
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why not just sell your jackson? or sell your hair, i hear they pay well for a bag of hair on ebay
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haha.
no man, that £500 IS the selling of my jackson... :lol:
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I notice that someone has put the blue Burny on 'Hold' - looks like someone is interested in it...
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Sambo
You seen this one on eBay? Under your budget and a nice looking piece of kit..
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Original-80s-Japan-made-Burny-Les-Paul-Custom-Sublime_W0QQitemZ200123548695QQihZ010QQcategoryZ33040QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
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AAAhhhh i see, well just make sure its what u want, remember me with my jem 555? i bought it because it was the only thing in my pricerange but after a while i just didnt like it, Make sure a LS style guitar is what you want, i remember in another thread you said they were too chunky, Ooooo and make sure your not swapping your jackson for a cheaper guitar cos after a while it might start to get on your tits thinking about it. Those are my golden rules, ive been for the cheaper option before, its always something that needs a lot of hard thought. On the other hand, everyone loves to pick up a cheap bargain on ebay :P
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^sam- wise advice, and (cause ive made plenty of mistakes in the past as well), i have been giving it a lot more thought recently.
and hopefully, i think i'm 100% happy with what im doing. fingers crossed!
Mikeluke- cheers for the link- but im afraid its too late, as the reason the Burny is on Hold, is that i bought it last night! :D
i seriously cant wait. hopefully should be here by the end of next week at latest. :D
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She's a beauty Sambo lets hope she plays like she looks 8)
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cheers Ted, nail-biting time now! :oops:
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Sambo - glad it was you - didn't want you to be spitting feathers as someone had pipped you to it
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thanks man, yer that would have been extremely frustrating.
and thanks for the initial recommendation of the guy in the first place as well!
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Hope the you enjoy it - I really like the Greco that I got from him
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How much is postage from there? and how much is customs going to be, i might be interested in one from there too :P
Looks like a nice catch sambo!!
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congrats sam :twisted:
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sorry guys i'm a bit behind on this thread - which guitar's sambo bought himself? :P
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cheers guys. :twisted:
How much is postage from there? and how much is customs going to be, i might be interested in one from there too :P
Looks like a nice catch sambo!!
theres quite a few i would love to have from there!
postage and a hardcase combined was £90.
customs/import or whatever shouldnt come to much i dont think, if any, seeing as its in the EU.
can someone shed some light on that matter? i know it wont be as extensive as say from the U.S or straight from Japan, but still, could be a significant amount i guess...?
and Indy- i havent got the link on hand- but if you go on the Japanguitars site from a couple of pages back, its the Blue Burny les paul custom.
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Nice pick Sambo. If I was right handed the Tobacco Sunburst one underneath would of tempted me!!
Are we going to see some BKP's in it?
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cheers woogie.
yer im not a fan of tobacco 'burst myself, but a mate of mine was interested in that one too.
didnt realise you were a lefty!
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I love tobacco burst :lol:
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didnt realise you were a lefty!
Yea it has its advantages like.. erm.. :roll:
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I love tobacco burst :lol:
Me too :) I want a LP custom in flame top sunburst but no one makes them except Gibbo and Epi :(
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didnt realise you were a lefty!
Yea it has its advantages like.. erm.. :roll:
:lol: :lol: :lol:
a lot of people seem to be a fan of tobacco 'burst...
strange, its just never really appealed to me.
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:D
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didnt realise you were a lefty!
Yea it has its advantages like.. erm.. :roll:
:lol: :lol: :lol:
a lot of people seem to be a fan of tobacco 'burst...
strange, its just never really appealed to me.
same here. its too dark. i prefer plain flame/quilted finishes
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My ultimate LP is a Violin Finish plain top without a pickguard.
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cheers guys. :twisted:
How much is postage from there? and how much is customs going to be, i might be interested in one from there too :P
Looks like a nice catch sambo!!
theres quite a few i would love to have from there!
postage and a hardcase combined was £90.
customs/import or whatever shouldnt come to much i dont think, if any, seeing as its in the EU.
can someone shed some light on that matter? i know it wont be as extensive as say from the U.S or straight from Japan, but still, could be a significant amount i guess...?
and Indy- i havent got the link on hand- but if you go on the Japanguitars site from a couple of pages back, its the Blue Burny les paul custom.
you shouldn't have to pay any customs at all if it's from an eu country.
EDIT: just found the guitar, that's very nice, sam! you don't often see LP customs in blue.
:drink:
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ah excellent cheers for confirming that.
:drink:
and yer violin finish LPs are pretty cool... if we're talking traditional style, my personal favourite is a faded honeyburst.
EDIT:
cheers dave. yer that was one of the reasons why it interested me really. i was gonna go for a typical black with gold hardware kinda look, but the blue makes a nice change.
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^ yeah, it's definitely a less usual colour. Which is cool if you want something a little different.
my fave LP custom at the moment is the black edwards one with p90's- looks a wee bit different too, you're used to seeing the one with gold-covered buckers all the time!
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"something a little different" is what i usually base half my purchases on...
given my lack of knowledge however, this usually turns out more like: "something a bit cr@p" :oops:
and yer exactly- the black with gold is probably the most common look.
think i've seen the edwards your talking about- v.nice!
Soapbars look great in anything paul-shaped.
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^ hahaha!
yeah. i'm not too fussed on the goldtop one, though- i just don't think i like gold, i don't like them with hummers either.
It is nice to have something a little different from the norm, though. Nice feeling.
:drink:
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yer gold can look extremely bad on pretty much everything if its not tasteful.
i might end up changing the hardware on the Burny to black actually depending on what its like in the flesh. although seeing as its 25 years old the garish-ness has probably faded to some degree.
and yup exactly, having something different is just... i dunno... 'nice'. :lol:
and of course the ultimate of 'something different' is a custom!
:)
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^ :drink:
black might be nice on that- i wasn't too sold on the gold hardware either. On a rare guitar, it can look awesome, but it depends very much on the guitar, in my opinion, as opposed to chrome or black where it's only the very odd guitar where it doesn't look ok.
But as you say, being older, it may actually look great!
How long will it take to get to you (that's the hardest part, the 4 days my legra was in the post was harder than the several months i had to wait previously!)?
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^precisely.
and yer i can imagine... something of that value being posted must be nerve -wracking as hell.
as for mine i actually have no idea how long its gonna take...
the guy asked for a bank transfer as opposed to paypal or anything, and that can take up to four days to clear anyway... so ordered tuesday night, say if it is the full four days, and say it takes another 3/4 to arrive... im guessing sometime at the end of next week... ?
the guy wasnt exactly chatty... (i have a feeling i just piss off everyone through my emails :lol: :oops: )
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Sambo
I would describe him as 'business-like' too - he's got some great guitars - not sure whether he gets them himself from Japan or if he has very good contacts there.
Bank transfer is his standard method of taking payment - and he strikes a very hard bargain on hard cases... I was a mean git and managed to get one for my Greco via a series of eBay trades that saw me get a guitar with a case and then flog just the guitar...
Mike
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yes 'business-like' is the perfect term!
i read up on him a little and from what i can gather, he, as you suggested, has some contacts over there that ship the guitars over for him. how much personal inspection goes into it from him i have no idea.
spot on regarding the hard cases- it was only £10 discount for a used case as opposed to a brand new one.
nice way of getting round it with the trades.
ah well, he seems like a nice guy, and he helped me out with a couple of questions.
as long as im happy with the guitar then its no big deal.
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^precisely.
and yer i can imagine... something of that value being posted must be nerve -wracking as hell.
as for mine i actually have no idea how long its gonna take...
the guy asked for a bank transfer as opposed to paypal or anything, and that can take up to four days to clear anyway... so ordered tuesday night, say if it is the full four days, and say it takes another 3/4 to arrive... im guessing sometime at the end of next week... ?
the guy wasnt exactly chatty... (i have a feeling i just piss off everyone through my emails :lol: :oops: )
yeah, bank transfers take a while to clear, they cost a bit too.
:(
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bugger.
ah well, its my dads account anyway... :lol:
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my fave LP custom at the moment is the black edwards one with p90's- looks a wee bit different too, you're used to seeing the one with gold-covered buckers all the time!
LP Customs with black pickups are so much cooler than with gold ;)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/tomr61/IMG_0088.jpg)
8)
I've been craving a p90 guitar recently, I now want an LP or SG Jr of some kind :twisted:
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^haha, i have to agree though... i love the look of your epi.
have you got a close-up pic of the bridge/+pickups by the way? might help me decide if the black covers are for me.
the site i got the Burny from has several LP junior copies actually...
http://www.japanguitars.co.uk/Page%202%20Orville%20By%20Gibson.html
near the bottom... haven looked at them in detail. there'll be a load of high-res pics if you click on the image though.
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if somebody asks for bank transfer and it takes a few days pay cash directly into there bank at a branch if possible. If you pay it into their bank it will show up on cash machines within a day and usually show up on internet banking straight away
usefull if you are in a real rush
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Sam heres a picture of the bridge + pickups with black covers and gold polepieces, looking really dusty. They look so cool
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/tomr61/guitar1.jpg)
Those LP Jrs on Japanguitars look ok, but the burst one was too "sudden" if that makes sense, and cherry red should be saved for SGs only! I want a nice violin or tobacco sunburst with a gradual fade from the outer colour - either that or a "proper" style LP, goldtop with cream 90s :twisted:
btw, on ishibashi, how the hell do I set it so I can read it in english?!
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Wez- cheers for that, i had no idea. that'll be useful in future.
and tom- they look great. are the black saddles something you added? if so- nice one cause they add to the effect as well.
it almost changes the whole look of the guitar... much cooler than stock.
i might have to copy you :)
and yer i know exactly what you mean about the burst; i hate finishes like that lol. but i like the cherry personally.
goldtops with soapbars are just heaven to look at.
and ishibashi is just plain confusing even if you set it to what is supposed to be the 'all english' version...
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Yeah they're graphtech saddles which I put in because I was breaking strings all the time, looks better than gold as well I think :P
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bugger.
ah well, its my dads account anyway... :lol:
you have wisdom beyond you years, young sam.
:lol:
LP Customs with black pickups are so much cooler than with gold ;)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/tomr61/IMG_0088.jpg)
8)
I've been craving a p90 guitar recently, I now want an LP or SG Jr of some kind :twisted:
touche, the saddles you posted later look great too.
here's a link to the ishibashi edwards page, most of it's in english:
http://www.ishibashi.co.jp/webshop/guitar/esp/edwards/index.htm
you can get info on the esp japan website too.
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hmm the Edwards Jrs dont look that great really.. however the SG looks AMAZING. Isnt a P90 guitar but I'm sure it'd sound nice and gritty with some MQs or something in it!
(http://www.ishibashi.co.jp/webshop/guitar/esp/edwards/gif/esg85lt2_ch.jpg)
According to my converter, the SG is only £306 :o :o :o Any idea how much customs etc usually are from Japan, and how the hell do you order from ishibashi :lol:
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Ooooohhhhhh
http://www.ishibashi.co.jp/webshop/guitar/esp/edwards/ejr80lt.htm in blonde 276.285 GBP (plus ripoff charges from HM Customs)
Some of those LPs and 335 types are absolute sweethearts
Though I never thought I would see anybody copying the Gibson Marauder http://www.ishibashi.co.jp/webshop/guitar/esp/edwards/eml85lt.htm
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Nice buy Sam.I was looking at that site while back as I was interested in the 335 types.
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bugger.
ah well, its my dads account anyway... :lol:
you have wisdom beyond you years, young sam.
:lol:
:D :lol:
Rob- that looks cooool!
i think my next guitar will be a junior/melodymaker-esque clone of some kind... simply because the character of my Gibson was great.
Tom- i think it would probably work out, with shipping and extra charges, at around £500.
and cheers 38th; i think he has something for everyone on there really- a lot of nice stuff.
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Hey Sam, I just bought a Greco 1978 LP Standard! (from ebay)
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=180133798379&ssPageName=STRK:MEWN:IT&ih=008
He was asking £375 + £20 postage but i got him down to £350 + £20 :D
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nice!
its chambered as well, awesome.
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I think this actually looks better than a "normal" LP Jr, nice finish on it
(http://img296.imageshack.us/img296/7363/9289164kf5.gif)
:)
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that looks COOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL! :o
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Though I never thought I would see anybody copying the Gibson Marauder http://www.ishibashi.co.jp/webshop/guitar/esp/edwards/eml85lt.htm
so that's what that one is. :lol:
According to my converter, the SG is only £306 :o :o :o Any idea how much customs etc usually are from Japan, and how the hell do you order from ishibashi :lol:
according to the UK customs website, 17.5% VAT + 3.2-3.7% (or something like that). as far as i'm aware, that's payable on the postage too, unfortunately (which, last time i checked, was £65 or something like that).
http://customs.hmrc.gov.uk/channelsPortalWebApp/channelsPortalWebApp.portal?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=pageTravel_ShowContent&id=HMCE_PROD_009989&propertyType=document
basically, that sg is liable to cost around £450-£500, i think.
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The SE-one is about £400 on thomann :) Cheers for that Dave, seems like a good price for a quality guitar.
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oh, yeah, don't forget, your credit card is liable to charge you a few % commission as well.
:drink:
EDIT: the most annoying thing, though, is seeing how cheap they'd be in japan. I mean, some of those are about £300!
:cry:
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Yep! Maybe I should try to get my parents to take us on holiday to Japan for xmas :lol:
edit - on ebay, the seller "chingo123" has Grecos for about £230! So cheap..
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^yer thats what gets me as well...
we think we're getting bargains for £500... theres plenty on ebay in japan, like old Grecos e.t.c for sub-£250! :evil:
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If I remember right, I dont think you have to pay the Japanese tax, so you save a bit of money on what's listed on the website.
About the SE One. I wouldn't buy one from Thomann because their prices on PRS SEs arent good. I'd wait til its widely available here you'll save yourself quite a bit of cash I reckon.
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Yeah, well I'm not getting a new guitar for ages anyway probably, since I've only just finished my strat :lol: The cheapest you can get the SE-Ones in the uk at the minute is at least £460 I think :\
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^yer thats what gets me as well...
we think we're getting bargains for £500... theres plenty on ebay in japan, like old Grecos e.t.c for sub-£250! :evil:
You mean the Yahoo auction? I saw a Navigator LP the other day for £600!
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sorry you've lost on me on the "yahoo auction bit".......
... lol. :oops: ?
Dont know much about navigators but theyre supposed to be up there with the other's.
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Yahoo auction is like ebay in Japan. I don't think there is ebay Japan although there are lots of ebay sellers from Japan.
http://list5.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/2084019019-category.html
Navigator is a brand of ESP that makes replica guitars. When they say replica they mean Custom Shop level or better.
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^ahh! yer i meant sellers from japan, with their shops/stock based there.
interesting- didnt know about the yahoo auction thing.
There's some interesting info about Navigators on that japanguitars website actually. according to the owner of that shop, the term Navigator over there is associated with top-end guitars, as you say, because back-in-the-day, the Navigators were hand-built, by a small Japanese company. then they got bought out by ESP later on, and they still use the term Navigator to associate that prowess to their guitars.
if you catch my drift.
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Be a bit more wary of the 'chambered' Grecos guys...they weren't really chambered, just hollow to save money. Most japan-nuts avoid them, but I guess they could sound cool.
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Be a bit more wary of the 'chambered' Grecos guys...they weren't really chambered, just hollow to save money. Most japan-nuts avoid them, but I guess they could sound cool.
same goes for those chambered gibson les paul doublecuts; there's nothing inside them, lol
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But they do make it easier on the shoulder.....
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But they do make it easier on the shoulder.....
Yeah but so do big straps, and what's more important; weight or tone? :P
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Yep! Maybe I should try to get my parents to take us on holiday to Japan for xmas :lol:
Get gingataff to start a business selling very slightly used Japanese sourced guitars
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^+1! :D
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+1000!
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If I remember right, I dont think you have to pay the Japanese tax, so you save a bit of money on what's listed on the website.
ah, that's interesting. only about 5%, but still, that should easily cover the credit card fees.
Agreed about thomann too, by the way, they have really good prices on some stuff, but on some other stuff (it seems pretty random), you can actually get it cheaper in the UK.
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You mean the Yahoo auction? I saw a Navigator LP the other day for £600!
sweet merciful cr@p, £600??
:evil:
er, sam, navigators are like £3000 new.
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Though I never thought I would see anybody copying the Gibson Marauder http://www.ishibashi.co.jp/webshop/guitar/esp/edwards/eml85lt.htm
so that's what that one is. :lol:
TBH theryre a quite good guitar and last time I looked theyre also pretty damned cheap http://www.answers.com/topic/gibson-marauder
They where way better than the Sonex series
I'm suffering lust for their DC (there was one in Marcus music a couple of months ago), but I wish they would do a Firebird :(
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You mean the Yahoo auction? I saw a Navigator LP the other day for £600!
sweet merciful cr@p, £600??
:evil:
er, sam, navigators are like £3000 new.
haha woah woah dave, thats like saying cars are £100,000 new...
there are lots of different Navigators... are you talking about an Edwards navigator model or something else?
http://www.japanguitars.co.uk/page%207%20Other%20Brands.html
?
EDIT: i think we have different ideas as to what a navigator LP is :lol:
im not clued up on whatever the £3000 ones are...
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navigator are a brand arent they? Navigator are the ESP whereas Edwards are the LTD; or thats how i understood it
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i think so yer, nowadays. although ive never seen a modern navigator myself.
but in context of this thread- old Japanese replicas - the Navigator i had in my mind was from the 80s, before it was ever a part of ESP/Edwards...
and as on that page i linked, you can get THOSE navigators for reasonable cash.
so when the guy said a Navigator LP went for £600... that could mean anything really...
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The one I saw was LP380 or 320 or something like that. They are about 300000Yen new which is about £1400.
Even now there are few Navigators on there for reasonable price, a Custom for £700 for example.
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^cool.
sorry i just interpreted 'Navigator LP' differently to every one else, as i wasnt in the know about the Edwards models :oops:
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TBH theryre a quite good guitar and last time I looked theyre also pretty damned cheap http://www.answers.com/topic/gibson-marauder
They where way better than the Sonex series
I'm suffering lust for their DC (there was one in Marcus music a couple of months ago), but I wish they would do a Firebird :(
interesting. i'm annoyed i missed that one in marcus... :evil:
haha woah woah dave, thats like saying cars are £100,000 new...
there are lots of different Navigators... are you talking about an Edwards navigator model or something else?
http://www.japanguitars.co.uk/page%207%20Other%20Brands.html
?
EDIT: i think we have different ideas as to what a navigator LP is :lol:
im not clued up on whatever the £3000 ones are...
http://www.espguitars.co.jp/navigator/index.html
(obviously some are cheaper than others, but generally they're pretty dear- at least the current models)
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^ah cheers for that dave- i really wasnt familiar with them at all.
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neither am i, lol. i was on the ESP site when i was looking into edwards, saw navigator (yay!) then saw the prices (nay!)...
:oops:
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:lol: :lol: :lol:
theres too many guitars in the world.
by the way- im kicking myself over a name i cant remember...
there was a clip on here ages ago of an acoustic-playing guy who was doing insane shred and stuff... he was around years and years ago...
any idea who it might have been?
this is driving me insane... :evil: :evil: :evil:
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(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v281/theonlywarlock/IMG054.jpg)
I like my ESP. :D
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by the way- im kicking myself over a name i cant remember...
there was a clip on here ages ago of an acoustic-playing guy who was doing insane shred and stuff... he was around years and years ago...
any idea who it might have been?
I would be tempted to say Adrian Legg (but I forgot his name)
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Tommy Emmanuel?
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cheers for the help rob and 38th, but no luck im afraid.
it was a much older guy... footage was really 'vintage'... may even have been black and white...
he was foreign... bugger WHO WAS IT?!?!?! :evil: :evil:
it was like acoustic shred... ?
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cheers for the help rob and 38th, but no luck im afraid.
it was a much older guy... footage was really 'vintage'... may even have been black and white...
he was foreign... bugger WHO WAS IT?!?!?! :evil: :evil:
it was like acoustic shred... ?
Django Reinhart (BTW Mr Legg scares Vai with the speed he plays at)
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YES!
THAT GUY!
THATS IT!
thank you!...
and i shall check out the Legg geezer at the same time as well.
cheers...
ahh thats such a weight off my mind!!! :)