The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
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  1. #1

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    I've been looking around on eBay thinking about replacing my Ibanez GB 15 lately with maybe a GB10 and noticed that there are about five different dealers posting the same guitar that I'm interested in. That has a little bit of a shady look to me. Are these guys legit and has anyone purchased a guitar from one of these sellers.

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  3. #2

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    They are just opportunists who find the guitars posted on actual dealers' websites and repost them on ebay. Brokers, if you will. Do a search for the GB10 on ã?ã??ã?¸ã??ã?¼ã??ã??楽å?¨ã¨é ?³æ¥½æ©?材å°?é??のæ¤?ç´¢ï¼ ?総å?æ??å ±ã?µã?¤ã?? and you will find the same guitars posted by their dealers. Buy directly from the dealers and save yourself a bunch of money. The prices shown include 8% sales tax which you do not have to pay when they are exported. Japan Post EMS shipping is about $150 to the USA.

    Most of the dealers have English speaking staff. Email them.

  4. #3

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    Also, Ishibashi's used archtop corner

    Buying guitars from Japan-ish-jpg



  5. #4

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    If it were me I would try and find a dealer in the U.S. to buy from instead.

    Better still, I would try and find some place close enough to where I lived that I could play the guitar in person.

    When I bought my Gibson Johnny Smith back in 1977 I drove all over Maryland and Virginia playing different Johnny Smiths.

    I couldn't believe how much they varied from one to the next.

    The one I finally bought was so much better than all of the others that it made the driving around worth it!

  6. #5

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    I have tried on several occasions to buy guitars from Japanese dealers and the communication and translation was always a problem.

    In fact, my last attempt to buy an Andersen Emerald city took weeks of communication, and I had to drag details out of the dealer - only to find they were mis representing the guitar.

    Be careful and make sure you clearly understand the details of the instrument.

  7. #6

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    Thanks for the replies. On the third website Jabs posted I saw the guitar listed as sold. I think the best thing to do is just wait until another gb15 comes up again. I've played a number of 10s and 15s and there built pretty consistently I'll just need to do my own set up.

  8. #7

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    Thanks to QAman and Jabs who discovered and informed me about it being advertised i ordered a LeGrand fom Japan in January 2017 and was lucky to get a great sounding guitar. I have played a few LeGrands over the years and this is by far the best of all of them. It is in mint condition and came for a very good price.

    But it was a painstaking process over weeks, me asking for fotos and specific details again and again, requesting more closeup pics of potential problem-areas (which might look like something unwanted could be hidden etc.). The good thing was that all my inquiries were taken very serious and the staff in Kurosawa Music was most helpful and very cooperative in the process. So i would say if you take QAman's and Jabs's advice seriously you have a good chance to get a great deal.

  9. #8

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    I've been shopping for a PM200 for a long time and seriously considered the direct-from-Japan route, but in the end if I am going to pay $2700+ for a guitar, yeah I want to play it first. Even though, of all current mass manufacturers I think Ibanez might be the most consistant in QC.

  10. #9

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    Quote Originally Posted by ugarte
    I've been shopping for a PM200 for a long time and seriously considered the direct-from-Japan route, but in the end if I am going to pay $2700+ for a guitar, yeah I want to play it first. Even though, of all current mass manufacturers I think Ibanez might be the most consistant in QC.
    My policy was that if i could get a price-deal which would enable me to sell the guitar easily without loss at all i could take the risk of buying - and selling if it didn't satisfy me totally.

  11. #10

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    Being an Alvarez Yairi collector and an avid fan of rare Ibanez guitar models I had no problem buying gear from merchants in Japan, many times the instruments I wanted were made for the Japan market only and I had a far better chance of finding one that was still in Japan. I never had an issue once with dealers in Japan, many of them have at least one person on their staff who is quite fluent in English. They ship EMS and most times I would get the gear in 3-5 days from when I pulled the trigger. In other words quicker than most american sellers would deliver. And the same goes for american made guitars, sometimes the only place you find an unusual american made guitar is Japan - where 15 years ago collectors there had serious deep pockets... I got one of my Unitys from a seller in Japan.

    Nowadays with CITES import restrictions being VERY harsh it is a bit of a gamble buying anything that has rosewood in it and importing it... Yet if I saw an american made archtop in Japan and it had no rosewood and the price was right I'd grab it...

    Now when you see an instrument listed by five different guys on eBay all with slightly different prices it means it is in a store somewhere and they'll take your money, go buy the instrument and ship it to you. I'd have to want something pretty god damn bad to want to chance buying from one of these dudes... Probably not gonna happen, and not worth researching to try to deduce who REALLY has the piece...


    Big

  12. #11

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    The GB15 is a more rare model than other Benson signature guitars. I let mine go and wished I had it back almost instantly. Compared to GB10's it has a slightly wider nut, a tiny bit thicker body, and the most obvious, a single (coil tapped) neck pickup. It was capable of great jazz tones!

    If that is what you want, then it may take searching the world for it...unless you are not in a hurry. GB15's do come up for sale once in a while, so patience may be needed. Also, as others have noted, beware of the sharks and charlatans out there (overseas and in the Sates) attempting to separate you from your hard earned money. So caveat emptor.

    Conversely, if a GB10 will suit your needs, then there are tons of them on the new and used market here in the CONUS.

    Good hunting!

  13. #12

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    How about famous Japanese archtop guitar shop “Walkin”?

    there’s no problem sending E-mail them in English, I think.

  14. #13

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    I live in Tokyo and will tell you to buy anywhere else but from Japan. The markup here is insane. Used instruments cost more than new ones in the US, shipping can be super expensive, and if there is a problem you will be tied up for months dealing with Japanese shipping companies. For example, I sold a Gibson R6 and shipped it insured to the US. The Japanese customs officer opened the box to ship it, dumped all the packing materials out, and resealed the box. The buyer opened it to find the next shattered. I refuned his money and, even after the customs officer admitted to removing all the packing materials before resealing the box, it took me over six months of calling the shipping company two or three times a week before they would refund the money to me. In the end I didn't even get 80% of the guitar's value back. I have bought instruments here too. Anytime I need to return them for major faults (a strat that had a neck that couldn't be salvaged... according to a top tech in Tokyo.. the shop that I bought it from had no idea there was an issue until I took the guitar there personally and showed them to which they responed "oh we can easily fix that.. no refund") there have been huge hassles.

  15. #14

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    Okay, sorry to hear about these negative experiences. But I guess that mainly applies to US-made guitars? Evidently, Gibson, will be cheaper in the US, just like Moffa will be cheaper in Europe, and Ibanez or Momose will be cheaper in Japan. While one can find almost every model somewhere in Tokyo, I agree prices of Gibsons in Japan can be outrageous, new as well as used. But in my experience there are really good deals to have in Japanese-made guitars. I own two MIJ, and my third one will arrive before the end of the year. Before I bought them I tried several, and compared them to similar Gibson and Heritage models. In quality and price these were no match to the MIJ ones.

  16. #15

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    I went on a few Japanese Sites to see if there were any great buys on relatively known Ibanez Guitars but the prices always seem higher ...

    I was even thinking that I might find the Factory that makes an Ibanez Model and sells the" Generic" under a different name but .....no....maybe someone really really knowledgeable about who makes what could....
    But the Japanese don't seem to sell high quality handmade Guitars at any type of bargain price...used GB300's are always over $4000 (!).

    AND as a blind test ...the Youtube Genie gave this Player from Australia..a Benson picker and I thought Damn that GB30 sounds really good ...including some finger style stuff he did on one tune ...
    And on my phone on well recorded stuff it is really clear ...
    Then I realized it was in fact a GB300 -beautiful sounding Guitar ...I mean even for more than Bensonish playing...

    I have to make sure I can do all my stuff with the strings way up off the fingerboard though.....as Archtops are.
    Last edited by Robertkoa; 10-02-2018 at 12:07 AM.

  17. #16

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    Quote Originally Posted by stevus
    Okay, sorry to hear about these negative experiences. But I guess that mainly applies to US-made guitars? Evidently, Gibson, will be cheaper in the US, just like Moffa will be cheaper in Europe, and Ibanez or Momose will be cheaper in Japan. While one can find almost every model somewhere in Tokyo, I agree prices of Gibsons in Japan can be outrageous, new as well as used. But in my experience there are really good deals to have in Japanese-made guitars. I own two MIJ, and my third one will arrive before the end of the year. Before I bought them I tried several, and compared them to similar Gibson and Heritage models. In quality and price these were no match to the MIJ ones.
    Depends on the shop and guitar. Some of the MIJ stuff is more expensive here too. I keep seeing used MIJ Reissue Fenders for within $100 or so of the used US reissues and sometimes more. I was looking at one of the 52ri teles and it was a few hundred more than a used US model. Apparently the Japanese collectors are catching on to them now too. Stuff like Epi Casinos and such can be had for super cheap though.

  18. #17

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    I assume you also tried Momose telecasters? Personally I like the Archtop Tribute and Westville guitars a lot. I have tried a few Westville models. I think they are among the best in the business. Serious money, but worth it.

  19. #18

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    I've never ordered a guitar from Japan to US, but have done clinics for Mikki Gakki and Hoochies while on tour. They're both reputable stores, maybe try contacting them directly?

    Guitar Shop Hoochie's – ?????????????

  20. #19

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    I saw a nice guitar advertised on Reverb by a shop in Japan. I am in Washington state. They are offering free shipping, but I pay the import duties. Does anybody have any experience with this? How did it go? How much are the import duties, and how are they paid? Thanks.

  21. #20

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    While I’ve heard of people having to pay import duties on guitars from Japan, on the several I’ve purchased from Japan I’ve never had any fees. USPS just dropped it off. Guitars from Japan usually arrive quickly too.

    What’s the country of origin of the guitar? If it’s an American made guitar, it should not be subject to fees anyway.

  22. #21

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    Thanks for the info. The guitar is new Japanese made, a King Snake.

  23. #22

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    I've bought quite a few guitars from Japan and never paid import duties. If you have to, typically the shipper bills you.

    When buying any guitar from Japan online, be sure that the seller actually has possession of the guitar. It's not unusual to see the same exact guitar for sale from several shops.

    A guitar I bought from Japan 4 months ago is still being listed by another seller on ebay!

  24. #23

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    most japan sellers ship via EMS, if its coming to the United States that means it’s going through US Customs / if the guitars declared value is less than $2000.00 American they might let it slide through.

    if it’s being sent via UPS or FedEx yes they insist the shipper declare the value and they will notify you to pay the duty first.

    Bu
    t most Japan sellers use EMS, it’s cheaper but you risk Custom grabbing it. That happened to me in 2017 when they held an exotic bowl backed Alvarez Yairi. I had to get s customs broker to assist / I paid them the duty and a fee for their services and they Paid their customs contact and i had it within hours






    Quote Originally Posted by Gilpy
    I've bought quite a few guitars from Japan and never paid import duties. If you have to, typically the shipper bills you.

    When buying any guitar from Japan online, be sure that the seller actually has possession of the guitar. It's not unusual to see the same exact guitar for sale from several shops.

    A guitar I bought from Japan 4 months ago is still being listed by another seller on ebay!