The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
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  1. #1

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    What are your experiences? Is it worth the trouble for an Archtop Tribute (which is what I have my eye on) or does it really have to be a Westville?
    Last edited by Jim Soloway; 05-16-2023 at 02:09 PM.

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  3. #2

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    Quote Originally Posted by Gilpy
    I bought my Archtop tribute from Walkin. Very easy transaction, with personal attention from Masaki. I would have zero qualms about ordering a guitar from them.
    The AT guitar I bought was flawless. I think the decision between AT and Westville is more about what model you want, solid woods or laminate.
    The AT models are great Gibson style guitars and the Westville are beautiful original designs.
    Thanks. I really appreciate the input. It was your guitar that really got me interested but with the strength of the US$ to both the CDN $ and the Japanese Yen, it's about the same price to get a new one from Japan and they have exactly one available on their site.

  4. #3

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    AT guitars are great, but Westville guitars are the better ones. If you want an AT, then go for the ATC(ustom), because these are also made by the Westville luthiers. I have a Westville Corona with a floating pickup, which I prefer above the Solar with humbucker (friend of mine has the Solar). Price/quality of these guitars is very good. I love mine, great neck too, though the guitar is a little heavier than you would expect.
    I know Masaki well, we meet every time I visit Tokyo. He is a great guy and can tell you much more about these guitars.

  5. #4

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    Quote Originally Posted by stevus
    AT guitars are great, but Westville guitars are the better ones. If you want an AT, then go for the ATC(ustom), because these are also made by the Westville luthiers. I have a Westville Corona with a floating pickup, which I prefer above the Solar with humbucker (friend of mine has the Solar). Price/quality of these guitars is very good. I love mine, great neck too, though the guitar is a little heavier than you would expect.
    I know Masaki well, we meet every time I visit Tokyo. He is a great guy and can tell you much more about these guitars.
    Thanks. I think the Solar is gorgeous (although it's also way out of my price range, as are most Westvilles) but my real interest is very specific: the Archtop Tribute AT105 Jr. The size and scale length of a Gibson ES140 with a more humbucker and a modern build are incredibly attractive to me.

  6. #5

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    Quote Originally Posted by stevus
    AT guitars are great, but Westville guitars are the better ones. If you want an AT, then go for the ATC(ustom), because these are also made by the Westville luthiers. I have a Westville Corona with a floating pickup, which I prefer above the Solar with humbucker (friend of mine has the Solar). Price/quality of these guitars is very good. I love mine, great neck too, though the guitar is a little heavier than you would expect.
    I know Masaki well, we meet every time I visit Tokyo. He is a great guy and can tell you much more about these guitars.
    I just want to add that Masaki is fabulous to deal with. I would reach out to Masaki with any questions. He will steer you in the right direction.

  7. #6

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    Jim,

    You did see the offer for one of these on the forum, didn’t you? Probably a bit closer to you than Tokyo.

    Archtop Tribute AT-105J

  8. #7

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    Quote Originally Posted by cmajor9
    Jim,

    You did see the offer for one of these on the forum, didn’t you? Probably a bit closer to you than Tokyo.

    Archtop Tribute AT-105J
    I do. We've discussed it and it's still a possibility but I'm in Canada and the difference between having a guitar shipped from the US or Japan is minimal. But I'm still considering both options.

  9. #8

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    Just wanted to let you guys know that if you are buying from Walkin' Guitars, this is the only site that you should be contacting for international sales (for Archtop Tributes) WALKiN' | ?gmail???????????????????????????????????????????? ????????

    I had an issue where I bought an Archtop Tribute from another forum member, who had acquired it from an ebay listing. The owner of Walkin told me that he does not sell his guitars anywhere but his website and considers these "New" listings you will find to be dubious. They also use a very similar name to the owner, Masaki Nishimura. Watch out for "Masato" and others, they are domestic sellers looking to skim a few bucks, or in worse cases Counterfeit.

    I believe I got lucky in this case, but be careful. He identified the Serial number as a domestic Japanese sale and confirmed the instrument from pictures after a series of emails. Support Masaki's craftsmanship!

    They also have this site (in which they clearly state that there is no official Ebay store) but it doesn't have a comprehensive inventory.
    Westville Guitars
    Last edited by Crowyote; 06-01-2023 at 06:36 PM.

  10. #9

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    Walk-in had a guitar I almost bought. Even though I didn’t buy it, they were great to deal with. Very responsive and clearly experienced in selling to US customers (e.g understanding customs laws and processing foreign payments).

  11. #10

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    Quote Originally Posted by omphalopsychos
    Walk-in had a guitar I almost bought. Even though I didn’t buy it, they were great to deal with. Very responsive and clearly experienced in selling to US customers (e.g understanding customs laws and processing foreign payments).
    That's pretty much my experience as well. For reasons that don't matter, I decided that it was not the right time to add an archtop to my life but I really lime the way they dealt with me and I hope that can eventually but a guitar from them.