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In my latest trip to Japan, I decided to visit a few of their best guitar shops to see what they had to offer. These music shops (not bashing) are a better shopping experience than I've had in any Guitar Center. The shops are smaller in size but more densely packed. They have a much greater selection of high quality gear than Guitar Center. Typically, in my experience, Guitar Center has their "Platinum Room" (basically stuff most people can't afford), and they have a limited selection of American made Fender and Gibson Les Pauls and Ibanez prestige, and then the bulk of their stuff are Mexican Fenders, Daisy Rocks, etc...
The only thing is that I didn't see a great selection of amps. Guitar Center carries a lot of the same budget amps, etc.., but at least at these stores you can find Hughes and Kettner Triamps, Marshall plexi reissues, and even Mesa Boogie.
Several brands and models were available for me to demo. I initially wanted to go home with possibly an Edwards LP so that's where I started. There were a few things that made me skeptical about the Edpwards LP's like inconsistencies in the binding, ill-fitting pickup rings, and they were very light. However, I plugged in several models and they all sounded very good. Noteably, two models: one with a nitro gloss and another that was reliced, were superior to the others. They sounded really good and I was tempted to buy them.
There were many other things to choose from, but the prices were mostly around the $2500-3500 price range. Those were ESP's, Schecter EX, ESP Navigator, and some Fender Japan stuff that was really cool. After playing several of those, I picked up some of the mid-tier Schecters and Edwards and started comparing them. I was impressed with how they played and sounded.
After carefully examining how they were constructed, and playing them through a few amps like a Hughes and Kettner Triamp MKII and Marshall JMD, I started thinking I would come home with two high quality guitars instead of just one high quality guitar. After a lot of experimenting and playing, I narrowed it down to the two models photographed.
I carefully scrutinized the construction of these guitars, also next to their more expensive counterparts the EX series, Navigator, ESP custom shop, etc... There is a great attention to detail in these guitars; from the frets, to the edges of the finish and maple cap, and even the coating inside the routed cavities. I find the work to be highly detailed and precise.
Of the guitars I have owned (Fender signature models, Fender custom shop, Charvel custom shop, Suhr, Gibson USA, etc...), these guitars certainly compare in quaity. In my Fender signature and custom shop models, I have seen some inconsistencies in the paint, fretting, fit of the neck pocket, etc..., whereas in these Japanese models I'm examining, I find the attention to detail to be superior.
Some of the most incredible things I noticed about Suhr and Tom Anderson guitars is their perfect intonation and highly adjustable action. With Gibson and Fender (and I'm not bashing them), I find that when I look down the fretboard, even when PLEKED, I can always see a little unevenness in the frets. This usually results in compromises in how I setup the action. It's usually good enough to live with, but not perfect.
In these guitars, the frets are straight across the top, and the fret edges are all even down the fretboard. I am able to get a lower action and less fret buzz than I can get on any of my strats or even beloved Ibanez Prestiges. I know that may sound like blasphemy, but I'm just calling it like I see it.
Another observation I made is that the necks of the Schecter and Edwards guitars all fit snugly into the neck pockets. The heels are all contoured and you don't have to pay extra for that feature like you do in the U.S. The finishes on the back of the necks are very light so it's not too slick and you get a good grip with your thumb.
The only criticisms I can offer about these guitars at this point is that A. The gloss is as thick as my American strats and Gibson Les Pauls, B. they come with soft cases instead of hard cases. They're minor issues, but I can live with them.
Ok, enough reading. Let me show you some eye candy (Continued in next thread).
In my latest trip to Japan, I decided to visit a few of their best guitar shops to see what they had to offer. These music shops (not bashing) are a better shopping experience than I've had in any Guitar Center. The shops are smaller in size but more densely packed. They have a much greater selection of high quality gear than Guitar Center. Typically, in my experience, Guitar Center has their "Platinum Room" (basically stuff most people can't afford), and they have a limited selection of American made Fender and Gibson Les Pauls and Ibanez prestige, and then the bulk of their stuff are Mexican Fenders, Daisy Rocks, etc...
The only thing is that I didn't see a great selection of amps. Guitar Center carries a lot of the same budget amps, etc.., but at least at these stores you can find Hughes and Kettner Triamps, Marshall plexi reissues, and even Mesa Boogie.
Several brands and models were available for me to demo. I initially wanted to go home with possibly an Edwards LP so that's where I started. There were a few things that made me skeptical about the Edpwards LP's like inconsistencies in the binding, ill-fitting pickup rings, and they were very light. However, I plugged in several models and they all sounded very good. Noteably, two models: one with a nitro gloss and another that was reliced, were superior to the others. They sounded really good and I was tempted to buy them.
There were many other things to choose from, but the prices were mostly around the $2500-3500 price range. Those were ESP's, Schecter EX, ESP Navigator, and some Fender Japan stuff that was really cool. After playing several of those, I picked up some of the mid-tier Schecters and Edwards and started comparing them. I was impressed with how they played and sounded.
After carefully examining how they were constructed, and playing them through a few amps like a Hughes and Kettner Triamp MKII and Marshall JMD, I started thinking I would come home with two high quality guitars instead of just one high quality guitar. After a lot of experimenting and playing, I narrowed it down to the two models photographed.
I carefully scrutinized the construction of these guitars, also next to their more expensive counterparts the EX series, Navigator, ESP custom shop, etc... There is a great attention to detail in these guitars; from the frets, to the edges of the finish and maple cap, and even the coating inside the routed cavities. I find the work to be highly detailed and precise.
Of the guitars I have owned (Fender signature models, Fender custom shop, Charvel custom shop, Suhr, Gibson USA, etc...), these guitars certainly compare in quaity. In my Fender signature and custom shop models, I have seen some inconsistencies in the paint, fretting, fit of the neck pocket, etc..., whereas in these Japanese models I'm examining, I find the attention to detail to be superior.
Some of the most incredible things I noticed about Suhr and Tom Anderson guitars is their perfect intonation and highly adjustable action. With Gibson and Fender (and I'm not bashing them), I find that when I look down the fretboard, even when PLEKED, I can always see a little unevenness in the frets. This usually results in compromises in how I setup the action. It's usually good enough to live with, but not perfect.
In these guitars, the frets are straight across the top, and the fret edges are all even down the fretboard. I am able to get a lower action and less fret buzz than I can get on any of my strats or even beloved Ibanez Prestiges. I know that may sound like blasphemy, but I'm just calling it like I see it.
Another observation I made is that the necks of the Schecter and Edwards guitars all fit snugly into the neck pockets. The heels are all contoured and you don't have to pay extra for that feature like you do in the U.S. The finishes on the back of the necks are very light so it's not too slick and you get a good grip with your thumb.
The only criticisms I can offer about these guitars at this point is that A. The gloss is as thick as my American strats and Gibson Les Pauls, B. they come with soft cases instead of hard cases. They're minor issues, but I can live with them.
Ok, enough reading. Let me show you some eye candy (Continued in next thread).