Experiences ordering stuff from Japan?

[ILikeGuitar]

I was wondering how many of you guys had ordered Edwards from Japan and what companies you ordered from.
Do they provide you with pictures and descriptions of the actual guitar you get? I was thinking about getting one of their LPs... I wonder if they're chambered and how they stack up against the Gibbys. Do you guys go through ebay or directly?

 

[CA$H FLOW]

I have never ordered guitar stuff from Japan but I've ordered tons of expensive Japanese tattoo books and have always been amazed at how fast things shipped. In my experiences their postal service seems top notch.

 

[bal704]

I've bought Edwards from both Ishibashi and Rakuten. Both excellent companies to deal with.

I never asked to see the specific guitar, so I don't know if they can/will do that. The Edwards I've had have both been exceptionally good guitars. Better than the Gibson LP Studios I've owned at the same price point.

 

[DcM]

There is a huge thread over at mylespaul forums regarding the chambered question. My 2 Edwards both weigh 9 lbs. They are heavier than my chambered Gibson LP fwiw.

Check out yasoohmusic1109's ebay store. He is a brick and motor dealer in Japan that has lots of Edwards for sale. His ebay auctions include lots of pics of the actual guitar. And he has lots of experience shipping abroad. I bought 2 E-LPs from him. Highly recommended.

 

[ILikeGuitar]

Did you guys go through ebay or direct from them? This also just crossed my mind, how bad is the radiation from the nuclear disaster...?

 

[bal704]

I bought direct from the vendors.

 

[dave_mc]

i got an edwards from ishibashi and it went like clockwork

i'd point out that they're not 100% mij, though.

no idea about the radiation thing

 

[Member 1963]

I bought a strat from Ishibashi maybe 6-8 years ago. No problems with the purchase or shipping, but of the few dozen strats i've had that was w/o a doubt the worse sounding strat i've ever owned. In fact, worse ANY guitar ever owned. Tried pickups and other tweaks but the wood was just horrible. But please understand, thats surely an exception. I'm not at all saying thats typical or even likely. But the point is when buying overseas it's just a lot easier to return something. Buy at GC and you can return even if it's just that you weren't satisfied. Buy from japan and i suspect they won't be as quick to accept return, plus you will pay shipping both ways which should be considerable. Just for the record...

 

[coldfingaz]

Ishibashi is awesome place to deal with. Two huge thumbs up from me for those guys.

 

[bal704]

I bought my last Edwards just after the disaster last year. Apparently Rakuten is on the other side of the country, so it wasn't affected by radiation etc.

Returns are a problem. It's a hassle with USA vendors, and very impractical for international vendors. The Edwards I've bought have been great.

 

[Hard2Hear]

What kind of import duties do you guys end up paying? Say I buy a $1000 guitar, how much are the fees on it?

 

[bal704]

Depends on the mail carrier IME. I've only paid it a couple of times (about $60). The other times I've paid nothing.

 

[Gear.Pig]

I'm in SoCal and ordered an Edwards from one of the regular Ebay dealers (although I forget which one). The thing went from Tokyo to San Fransisco in les than 24 hours and was on my porch another day after that. Halfway around the world in two days. And the guitar was excellent. I did not pay any duty tax, I don't believe its required in the US

 

[B Money]

i bought my Edwards LP from Ishibashi. It was pretty painless, they didn't have a Sykes model in stock and told me it would be about 10 days until they got more from ESP. I emailed them back and switched my order to a ELP-85-CD (same price) and they shipped it right out with a quickness. Arrived from Tokyo in 3 days, in perfect shape.

They did not provide a pic of the actual guitar, I took a bit of a leap of faith when ordering. The guitar is insanely good, the quality is outstanding. Lets just say I compared it to the "real deal" and it was not lacking in any way.

It's definitely not chambered, mine is probably around 9 pounds. Sounds great!

I paid no import duties, although I did have to pay a currency conversion fee to my credit card. That was about $60 IIRC

 

[ILikeGuitar]

I bought my last Edwards just after the disaster last year. Apparently Rakuten is on the other side of the country, so it wasn't affected by radiation etc.

Returns are a problem. It's a hassle with USA vendors, and very impractical for international vendors. The Edwards I've bought have been great.

Just checked out the Rakuten site. It looks like it's just a site that lists items for different vendors?

 

[candh]

Did you guys go through ebay or direct from them? This also just crossed my mind, how bad is the radiation from the nuclear disaster...?

Radiation....how Bad?...With respect to what?

 

[wesc]

I've owned 2 japanese guitars and both were top notch. I had an Ibanez S series with a bubinga top which played very well and I regret selling it, and I currently have a Gretsch 6120 Setzer Nashville which is my favorite guitar of all time. I'm sure theres good ones and bad ones.

 

[sleepingtiger]

I got a Jazzmaster & a pedal from Ishibashi without a hitch. Noriko was great to deal with!

Tony

 

[AbstractLunatic]

I sent money but my wife never arrived.

 

[bal704]

I have no idea how Rakuten operates. I bought directly through them and their web site. Fast shipping, and if you watch their site, they will occasionally have really good deals on guitars.