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'05 Yamano Standard


Hustler

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Thanks. Anyone owned an '05? She's not chambered but I don't know much about that year. I'm hoping they were still riding high post 2002. Anyone?

 

They are Les Pauls. They had a one-in-however-many-Les-Pauls-they-had-that-day chance of going to Japan. Same as every other Les Paul in the building, so equal chance of being spectacular as the rest.

 

rct

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Chambering started late 2006 so yours will be regular 9-hole weight-relief (AKA Swiss-Cheese).

 

In general Gibsons since at least the '90s have been pretty high-quality regardless of year of manufacture. Some folks express a preference for certain years - 1997 was in favour a few years ago - but in reality you are just as likely to find a good instrument in any year. In this respect 2005 is no different.

 

They are Les Pauls. They had a one-in-however-many-Les-Pauls-they-had-that-day chance of going to Japan...

I'm not so sure about that, rct.

 

AFAIK Yamano is 'merely' the Gibson distributor for Japan (and has been since the '70s) but also from what I've read - and from many sources - Yamano's buyers have a long history of going to Gibson and individually hand-selecting certain tops / guitars he wants for his stores. Hustler's guitar might well be one such instrument.

This selection method, though, while guaranteeing a degree of prettiness doesn't take into account how the guitars sound. Over on the LPF there are quite a few players who had Yamano LPs which, reportedly, were less than stellar in the sonic department. Tone-wise, at least, there seems to be the same chance of getting a "magnificent" or else an "OK-ish" instrument as we on the rest of the planet enjoy.

 

But seriously; how bad can it possibly be? "Not Very", I would imagine.

 

Pip.

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Chambering started late 2006 so yours will be regular 9-hole weight-relief (AKA Swiss-Cheese).

 

In general Gibsons since at least the '90s have been pretty high-quality regardless of year of manufacture. Some folks express a preference for certain years - 1997 was in favour a few years ago - but in reality you are just as likely to find a good instrument in any year. In this respect 2005 is no different.

 

 

I'm not so sure about that, rct.

 

AFAIK Yamano is 'merely' the Gibson distributor for Japan (and has been since the '70s) but also from what I've read - and from many sources - Yamano's buyers have a long history of going to Gibson and individually hand-selecting certain tops / guitars he wants for his stores. Hustler's guitar might well be one such instrument.

This selection method, though, while guaranteeing a degree of prettiness doesn't take into account how the guitars sound. Over on the LPF there are quite a few players who had Yamano LPs which, reportedly, were less than stellar in the sonic department. Tone-wise, at least, there seems to be the same chance of getting a "magnificent" or else an "OK-ish" instrument as we on the rest of the planet enjoy.

 

But seriously; how bad can it possibly be? "Not Very", I would imagine.

 

Pip.

 

That's pretty much what I'm saying, how bad can it be? I've had a lifetime of Les Pauls, one and only one was "that bad" out of dozens. It was inherited, so I didn't even get to pick a bad one!

 

The Japanese importers of Gibson did, not sure if they still do, charge fully what we call list, and in some cases even more. Japanese buyers happily pay that freight. A consequence of that is we, the home audience, are second class citizens when it comes to dealer selection. Something that none of us would even consider close to a problem doesn't get past the importer(s), and Gibson goes along with it. In some sense you could say that because of the egregious prices for a Les Paul in Japan, we get sloppy seconds.

 

Again, nothing separates a Yamano Les Paul from every other one in the building except some guy picked it because it looked nice and he couldn't see anything wrong with it. After that, like all Les Pauls, plug it in and it's a crap shoot.

 

rct

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