rto Posted February 2, 2008 Share Posted February 2, 2008 Greetings electric Epiphoners I've been looking for a mate for my '81 Emperor TH or Emperor (T) (I want a bigsby and mine is too nice to molest). Unfortunately, they don't seem to appear frequently for sale in the US . Does anyone have experience buying and importing from Japan? Any recommendations including vendors? Much obliged, RTO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pohatu771 Posted February 2, 2008 Share Posted February 2, 2008 I've never personally ordered from them, but I've heard good things: http://www.ishibashi-music.com/ If you play around on the site, there's a translator. You pay the black price, the red price is for people in Japan, because of some new tax. [it doesn't look like they have any Emperors right now] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suho Posted February 2, 2008 Share Posted February 2, 2008 Out of curiosity, what is the difference between the Emperor you seek, and other models. I just bought a MIK '98 Emperor Regent, and on the tag inside it says Emperor AS. How does a T or TH differ? Is it a full archtop w/ floating pickup or are there humbuckers installed? I think the Joe Pass Emperor II is the double humbucker and slightly smaller bout. I guess more generally, what are the major lines of Emperors (how many are there)? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyingfrets Posted February 2, 2008 Share Posted February 2, 2008 Duty, tariffs, taxes & shipping are pretty stiff thanks to the weak dollar. Last I seriously looked, they combined for a fee between 1/3 & 1/2 the cost of the instrument. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parabar Posted February 2, 2008 Share Posted February 2, 2008 Suho, the Japanese Emperors built in the '80's were made in the Matsumoku factory and were closer to an Elitist Broadway than anything else Epi currently offers. They had the full L-5 cosmetics, including 2 humbuckers, pointed fingerboard end, L-5 tailpiece instead of Frequensator, inlaid bridge base, and full neck inlays. I believe the tops and backs also have a more pronounced arch than the current Broadway/Emperor Regent --- I think jerrymac has one, and would probably oblige us with a pic if we ask him nicely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vic Flick Posted February 2, 2008 Share Posted February 2, 2008 Suho' date=' the Japanese Emperors built in the '80's were made in the Matsumoku factory and were closer to an Elitist Broadway than anything else Epi currently offers. They had the full L-5 cosmetics, including 2 humbuckers, pointed fingerboard end, L-5 tailpiece instead of Frequensator, inlaid bridge base, and full neck inlays. I believe the tops and backs also have a more pronounced arch than the current Broadway/Emperor Regent --- I think jerrymac has one, and would probably oblige us with a pic if we ask him nicely.[/quote'] Ah shucks, you don't even have to ask: Now I'm not a jazz box enthusiast like Svet or L4, but this is one of my all time favorite guitars ever!!! These were designed as high end alternatives to Gibsons for the Japanese market. Be warned, I have been looking for an Emperor T since I got this one. The T stands for thin line, and I believe it has a center block as well the thinner body. My kind of guitar. I call dibbs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suho Posted February 2, 2008 Share Posted February 2, 2008 Wow, MORE nice guitars. Thanks Jerry. I didn't even know there were any thinline Emperors, or maybe even with the center block. Any idea what the "AS" stands for on my Emperor Regent? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garyelcrrt1281733995 Posted February 2, 2008 Share Posted February 2, 2008 Yes it obviously means "All Suho's" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suho Posted February 2, 2008 Share Posted February 2, 2008 Damn straight! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vic Flick Posted February 2, 2008 Share Posted February 2, 2008 Wow' date=' MORE nice guitars. Thanks Jerry. I didn't even know there were any thinline Emperors, or maybe even with the center block. Any idea what the "AS" stands for on my Emperor Regent? [/quote'] Antique Sunburst. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suho Posted February 2, 2008 Share Posted February 2, 2008 OK, thanks. That makes sense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NikOlas Posted February 3, 2008 Share Posted February 3, 2008 Jmac's collection never ceases to amaze. I know from personal experience that even some of his guitars collect other guitars as a hobby. Great source of obscure Epi info too. . . N Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rto Posted February 4, 2008 Author Share Posted February 4, 2008 Thanks everyone for the responses. I'll keep an eye on the Ishibashi site and keep in mind the customs charges. I wonder why we see these guitars so rarely when serial numbers suggest more than a thousand were produced...Anyone have firsthand experience importing from Japan? regards, RTO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.