Spot Posted October 21, 2011 Share Posted October 21, 2011 Hey Guys, I'm off on Monday to Tokyo for business but definately want to hit up some Used guitar shops. I'd love to find a good old Epiphone Elitist or MIJ beauty!!! Has anyone been or do they know where I should go? I'm staying smack in the Center at the Imperial Hotel.... Would greatly appreciate any advice... Anyone of these badboys would do:- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigKahune Posted October 21, 2011 Share Posted October 21, 2011 . Man, there's some nice wood there. Are you hoping to come back with something? . B) . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spot Posted October 21, 2011 Author Share Posted October 21, 2011 . Man, there's some nice wood there. Are you hoping to come back with something? . B) . You bet BK!!!!!!.... but I'm really after a MIJ Epiphone like the Elite Japan series which were only made for Japanese market and (I think!!) are no longer made!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StijnV Posted October 21, 2011 Share Posted October 21, 2011 Only the Elitist Casino is still in production: http://www.epiphone.com/default.asp?ProductID=302&CollectionID=1 Maybe the dealers over there might still have some old stock though, and there are only 37 dealers in Tokyo !! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Morkolo Posted October 21, 2011 Share Posted October 21, 2011 I wouldn't mind getting my hands on one of those Elitist L-00's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robatsu Posted October 22, 2011 Share Posted October 22, 2011 I live in Osaka Japan and one of the best acoustic guitar shops in Japan is just two blocks away, Dolphin Guitars. They also have a branch in Tokyo: Dolphin Guitars Anyhow, I don't see any special deals going on w/Gibsons or other international brands or even American boutique brands - what you want to do at Dolphin is check out all their Japanese boutique luthier stuff. A lot of this is pretty cool, T's T is really fun, but I'm not sure that they are breaking new ground there. You'll see excruciatingly insane detail work, as you expect in Japan, but frankly I think the North American boutique luthier contingent is leading the world in respect to the actual performance of the guitar (tone/volume/action). Not that the Japanese boutique stuff isn't exquisite, but there is probably a reason people aren't importing these to compete w/Bourgeois, Martin, Collings, Gibson, Huss & Dalton, Santa Cruz, etc. Although owning a T's T is still one of my lifetime goals... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duende Posted October 22, 2011 Share Posted October 22, 2011 How envy the OP trip to Japan! I am a huge fan of Japanese built guitars! The Elitists, The Orville and Tokai stuff, the amazing Japanese Fender electrics!!! 日本のギターはロックしている！ Not that the Japanese boutique stuff isn't exquisite, but there is probably a reason people aren't importing these to compete w/Bourgeois, Martin, Collings, Gibson, Huss & Dalton, Santa Cruz, etc. In my opinion, a possible answer is that the majority of Americans simply wouldn't want to acknowledge a 'foreign' instrument that is as good (and in many cases better) than their own home grown ones. They just wouldn't sell that well. Matt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robatsu Posted October 22, 2011 Share Posted October 22, 2011 How envy the OP trip to Japan! I am a huge fan of Japanese built guitars! The Elitists, The Orville and Tokai stuff, the amazing Japanese Fender electrics!!! 日本のギターはロックしている！ In my opinion, a possible answer is that the majority of Americans simply wouldn't want to acknowledge a 'foreign' instrument that is as good (and in many cases better) than their own home grown ones. They just wouldn't sell that well. Matt That may be the case, and I'm not prone to argue, but my impression is that currently the companies really pushing the ball up the field in optimizing acoustic guitar performance are the small North American luthiers and custom shop guys in the bigger operations like Gibson/Martin/Taylor. This is just simply one guy's impression. Again, that is not to take anything away from the Japanese luthiers, and I'm not a cultural chauvinist, my wife is Japanese & our son is currently in Japanese schools. That all being said, it is well worth seeing the output of boutique Japanese luthiers. Certainly any performance differences are at best minor/barely detectable and the appearance/detailing stuff is what is typically associated with Japanese attention to detail. I just don't get the impression that the Japanese segment at the moment is producing banjo-killing axes that aren't equalled elsewhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spot Posted October 23, 2011 Author Share Posted October 23, 2011 I live in Osaka Japan and one of the best acoustic guitar shops in Japan is just two blocks away, Dolphin Guitars. They also have a branch in Tokyo: Dolphin Guitars Anyhow, I don't see any special deals going on w/Gibsons or other international brands or even American boutique brands - what you want to do at Dolphin is check out all their Japanese boutique luthier stuff. A lot of this is pretty cool, T's T is really fun, but I'm not sure that they are breaking new ground there. You'll see excruciatingly insane detail work, as you expect in Japan, but frankly I think the North American boutique luthier contingent is leading the world in respect to the actual performance of the guitar (tone/volume/action). Not that the Japanese boutique stuff isn't exquisite, but there is probably a reason people aren't importing these to compete w/Bourgeois, Martin, Collings, Gibson, Huss & Dalton, Santa Cruz, etc. Although owning a T's T is still one of my lifetime goals... Thanks Guys and thanks Robatsu....I'll definately check out Dolphon guitars. Do you recon they may have MIJ Epi's? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robatsu Posted October 23, 2011 Share Posted October 23, 2011 Thanks Guys and thanks Robatsu....I'll definately check out Dolphon guitars. Do you recon they may have MIJ Epi's? Dolphin, at least the Osaka branch, is pretty high end in both the vintage/new categories. They don't have Epis at their store in Osaka, I'd be a little surprised if the Tokyo branch does. What you may want to look for is a Jeugia chain store - these are all purpose music shops, selling both recordings and instruments. Some of them focus on one category - I've been in some that have nothing but CD's, another one in Osaka w/3 floors of guitars and others that have been in between. If you can find a Jeugia (and that is how the sign is spelled, in english characters) and they don't have any/many instruments, ask them where is a Jeugia w/a lot of guitars, they should be able to help you out. Jeugia will carry a fair amount of high end stuff, but they really aim for the middle/lower end and go on volume. If I were looking for a Epiphone, that is where I would start. As another lead and if you are feeling adventurous: Although I've never been there, the Ochanomizu area of Tokyo reportedly has tons of guitar/instrument shops - if it were me, I'd just figure out how to get to Ochanomizu and get off the train and start wandering around looking into shops. Again, if it were me, and I were looking for a made in Japan Epi, I'd ask the store staff, "Nihon no Epiphone arimasu ka?" or something like that assuming they didn't have much english going on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spot Posted October 29, 2011 Author Share Posted October 29, 2011 Well I just got back from Tokyo last night...and the bad news is I didn't have 5 minutes of free time to do ANY guitar shopping!!! ...I'm hopefully going back in December and will try and fly a day earlier giving me time for sightseeing and shopping!!! Man, what a crazy place!!! I felt like I was living in the movie "Lost In Translation"!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j45nick Posted October 29, 2011 Share Posted October 29, 2011 Well I just got back from Tokyo last night...and the bad news is I didn't have 5 minutes of free time to do ANY guitar shopping!!! ...I'm hopefully going back in December and will try and fly a day earlier giving me time for sightseeing and shopping!!! Man, what a crazy place!!! I felt like I was living in the movie "Lost In Translation"!!!! You have the same eternal problem I have on business trips: not enough time after the work is done to get on to the really important things, like guitars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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