Buying LoveRock from Japan And Model Nos...

[shuikit]

Hey all

I've been looking at getting a Jap Love Rock and got this quote from Ishibashi.

LS-70---56000 Yen
Original Hard Case---16000 Yen
Shipping/Insurance fee to shipping ---16000 Yen

I make that to be 88000 Yen which according to xe.com = 433.252 GBP (1 GBP = 203.115 JPY). Now if customs hv their way then I'm adding about 22% right?? so that's about ?530....

Regent guitars have LS-70F - ?748.99.

That's nearly ?200 difference....am I missing something here??

is the LS-70 in Japan the same as LS-70F?? - Ishibashi inform me that the LS-60 and LS-65 which I see on some UK websites is no longer available in Japan...

Does anyone have any experiences with Ishibashi??

I've read an earlier post mentioning that some people have cracks in the finish when buying from Universe?? Will the insurance not cover this??

..Personally...I like the idea of getting a LS-70 for about the same price as a Ls-60 is in UK and really don't want to spend more than ?5-600...what am I missing guys??

Is there ANY chance I could get a similar price from a UK dealer?? or is that just wishful thinking??

Thanks!!
sk

 

[meanpeoplesuck1]

I've heard very good things about Ishibashi, but cracks in finish etc is a risk you take when ordering from such a far away places.

If you get proof of prices from Japan, like off a website, and bring into a reasonably priced shop in the UK they might lower their price a bit

 

[Paladin2019]

There's a mix and match of old and new model numbers going on there.

Basically the F (flametop) model is more expensive than the non-F (plaintop) model. The savings from buying in Japan are actually quite small and the bulk of the price difference is due to one being the more expensive flame model (the one you saw in Regent) and one being the plaintop (in Japan).

 

[ian]

Ishibashi pricing looks pretty competitive to me (assume your prices correct). Yes, UK Taxes add about 22% overall.

As Paladin says; LS70-F has flamed sycamore veneer (whereas LS70 has solid plain top) - veneer is expensive, but if it's ?200 extra then I?m surprised & I think it's vastly overpriced .

Why not ask Ishibashi if they can check the guitar for any cracks or imperfections before posting it?

Regent seem pricey to me (maybe great service?). Try ?Guitar Amp Keyboard Centre? (maybe not such great service?) ? you have to ?phone? for Tokai prices (annoying), but they are cheap on many products & maybe much cheaper than Regent.

Of course, you could get a more interesting, & perhaps better, ?vintage? Tokai via eBay for ?500 - ?600. That?s what I?d do, but YMMV. Just my 2-cents :-? .

Ian.

 

[Boogle]

The guitar might get finish cracks from extreme temperatures (and temp changes) during the flight. This might occur where the binding meet or where any two wood pieces meet. It won't be like nitro cracking though. Most shipping companies state in their liability thing that they don't cover damage occuring from temperature. It will be very hard to claim plus there is nothing to prove the finish cracks weren't there before shipment.

I thought Japanese dealers cannot sell new guitars to people outside of Japan now? If they can I'd sure like to buy another.

 

[Schocker]

In my experience, buying a guitar from almost anywhere other than the UK will save you significant amounts of money, even after shipping and duty (20.5%, 17.5% of which is VAT, and remember you pay this tax on the cost of shipping as well as the item).

The last time I was in the Guitar, Amp and Keyboard Centre they had one Tokai, I believe, and I asked if they had any others. The answer was no... Maybe the ones mentioned on the website are ordered in as required. However, most items they advertise there are cheaper when bought on the net, so this may not work out too well ultimately.

If Japanese dealers really aren't allowed to sell new guitars outside Japan now, then I'm extremely disappointed. Not only is it a restriction of trade but it denies us some of the best made instruments and (normally) great customer service.

 

[ian]

Hi Boogle, Schocker ? yep good points, agree with both of you - temperature changes can be extreme for air freight ? I?ve had guitars arrive literally ice-cold - new guitars likely to suffer worse than old. My only purchase from GAK was an amp - they were 25% cheaper than anyone else, but that was via their website - they do list a full range of Tokai, but no idea if they stock it all ? I think it?s clearly worth a phone call - at least gives Shuikit food for thought :-? .

Ian.

 

[shuikit]

Thanks guys

I've emailed again to see if it is LS-70F or just LS-70....I did make it clear that I needed it shipping to the uk...I guess they are allowed to sell outside of japan then??

hmm...Does anyone have any pics of this cracked finish?? how does it affect the guitar etc?? how bad can it get??

yea- food for thought indeed....

sk

 

[Paladin2019]

I don't have a pic, but mine suffered minor cracking. It was at the neck joint in the cutaway. Just looks like a wavy hairline crack - not really noticeable and it deosn't really have any adverse effect apart from in cosmetic terms. Heck, look at some of the old gibsons - cracks all over the top and they don't seem to do any harm.

 

[Schocker]

I believe one is meant to let the guitar acclimatise upon arrival, which basically means not opening the package for anything up to a day! One dealer said this is only really important with highly lacquerred guitars, as opposed to, say, satin finished acoustics. I'm thinking that the LS would fit into the 'do not open for a while' category, so maybe that would help prevent cracking in the finish.

Also, I should say that this is the first time I've read on a forum of this problem arising. Most people just evangelise about the joys of ordering direct from Japan! Surely most would mention this if they experienced it? Hopefully it's not a frequent occurrence.

 

[Paladin2019]

For the most part it's a minor issue and if you're going to go the import route you shouldn't expect the product to be 100% perfect 100% of the time. It's a risky proposition compared to buying off the shelf and import buyers are generally willing to accept this.

 

[tubedogsmith]

Another way to look at it is this, if you have finish checks you are assured of a nice, thin, hard finish which is by far my preference.

 

[ian]

Hey Shuikit ? maybe take a look at this one http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=33040&item=3740690660&rd=1

Need to ask seller which model it is? Maybe that Tokai case is available? Just a thought, in case you?re interested? Usual disclaimer - I have no connection with seller, & don?t know if guitar has any problem, etc :-? .

Ian.

 

[whitehall]

I have bought 3 guitars from Ishibashi in the last year. Their service was top notch. Norinko and crew are very nice to deal with. Everything was shipped via EMS to me here in the states and arrived in 3 to 4 Days.

 

[Paladin2019]

Everything was shipped via EMS to me here in the states and arrived in 3 to 4 Days.

More praise for EMS here - the cheapest option available from GS Universe when I ordered mine and it arrived in about 3 days.

 

[Schocker]

My personal jury is still out on the shipping of guitars from Japan. Typically, it's not the Japanese end that has caused my scepticism...

I'm awaiting an order from Ishibashi and as usual they were extremely polite and helpful with everything. I receieved an e-mail on Monday telling me the guitar would be shipped that day and how I could track its progress with EMS.

So the guitar left Japan on Monday and arrived at Heathrow on Tuesday. Great! From there on, its transit was notably less speedy... A day later it spent an hour and a half with customs (they'd better not have messed around with it!!) and then moved to the exchange office, awaiting transfer to the delivery office. Each stage took a day! So far it has spent three days in England and still hasn't reached me!!

Now, I understand that there are procedures that need to be undertaken but that is a really slack system in place. Not only do we get ripped off in terms of price but we also get appalling service!! (And before I get accused of being on my soapbox, I'd like to clarify that blue is not my colour, if you get my meaning...)

Anyway, hopefully my red (!) guitar will turn up in top class condition soon.

 

[ian]

UK post always works that way ? package gets to Heathrow within a day, but then 24-48 hours clearing UK Customs, another 24-48 hours at London Sorting Centre, further 24-72 hours passing via. Coventry Distribution ?Hub?, then another 24-48 hours at your local delivery Centre before finally ending up on your doorstep. It's a nervous wait, and UK customs will charge you $40 extra if they decide to check the box :-? .

Ian.

 

[Rod]

I looked into importing but decided that the couple of hundred you save may turn out to be a couple hundred you lose if theres problems dew to shipping, you don't really know what the quality is like, how the guitar is setup or even if it can be setup to a decent playable level, i'd be nervous about the neck and cracks in the paint mostly, both are potential major problem areas.

I'm not saying people dont get good deals importing, but the element of LUCK is a big factor and on a expensive purchase that's the gamble you can't ignore, for the sake of ?200 you have the luxury of intensively auditioning your guitar plus a valid warranty and after sales service.

I'd bet if you shopped you'd get one cheaper, you should try http://www.electromusic.co.uk/ these deal in tokai.

 

[shuikit]

Hey

hmmm...seems Ishibashi aren't answering my emails anymore...no price for a LS-70F yet...

tho I have seen one or 2 on ebay with buy me nows for ?650...but I guess this is about as risky as importing....u don't know what you're going to get....

A thought about this cracked finish and customs....Schocker mentioned that if the guitar isn't opened for a while then it could help prevent the cracks...but what if customs open the guitar?? Is there anyway of stopping them from opening it?? tho I guess that would seem very suspect....

had a quick look on electromusic - thanks rod, their prices seem quite good...does anyone have any experiences with them?? Doncaster will be a bit of a trek for me.....

regards
sk

 

[Paladin2019]

A thought about this cracked finish and customs....Schocker mentioned that if the guitar isn't opened for a while then it could help prevent the cracks...but what if customs open the guitar?? Is there anyway of stopping them from opening it?? tho I guess that would seem very suspect....

You can guarentee that even asking them the question will get the guitar searched, and searched thoroughly. They'll charge you double for the privelige too. It's a disgusting state of affairs, but you're better off relying on luck.

As far as finish trouble goes, the main worry would be during the long flight from overseas - an unavoidable part of the importing.