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Where to buy Van Zandt Guitars?

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whelanator

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Does anyone know where I can buy a used Van zandt guitar? I know of ebay and Ishibashi. Just curious if anyone else knows of other places. Looking for a STV-R1. If anyone has one for sale, hit me up.
 
Thanks. Much cheaper than Ishibashi. I am holding out for a sunburst. I have a white STV-3 already (nicest guitar i have held in my hands). But I will keep checking back on that site. Have you ordered anything from them? Thanks for the info.
 
I haven't ordered from them, but somehow I seem to remember they ship internationally. I'm sure others can chime in. What other Strats have you tried? Just curious HOW nice those Vanzandts are, as I've considered them too. I have a Moon strat, which is great, although the neck a bit slim for my taste. My two favorite Strats are Navigators (one Esparto, the other a more recent model). Others (by way of comparison) that I have are a Fender EJ strat, Fender custom shop, 2 Greco SE-800 Super Real, a K-Line, and a few others. Most of them are very nice but the Navis just have that tad extra.
 
I have a STV-3. The neck is a little slender and thin for me, but its such a nice guitar that I can deal with it. Others that I have tried (not owned) are, Bacchus, 70's strat, fender custom shop, and fender vintage reissue. I have not tried a Navigator. One thing I really like about the Van Zandt is the finish and construction of the guitar. Finish is super thin, frets are dressed perfectly and the guitar just feels extremely well built. On top of that, the Van zandts sound really good to me. Side by side, it makes a fender USA standard feel like a toy guitar. What is the finish like on the Navigator. I have considered one of those to, but it is nearly impossible to find one to try out in my area. I would have to try it before spending that kind of money. The specs on the STV-1s are a little confusing to me. The website says neck width is 41.5 at the nut, but when I have inquired about used guitars shops have told me the width is 45.
 
I read about the thin finishes on the Vanzandts and that aspect sounds nice. The paint on my Navis is thin on the body, but not the thinnest I've seen either. It is super thin though on the neck of my more recent one, making it feel really nice. Nothing sticky about it at all, like many glossy Fender necks (the EJ strat takes the cake in that respect, it's like they dipped it in a vat of paint). The feel of the neck on my modern one is great, a chunky C but no baseball bat. My guess is around .88 or .9 at the first fret, and similar to a 59 style neck on a LP. A nice thing about Navigators is that they come up for sale more often, and I don't think among the modern ones that they turn out anything that's not super nice. This one is pretty nice, but quite expensive once you add in all the additional costs.

http://page13.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/r92255067
 
whelanator said:
...The specs on the STV-1s are a little confusing to me. The website says neck width is 41.5 at the nut, but when I have inquired about used guitars shops have told me the width is 45.
Click to expand...

I would be very surprised if any Strat exists with a 45mm nut let alone a Japanese built vintage style one.

It would surely have to be a special order, but it's possible I guess.

45mm is as wide or wider than Gibson Historic or Greco Super Real LPs.
 
That Navigator looks beautiful. Wish I could try one out around here. I have heard nothing but good things about Navigators. Tempting.
 
How does someone bid on the Yahoo Japan auctions. I have heard of third party services in Japan that will bid for you and send to the US. Do you know of any?
 
I've never seen one of these Van Zandt's before:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vanzandt-Bronson-Black-w-Red-Tortoise-PG-312308100-/270799291942?pt=Guitar&hash=item3f0ce54626
 
I use Jauce.com. Always been happy with their service. It'll set you back around $200 (8% + some small number) in fees and around $100-150 in extra shipping costs though. My experience with Navigator (around 10 of them) has been so good that I'd order one blind without any thought. That price is a bit high though. If you're willing to wait, you'll eventually get something around 125k Yen here (no agents required):
http://www.kurosawagakki.com/tags/search/1/1561/index.html
http://www.ishibashi.co.jp/u_box/e/

On YJ I've seen newer model Strats around 100k.
 
I had both Van Zandt and Navigator NST-300 and I do prefer Navigator ,altough Van Zandt was really good too. I like Antiquities over Van Zandt pickups too.Thin laquer finish on both.
One thing to remeber, Van Zandts usually have 22 fretted necks.
 
luis said:
I had both Van Zandt and Navigator NST-300 and I do prefer Navigator ,altough Van Zandt was really good too. I like Antiquities over Van Zandt pickups too.Thin laquer finish on both.
One thing to remeber, Van Zandts usually have 22 fretted necks.
Click to expand...

Did yours have a chunky neck too? I really like the neck on mine. It's definitely on the fat side, but not bordering on excessive like the Greco SE-800 necks (which are nice but not perfect because the V gets a bit more prominent than I like).
 
How would you compare the finishes on the Navigator vs. the Van zandt? One thing I really like about the Van Zandt is the super thin finishes. I already have a Van Zandt strat and was going to buy another with a maple neck but also strongly considering a Navigator. Also, how does the neck shape compare? Sorry for all the questions, but there is a navigator online that I am thinking about buying.
 
Van Zandt had a nice 60?s neck style, not fat not thin,perfect for me. The guitar is very close to me, I will ask to let it and play again a weekend.
NST-300M have a fat neck, I love it, whereas NST-300 is 60?s, very fast and comfortable. I prefer fat ones and I?ve been thinking about selling NST-300 ones in Lake Placid Blue for a while, but those Navigators are so good that I ended regretting it.
 
I read about the thin finishes on the Vanzandts and that aspect sounds nice. The paint on my Navis is thin on the body, but not the thinnest I've seen either. It is super thin though on the neck of my more recent one, making it feel really nice. Nothing sticky about it at all, like many glossy Fender necks (the EJ strat takes the cake in that respect, it's like they dipped it in a vat of paint). The feel of the neck on my modern one is great, a chunky C but no baseball bat. My guess is around .88 or .9 at the first fret, and similar to a 59 style neck on a LP. A nice thing about Navigators is that they come up for sale more often, and I don't think among the modern ones that they turn out anything that's not super nice. This one is pretty nice, but quite expensive once you add in all the additional costs.

http://page13.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/r92255067

Thinking about pulling the trigger on the yahoo auction. A little nervous about buying such an expensive guitar through a third party (Rinkya) with no possibility of return. Only assurance I have is the reputation of Navigators. Any suggestions?
 
I suggest buying it as you could spend ?1100 on a new fender standard strat and it wouldnt be half as good. If you dont get on with it then you can re-sell it and get back 70-80%% of what you paid for it, its not like your throwing the money down the toilet. If you dont buy it you will always be asking yourself if you should of done it, if you do buy it at least you will know one way or another.
 
whelanator said:
Any suggestions?
Click to expand...

:p

Assuming you're in the US (which means it slips through customs without added VAT most of the time) you're looking at around 2,300 USD total. From the way I understand the description, it's in almost new condition, so that's still a reasonable price for that guitar, similar to what you would pay for the cheaper boutiques (Danocaster, etc.).

I would probably hold out for a similar one at around 500 USD less, but that's for you to decide. FYI, I paid only 65k Yen for mine, although the frets have quite a bit of wear. It's exactly like this one (blackie version), which seems to have the same neck (V-shape) as yours.

http://www.espguitars.co.jp/navigator/nst380alm.html

I love the neck on mine. I didn't even mean to buy it, it was one of these lowball bids that you sometimes win.
 

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