How Did Japanese Guitars GET SO GOOD? (4 Amazing Guitars...)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 1 ต.ค. 2024
- From having a bad reputation to being arguably the best in the world, Japanese electric guitars have come a long, long way! Let's look at 4 examples of some beautifully made Japanese guitars: Ibanez JEM, Fender HM Strat, Vola OZ, and a Jackson Rhoads??
What's the best Japanese guitar you've ever played? What was the first one you played? How was it?
My full conversation with @SFBGuitar • Import Guitars, GOOD o...
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Rubric: -5 points for Danzig references. -5 points for not reading the description. -5 points for not watching far enough into the video to answer your own question. -5 points for misquoting me in your comment. 20 points possible. Everyone starts with an A!
They've been making stringed instruments for thousands of years. I think they know what they're doing.
and Japanese knives👍
Wow, thousands of years! Those dudes must really eat right and exercise!
Well, I mean, ninjas and whatnot.@@EETMySheet
Benn around longer than anu modern day empire @@EETMySheet
Japan famously was just very very good in inplementing industrial fordist line assembly: cars, electronics but also instruments. they had such tight qc that it basically blew the competition away in the post-war period, while also being cheaper. toyota back-engeneered some jeeps from the 50s and 60s to try to establish what they made so right back then that the shitty thing just would. not. stop. working even after 50 years.
Modern factory built instruments have close to nothing in common with artisan luthiership of premodern pre-electric instrument building.
U only tapped for 5 secs...we are making progress addiction is never easy to beat
whammy bar addiction can be bad also lol!
@@markdoolan3424 true I never fixed the broken post on one of my Jacksons so there's no whammy so on one guitar I'm forced not to milk that
The Japanese take a good idea and make it great.....same with cars motorcycles electronics
MIJ have been some of the best bang for your buck guitars for a long time. 70s and 80s Ibanez guitars are great. The RG550 is still under a grand.
New 550 is yes but not a genuine one.
@@richardjones2811 I’ve seen some late 80s ones going for ~800 on Reverb.
They've always been great!
My Matsumoku Arias are among my favorites ❤. 1980 Aria Pro II Les Paul Custom.... Still one of my favorites.... Unbelievable great quality.
I have a black MIJ Ibanez Roadstar II that I bought in 1986. It is an excellent guitar that started my life-long love affair with Ibanez guitars. I also have a Japanese-made RG570 from '93 and a 2007 RGA321. I bought them all new back in the day and they are all exceptional guitars.
yep Jap Ibby's were around 500 bucks 20+ years ago ah the good old days!
Title totally twisted me around lol. I thought you were saying Japanese stuff was only recently good, but you went WAAAY back and educated me on when they were indeed not.
My first MIJ was a bass,1990s Soundgear SR885 active bought new. Not the best electronics by today's standards, but EXCELLENT workmanship top to bottom inside out. Popped in a new 9v the other day and she still works and plays perfectly all these decades later.
I have a MiJ Jackson King V. Got it from a pawn shop for my fifteenth birthday. A couple years ago I stripped it down, repainted it bright red, and replaced all the hardware. The Jackson branded Floyd Rose was changed to a Floyd Rose 1000, new locking nut, and Fishman pickups. Never found another Jackson with a neck like it. It's thinner and flatter than every other Jackson I've played.
Aria Pro 2 Diamond series Made in Japan, was an awesome guitar of 1980's. The best guitars i've ever played
My first guitar was a 1975 Aria Les Paul custom with a bolt on neck that I bought in 1982. I was pretty good. Once I installed a Dimarzio Distortion 3 and PAF in it, it was awesome. I sold it in 1993. Now I own a 1977 Aria Pro II Les Paul custom with a set neck and another 1975 Aria Les Paul custom with a bolt on neck. I replaced all the hardware and electronics and put Dimarzio Distortion 3 and PAF in both guitars. They are awesome! I also own Les Paul copies from South Korea, Vietnam, Indonesia and China. After a good set up and better hardware, electronics and pickups, they all sound, feel and play awesome. Agile, ESP/LTD, Vintage, Epiphone and Michael Kelly make some really high quality guitars. I can verify these brands because I own LP copies made by them.
I like my 1986 Charvel Model 6
I’ve got 5 MIJ guitars, all different brands, and they are all fantastic!!
I'm planning to get my friend to bring me one when he visits. Any specific one that you suggest? Appreciate the help
It's not about the type, but more about what's special and much better from there.
@@SorabhSaluja-bc2gt …one of my favorites is FGN…anything Fender mij or Edwards or Tokai…that should get you started!!
Yeah, "made in Japan" stuff is great. Love it. Cars, motorcycles, guitars, knives, ramen, you name it.
Speaking of JAPAN... have you checked out a band called: LOVEBITES?
I'm over the five year addiction of Buying guitars just to sit in a rack and look at them. When christmas came all but two of my guitars left. I gave them all. To kids charities so they get out of purchase presents.I never played them.I just thought I had to have it. Now i'm back . A strat, An acoustic electric. And a cheap Bass guitar . And I'm back to being a guitar player. Not a good part collector
I have lived most of my life in Japan. Japanese just take their work more seriously than most others. They don't know the concept of "Good Enough". THey want to give their best.
They make great swords knives tools guns and automobiles why not guitars
my Vola OZ is fabulous.. forget fender...
My Yamaha basses rock... Their guitars are even more overlooked than the basses and that's saying a lot.
Man this Japanese made BS is still going? How pathetic
JAPAN ROCKS!
I used acoustic guitars in the mid 60's and I used to drool over Gibson and Martin's, and used to play them for hours at McCabes guitar shop on Anaheim St. in Long Beach. He also carried Yamaha's and I bought one from him. It was a great guitar! Great video Max.
thanks again, Marty
My first japanese guitar ?! Wow... If I remember well, it might an Aria Pro II XX (flying V style) bought in the 80s (1982 ?). It was not an expensive guitar but it was quite good 🙂
My first japanese guitar was an Ibanez RG450, i bought this thing in 1986 and i still play it regularly
Max when are going to make a 'Surfing with the Alien' - style, instrumental album ? or just your own shredder album style. that Ibanez sounds so good.
My first Japanese made guitar was a 70's "Tulip" Les Paul Custom. That I got around 93 early 94'. It was amazing..Found it in a mom and pop guitar store, I traded BC Rich Warlock and Peavy Banit 112 and walked out with the Ibanez LP and a Marshall Valvetate V40 I believe, I loved that amp especially compared to the banditt 112. . I still kick myself for the letting that guitar go. I traded it for something stupid. And the amp got stolen. But I've had quite a few Japanese made guitars ever since, never had a bad one. I do remember seeing a used Passion and Warfare coloredUV77 jem hanging in a guitar shop in San Diego around 93, I'll never forget the price tag it was 1799 For being 19 years old, It was cool to see one in person, but there was no way I was ever going to afford it, I was in the military only making like 700 a month back then ha
I've got a Jackson JDR Concept MIJ with Gotoh Tuners and Takeuchi Bridge, and is a shredding machine!
This dude isnt a terrible player,but his phrasing and vibrato are like nails on a chalkboard!
Hi Max, my main guitar now is a Jackson DK2M with flamed maple veneer. Honestly, it's pretty close to an HM strat. It has a Seymour Duncan JB pickup at the bridge which is a pickup I really enjoy. It's made in Japan and love every inch of it. It is also versatile enough. Not for Heavy Metal/Hard Rock only. I can also do my regular pop and dance gigs there.
All the Pro-Series Gretsch guitars, with the exception of US-based Custom Shop specials, are MIJ, mostly from the Terada factory. The quality of craftsmanship is consistently amazing--of course, the prices tend to be commensurate. You really do get what you pay for . . .
Max, you NAILED that bit about the post-WWII history of Japan! It’s true, the US wanted Japan to rebuild quickly, in no small part because they wanted Japan to be part of the Western allies that would be able to stand solidly against Soviet communism. Dr. Edward Deming was also a huge part of Japan’s rebuilding story. ANOTHER FUN FACT: One of the reasons for Harry Truman’s decision to drop the A-bombs on Japan, often overlooked today, is because he wanted to be able to defeat Japan before the Russians were scheduled to join the fight. He wanted to make sure the Japanese surrendered to the US alone and NOT to a US/Soviet coalition. He did NOT want to give the Soviets the opportunity to do to Japan what they had already done in East Germany.
Wish I still had my black MIJ Strat! Early 80's butt kicker Metal Monster. Humbuckers were standard. Best Squire ever.😊
I have a fiesta red, maple neck '83 "JV" squier, they basically shipped over Fender USA parts and said ok build some guitars. Nicest strat I have ever played.
I've collected Japanese basses (mostly vintage) for almost 10 years now. Since 1st discovering their tremendous value compared to U.S. made . Particularly the true "replica" instruments of the lawsuit era. Would take any over those original-era Gibsons, Fenders or Rickenbackers from U.S.A. at that time. Superior character and build quality. Very noticeable. Thanks for an informative video and great guitar demos.
1978 Greco PB 450. Birthday year. Almost 10 years ago. Hoarded 'em ever since. Still own and won't sell that #1.
Hey, Max. Real trip. I was living in Hawaii in the 70s and the word there was that guitars from Japan were a joke. It was so gospel, that I never met or knew or heard of anyone who had one. It was real bad for Japan back then. Nowadays things are different, but back then, you would have needed a gun to get anyone to buy one. They were just straight up garbage. It’s amazing they were able to pull out of that dive.
I grew up playing a Westone Spectrum LX (198mbk) it kept perfect tune & it tickled my throat & made me cough when I would really shred! After playing it from new so, 1985-1986 till 2011 I added 13 gauge strings for a few years & eventually broke one string claw/ saddle on a bendmaster tremelow/vibrato. I swear by them! It was a HSH with 3 pull pots for splitting the coils & a 3 way switch WHERE IT IS SUPPOSED TO BE, IN THE TOP LEFT CORNER. I lost all of my 22 guitars, 1 of the 1st five Steinway & Son's pianos ever made which all shipped out on the same truck in the 1890's, five amps, prob 10 pedals, & prob a mill in gold & silver. I swear by Westone guitars!
I bought a Teisco Del Ray in 1965. It was beautiful, but I didn’t know how to properly set up a guitar back then. In 1979 I bought a Ibanez 2350 custom, a used 1976. I’d put that guitar up against the L.P. Great guitar that I won’t sell. Black Beauty, indeed!
My first electric was a pale yellow Valencia, made in Japan. Telecaster shaped, ugly as hell, one single coil pickup and terrible to play. My next guitar was an Azumi, again, Japanese, but much nicer to play. 24 frets, fixed bridge, probably a mahogany body with a bolt on (I'm guessing mahogany) neck, cool looking headstock and a tobacco sunburst finish. Fast forward past 4 Korean made guitars and a couple of decades, and I got a 1976 Yamaha SG1500...then got my hands on a 1978 Ibanez Iceman...then an Ibanez 540 PII, then a Jackson Rhoads RR5, then a Vantage Invader, a Fernandes Rhoads, a Washburn A-20V, another SG1500..... You getting the picture yet? I freaking love Japanese guitars!! I also now have 4 more Japanese Ibanez, yet no longer have all of the previously mentioned guitars. I've never owned a USA made guitar... being in Australia, they were always out of my budget. Funnily enough, my current fave guitar is an Indonesian made Dean MD24 in vintage orange.
My first Ibby was a $129 2001 or 2002 Ibanez GiO GRX45 in candy apple glitter. I got it for my birthday in February the year it was made, along with my dad's hand-me-down Zoom 505IISE his brother had gotten him the previous year for HIS birthday; I was 12 or 13 at the time. It PLAYED fine, but the truss rod and trem were not built to last. By the time I turned 20 the neck was permanently bowed, the spring tree was warped, the springs themselves needed replacing a few year prior and I didn't know or notice, and the axe ended up in a dumpster. I'm pretty sure it was a made in China or Indonesia model. I have a 2003 RG7321BK, a 2005 B.C. Rich Platinum Virgo in white, and a 2006 RGT42DXFMQRBB, all made in Indonesia or Korea; zero complaints.
Yup I’ve been buying up vintage Ibanez RGs. I recently found another hidden jem that are really affordable and that’s the 80s Peavey Tracer and Nitro and they are USA made.
I started out on a Sears budget Korean guitar in 1984 (well enough), a Korean Hondo (definitely better!), and finally an '83 SQ-series Squier Stratocaster, that was made in Japan (bought in late '87). I now own several MIJ Charvels, an MIJ Tobias Standard bass from the early 90's (Burbank, CA / pre-Nashville), the aforementioned SQ Squier, and a black HM Strat reissue. I've always considered Japanese workmanship as, at the very least, on-par with USA.
Japanese guitars have ALWAYS been amazing. My ESP Horizon is hands down the nicest guitar I've ever played. The build and finish are both mind numbingly good.
I think this is a great subject.
My frist MIJ guitar was 1976 Lespaul lawsuit copy, great guitar, wish i never sold it. All the rest of my guitars are mostly MIJ & are the best playing guitars IMHO. 86 Charvel model 3, 86 m 4 87 m 6 & my 89 Charvel Pro 750 XL best guitar MIJ ever! ! 87 Ibanez RG 550,
2002 Ibanez UV 7blk , 08 Jem 7vwht , 10 Rg prestige 1570. 19 ESP. Ep 2 eclipse and 94 Jackson RR pro like you shown here, all top notch well built machines MIJ.
My first good guitar was Kramer Focus 3000 I got in 1984. It was the MIJ version of the Pacer (HSS) and came with genuine Floyd Rose and I still have it today. I wanted an Ibanez RS530, but it was $400 and the Focus was $325 w/HSC and as a poor high school student who had to take a loan from his church credit union to buy it, $75 was a big difference at a time when I was just starting a job at $3.75/hr. (I finally got that Ibanez in 2010 off eBay and because they didn't want to pay licensing to Floyd Rose, they put the lock above the nut and it hangs and goofs the tuning. Real Floyds FTW!)
Since then I've got a a pair of Kramer Proaxes (which were MIJ by ESP) and a MIJ Fender Strat Fotoflame in the mid-1990s.
Never considered Japanese guitars to be bad probably because they were getting good when I started shopping. Not crazy about the Ibanezes I've tried because the necks are too thin for my taste and they're too metal oriented. Only regret is not having the means (or foresight to see what they'd be worth) to grab the korina wood Ibanez Explorer and Flying V I saw before Gibson stomped those.
Reverends are made in South Korea by Mira.
My dad bought me a guitar Christmas 1965…I was 12. It was a solid body KENT MIJ it cost about $35 . it was pretty bad but I learned cowboy chords on it. A year later 1966.. I got a MIJ MAXI TONE..BRUNO , 335 type copy it was way better! I still see those out there on ebayselling for about $600. So I started out with Japanese instruments..I was in Florida at the time.
My first made in japan guitar 1988 charvel/jackson cobalt blue active jackson p/us jackson trem shark tooth inlays bought it in 1988...killer guitar back then
Bought my first electric guitar in 1987, a Japanese strat copy, and it still my number 1. Retailed for $429 back then, came with Gotoh hardware. Love Japanese made guitars! I also have a 1992 Charvel and a 2004 Jackson. Will never part with them.
i'm a Simp for Japanese guitars since the Early Ibanez Gibson copies of the 70's. The bang for buck on many MIJ's is Incredible. There are many MIJ Fenders that rival their much more costly US counterparts. Some of the best MIJ Jackson's imo are/were the 90's SL-3 and SL-4's. Those were Gold standard at Convenience store pricing. Answering the OG question my first MIJ that was what I considered a good guitar was a used Aria Pro II in 81. A Les Paul Custom copy that was Heavy, well finished and performed better than the US Fender Lead III I was contemplating on getting. The only issue was it was all made in mm's so any US after parts didnt quite fit and not all instrument shops understood the metric conversion so well.
Japanese luthiers are second to none, they have been making quality stringed instruments for Centuries, as for guitars the 60’s were when they really took off. The lawsuit era was when the Japanese were killing it so Gibson had to sue because the quality was as good if not better but the price was half of what a US made guitar was selling for. I own a 1964 Barney Kessel Aria, a 1973 ES335 Aria copy, the recent 50th Anniversary Aria quilted Maple 335 plus a MIJ 1981 Washburn A10, I would argue they hold their own in craftsmanship, quality and playability.
If only they would make a budget friendly Caparison guitar.. At least ESP has Grassroots/Edwards did. I just wish they brought back their old E-CY-165CTM models.
All I play are MiJ LPs(minus my Solo-6 by Schecter, which is slightly different in body shape, just slightly, and also has a 25.5" scale). I am looking at getting a Vola 7 string(what I mainly play, 6 strings get played way less for me, only when it really fits better), even though it's 25.5" scale with 7 strings, and I already have 3x7 strings at that scale length, and I drop tune quite far.
Just picked up my 2024
Charvel MJ So-Cal Style 1 HSS FR M Electric Guitar - Snow White
It is the gas ⛽️ KILLER
I can’t believe what a monster this thing is! Just wow!
have a late 80s made in japan charvel still rockin 30 yrs later. really great guitar.
All my guitars such as Jackson Ibanez Yamaha Squier are all made in Indonesia & are great. But i do did try Ibanez RG550 & Yamaha Red Label FG5 and it's really awesome. How i wish gonna have enough budget to get hold of Yamaha Revstar RSP....
Mine was a strat Style Samick...... black with gold Hardware early nineties
My first MIJ was a Squier Strat mid 80's model, it was,, pretty good, Especially compared to my Mexican Fender Strat from about the same time, which can be most Kindly described as a POS.
My other MIJ is,,, An ORVILLE, Approved by Gibson on condition they were for the home market only, No Exports Allowed! well officially that is. Still, a fair few made it out into the wider world.
I bought mine new in Japan in 1989 and its possible I am the only person outside of Japan to have owned one of these from new, I bought it and got a friend to ship it to me in England a few months later Nearly All of my Les Paul playing friends like it better than their own American Gibsons, Despite many offers, 35 years and I am not parting with it.
Gosh, interesting question: The first Japanese guitar I owned? I've so many guitars it's a thought process. I'd guess it was my Ibanez RG 550 (still my favorite guitar to this day). It was my first "real" guitar. But I'm sure I've acquired different guitars that were, essentially, made in a foreign country. To me that's the adventure: Get an inexpensive guitar & "customize" or "cherry" it out--for less money than to buy a high-end guitar made here.
First guitar was an ESP Horizon FR I bought it back in 2004. Amazing Guitar wish I have never sold it 😢! I own 3 MIJ guitars now and I’m really happy with the quality!
I have two mid-80s MIJ guitars. I bought my Squier Telecaster new in 1984. It’s well made, but the pickups and electronics are mediocre. I also have a mid-80s Fender Strat hardtail which I love too. The cheaper ceramic single coils on it still sound good.
I own 20+ MIJ guitars. From a 75 Navigator(the first year run) to a 2020 ESP Eclipse and tons of off-brands in between. I'd throw any of them at a Gibson and laugh when they hear the sound and feel the quality. There are some really cheap hidden gems just sitting in Japan waiting.
I remember back in 1988, my first electric guitar was a Profile, biggest pile of crap, it looked fantastic, dark metallic grey, but the tremolo broke in the first 2 weeks lol. Took it back and Bought a beautiful Metallic Red Kramer 300ST. I had that for about a year or so. Then I traded it in towards my dream guitar in 1989/90, A Kramer Nightswan Aztec. I still have to this day, and no other guitar I've bought has ever come close to the neck or feel of this guitar. I didn't find out till several years later, the necks were made in the ESP factory. I absolutely love the R1 nut profile, some don't like it, but it's the fastest neck I've ever played to this day.
My 1980 Ibanez Ic300 Iceman was absolutely amazing bought brand new when I was 14.
Epiphone limited edition Les Paul 1998 played Beautiful so good I sold it and Bought it back with seymour Duncans in it
80s Ibanez Destroyer. Flame top. Set neck, HH pickup configuration and what Ibanez called a Shortstop Tail Piece. I recorded two demos with that guitar. I have pictures of it, but unfortunately that's all. I sold it for a Jackson which turned out to be crap.
In like 1978 I was 11and I got a Silvertone MIJ which was sold in a catalog from sears along with a little tube amp. I got it for $35 from a friend. I see the same guitar now going for a few hundred bucks. The action was so bad you could grate cheese (and your fingertips) with it. The tuners were hard to turn, I had no idea that one could buy light gauge strings so it had these horrible heavy ass strings on it. It is surprising I stuck with playing at all as that guitar was a torture device. In the interim since the silvertone I had a really nice Gibson SG which was stolen in 1988. In 1989 I eventually scored a 1985 Ibanez Roadster 2 with case and a boss chorus for $250. That is a killer guitar and very versatile. I now have 2 MIJ Ibanez basses, 2 roadstar guitars and an MIJ Jackson. I am very partial to MIJ now, needless to say. One can pick up great MIJ guitars used from private parties who often don't realize that MIJ is a very good thing these days even though new ones are super pricey. The thing about the evolution of MIJ guitars is that, Like with their cars, they tried to load every option onto it and sell it for a lower price (back in the day) My roadstar 2's are loaded with everything you could want in the 80's. Dual hummers, locking whammy, coil split etc.
Morris acoustic guitar. Looked like 12 fret Martin 000 18 with slotted head stock. Had QA issue plywood top. Sounded good but action was high.
How can you possibly do a segment on quality Japanese guitars and not even mention B.C. Rich who was the first American guitar company to produce quality guitars in Japan? The Koa Bich 10s and Mockingbirds are legendary.
Hey All this stuff is cool. And The Trade deficit? I Believe it's non existent I've looked at 1000's of Guitar products and The Fact is You can get a quality guitar for not a lot of money. Personally , I like the jackson js Series There only a couple of hundred bucks and are a great Guitar!😅
I never bought a Japanese or a USA guitar back in the day. They were just too expensive. All my guitars now are mostly made in Korea and I have a few Indonesia. But I have seen the quality come way up and I would say some of those Japanese guitars are on par or better than USA made. There's another channel I watch called a flash flood of gear. They do a lot of guitar buying in Japan and they get them for a reasonable price and then bring them to the US and sell them and make a profit. Some of the early 2000s Korean made stuff is pretty high quality right below USA made at the time imo. Great video!!!!!🤘 Those guitars all sounded pretty good My favorite is the Jackson and the Viola!🔥 I feel like the video could have been a full half hour no problem!!! Thanks Max ttyl my friend...
I've got a MIJ Jackson from... hmmm... the mid to late 90s? I have no idea what model it is, as I cannot find it in the archived Jackson catalogues. It looks like a Dinky of some sorts to me, but it's of a HSH configuration with shark fin inlays, regular headstock (i.e. not reversed), Floyd Rose, and a control layout that I cannot find a match for on other Jackson guitars. In any case, it's great and still my go-to guitar to play. I got it set up a while back by a massively pro-Ibanez tech, and he loved it too.
I bought an Ibanez Roadstar II RB650 left-handed bass back in 1984 built in Japan and it was a very nice instrument, but I sold it about 6 years later. I sure whish I had it back.
My first Japanese electric guitar was a samich strat copy. Made in 1982.. honestly since then I judge all necks when I'm playing by that guitar best neck to date I've ever grabbed. Now electronics was the best or worse just decent. But the wood to my opinion was incredible you could normally decently give a strum and feel the whole guitar vibrate like crazy all the way up the neck and body.
In the 60's you could buy from a small selection of Tiesco's on a rack for around $29. They all played like crap. Some of the Sears Silvertone stuff was a little bettter. Then back in the mid 80's I was playing this highly ornate blues burst Ibanez Artist with all the bells and whistles and switches that I bought at GC for around $600 new. It played nice and was heavy as hell. From then on I always kept my eyes peeled for any cool used Japanese guitars. I got to be that way for Korean made as well.
Ibanez,1980,dark green with 2 open humbuckers,this nect,still ha e it,Ben in the 20 plus years,think I'll make sure there's not a bag of rocks in the case and a guitar instead right lol,love,hate it,but it us all I had,swapped a dirt dive that was worth 10 times more than the guitar for it,lol,I wanted a guitar not a death trap right,right,lol,ttyl buddy,jim from maine😅
The Lawsuit era ushered in Fuji Gen Gakki & Matsumoto to 1st class citizenship in electric guitar manufacturing.
My first Japanese guitar was an Ibanez acoustic. I don't remember if I bought it in 86 or 87, but it was around that time. If memory serves me correct I think I spent about $500 on it. I still have it. I love that guitar.
My first guitar 🎸 was a 1987 fender contemporary black strat with the rose wood thin neck which I think they called a fast neck kalar trem coil split humbucker with the special tone control only two knobs made in the fuggi gun factory at the time I think the only fenders being produced came out of Japan as there was some problems with fender America company its was a real head turner played lovely and I still say you would be hard pressed to find an American fender of the same build quality my current collect 3 e series 1980s contemporary strats in difficult configuration 1 framus toy guitar 1 2008 slash les paul ts 1 wrc Gibson sr71 show case edition 1 jem uv7 wh signed by Steve Via in person and a ibanez prestige
60's Japanese guitars were horrendous. Wasn't until the 70's when many builders were copying the bigger American brands did they have a real coming to Jesus moment in building. When the main Japanese builders used what they learned by copying, they branched off and started creating their own high end brands. The first one I purchased was back in the 80's and it was a Japanese Teisco Del Ray which was a pile of hot garbage. Wasn't until I learned about Ibanez did I change my mind.
My very first guitar was, I think, a Harmony strat style sunburst guitar. I ordered it in the mail from either Sears or JC Penney, can't remember which, it was $99 and you got a little amp with it so a complete starter kit. This must have been 1985. I remember it being hard to play barre chords but don't remember if it was just because I was new to guitar or maybe a thick neck and high action (I didn't even know what action was back then).
I worked in a pawn shop back in the 70's. The quality of the MIJ's was very low. We used to put them on the "starter rack" of low-end merchandise. Its kind of hard to describe but they felt flimsy and cheap.
In the early 80's I was playing classical guitar, and I had bought an Ibanez that pleased me very much. It was easy to play, and it sounded good.
Although the guitar was a little more expensive than the korean Hondo's, it was better quality. Yamaha was much better than both of them,
but unaffordable to me. So, this is my nylon string story.
You skipped Caparison Guitars. I own two and they are two of the best guitars I've ever played.
My FujiGen made Ibanez SR800 LE bass will last forever.
When I was 16 in '96 I scored an '87 rg550(pink) from a oawn shop for 150 bucks..bad ass guitar...still have it!
1960's Norma branded guitar. Made in Japan. Not terrible for a cheap catalog guitar. No side dot markers on the neck but yeah, it is what it is. Tremolo stays in tune, somehow. Lots of switches and buttons! Odd short scale.
The cheaper Ibanez guitars will have the same quality as their higher dollar guitars.High quality doesn’t have to make a product cost more. Quite the opposite is true.
My 1st guitar was a no name teisco-ish weirdo that wouldnt stay in tune and only had "made in Japan" stamped on the neck plate - my brother's girlfriend's brother gave it to me -
I smashed it after buying my ( Japanese) PAN stratocaster 🤘🤣💥
G*dd*mn that Jem swirl is cool. I might get some type of a tribute made eventually like that boss Kiesel that McKnight got recently (I won't buy a Kiesel but that kind of idea).
I might be the only one saying this, but I believe the Distorted tones got drowned in too many effects to actually hear the guitars themselves. I will also add that the Japanese stuff always has and always will be better than USA made stuff. Hell, modern Korean made guitars rival the shotty USA fender and Gibson quality.
First Japanese guitar I ever owned was the first guitar I ever owned. 1977 gold top dark back LP copy Hondo ll. Loved it. I used it and cash to trade up to a Strat. I found the same model Hondo on the bay of E last year and had to get it! Nostalgia is a helluva drug. :)
My Japanese Edge II is better than any OFR. Quite reliable. Anyway, aren't we adressing the 7 string floyd rose issue? :(
In 1976 I had a Man Les Paul copy. It was made from 16 different pieces of wood. Quality was very poor. But it was a cool wine red colour
They've been good since the 80s, I would say the electronics have improved since then
I have an 2000 japanese dinky, cost 430 . It is my favorite over schecter elites and ltd 1000 series . Even thought it has jackson branded everything the floyd stays in tune during live show torture tests for 20 years
I started out on a 60s Heit Deluxe. That my mother had cut a guys hair. Traded a hair cut for the guitar in 1989. It was a great playing guitar. I regretfully traded it off.
1978 Greco LP Custom, hand made and fantastic player.
I have a late 90s jackson dr pro from Japan. Thing still rips.
Great content , I like the history you presented. 😊 Especially how the Japanese were game changers , but it took them a while to master the technique 's for building guitars .
Once you get your hands on a neck thru with stainless frets, guitars that don't have both suck, I can't believe that guitars without are still being made, I'd like a 6string shredder but everything feels like trash coming from my Vader 8, I miss fooling with a rose and a 6er, but I don't wanna spend thousands on one to have that good feel