So many vintage Guilds in Japan

[WC_Guitarist]

Hi,
I regularly look for vintage Guild guitars on eBay, Reverb, Craigslist, and pretty much everywhere else.
There are so many on eBay and Reverb that say shipping from Japan.
Were these especially popular overseas?
Has anyone had a guitar shipped from Japan? How was the experience?
Thanks!
Janine

 

[bobouz]

Top quality American-made instruments have been popular in Japan for a very long time. In the 70s, Japanese builders like Takamine were making good quality copies of Martins, Guilds, Gibsons, and even Doc Watson’s Gallagher - so they’ve been aware of & valued high end instruments for a very long time. Not sure about other companies, but Gibson has shipped & sold many instruments to the Japanese market - sometimes with special runs or unique features. Gibson has also used the highly regarded Terada factory in Japan to build high-end Epiphone Elitist models, some with unique features being sold only in Japan. Essentially, it is a sophisticated market, and they know the good stuff!

 

[Cougar]

Plus, as I've heard, Japanese sellers sometimes advertise a particular guitar that they do not actually have in hand. Then if they get a U.S. buyer, they will search Japan for that guitar and buy it for less than the ebay sale price, thus making a little profit on the sale. Or they might know the guitar is at a Japanese music store and work the same deal.

 

[Nuuska]

Helo Janine

Welcome to LTG

I have no answer to your question - but as we LOVE veer here in LTG - I must ask you about your forum-name "WC_Guitarist"

Are you aware what WC means in Continental Europe

Then there is the story of Paul Simon having played guitar in bathroom thus writing "Hello darkness my old friend"

Janine - could it be that you are Paul Simon - trying to hide with another name ???

 

[SFIV1967]

Then if they get a U.S. buyer, they will search Japan for that guitar and buy it for less than the ebay sale price, thus making a little profit on the sale.

Almost...Those resellers do not "search" after they have a buyer but they usually repost existing local ads from local sites similar to Craigslist pages (in Japanese language). So there might be five ads on Reverb about the same guitar but with different pricing. Now it is either luck or no luck if a buyer gets the guitar, but Japanese resellers are honest and will simply say "it already sold" when they can't get it and you do not loose your money. But it can be frustrating to buy something and the anser is that it already sold.

Ralf

 

[WC_Guitarist]

Helo Janine

Welcome to LTG

I have no answer to your question - but as we LOVE veer here in LTG - I must ask you about your forum-name "WC_Guitarist"

Are you aware what WC means in Continental Europe

Then there is the story of Paul Simon having played guitar in bathroom thus writing "Hello darkness my old friend"

Janine - could it be that you are Paul Simon - trying to hide with another name ???

Hi Nuuska,
I also love veer! I am aware of what WC means in Europe. I'm married to an Austrian man. LOL. But in my case, it's the initials of the city I live in, which is actually quite nice, in spite of the association with the loo. I did think about that after choosing my screen name for LTG. I would happily play guitar in the bathroom day and night if I could play half as good as Paul Simon. And of course, if someone gave me all his guitars. I refer to Paul Simon all the time, as he is barely taller than me, yet somehow he manages to play a dread with so much style and finesse. Bathroom or no. And I'm a huge fan of Simon and Garfunkel, and each of them as soloists.
Kiitos!
Janine
"Not playing guitar in the loo"

 

[WC_Guitarist]

Thank you to everyone for the information about the Guilds for sale from Japan. I think I will stick to local sales. There are enough of them coming up on Craigslist, and in the shops that sell vintage instruments, in the San Francisco Bay Area that I'm sure I will be able to find one closer to home. I think I need to see it, play it, etc. The trick is to be patient... which I generally am not.

 

[BradHK]

I purchased my 1970 Starfire IV online from Japan and had it shipped to the US. It was a custom color (black) and near perfect so harder to just wait for another one to pop up for sale in the US. It was posted on eBay by multiple people at varying prices (All much more than what I paid). However, I got lucky and found the guitar store that had the guitar for sale and they had an international sales request contact. It arrived perfect but I was worried about something happening in transit as resolving a problem can be more difficult when dealing with overseas sellers.

 

[Midnight Toker]

It's not just Guilds. There's loads of Gibson, Fender and several other brands where lots of hard to find vintage gear (guitars/amps/effects) being listed is coming from Japan....and typically asking ultra premium+ prices!

There is a discipline in Japanese culture where if a person seeks to imitate a famous artist, they go ALL IN! Demanding all the brand/model/year correct gear. I wouldn't doubt if there are a few guitar shops there that are as loaded w/ spectacular gear as any of the famous vintage shops in the US. (Maybe not for acoustics/mandos/banjos....but for electric guitars/amps/effects, Japan is sitting on more than their share!)

 

[WC_Guitarist]

Very interesting! I traveled to Japan in 2016, before the guitar bug bit me (or re-bit me). I wish I'd known! My husband and I really enjoyed traveling in Japan. It was fascinating and beautiful, and I know what you mean about the culture and discipline. Japan is the most organized country I've ever visited. I'd love to go back... Oh and when I do, I'll be on the hunt for all the good guitars. Watch this space.

 

[fronobulax]

I think I will stick to local sales.

Welcome. What are you looking for? We can certainly help you find it

If you want to post a Want To Buy (rather than continue here) you can get a few more posts or ask a moderator for help.

 

[Neal]

On the other hand, Japan is also producing great guitars right now. Gretsch's Professional Series is produced at the famed Terada factory, which, according to the good folks over at www.gretsch-talk.com are far better-made instruments than the Gretsch guitars made in Brooklyn in the 50's and 60's. There was also a time when Japan made better Telecasters than Fender was making in California.

 

[WC_Guitarist]

Welcome. What are you looking for? We can certainly help you find it

If you want to post a Want To Buy (rather than continue here) you can get a few more posts or ask a moderator for help.
======

And therein lies the problem!!!

I'm still at the "lusting after" stage. But when I am ready to buy, I will definitely post here.
Just in case anyone is sitting on a pristine 70s or 80s US made D-## that they're looking to place in a loving home for a sensational price, please keep me in mind. LOL.

 

[fronobulax]

Just in case anyone is sitting on a pristine 70s or 80s US made D-## that they're looking to place in a loving home for a sensational price, please keep me in mind. LOL.

See, we can help. Body size? Tonewood? We can help you narrow things to specifics. And increase your post count.

 

[HoofnHorn]

Welcome. What are you looking for? We can certainly help you find it

If you want to post a Want To Buy (rather than continue here) you can get a few more posts or ask a moderator for help.
======

And therein lies the problem!!!

I'm still at the "lusting after" stage. But when I am ready to buy, I will definitely post here.
Just in case anyone is sitting on a pristine 70s or 80s US made D-## that they're looking to place in a loving home for a sensational price, please keep me in mind. LOL.

I might just know where you might find one

 

[merlin6666]

Japan is a heaven for guitar collectors not only Guild also Ovation and any other brand that was popular in the golden days of guitar. The Japanese also love ukulele and when I was looking for a very specific vintage uke the closest thing I could find was from Japanese dealer. I bought it and the transaction was smooth. Though the customs duties and fees raised the price much higher than anticipated.

 

[WC_Guitarist]

Interesting about your experience buying from Japan. I had not factored in the cost of customs and import fees. But I think I'm going to forego a Guild D-## dread for something smaller, lighter and easier for me to play. Come visit over in the Archtop forum... I may have found the solution to my "need" for maple and blinged out frets. PS It plugs in!

 

[WC_Guitarist]

I might just know where you might find one

Enablers.... all of you! Enablers!

 

[Nuuska]

Enablers.... all of you! Enablers!

We try hard - ain't that cute

@ruedi found me a X2000 in Swizerland
I found a Pilot Bass for @EWH - he lives in Denmark

Plus many other members have gone out of their ways helping others get guitars.


So did you get maple Starfire VI ? ? ?

 

[Seiki Yoshida]

hi i m japanese.

of course, i bought some vintage guilds in japan (D25M & GF30)
if japanese music store is trying to sell the guitars,
usually they are well-maintenanced because of our national caracter
worth to try