The Beautiful Guitars thread reminded me that I needed to start preparing for a trip to Tokyo this spring. Will be there for less than a week on a longer family trip to SE Asia to see our in-laws. So I can do a little scurrying away here and there, just not sure how much.
Ideas for gear scavenging around there? Not really budgeting for anything but the usual travel expenses, but it would be great to find a cool mic like the Sony C-38b for less than the ~$700 USD they go for on ebay, though I’m not sure if those examples aren’t scraping the bottom of the barrel already… I can’t imagine much of the good stuff being that much cheaper, but a cool mic would be much easier to bring back than a guitar.
While we’re at it, any music related recommendations - venues, record stores, that sort of thing - are appreciated.
Re: Bizarre Japanese guitars
112Wonderful! I'll be there in mid-April, as will noted Top Liked Guy JSP (FM spacebar.)llllllllllllllllllll wrote: Wed Jan 22, 2025 3:35 pm The Beautiful Guitars thread reminded me that I needed to start preparing for a trip to Tokyo this spring. Will be there for less than a week on a longer family trip to SE Asia to see our in-laws. So I can do a little scurrying away here and there, just not sure how much.
Ideas for gear scavenging around there? Not really budgeting for anything but the usual travel expenses, but it would be great to find a cool mic like the Sony C-38b for less than the ~$700 USD they go for on ebay, though I’m not sure if those examples aren’t scraping the bottom of the barrel already… I can’t imagine much of the good stuff being that much cheaper, but a cool mic would be much easier to bring back than a guitar.
While we’re at it, any music related recommendations - venues, record stores, that sort of thing - are appreciated.
When I went in 2023, it was clear that most of the "deals" that you'd find in Tokyo kind of don't exist anymore. The Ochanomizu area is kind of legendary for guitar shops, but when I was there, they didn't really have special/unique inventory. A lot of MIJ Fender stuff and the like, but most of it was less than 30 years old. It's still a trip to bounce around all the shops, but having done it once, I don't feel a strong need to do it again. FM sleepkid has noted to me that for the best deals, you have to go outside of the big cities proper and do some digging there.
For record stores, the multi-story Disk Union in Shibuya is really something else. Beyond that, most of my LP haul last time was from cities outside of Tokyo.
Jazz Titan/Ruthie Cohen
Current -
Future Living / Daddy's Boy / Blank Banker / Solo
Fomer -
Hungry Man / No Trust / Retreaters
Current -
Future Living / Daddy's Boy / Blank Banker / Solo
Fomer -
Hungry Man / No Trust / Retreaters
Re: Bizarre Japanese guitars
113That came out great! I miss my old Japanese Deluxe.matttkkkk wrote: Mon Sep 02, 2024 2:36 am Why did I not enthuse over that one? I must have missed it. Insane and beautiful.
Anyway I am pleased with myself because I actually finished a project. Wouldn't it be awesome if Greco had made a Telemaster kind of thing during their late 70s heyday? I have one of their Tele Deluxes and love it. So, anyway, I decided to make my own. This is:
- 1977ish Greco "Super Sounds" neck (parts of the fingerboard were covered in weird crap I had to scrape and dissolve away, leaving bare wood in some places - that's why it was cheap)
- 80s (?) Kluson type tuners to replace the box-back originals
- 2019 Squier Affinity Jazzmaster HH (string-through before the current Strat trem version)
- eBay / China bridge plate in nickel (I will admit I chemically aged it a bit to go with the neck)
- eBay / China bridge pickup (so cheap, so great)
- AVRI (?) Jazzmaster neck pickup
- some repro 70s MIJ witch-hat knobs
- amateur router skills
- amateur wiring skills
Result -Reader, it plays as good as it looks.
We're headed for social anarchy when people start pissing on bookstores.
Re: Bizarre Japanese guitars
114Well.... since you ask...... there is my personal Grail of Guitar Weirdness, The Guitar Mad Meat Mecca, the Butcher with the Licks, The Quantum State of guitar shops (is it a music shop or is it a butchery.... IT'S BOTH....... AT THE SAME TIME!!!!llllllllllllllllllll wrote: Wed Jan 22, 2025 3:35 pm The Beautiful Guitars thread reminded me that I needed to start preparing for a trip to Tokyo this spring. Will be there for less than a week on a longer family trip to SE Asia to see our in-laws. So I can do a little scurrying away here and there, just not sure how much.
Ideas for gear scavenging around there? Not really budgeting for anything but the usual travel expenses, but it would be great to find a cool mic like the Sony C-38b for less than the ~$700 USD they go for on ebay, though I’m not sure if those examples aren’t scraping the bottom of the barrel already… I can’t imagine much of the good stuff being that much cheaper, but a cool mic would be much easier to bring back than a guitar.
While we’re at it, any music related recommendations - venues, record stores, that sort of thing - are appreciated.
KOSIMIZU MEAT & GUITAR
2374 Hoshakuji, Takanezawa,
Shioya District, Tochigi 329-1233, Japan
A butchery with a guitar shop out back! Brilliant. Who knew! And all old vintage weird stuff. Very much my scene! One day I will go there.
Some clips: http://plaza.harmonix.ne.jp/~kosimizu/ (mostly in Japanese but click on the links)
Re: Bizarre Japanese guitars
115The Shimokitazawa neighborhood is very hipster and has a ton of record shops and vintage storesllllllllllllllllllll wrote: Wed Jan 22, 2025 3:35 pm The Beautiful Guitars thread reminded me that I needed to start preparing for a trip to Tokyo this spring. Will be there for less than a week on a longer family trip to SE Asia to see our in-laws. So I can do a little scurrying away here and there, just not sure how much.
Ideas for gear scavenging around there? Not really budgeting for anything but the usual travel expenses, but it would be great to find a cool mic like the Sony C-38b for less than the ~$700 USD they go for on ebay, though I’m not sure if those examples aren’t scraping the bottom of the barrel already… I can’t imagine much of the good stuff being that much cheaper, but a cool mic would be much easier to bring back than a guitar.
While we’re at it, any music related recommendations - venues, record stores, that sort of thing - are appreciated.
There's a little store in Osaka called Jam's Factory, all guitar pedals floor to ceiling. Some good deals there. Bunch of guitar stores in Osaka generally.
sparkling anti-capitalist
Re: Bizarre Japanese guitars
116This thing is so damn cool. So damn cool. Too damn expensive but so damn cool.
https://reverb.com/item/86410178-fujige ... anese-punk
https://reverb.com/item/86410178-fujige ... anese-punk
Re: Bizarre Japanese guitars
117Yes it absolutely is. I wish people would stop making 30 versions of a Tele or some stupid Explorer knockoff and make cool ass guitars based on Japanese and Italian guitars from the 60's/70's. I guess that St. Vincent guitar is kind like that.ChudFusk wrote: Wed Jan 29, 2025 11:15 pm This thing is so damn cool. So damn cool. Too damn expensive but so damn cool.
https://reverb.com/item/86410178-fujige ... anese-punk
Re: Bizarre Japanese guitars
118That guitar is beautiful yet looks like it is one unreliable part away from madness.
Re: Bizarre Japanese guitars
119I mean that's true for all quirky Japanese guitars from the. 60s-80s, but this is a 1990s build for Shonen Knife, and as long as the neck is good like they claim then it's probably better than most Teisco type jawns.Frankie99 wrote: Sat Feb 01, 2025 12:02 am That guitar is beautiful yet looks like it is one unreliable part away from madness.
Re: Bizarre Japanese guitars
120The headstock says Fujigen who build Fender Japan - and their house brand generally commands higher prices than the Japanese Fenders. It’d be very well made.