Ibanez is dicking us around.

[Vince]

Go to www.ibanez.com

When it asks for country, choose japan. Behold REAL FUCKING GUITARS.

The J-Custom RG 812F 7-string comes with a mahogany body, flame maple top, and STOCK Air Norton 7 and Tone Zone 7!

On top of that, the VV model of the J-Custom is the one we were LIED TO about back in 2000, when Ibanez said they only made 48 of them, one for every Guitar Center store. I bought one of those "limited edition" ones back then. Now I find out they're mass produced in japan.

Unfreaking-believeable.

http://www.ibanez.co.jp/japan/index.html

 

[Drew]

Different run, apparently - there's a difference between the J-custom CT and whatever they call the new J-custom, but god knows I can't see it.

and yeah, the japan-only Ibanez's are good for the occasional drool.

 

[Toshiro]

Hoshino USA Sucks. They decide what we get. They think stuff like this isn't worth having here.

Complain to them.

Or just go to www.ishibashi-music.com and import a Japanese market guitar.

 

[Jeff]

Hoshino USA Sucks. They decide what we get. They think stuff like this isn't worth having here.

Complain to them.

Or just go to www.ishibashi-music.com and import a Japanese market guitar.

Yup, it's Hoshino and Chesbro, the other Ibanez distributor. They decide what will sell, and what won't.

Kinda like Nissan USA, who decides whether or not the Skyline will sell here.

 

[Digital Black]

Japan purposely keeps us behind in technology and product design.

Probably payback for the A bomb..

 

[WayneCustom7]

Japan purposely keeps us behind in technology and product design.

Probably payback for the A bomb..

 

[Shawn]

I still wished I lived there in Japan.

 

[Metal Ken]

Yeah. Ishibashi will get my business before too long. i NEED a RG1550...

 

[jski7]

Go to www.ibanez.com

When it asks for country, choose japan. Behold REAL FUCKING GUITARS.

The J-Custom RG 812F 7-string comes with a mahogany body, flame maple top, and STOCK Air Norton 7 and Tone Zone 7!

On top of that, the VV model of the J-Custom is the one we were LIED TO about back in 2000, when Ibanez said they only made 48 of them, one for every Guitar Center store. I bought one of those "limited edition" ones back then. Now I find out they're mass produced in japan.

Unfreaking-believeable.

http://www.ibanez.co.jp/japan/index.html

Ahh yes , this will be my next seven :http://www.ibanez.co.jp/japan/products/eg/page/RG8127F_BX.html
I'm just about ready to pull the trigger on it . I promised myself that I'd have it by summer's end and I'm still on schedule . Barring any financial disasters , it will be mine soon . Can't fucking wait !

 

[Digital Black]

I know I've inquired here before, but what is the exact process of buying from Ishabashi? What are some of the things to watch out for? How long and how hard is it to get the guitar you want?.. I know lots have done it but I rarely see any comment on the quirks..

 

[FoxMustang]

That vintage violin RG8127F is dead sexy, but 250,000 yen ($2,313.52 US) is a spicy meatball. Still want it though

 

[jski7]

Well , from what I understand , there's a chick there who deals solely with international orders and speaks perfect english . That's definately a plus . She'll tell you exactly what to do and how to do it . They're supposedly very good at finding what you want if they don't have it in stock , and I'm hearing it takes about a week to get to your door . Hope this helps . This is preliminary info , but I'll post a full report in a few months after my deal goes down .

 

[jski7]

That vintage violin RG8127F is dead sexy, but 250,000 yen ($2,313.52 US) is a spicy meatball. Still want it though

Remember , that is MSRP . Actual price is a little lower .

 

[Jeff]

The black onyx is fucking nutty!! I want one.

 

[FoxMustang]

Remember , that is MSRP . Actual price is a little lower .

Cool, I wasn't sure if they'd discount the price for overseas orders - they kinda have a corner on the market, don't they? Haven't heard of many other places that'll send Japan-only guitars over here.

Do you get raped on overseas shipping?

 

[Kevan]

Go to www.ibanez.com

When it asks for country, choose japan. Behold REAL FUCKING GUITARS.

...for a market that not only has the factory and J-Custom shop on it's island, but can also support/justify having such models. Sadly, it really does come down to money. (see below for more)

The J-Custom RG 812F 7-string comes with a mahogany body, flame maple top, and STOCK Air Norton 7 and Tone Zone 7!

On top of that, the VV model of the J-Custom is the one we were LIED TO about back in 2000, when Ibanez said they only made 48 of them, one for every Guitar Center store. I bought one of those "limited edition" ones back then. Now I find out they're mass produced in japan.

Unfreaking-believeable.

http://www.ibanez.co.jp/japan/index.html

I think that "lied to" is a bit rough. Your CT (which I believe is the model you're talking about) is indeed a limited edition guitar. They certainly don't make it anymore. The 8127VV looks *a lot a lot* like the RG7-CT, but with the Edge Pro7 bridge and the AN/TZ pickup combo. To me, that means "new model", and thus it's labeled as such, and sold as such. Think of it this way- your CT is a 2nd Gen. J-Custom, while the 8127 is a 4th Gen. J-Custom.
Oh, and that whole "48- one for each GC" is crap. 48 is 4 dozen. That's where it comes from. To counter that, Ibanez *does* occassionally do models for the super-stores, but they're generally *NOT* high-end guitars (like the J-Customs). Plus, there are actually way more than 48 GC stores.

For those that feel "jilted" for not having direct access to models in other countries, think about this for a second:
J-Custom, Prestige, and all the signature model sales combined account for about 1% of Ibanez USA total sales. While you love the stuff, it's harder to get the other 99% to love it enough to crack the checkbook for it, and thus for Ibanez to bring it over here.
As a side dish, take a look at a Fender or Gibson catalog. Gibson= 3 models; Fender= 2 models. That's their international line too.
Talk about getting jacked.

 

[shoemaker27]

Hi, I dont know anything about the J-custom series of Ibanez, I visited this link: http://www.jemsite.com/jcustom/ and Im really very impressed about the models, the more choices of pickups and the finish of this guitars, are amazing!!!
I dont know what is trying to do Ibanez, but I think these models must be on the USA market!!!

 

[The Dark Wolf]

...for a market that not only has the factory and J-Custom shop on it's island, but can also support/justify having such models. Sadly, it really does come down to money. (see below for more)


I think that "lied to" is a bit rough. Your CT (which I believe is the model you're talking about) is indeed a limited edition guitar. They certainly don't make it anymore. The 8127VV looks *a lot a lot* like the RG7-CT, but with the Edge Pro7 bridge and the AN/TZ pickup combo. To me, that means "new model", and thus it's labeled as such, and sold as such. Think of it this way- your CT is a 2nd Gen. J-Custom, while the 8127 is a 4th Gen. J-Custom.
Oh, and that whole "48- one for each GC" is crap. 48 is 4 dozen. That's where it comes from. To counter that, Ibanez *does* occassionally do models for the super-stores, but they're generally *NOT* high-end guitars (like the J-Customs). Plus, there are actually way more than 48 GC stores.

For those that feel "jilted" for not having direct access to models in other countries, think about this for a second:
J-Custom, Prestige, and all the signature model sales combined account for about 1% of Ibanez USA total sales. While you love the stuff, it's harder to get the other 99% to love it enough to crack the checkbook for it, and thus for Ibanez to bring it over here.
As a side dish, take a look at a Fender or Gibson catalog. Gibson= 3 models; Fender= 2 models. That's their international line too.
Talk about getting jacked.

Kev, you're a great guy, but this isn't "Ibanez Appreciation Board." I remember this was the cause of contention between you and the Evil Duo (Glen and Rich) at Jemsite time and again. (Well, that and Glen seems like a jealous prick at times, and Rich... well)

Your opinion, and you definitely know a thing or ten, but I say Vince, you're dead on brother. Ibanez isn't known exactly for its business acumen (can you say "Ibanez Talman? Gibson Lawsuit?") The Ibanez-can-do-no-wrong mentality doesn't cut it with many of us, even those who LOVE their Ibanez guitars.

 

[Regor]

FWIW, I got my RG2127X from Ishibashi, and everything went great. I asked them about it a few times before I committed to buying, and they were very straight with me about everything. I got the guitar and love it. I wouldn't say 'perfect' English, but it's 'very' understandable.

So if you're going to buy from Ishibashi, do so with full confidence. They'll provide you with everything you need to be happy.

 

[Kevan]

Wolf- sorry if it came off as a "defending Ibanez" post. It really wasn't meant as that. For some reason, when I post facts, people take it as some kinda defending thing....

Maybe if I just simplify things:
RG7-CT= 2000 model J-Custom.
RG-8721= 2005 model J-Custom.
Two fairly similar guitars, with different pickups and hardware. To me, that's two different models (i.e. Clapton Strat and Yngwie Strat).

"one for each Guitar Center"= myth, esp. when it comes to the higher-end models.

Ford GT sales don't even come close to Ford F-150 sales, thus they offer the F-150 in more places than they do the GT. Ford might make a little coin off the GT sales, but trust me- they make much more coin from the F-150 sales.

Unlike some asshat who admins a site that *claims* to be Ibanez-friendly but really isn't, I won't ever pretend to have more music business know-how than Ibanez. I understand why they do what they do, but it doesn't mean I like it. Because I don't incessantly bitch about their changes, does that make me a sympthazier?

I'm with you guys- Bring in *ALL* the J-Customs and screw the JamPacks and RG-120's! Unfortunately, if they did that, Ibanez USA would go under quite quickly. Like I said in my first post: it sucks, but it all comes down to money.

Here's a non-Ibanez example for ya: Fernandes.
Check out the Fernandes USA site, then check out the co.jp version. Holy crap- there must be 40 different models they offer (including a Les Paul with a Floyd! How cool would that be? LOL). Ok, so some of it is novelty, like the StarWars guitars, but....how often do we hear cries for Sustainer systems in guitars? Fernandes USA only offers 1 or 2 models with it, while Japan gets over a dozen models. Who knows- maybe there's a thread just like this on a Fernandes forum somewhere.

Money doesn't talk; it screams. It sucks for those of us who like the really nice stuff, but that's how it works. Fortunately, we now have the 'net and can now buy stuff from all over the world.