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Let’s talk imports! Your preferred ones? Brands, models and countries you favor?


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I have a early 2000 Hamer XT Standard and it is a fine guitar.  Tuners aren't great and the pickups where just average but it has a nice neck and it plays well.

Still, I can tell quite a difference in the quality compared to my USA prototype II.

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I've got a fairly recent MIM Fender Deluxe Players Strat.  Blonde finish, ash body.

Great-feeling neck, Vintage Noiseless PUPs stock, but I switched to Hot Noiseless.

Nice guitar.  Gets played a lot in my home studio...

MIJ Jagmaster.  Year unknown, but it's been around for awhile.  Beautiful guitar and plays great...

Ibanez S420--the earlier ZR-Trem model.  Ssets up really low, plays great, and I guess I'm the only

person who likes the ZR trem, but I REALLY like it...

Steinberger Spirit--from the Musicyo days!  Love that guitar!

 

 

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Huge fan of Japanese built guitars. I have several vintage Greco and modern Tokai, Epi Elitist, FGN/Fugigen and History (Built by Fujigen) guitars in my current collection that I have no intention of letting go. A few of my Faves (sorry for the pic heavy post, but I figured you guys wouldn't mind a little pron):

81 Greco SA-1200 - absolute best 335 I've ever had the pleasure to play.

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80 or 81 Greco Mirage M-1000 - THE Rick Nielsen model

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Epi Elitist '66 Riviera - Semi-hollow mini humbucker goodness.

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03 Tokai LS-360 - No other LP by ANY builder anywhere has ever come close. I've owned this one longer than any other. It would be the one I would keep if I had to get rid of everything else.

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Fujigen Custom House Expert FL

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02 History LH-S2 - Specs similar to my Tokai LS-320. Only available for 2 or 3 years.

y4m1jk2h9BHevuonUhUSCunySc31jRVAFpecN6j7

 

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From my point of view, the USA made Hamers are great guitars. I own a bunch of them, Standards, Newport, Talladega. I like any of them.

Also, the Korean made Standard I own for about 14 years plays great, although, there is a noticeable difference to the USA made. My son has an Indonesian made Monaco in black with cream binding. It sounds great out of the box.

B)

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The MIK Echotone was a nice guitar. Probably should have kept it. And I have a MIC Gretsch and an Epi ES-339 that are both decent.

My buddy has a recent Epiphone Sheraton that I would have guessed at waaaay more than $499. Very well done. I'm looking for one....

It's funny that today's cheap beginner guitars are miles ahead of the canoe paddles I started with and kids still don't want to learn.

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13 hours ago, Sam said:

Big fan of Japanese guitars. Have a few great Yamis and an Epi Elitist Casino (Epi Snobby Bastid, @cmatthes? :D ) that I rate highly. 

Not sure why I'm being named in here.  :huh:  Maybe because of Epiphone's poor choice of name there (clearly not English majors?)

I've owned (and still own) some nice imports.  Some of the Epi stuff is on par with what some US companies stamp out - not the cheaper lines, of course, but I've been a fan of many Jpns made guitars/guitar brands since the '70s.

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5 hours ago, Fast Eddie said:

Hmmm. The word import I think means a guitar whose parent company is American, but who produce a cheaper range elsewhere (Mexico, Korea etc). Ergo, IMO, Ibanez, Yamaha, Yiari and Tokai are Japanese and made in Japan so I wouldn't rank them as imports (although customs will disagree). Epiphone, Squire, Hamer Slammer, BC Rich Platinum series etc etc all count.

Yeah, but what if it's a Japanese company that has 'em built in Korea or Indonesia? Is that an import by an imported maker? :lol:

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When Dean relaunched in the 90's the guitars were made in USA and Korea.  The USA's were OK, but the Korean guitars were far beyond in quality of what their price range would have one expect.  Every Dean import has been a good guitar on its own merit. 

If high dollar Japanese guitars still count as imports, the Gretsch line is good stuff. 

The Ibanez stuff coming from other parts of Asia impress me. 

Those current Indonesian Hamers have to be tried out to be appreciated.

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1 hour ago, diablo175 said:

Yeah, but what if it's a Japanese company that has 'em built in Korea or Indonesia? Is that an import by an imported maker? :lol:

An excellent observation sir. Yes, Jap guitars with their parent co in Japan and making guitars elsewhere would constitute imports, HOWEVER, lets face it we are USA and UK members here and thus my earlier post still applies. Australians don't count of course because their geography means all their guitars are build upside down.

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1 hour ago, Steve Haynie said:

When Dean relaunched in the 90's the guitars were made in USA and Korea.  The USA's were OK, but the Korean guitars were far beyond in quality of what their price range would have one expect.  Every Dean import has been a good guitar on its own merit. 

If high dollar Japanese guitars still count as imports, the Gretsch line is good stuff. 

The Ibanez stuff coming from other parts of Asia impress me. 

Those current Indonesian Hamers have to be tried out to be appreciated.

Agreed about the Dean stuff - in '95-'96 when they relaunched, the initial guitars were Czech-made, until they got the Korean factories up and pumping.  Like you, I was more impressed with the Czech and Korean stuff - especially at the sub-$1k price point - than the USA-made Deans at the time.

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20 hours ago, scottcald said:

Brooks, what are the other two models?

AG75 hollowbody - chinese made, super lightweight, plays amazing. I put an alnico GFS in the neck slot, & strung it w/ light flatwounds. I not only use it for solo jazz gigs, its the guitar I play 90% of the time at home, as it's easy on my back and I don't have to plug it in. More traditional feeling neck compared to the RGs.

RG5ex1 - Indonesia made, came w/ the EMGs, Stike did the sparkle finish, also plays fantastic. I put a killswitch in it for Ace Frehley/Tom Morello stutters.

The japanese made Prestige RGA121 has EMGs, but I switched the 85 neck for a model H (hum sized active single, very stratty sounding). When it comes home from Stikes I will try the 85 in the bridge to see if I like it better than the 81. Might eventually swap the EMGs out, but it actually sounds really good as is.

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9 minutes ago, Brooks said:

AG75 hollowbody - chinese made, super lightweight, plays amazing. I put an alnico GFS in the neck slot, & strung it w/ light flatwounds. I not only use it for solo jazz gigs, its the guitar I play 90% of the time at home, as it's easy on my back and I don't have to plug it in. More traditional feeling neck compared to the RGs.

RG5ex1 - Indonesia made, came w/ the EMGs, Stike did the sparkle finish, also plays fantastic. I put a killswitch in it for Ace Frehley/Tom Morello stutters.

The japanese made Prestige RGA121 had EMGs, but I switched the 85 neck for a model H (hum sized active single, very stratty sounding). When it comes home from Stike I will try the 85 in the bridge to see if I like it better than the 81.

Back in the 80s I had an RG550 I put EMGs into.  I had an 85 at the neck and an 89 in the bridge just to split it.  I liked both.  

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2 hours ago, cmatthes said:

Not sure why I'm being named in here.  :huh:  Maybe because of Epiphone's poor choice of name there (clearly not English majors?)

Got my wires crossed! Vaguely recall you asking why anyone would want their Epi  to be branded as “snobby bastid”. Was many years ago - must have been someone else on TGP or Vintage Rocker. 

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