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Buying basses at Ishibashi ?

#21
OK, my coffee cup is empty. So I guess I'm going to post coffee post coffee?
:roflmao:
1452007252658-1537621763.jpg

Sorry OP. I was cleaning that joke and it went off in my hand.
:cool:

I have heard nothing but good reports about dealing with them.
 
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#22
two fingers said:
OK, my coffee cup is empty. So I guess I'm going to post coffee post coffee?
:roflmao:
View attachment 766272
Sorry OP. I was cleaning that joke and it went off in my hand.
:cool:

I have heard nothing but good reports about dealing with them.
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Mine's empty too. Coffee fault. Off to kitchen. :D
 
#24
Lowness said:
Post what?
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Sorry, caffein was needed this morning. In my early-morning haze, I was a bit confused by this post of yours…

Lowness said:
UPS has a Geiger counter at most depots - have your bass checked first.

Regardless, as they only take JPY, you will have to fly there to pick up the bass.
Click to expand...

…especially the second part. I thought you were saying someone would have to fly to Japan to buy from Ishibashi. In fact, it still kinda looks like you were saying that. It reminds me of a turn-of-phrase I use, "Lost in the Sea of Pronouns", what with the indefinites "they" and "there" at work.

Ultimately though, I should've just asked for a clarification…like I am right now. ;)
 
#25
I purchased a bass direct from Ishibashi some years ago. Dealing with Ishibashi was a treat. I arranged the sale with them initially via email, then completed the sale through two phone calls. The language barrier was entirely nonexistent. The bass took about two weeks to arrive, ultimately via USPS. The biggest surprise was the exorbitant customs fee I had to pay at time of delivery. That's not at all on Ishibashi, but customs fees are worth investigating before buying from an international dealer.
 
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#26
Ishibashi have a great Australian guy running their international sales dept now. He's a great guy and will take care of you.. I've ordered probably 15 instruments from them and have bought hands on from their ochonamizu and shibuya stores, there is no cause for concern.
 
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#27
mr.mow said:
Ishibashi have a great Australian guy running their international sales dept now. He's a great guy and will take care of you.. I've ordered probably 15 instruments from them and have bought hands on from their ochonamizu and shibuya stores, there is no cause for concern.
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Just out of curiosity, was that Johan or someone else? Johan was the guy I was interacting with electronically and he was great! :thumbsup:
 
#28
Good old Itchy Scratchy :) I've bought a couple of guitars from them, crazy fast shipping. The only issue I ever had with them was one time they waited 2 months to charge my credit card after I already had the guitar. Maybe they misplaced the order, but that unnerved me a bit. Still, I wouldn't hesitate to buy from them again, and may very well do so in the future.
 
#30
Bought a few from them but not via eBay, a couple of Greco's and an Epi. The wire transfer fee, etc. does make the "direct" total go up and may be equal to eBay final pricing. Direct is slower and sometimes the bass you want is gone by the time they reply.
 
#32
I bought a Rick V63 and an ESP Jazz off Ishibashi. They were good at contact but they were, back, then, a bit light on the true condition of the Rick. Beware that. There's a European guy handling all English queries now, though.
 
#35
4string4ever said:
Why is it that they won't sell new products outside the country?
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It could be the instructions of the manufacturers. I live in Canada. We are not allowed to purchase new instruments such as Fender, Music Man directly from US. (The manufacturers way of having us buy from Canadian retailers, who get their inventory from Canadian distributors.) There are no restrictions for used instruments.
 
#36
i've been there today.
there is actually a chain of Ishibashi stores.
good reception and many interesting intruments and supplies.
make sure to visit all levels because the store takes actually the whole building
(at least in Shinjuku, where i've been)
don't miss the pedals section, and of course the second hand section.
there is also a whole level dedicated to more expensive itens, rarities and stuff llike that.
as a foreigner you get tax free discount- bring your passport.
 
#37
kodiakblair said:
Saw a post here in the UK yesterday. Fella ordered his bass from Ishi on the Monday,paid the UK duty fee online Tuesday then got a call from the delivery
driver on the Wednesday asking if he was home. He wasn't so picked it up from the depot later on Wednesday afternoon.

2 days delivery Japan to England !! now that's impressive.

Also heard from a buyer on here that when his bass was being packed some marks were spotted. They refused to ship the bass until emails were sent with photos
and the buyer was aware and accepted the marks,he also got a discount. Reputation is very important in Japan.

So they don't accept payment other JPY. 1000 Yen is roughly $8.40 and has been for the last 12 months.
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I had a similar experience. The guy I dealt with had the guitar shipped to his office first so he could personally inspect and play it to make sure I'd be happy. They don't take any chances. I would gladly buy from them again.

4string4ever said:
Why is it that they won't sell new products outside the country?
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Usually manufacturer restrictions. Same deal with musicians friend for us Europeans. They'll ship here but a lot of restricted brands.
 
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#38
I just bought a bass from them through Reverb. They are scrupulous in how they describe the product. I am very happy. I asked about a similar bass that was quite cheap; they said the neck had a twist and gave me measurements from both sides. The bass I got is very fine. They have some really nice pieces in the U-Box.
 

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