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Unique to Japan Basses

#41
Because this topic bumped I'll share the one I'm drooling on (if I was still playing 4 strings!)

STR is like the Fedora of Japan, such underated instrument

zjfrfv7gyziwatmpnjmd.jpg

STR CS-449 2010s - Sunburst | Reverb
 
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#46
ChuckBassman said:
When you say "fees", the following comes to mind:

I've purchased basses from Japan, shipped, never (yet) got tagged for Export fees; tho it can happen.
Shipping usually via EMS which is very reliable is about $100-150 US depending on where you live. You also needn't pay the added sales tax that Japanese customers pay.

I was in Shibuya and bought a Dragonfly- so great. Had it shipped home, no other fees paid, I bought it at Musicland Key, a very cool chain. Also, Grundy, and SO many others.

Check these since nobody else mentioned them: Zeus, Sonic, Provision- All nice stuff. Very nice.

Your mouths would drool at the inventory at the Bass specialty shops there; NUTHIN' like it here (maybe one or two shops), you would see Ateliers, Sugis, DragonFly's, Moons, Freedoms, more; more more.
And very revered there: G&L. Yes. rightfully so.
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Plus if you're here as a tourist there is no tax on things > ¥5,500, I'm no longer a local there but those who are can confirm.

If I hadn't just bought the wife a new Japanese O/S PC this trip I would have picked up something for myself.
 
#48
pklima said:
ESP/Edwards/Grassroots have done some Bass VI shaped 4-string and 5-string signature models. I think somebody on TB has the Grassroots 4-string version that has three pickups. Here's a new variation on the concept.

View attachment 7012368
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Dang that is nice. Now searching their site for this, haven't found it yet but there are some nice ones here:

GB | ESP GUITARS

機能性と実用性がシンクロナイズ。無論、まずは出音の素晴らしさとプレイする愉しさ有りきなのは言うまでもない。
espguitars.co.jp espguitars.co.jp
 
#49
This will be a shameless cross-post to the Short Scale thread but it's relevant to both -

Tried one of these Junior (30" scale) J basses today - it played and sounded great. The guy told me they came out this year. Next time I am back I plan to get one. To me it surpasses a Mustang as a short scale, but they're really different animals.
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20240824_154834.jpg

The black, matte pink, sunburst, and matte blue are all Juniors.

20240824_154432.jpg


20240824_154437.jpg

20240824_154445.jpg

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These also have, IMO, the nicer headstock of the two, and, truss adjust at the headstock, which I prefer.
 
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#50
Btbp said:
Dang that is nice. Now searching their site for this, haven't found it yet but there are some nice ones here:

GB | ESP GUITARS

機能性と実用性がシンクロナイズ。無論、まずは出音の素晴らしさとプレイする愉しさ有りきなのは言うまでもない。
espguitars.co.jp espguitars.co.jp
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You're right, I guess it's so new it doesn't seem to be on the ESP site yet but I spotted it here: [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

Ikebe also has it up on their site. And is probably a good couple inches longer than your typical FSO, with all that real estate behind the bridge. For some reason I like that. My Killer Simmony and ESP S-AH are the same way, though there's no real benefit to it and standard gig bags don't fit, haha. But it's a good look.
 
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#51
Might as well post this here... what are some good proxy services that won't have problems with large packages, rosewood etc? Got my eye on a particular bass. I guess Bass Japan Direct has the "bass hunter" service, but not sure if there's much point to paying for that when I already know Bigboss has it and how much they want for it, they just don't ship internationally.
 
#52
You might as well shoot Danny @ Bass Japan Direct and email to find out what his price would be to procure it and ship it to you. In other words, if he doesn't have to "hunt," then I suspect his price will be lower (particularly if he negotiates their price down), particularly if you pay via Wize or some other lower cost wire transfer service. Context: Satisfied customer, no relation.
 
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#53
pklima said:
Might as well post this here... what are some good proxy services that won't have problems with large packages, rosewood etc? Got my eye on a particular bass. I guess Bass Japan Direct has the "bass hunter" service, but not sure if there's much point to paying for that when I already know Bigboss has it and how much they want for it, they just don't ship internationally.
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You might want to have a look at ZenMarket at zenmarket.jp. Digimart tags them in their "overseas buyers" pages.
 
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#54
pklima said:
Might as well post this here... what are some good proxy services that won't have problems with large packages, rosewood etc? Got my eye on a particular bass. I guess Bass Japan Direct has the "bass hunter" service, but not sure if there's much point to paying for that when I already know Bigboss has it and how much they want for it, they just don't ship internationally.
Click to expand...


I tend to use Zenmarket for instruments because they have no major issues and don't use overly excessive boxes that raise shipping. The price for Zenmarket is easy to calculate. Take the Yen price of the bass at Bigboss, add ¥500 (ZM fee), domestic Japanese shipping to ZM (in Osaka) and then pick your preferred shipping to the US. The only other factor is when you convert cash into Yen to fund the ZM account.

You could get an quote from a middle man but use the ZM price as a baseline for comparison.
 
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#58
Brad8008135 said:
You might as well shoot Danny @ Bass Japan Direct and email to find out what his price would be to procure it and ship it to you. In other words, if he doesn't have to "hunt," then I suspect his price will be lower (particularly if he negotiates their price down), particularly if you pay via Wize or some other lower cost wire transfer service. Context: Satisfied customer, no relation.
Click to expand...
Thanks that worked very quickly. Atelier Z arrived today... one funny detail, that Z on the headstock isn't a Z in Poland. A Z with a little horizontal line in the middle is an old-fashioned way of writing Ż.

012.jpg
 
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