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Why no love?
- Thread starter Bassmantd
- Start date
For me, it's the Japanese basses. Yamaha, ESP, and Ibanez all can build amazing instruments in whatever price range they choose to compete in.
Their problem is their marketing, while international and in particular here in the US, is just screwy with limited availability, and a Japanese mindset. Go to Winter NAMM to their huge stands, and you'll be thrilled by what you see. Then you wait . . . . and wait . . . . and wait . . . . . and wait . . . . . for available for purchase pieces either online or at a large retailer. Or if it's NOT one of the models Guitar Center ordered in the hundreds of pieces. Try and lay hands on a neckthru TRB. You can buy Easts or Patituccis from the dealers that are stuck with them, but that's it. Substitute ESP or Ibanez in the example if you're looking for their high end models. Sure you can buy the budget ones all day long (at least for a while . . . . . ), but the big ticket ones are almost Moby Dicks.
Then to aggravate things more, the Japanese roll models over and over, almost yearly. They rarely if ever take a given model and slowly develop it or even just sell the same thing over a several year period. This year's Soundgear is likely different from next year's Soundgear. BB Yamahas now are nothing like the 80's gems. ESP is all over the place with their model mix. I firmly believe they short-change themselves with this aggravatingly 'iffy' availability. I firmly believe the Japanese invented the 'back-ordered until discontinued' business model.
It's a cultural difference I'm sure, but it's always made me crazy.
Their problem is their marketing, while international and in particular here in the US, is just screwy with limited availability, and a Japanese mindset. Go to Winter NAMM to their huge stands, and you'll be thrilled by what you see. Then you wait . . . . and wait . . . . and wait . . . . . and wait . . . . . for available for purchase pieces either online or at a large retailer. Or if it's NOT one of the models Guitar Center ordered in the hundreds of pieces. Try and lay hands on a neckthru TRB. You can buy Easts or Patituccis from the dealers that are stuck with them, but that's it. Substitute ESP or Ibanez in the example if you're looking for their high end models. Sure you can buy the budget ones all day long (at least for a while . . . . . ), but the big ticket ones are almost Moby Dicks.
Then to aggravate things more, the Japanese roll models over and over, almost yearly. They rarely if ever take a given model and slowly develop it or even just sell the same thing over a several year period. This year's Soundgear is likely different from next year's Soundgear. BB Yamahas now are nothing like the 80's gems. ESP is all over the place with their model mix. I firmly believe they short-change themselves with this aggravatingly 'iffy' availability. I firmly believe the Japanese invented the 'back-ordered until discontinued' business model.
It's a cultural difference I'm sure, but it's always made me crazy.
Bass Cliffs long lost brother, separated at birth, now reunited on TB. Sigh...........
+1 For Yamaha.
I have two Yamaha Basses and a Revstar 6 String Piccolo bass (Tuned EADGBE) and they're all amazingly well put together.
Can't recommend them enough.
Good news is they're easy to pick up cheap. I get them at a bargain price quite often.
I have two Yamaha Basses and a Revstar 6 String Piccolo bass (Tuned EADGBE) and they're all amazingly well put together.
Can't recommend them enough.
Good news is they're easy to pick up cheap. I get them at a bargain price quite often.
I once picked up my friend's Ibanez, and I couldn't believe how light it was. Then I put my left hand on the neck, and it was so smooth and comfortable that my hand nearly slipped down to the 20th fret all by itself. I want one of those.
In the UK I just bought a G&L L-2000 and the guy in the shop said lots of people played it and liked it but because the distribution in the UK has historically been patchy and nobody really knows them. I love the sound and the one I got is 10+ years old but clearly never really been played - the battery compartment still has the protective film on it! I'm getting 'but it isn't a p-bass?!' from my mates. So no love for the G&L here, not part of the dream!
