NGD: Episode 25 Japan Edition

  • Thread starter Thread starter scottosan
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scottosan

scottosan

Well-known member
A little back story. Edwards guitars are a great value, and are consistently well made. The reality is that anything after 1997 was made in China with and Japanese hardware and setup added in Japan.

Story number 2. Navigator is ESPs premier brand for traditional style guitars. After 50 years of production, Navigator has ceased production as of July 31st, 2025.

The earliest Edwards starting in 1989 were made in Japan by Navigator. While not the same quality as the Navigator LP line, they are much better than current Edwards. These are basically Navigators with cheaper pickups and electronics, wiring, and poly finish vs nitro.






 
Nice!

I had a late 90s Edwards Sykes; I think the way to date it was to look for the date in the neck pickup cavity? Either way, it was a nice guitar but the Greco I had at the time was a little more 'real LP' than the Edwards, so I sold it.

I remember reading that the China production started in 2011 or thereabouts. Interesting that the LP forum 'other LP' subforum guys are wrong.
 
Killer!

The Edwards stuff has been all over the place, for a while only the woodworking was done in China with paint, frets, etc done on the Standard production line. No idea what the current build status is but the two 2023 E-LP-130s I got are great guitars.
 
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