Code001
Well-known member
Every day, I'm uploading pics and writing reports about my trip to Tokyo. I still have a few days left, but I'm done visiting the guitar places. If you want the full reports and pictures/movies, feel free to visit http://code00101.googlepages.com/tokyo
Ikebe Gakki, Ikebukuro:
I went out and hit up the local Ikebe Gakki guitar store. They had tons of Caparison and Ibanez guitars, but very few ESP guitars, which was surprising considering how big ESP has become (and since it's a Japanese company). I played a Caparison Horus through some Marshall AVT amp, and I didn't care for it at all. It reminded me of a typical MIJ Jackson in terms of feel. It was hard to tell the tone of the guitar given the horrible amp, but I wasn't too impressed overall.
Ishibashi, Shibuya:
As I was walking, I noticed a sign that had a guitar on it. I looked closer and saw it read "Ishibashi." It was surprising to see since I was just wandering around randomly. I went inside, and I have to say, it's quite disappointing. They barely have any Japanese guitars. Almost all of the guitars are American, and the prices are beyond outrageous. Just look at the pedals I took pictures of! The $750+ wah pedal (that says Vox on the label for whatever reason) proves my point. $170 for a MIJ DS-1? Um...no. About the only Japanese guitars they had there were Ibanez. I decided to play a J-Custom, and it was easily the best guitar I've played during my trip. The fretwork was amazing, it sounded great, and it felt just right. I asked the guy if they had any ESP guitars at all, and he said no. One of the top two Japanese guitar brands, and they didn't carry them. Go figure. An interesting note - the Japanese seem to prefer to tune using harmonics instead of fretting the first harmonic. At Ishibashi, the guy stood next to me the entire time while I played. It was slightly annoying, as I felt rushed, but I guess it's due to their ridiculous way they keep guitars from being stolen (a bunch of black wires are tied across the guitars).
ESP Custom Shop, Shibuya:
I knew that the ESP shop was near by as I exited Ishibashi. After wandering around in the general direction of the ESP shop, I stopped in an acoustic guitar store and asked where it was. The younger guy didn't know, but the older guy knew exactly where it was. Who would have thought.... As I walked into the ESP shop, I found TONS of pre-lawsuit guitars, Edwards at great prices ($700 for their LP models), and the wacky/outrageous guitars the ESP custom shop is known for. Unfortunately (for you at least), the battery on my camera died, and I was only able to take a few pictures. While I was there, I picked up the 2008 ESP catalog, the Custom Order catalog, and played the new Japanese white M-II with the maple fretboard. I should note that, I've been wearing my Mesa/Boogie t-shirt this entire time. Each time they handed me a guitar, they plugged me into a Marshall. I'm not entirely sure how much I should look into that. The M-II felt nice, and sounded real good. It reminded me of how a Jackson should be. The JVM I played was very nice as well. Like others have said, the orange channel is where it sounds the best. Granted, I wouldn't buy either new, but I'd be more than happy to buy them used.
Ikebe Gakki, Ikebukuro:
I went out and hit up the local Ikebe Gakki guitar store. They had tons of Caparison and Ibanez guitars, but very few ESP guitars, which was surprising considering how big ESP has become (and since it's a Japanese company). I played a Caparison Horus through some Marshall AVT amp, and I didn't care for it at all. It reminded me of a typical MIJ Jackson in terms of feel. It was hard to tell the tone of the guitar given the horrible amp, but I wasn't too impressed overall.
Ishibashi, Shibuya:
As I was walking, I noticed a sign that had a guitar on it. I looked closer and saw it read "Ishibashi." It was surprising to see since I was just wandering around randomly. I went inside, and I have to say, it's quite disappointing. They barely have any Japanese guitars. Almost all of the guitars are American, and the prices are beyond outrageous. Just look at the pedals I took pictures of! The $750+ wah pedal (that says Vox on the label for whatever reason) proves my point. $170 for a MIJ DS-1? Um...no. About the only Japanese guitars they had there were Ibanez. I decided to play a J-Custom, and it was easily the best guitar I've played during my trip. The fretwork was amazing, it sounded great, and it felt just right. I asked the guy if they had any ESP guitars at all, and he said no. One of the top two Japanese guitar brands, and they didn't carry them. Go figure. An interesting note - the Japanese seem to prefer to tune using harmonics instead of fretting the first harmonic. At Ishibashi, the guy stood next to me the entire time while I played. It was slightly annoying, as I felt rushed, but I guess it's due to their ridiculous way they keep guitars from being stolen (a bunch of black wires are tied across the guitars).
ESP Custom Shop, Shibuya:
I knew that the ESP shop was near by as I exited Ishibashi. After wandering around in the general direction of the ESP shop, I stopped in an acoustic guitar store and asked where it was. The younger guy didn't know, but the older guy knew exactly where it was. Who would have thought.... As I walked into the ESP shop, I found TONS of pre-lawsuit guitars, Edwards at great prices ($700 for their LP models), and the wacky/outrageous guitars the ESP custom shop is known for. Unfortunately (for you at least), the battery on my camera died, and I was only able to take a few pictures. While I was there, I picked up the 2008 ESP catalog, the Custom Order catalog, and played the new Japanese white M-II with the maple fretboard. I should note that, I've been wearing my Mesa/Boogie t-shirt this entire time. Each time they handed me a guitar, they plugged me into a Marshall. I'm not entirely sure how much I should look into that. The M-II felt nice, and sounded real good. It reminded me of how a Jackson should be. The JVM I played was very nice as well. Like others have said, the orange channel is where it sounds the best. Granted, I wouldn't buy either new, but I'd be more than happy to buy them used.
could you translate some of the pricing....like on that '63 strat 
