NGD!!! Guitar snob buys Indo-Build!

[madmarcus1960]

This is a vintage Japanese made 1981 Washburn A-20V that I bought 2 years ago and went through. Super Vee Bladerunner bridge, I replaced the conventional tuners with Steinberger gearless tuners, rewired the controls with CTS pots, push pull coil splits on the volumes, and the PuPs are a Arcane Triple Clone/57 Experience set. The neck is a wonderful soft "V".

 

[JerEvil]

So, is the guitar snob cured of the dumbest guitar related ailment? Is he now an ex guitar snob?

No. He’s not. The last 5 years of experiencing shitty crafted Ibanez Premium guitars first hand still tell me we’re not there.

Why would I spend $1499 on an Indo guitar these days when I can get a Prestige for the same money? Played Legator at NAMM that were less than stellar for a premium price. Not sure if they’re Indo but no way they felt as good as some of the SK stuff.

I’ll stick to better built guitars used all day.

Now my Dunable DE made in SK is killer BUT it was $900. I don’t expect Japanes or US custom quality there.

 

[JerEvil]

This is a vintage Japanese made 1981 Washburn A-20V that I bought 2 years ago and went through. Super Vee Bladerunner bridge, I replaced the conventional tuners with Steinberger gearless tuners, rewired the controls with CTS pots, push pull coil splits on the volumes, and the PuPs are a Arcane Triple Clone/57 Experience set. The neck is a wonderful soft "V".
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My MiJ RR24 kills!

 

[saarangnarayan]

Any Iceman is a cool guitar in my book. You can’t really go wrong with one of those ‘round your neck!

Re. country of origin, the best guitars I own were made by Ibanez in Indonesia. Country of origin means nothing more than a guarantee of consistent QC. When done right, the Premium Ibanezes can rival any J. Custom. I even tried a PIA and the Premium JEM side-by-side and I couldn’t see why one cost twice as much as the other.

Oh, and a guitar-tech friend of mine loved my Chinese AR325 so much that he wanted to buy it off of me on the spot. That guitar really has some voodoo magic going on.

 

[DrewJD82]

When done right, the Premium Ibanezes can rival any J. Custom.

Then I must have hit every example of "When done wrong". Ibanez was my brand from the very start, but the only time I played a killer Premium was the very first year they were made, every single one since then hasn't been worth half the price tag and I say that with no hyperbole.

 

[JerEvil]

Any Iceman is a cool guitar in my book. You can’t really go wrong with one of those ‘round your neck!

Re. country of origin, the best guitars I own were made by Ibanez in Indonesia. Country of origin means nothing more than a guarantee of consistent QC. When done right, the Premium Ibanezes can rival any J. Custom. I even tried a PIA and the Premium JEM side-by-side and I couldn’t see why one cost twice as much as the other.

Oh, and a guitar-tech friend of mine loved my Chinese AR325 so much that he wanted to buy it off of me on the spot. That guitar really has some voodoo magic going on.

Just not at all my experience with the Premium line.

Then I must have hit every example of "When done wrong". Ibanez was my brand from the very start, but the only time I played a killer Premium was the very first year they were made, every single one since then hasn't been worth half the price tag and I say that with no hyperbole.

Same.

I’m glad they work for folks but I vehemently disagree on country of origin relative to price point. If I pay $1200+ for a new guitar, even though cheap I expect top quality out of the box. Forget $1499+. I’ll never pay that for an Indo build. I don’t care what brand it is. I’d rather buy used MIJ all day.

 

[Eagle]

Then I must have hit every example of "When done wrong". Ibanez was my brand from the very start, but the only time I played a killer Premium was the very first year they were made, every single one since then hasn't been worth half the price tag and I say that with no hyperbole.

I think you have been unlucky. I find the hit and miss ratio to be similar to US Fender. Out of 10 you typically get 2 exceptional 5 passes 2sub pars and one turkey.

 

[DrewJD82]

I think you have been unlucky. I find the hit and miss ratio to be similar to US Fender. Out of 10 you typically get 2 exceptional 5 passes 2sub pars and one turkey.

I’ve definitely been unlucky, then. It’s not for lack of samples and it’s not like I wanted them to be shitty, I was excited that first year. I was even more stoked when they released the UV’s, enough I was willing to overlook the trem/route it for a Lo-Pro, but those things felt terrible all around.

 

[LCW]

White Winters would look sick!

 

[mikah912]

No. He’s not. The last 5 years of experiencing shitty crafted Ibanez Premium guitars first hand still tell me we’re not there.

Why would I spend $1499 on an Indo guitar these days when I can get a Prestige for the same money? Played Legator at NAMM that were less than stellar for a premium price. Not sure if they’re Indo but no way they felt as good as some of the SK stuff.

I’ll stick to better built guitars used all day.

Now my Dunable DE made in SK is killer BUT it was $900. I don’t expect Japanes or US custom quality there.

Any Legator over $1000 new is made in South Korea, although at a different factory than the WMI one so many other brands use. My Legator N6X has amazing build quality and rock solid stability. Great fretwork. Resonant. I prefer it over the US-made Kiesel, Washburn and EBMM guitars I acquired around the same time period.

I don't think all Indonesian luthiers are equal either. I've had some smoking Indo axes although I'm generally not a huge Ibanez guy. I did play an Indo AZ that was pretty well made, tho....

 

[JerEvil]

Any Legator over $1000 new is made in South Korea, although at a different factory than the WMI one so many other brands use. My Legator N6X has amazing build quality and rock solid stability. Great fretwork. Resonant. I prefer it over the US-made Kiesel, Washburn and EBMM guitars I acquired around the same time period.

I don't think all Indonesian luthiers are equal either. I've had some smoking Indo axes although I'm generally not a huge Ibanez guy. I did play an Indo AZ that was pretty well made, tho....

I played some of the Japanese built Legator’s at NAMM. They were fairly “meh”. It was only 2 models though.

 

[mikah912]

I played some of the Japanese built Legator’s at NAMM. They were fairly “meh”. It was only 2 models though.

Yeah, I haven't played their - or anyone's - headless models. Not my cup of tea. Their superstrats/Soloists are fantastic, tho.