Members soundcreation Posted December 4, 2016 Members Share Posted December 4, 2016 Having been to Tokyo one time before, I was fairly prepared for sights as shown in part 1. I knew there would be more than enough to waste an entire week doing nothing but guitar store jumping. Alas there were other sights to see in the city and I think the significant other was already a little perturbed by my 6 stringed distractions. We decided to roam around the area near our hotel. We were staying in an area called Asakusa which is famous for having a very large and beautiful temple complex with a large strip of tourist trinket shops leading up too it. It's also an area with no guitar shops within walking distance. Believe me I checked. Being a tourist area with lots of hotels there are plenty of restaurants and places to shop. One such place was a sort of public market/department store. The kind of place that sells various items from all over Japan with the focus being on things being Japanese made. You know, the type of place that has things like Japanese made food items from all the different prefectures, hand made leather goods, local clothing designers, etc etc... So imagine my surprise when upon arriving on the second floor my wife, points out what looks like a furniture type section, and on the far wall I see this.... Well what do you know! Can't escape guitars even if I try! Of course I walk straight over, right past all the beautiful hand made tables, chairs clocks, and those full dresser sized music boxes on the left there..(they were amazing)....... Straight to the guitars! Which I happily photographed for your enjoyment! So...... Pull up a custom made guitar chair..... And let's have a look shall we? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members soundcreation Posted December 4, 2016 Author Members Share Posted December 4, 2016 First up we have the pink Jag.... Looks like a pink jag right? Whoopty doo! Well...it wasn't quite THAT simple....upon closer look it seemed to have a very interesting paint job. Hmm....that's....different...I thought to my self. Very textural. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members soundcreation Posted December 4, 2016 Author Members Share Posted December 4, 2016 Next up was this hand painted 335 style... Paint just straight on the top. No clear coat over it. Like an artist's canvas. I think it's pretty cool looking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members soundcreation Posted December 4, 2016 Author Members Share Posted December 4, 2016 This bass was beautiful.... Ebony fretboard, with hand painted flowers and subtly flamed wood. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members soundcreation Posted December 4, 2016 Author Members Share Posted December 4, 2016 But then things started to get interesting.... What I thought was just a black strat.... [ATTACH=CONFIG]n31870910[/ATTACH] turned out to be soooo much more..... [ATTACH=CONFIG]n31870914[/ATTACH] I swear I was fascinated by those....whatever you call them......for a good 5 straight minutes....just staring at them...lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members soundcreation Posted December 4, 2016 Author Members Share Posted December 4, 2016 And how about this crazy topped Les Paul? It was hard to do it justice in the photo but all the stripes are strips of beautiful wood....not painted on stripes. The fretboard had all kinds of coloration. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members soundcreation Posted December 4, 2016 Author Members Share Posted December 4, 2016 Or what about some more texture! That Jag was interesting....but it was nothing compared to this strat... Wait.....let's get a little closer... Little more... That pick guard is amazing....and the wood texture and finish were unbelievable... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members soundcreation Posted December 4, 2016 Author Members Share Posted December 4, 2016 Not impressed? To simple for ya? How about this tele? Not sure I like the way this one works personally....but just the way it's done is amazing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members soundcreation Posted December 4, 2016 Author Members Share Posted December 4, 2016 Remember the black strat? Here's it's white sister.... [ATTACH=CONFIG]n31870930[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]n31870931[/ATTACH] Not sure which one is more impressive....the simpleness of the black one or the added color and "in your face" of this one. Yet to me anyway...it works. It doesn't feel over the top. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members soundcreation Posted December 4, 2016 Author Members Share Posted December 4, 2016 Let's see...what next? How about the inlay work on these acoustics.... So clean and precise. Check this one out... Unbelievable....different wood inlays with what seems to me to be ultra thin channels of fretboard/inlay/fretboard etc....and the sound hole one above that....lol....This person must have some serious patience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members soundcreation Posted December 4, 2016 Author Members Share Posted December 4, 2016 Check out the top on this acoustic.... And more inlay work.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members soundcreation Posted December 4, 2016 Author Members Share Posted December 4, 2016 Even the Ukuleles are crazy... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members soundcreation Posted December 4, 2016 Author Members Share Posted December 4, 2016 Are we done? No way. The last few really take the building up a notch..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members soundcreation Posted December 4, 2016 Author Members Share Posted December 4, 2016 A solid maple strat with an inlaid phoenix of the most remarkable detail.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members soundcreation Posted December 4, 2016 Author Members Share Posted December 4, 2016 A carved top Les Paul....(to say the least) [ATTACH=CONFIG]n31870954[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]n31870955[/ATTACH] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members soundcreation Posted December 4, 2016 Author Members Share Posted December 4, 2016 This one is my personal favorite... Oil finished.....so beautiful... And check out these inlays in the fretboard.... The detail and precision is just mind blowing. Made to be like stars in the universe. The smallest ones there are just ridiculous. (The ukulele above has them too) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members soundcreation Posted December 4, 2016 Author Members Share Posted December 4, 2016 And finally....the one behind glass.....hand carved flower power strat.. The time this thing must have taken.......well.....I'd say the person deserves that price (just over 1 million yen) for that kind of hard work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members soundcreation Posted December 4, 2016 Author Members Share Posted December 4, 2016 Well....that's it. I hope you enjoyed the tour as much as I enjoyed seeing them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Karma1 Posted December 4, 2016 Members Share Posted December 4, 2016 Wow - amazing instruments! Thanks for posting these pics and sharing your experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members soundcreation Posted December 5, 2016 Author Members Share Posted December 5, 2016 Wow - amazing instruments! Thanks for posting these pics and sharing your experience. No worries! Did you have a favorite? Favorites? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DeepEnd Posted December 5, 2016 Members Share Posted December 5, 2016 Wow. Those are some interesting--and in some cases downright lovely--guitars. Thanks for posting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members t_e_l_e Posted December 5, 2016 Members Share Posted December 5, 2016 wow... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members papaschtroumpf Posted December 7, 2016 Members Share Posted December 7, 2016 pretty cool.Haven't checked the yen exchange rate lately but my rule of thumb is 1 yen = 1 cent, so those guitars are in the $3K+ range? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members WRGKMC Posted December 7, 2016 Members Share Posted December 7, 2016 I like the Phoenix the best. Pretty classy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Les Paul Lover Posted December 7, 2016 Members Share Posted December 7, 2016 To be honest, these carved tops are a total turn off for me. I appreciate the work...... But It ain't gonna be comfortable to play. And since I play my guitars...... That'd be a no. I quite like the textured tele personaly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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