Members Jacksonad Posted June 17, 2015 Members Share Posted June 17, 2015 First off, hello! This is my first post on this board. I am a 33-year old guitar enthusiast. I read the entire 37-page thread started by Etienne Rambert back in 2009, and it made me extremely excited to visit some guitar shops (and hopefully factories/workshops) when I visit Vietnam next month. This is the thread that got me interested in checking out guitars there: http://www.harmonycentral.com/forum/forum/guitar/acapella-42/1313036- I've been doing a ton of research about places to visit in both Saigon and Hanoi. However, a lot of the information I read was from old posts. Can someone who's been lately provide new information, as well as what I can expect to pay for a no-bling, good-quality, 000-size acoustic guitar? I'll probably buy one in Saigon because that's where my trip starts and I want to play a bit in the hotel rooms before bed. I can't wait to see guitar/luthier street! Also, I'm not very good at haggling over prices but I've read that it's a requirement over there. What can I expect the negotiating to be like (for example, do they start at $500, but expect to sell for $150?). Also, would there be any way to see the factory that Etienne visited? I just got back from a tour of Santa Cruz Guitar Co. in Northern California, and I just love seeing how different people and companies make their instruments. Santa Cruz CEO Richard Hoover said during the tour that nobody should see how laws, sausages, and guitars are made ... but I 100% disagree! One last thing: I 100% understand the risks of humidity, and I'm willing to take that chance because bringing a guitar home from this trip will be the best souvenir I can think of. I have plenty of guitars (Martins, Taylors, etc.), but this one will be special no matter what happens. My dad was a soldier in Vietnam and we're taking a father-son trip to put some closure on the past, so I want something on my wall to remind me about the trip whenever I walk by. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Etienne Rambert Posted June 20, 2015 Members Share Posted June 20, 2015 Dunno how either Kàtopp or I missed your thread. Sorry. Lots of us can steer you right. There is a place called "Guitar Street" (Nguyen thien Thuat) where vendors sell the out put of their small factories. Most of these retäil places are smaller than an American master bedroom. Around the corner is Coffin Street. The two best shops IMO are Binh's at 36 Nguyen Thien Thuat and Duy Ngoc (pron: Yee Ngoc in the south.) I give Duy Ngoc the edge on quality. He does better fretwork. I give Binh a big edge on tone and price. Although, Duy Ngoc's prices are coming down closer to Binh. There are lots of shops on that street. You can wander around. Since I own a bistro not far away, it can serve as a headquarters for you. I know nothing -zero - about Hanoi guitars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Jacksonad Posted June 20, 2015 Author Members Share Posted June 20, 2015 Thank you for being so open in your advice! I will definitely take some time in both stores. Do any stores offer tours of their factories or workshops for tourists? I really enjoy seeing where they're built. I'm hoping to do some blogging this summer about the workshops I visit. Are the prices in these stores up for serious bargaining? I'm not very comfortable haggling, but I also don't want to over pay (and my wife is sick of me spending money on guitars in the first place!). I saw that you said to bring some nice strings for trading in a long-ago post, which I'll do. I'll bring you some as a thank you for your help too. What do you use? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Etienne Rambert Posted June 21, 2015 Members Share Posted June 21, 2015 Can you bargain? Depends on the luthier and the guitar I guess.There are several small shops on the same street. That would tendto encourage it. But I don't know. Sorry. Factory tour? Maybe. Same anawer as above. These tend to be small family operations , unlike China. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Jacksonad Posted June 21, 2015 Author Members Share Posted June 21, 2015 Ok, thank you! A lot of the research I've been doing has said bargaining is essentially required in Vietnam, and I didn't know if that applied to guitar shops. I'm hoping I can check out even the smaller workshops. I just took a tour of Santa Cruz Guitar Co., which makes about 800 guitars per year, and I was very impressed. It would be interesting to see first-hand the similarities and differences in Vietnam. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members guitarcapo Posted June 22, 2015 Members Share Posted June 22, 2015 Any idea how these Vietnam builders finish their guitars? Nitro? Shellac? Poly? Oil? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Etienne Rambert Posted June 23, 2015 Members Share Posted June 23, 2015 Any idea how these Vietnam builders finish their guitars? Nitro? Shellac? Poly? Oil? Dunno. It probably varies. I have seen finish sprayed on. I have seen a lot of different-appearing finishes. Some thick and shiny. Some w/barely any finish at all. I think my classical was just rubbed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members toobee2436 Posted June 26, 2015 Members Share Posted June 26, 2015 Hi, been a while since I've popped my head up here, was registered some time ago so long in fact I've forgotten the username I used. Nevermind. Anyway, Jacksonad. . . you'll love Vietnam and guitar street. My third visit in March this year met a young Israeli fellow dangerously close to buying a crappy balsa box with strings in a souvenir shop off Bui Vien Street. I had time to kill before my bus to Phnom Penh, so surreptitiously intervened, saved him from a very unwise purchase and took him for a walk to guitar street. I'd agree with Etienne, the go to shops here are Binh's and Duy Ngoc. Not a lot of English spoken here, but easy enough to get by and friendly in both shops. My young friend was a relative beginner and on a fairly tight budget. First stop was Binh's. . . very little if anything to be had at his budget (100-150 US ie 2 - 3 million Dong). Not made to feel unwelcome, just a smiling indication that there was little to be had at that price. Across the road to Duy Ngoc. . . we (he) scored a lovely Dread, solid spruce top, rosewood (laminate I guess) B/S. My friend was rapt. Started at 3 million (150US), my friend knocked him down to 2.6 million with a reasonable gigbag and spare set of generic Chinese strings thrown in. In other words, I wouldn't worry too much about the bargaining process here, in my admittedly limited experience they'll set a reasonable starting price and will come down a little but not too much. As for bargaining elsewhere in Vietnam. . . well try and buy a brand name knock-off TShirt/sunglasses/whatever in say Ben Thanh market in HCMC and brace yourself. . . it's places like this you'll experience true haggling/bargaining. Rule number one seems to be don't start the process unless you're wanting to buy. I don't think there's an equivalent phase in Vietnamese to "No thank you. . . just browsing". Still, great country, lovely people and quite an experience on all levels. Looking forward to going back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Etienne Rambert Posted June 26, 2015 Members Share Posted June 26, 2015 I can't imagine buying a cheap guitar from one of those two shops.The good ones are so inexpensive anyway.Glad Duy Ngoc has apparently lowered his prices though. For a few years, I thought he was way too expensive. They're still the two best shops on Guitar Street. Have been for a long time. They are maybe 100 feet away from each other, across the street. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members katopp Posted June 27, 2015 Members Share Posted June 27, 2015 hi.sorry, not in here that often due to family ccommitments. Mother has been diagnosed with bladder cancer and i am more travelling between ireland where i live and germany where my mother livës than anything else.Go to guitar street and shop around. Good stuff there, especially Binh. Hanoi, in comparison, is less acoustic and has lesser quality, at least IMHO. But there is a gutar street as well. Was not impressed, though - prefer Saigon.Prices are possibly suggestions, but at least at Binh I accept his offerings, his guitars are a good value even w/o haggling.I have 5 of his.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Idunno Posted June 28, 2015 Members Share Posted June 28, 2015 I always left them behind. I'd buy them there and then leave them at the store I bought them from when I returned. Heck, in certain cases I'd send a money gift back with the guitar if I was borrowing one. I had no desire to bag-drag a guitar in either direction. If you need a memento, get a picture taken in-country with meaningful company. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Etienne Rambert Posted June 28, 2015 Members Share Posted June 28, 2015 I'd never want leave my arch-top behind. It's one of Binh's masterpieces. He takes photos of it when I bring it in. I have yet to see any arch-top like it. Maybe some arch-top historian can find an analogue. I've never seen one. It's at least 4/1/2 to 5 inches deep at the hump.The bindings are 4" apart. Then you add in the top arch and the back hump. The F-holes are wide and short. For some reason, he doesn't make 'em like this anymore. He's gone back to the more ordinary design. Smaller, thinner, longer, thinner F holes. Maple/Spruce. (Mine is Hog/Spruce.) That's OK by me. It makes mine all the more unusual. KTopp's Maple D60 clone too, is an all-time keeper IMO. What a beauty. Very sorry to hear abour your Mom KTopp. Prayers are with you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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