Members tommy_is_here Posted December 16, 2005 Members Share Posted December 16, 2005 It seems these are all MIK now. Were they ever MIJ? If anyone owns one, what do you think? I've been looking at Ibanez artstars or artcore's as well, but it seems these HB35's have quite a reputation going for them.... Finally, what do you think is a good deal for this guitar 2nd hand? Cheers,Tommy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Ramblin Posted December 16, 2005 Members Share Posted December 16, 2005 They have been made in Japan in the 80's I belive.. I even think they've made some in the US.. These days they make them in Korea and China. I dont know anything about the chinese one, but mine is made in Korea, and it's great! It has the Buzz Feiten tuning system, and is really well built. The neck is great with nice inlays, and the frets are finished perfectly, tuners are Grovers. Even the original pickups are quite good, but the guitar could benefit from a swap, just to make it perfect.. I've had mine for a while now, and It really is a nice guitar. Plays like a dream.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members thredlok Posted December 16, 2005 Members Share Posted December 16, 2005 Originally posted by Ramblin They have been made in Japan in the 80's I belive.. I even think they've made some in the US.. These days they make them in Korea and China. I dont know anything about the chinese one, but mine is made in Korea, and it's great! It has the Buzz Feiten tuning system, and is really well built. The neck is great with nice inlays, and the frets are finished perfectly, tuners are Grovers. Even the original pickups are quite good, but the guitar could benefit from a swap, just to make it perfect.. I've had mine for a while now, and It really is a nice guitar. Plays like a dream.. yeah what he said........... used you can get them from 300$ + , if your lucky you can get new ones for the same price. Sometimes the larger dealers end up dumping them on Ebay for cheap just to move them. Great guitar for the $ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members orourke Posted December 16, 2005 Members Share Posted December 16, 2005 I've got this HB32 that's MIC. It's all mahogany with a solid mahogany neck instead of the three-ply necks that a lot of the other cheap 335 copies have. It came with Grover tuners and the Buzz Feiten Tuning System. Good pickups also. I got it for a little over $300 new. It's was an amazing deal. I don't know why these guitars aren't more popular. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members tommy_is_here Posted December 16, 2005 Author Members Share Posted December 16, 2005 thanks guys. So, it seems like the HB35 is MIK, while the 32 is MIC. I've been looking for a Japan-made model for a while, but it seems impossible to find these... On Ebay, these things can go for a LOT. One was selling for US$850 I think; it did have SD pickups (perhaps worth $200 with install and tuneup), but that still makes it $650 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members thredlok Posted December 16, 2005 Members Share Posted December 16, 2005 Originally posted by tommy_is_here thanks guys. So, it seems like the HB35 is MIK, while the 32 is MIC. I've been looking for a Japan-made model for a while, but it seems impossible to find these... On Ebay, these things can go for a LOT. One was selling for US$850 I think; it did have SD pickups (perhaps worth $200 with install and tuneup), but that still makes it $650 you can find them but they do not sell as cheaply as the MIK, I have played the MIJ when they first came out and yeah they are good, the MIK that are coming out are good too. How do they compare it's been a little to long to give you a solid comparison seeing I payed the MIJ 16yrs ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members tommy_is_here Posted December 16, 2005 Author Members Share Posted December 16, 2005 So, it seems the general consensus I'm gathering is that the MIK are very good, perhaps with a pickup swap, excellent! Any differing thoughts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members fretmonster Posted December 16, 2005 Members Share Posted December 16, 2005 Originally posted by orourke I've got this HB32 that's MIC. It's all mahogany with a solid mahogany neck instead of the three-ply necks that a lot of the other cheap 335 copies have. It came with Grover tuners and the Buzz Feiten Tuning System. Good pickups also. I got it for a little over $300 new. It's was an amazing deal. I don't know why these guitars aren't more popular. I haven't played that particular model but I have three Washburns (two American and one Korean) and they are all superb. Best bang for the buck company out there IMO. You might also consider a Hamer Echotone (335 copy). In Will Ray's collumn in GP he got a used one on Ebay in the $300 range and stated he believed it was one of the best guitar deals out there. No BFTS on the Hamer however - it's really amazing that Washburn is able to offer it on some of their imports. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ShiggyDouglas Posted January 16, 2021 Members Share Posted January 16, 2021 On 12/16/2005 at 10:25 AM, tommy_is_here said: So, it seems the general consensus I'm gathering is that the MIK are very good, perhaps with a pickup swap, excellent! Any differing thoughts? Just bought one today. I think these pickups are GORGEOUS sounding. This guitar reminds me a lot of a Guild Starfire IV I played at Vudu Studio in Port Jefferson. But I actually think this guitar might sound better. I did buy it used so there’s a chance someone upgraded the pickups. But whatever is in it sounds lush. If they’re the stock ones, I don’t care, I’m not replacing them. No need. They sound as good as The Creamery humbuckers in my Warmoth Thinline that I love, just different. I played it through a lil blonde Blues Jr with the reverb at like 11 o’clock and it was singing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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