I've been in Japan for the past 2 weeks (what an AMAZING TRIP) and guess what I brought back with me?
Long tenon shot:
Quick (jetlagged) video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uq4bjfA8wTA" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
(Egnater 15w)
I used to own an original 1964 Coronet I had to part with. So seeing this beauty in some of the Tokyo guitar shops was very good surprise! I had an Orville by Gibson made by Terada and have a Gretsch Duo Jet also from the same factory. The finish on these is out of this world. So I was pretty confident about this particular aspect of the guitar. But I've never been so thrilled about Japanese mahogany guitars that could sound very dull despite their beauty sometimes, and I also had a Wilshire 62 reissue MIUSA and wanted to get rid of it as soon as I could, so needless to say I tried it with caution.
The Coronet has a one piece African mahogany neck and a one piece body with the same wood (so the Japanese mahogany issue is out), beautiful grain! The fretboard is made of Brazilian Rosewood. Nickel hardware, US pickups, switches and pots, wraped in a beautiful thin glossy Nitro. For that price (180000 Y, equals 1350€) there's nothing that beats it.
Tried one at Ishibashi Shibuya shop with a Hugues & Kettner amp. It was 4pm something, I was jetlagged, the shop was full of youngsters playing very loud open chords. I couldn't keep the guitar in tune, and the amp sounded just bad but I gave it another shot the next morning, at Ikebe, in perfect conditions. Japanese guitar shops employees are all SO nice, respectful, calm and very patient. I loved the model I played, but decided to wait until the end of my journey in Japan to decide. Finally came back two weeks later firmly convinced, managed to spare enough cash without holding myself on food, toys, clothes and artbooks, after going in all the shops I stumbled upon in Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka. BTW, I had many chances to play some CREWS gibson replicas. These guitars are really awesome!
It was 5 minutes before the shop closing, once again, IKEBE people were all very welcoming, patient and calm. The guy I spoke to even offered me to try the guitar again in 2 different amps! They took a very professional time to check the guitar again, each pot, each pickup, gently cleaned the guitar and put it back in its case, just as if they were taking care of some precious Katana or something (western guy pov, sorry). It took like 15 min! Wonderful experience!
Anyway, unplugged, it's not as loud as my ex Coronet, but it's still very generous, it sounds great, tight and defined. The Gibson P90 are just great imho and after a few tweaks I got the grit I want. The neck is larger and somewhat chunkier than the vintage Epiphone solidbodies I had (Coronet, Wilshire and Olympic) it makes it set for more modern playground and it's also easier to play for an adult.
I also swapped the 10/49 strings with a heavier gauge (10/52) and I have NO tuning issues. The Tremotone adds plenty of tone and sustain and does its Bigsby-esque job brilliantly.
Never heard a single note from Tamio Okuda, but I really appreciate his tastes. I can only wish this will bring Epiphone Elitist proper Reissues and I'd go right back in Tokyo if they ever produce a Crestwood Deluxe.
