Help! JP guitars

[jaysonm]

Hi all,

As i'm in Australia we don't have access to much of the prime musicman gear at an affordable price unless we order in from US - which is what I'm looking at doing.

Just want to know a couple of things from all the gear nuts out there: I've pretty much gathered the difference between the JP6 and the BFR's. Most specifically, i'm after the KOA top with gold hardware - is this still in production? If so, what are some good online dealers to have a look at?
AND
If I don't find this guitar should I just wait for the Majesty or will that be of lower quality than the BFR?
If anyone has any opinions or insights that would be welcome.

Cheers,
Jayson

 

[Oh3AreSicks]

I *think* the Koa is still in production.

DuBaldo Music. Welcome to DuBaldo Music Center!

Whether you should wait for a new model?... There will always be something new and improved out there or on the horizon. If you wait, you may never get anything. lol ymmv

 

[jzeijen]

Hi and welcome!

We have the same 'problem' here in Europe, high prices and limited availability. Buying secondhand in the US certainly is an option.
I don't think you can buy a new Music Man guitar and have it shipped to Australia. The US dealers only are allowed to sell secondhand EBMM outside the US. But if someone has a different experience please chime in..

 

[Siro Rayge]

I agree with jzeijen, I believe that there is a dealer agreement whereby the US dealer will refer you to the official distributor for Australia. I went through a similar procedure trying to obtain a new lefty Luke from the US (hoping to save on price!).

Key an eye on this forum in the for sale section for a second hand JP BFR in Koa (she's a beauty). I wouldn't describe the up and coming Majesty as 'lower quality'. EBMM guitars are frequently regarded as some of the highest quality instruments made today. The BFR is more about the tonewoods and appearance.

Hopefully there will be more information regarding the Majesty in the coming weeks, alongside a worldwide epidemic of GAS amongst Knuckleheads.

Good luck with your search.

 

[Lou]

If I don't find this guitar should I just wait for the Majesty or will that be of lower quality than the BFR?


Cheers,
Jayson

There would be no difference in quality. There may not be a maple top on the Majesty (at least signs point to no initially) but all EBMM guitars are built with the same attention to detail.

 

[jaysonm]

Cheers guys, much appreciated.

I've got a bit of a loop hole in terms of purchasing the guitar as my father is moving to the states - so i'll be able to have it shipped to him! Then when he visits Aus he can bring the guitar back to me.

I'll keep checking for second hands also, thanks again.

- Jayson

 

[DrKev]

On the official company forum we can never condone circumventing your own country's distribution and warranty network. There are a lot of great people around the world working hard to get EBMM guitars in the stores and provide warranty repairs and replacements. When you buy a guitar in your own country, you are supporting those people and the EBMM presence in your country. That's all part of the extra cost and it's an unavoidable part of having these instruments anywhere in the world outside of the US. Obviously, if nobody buys guitars in their own stores the guitars would vanish completely from the market. When people complain about the lack of EBMM instruments there are in their own region but buy their guitars overseas, I'm sure you can see the inherent contradiction.

If you do decide to go that route, know that if you buy in the US your warranty will only be valid in the US and you will have no warranty in Australia. If the guitar needs to go back to the factory or to the store you bought it from in the US, you'll be paying all the shipping costs in full. Also keep in mind that you may be liable for import duty and VAT when the guitar arrives in Australia so make sure you factor that into the cost.

 

[jovi_bw]

Hi I'm from Hong Kong.

My bandmate just get a brand new JP BFR with gold hardware from US official dealer "wild west guitars"

Thats it.

 

[Kenji20022]

Hi I'm from Hong Kong.

My bandmate just get a brand new JP BFR with gold hardware from US official dealer "wild west guitars"

Thats it.

It's been played out before, if you buy it from the US and have it "imported" or just brought over you're voiding your warranty. I remember in the past there was a gentleman who had bought an instrument in the same manner, and his nut had actually been filed even more than usual. Nothing functionality based, and more aesthetic than anything, and he was getting frustrated but the matter of the fact is that is the risk you're taking.

I wouldn't expect EBMM to bend backwards to help you when you're breaking that agreement with full knowledge of what it does.

And I'm in the same boat in the way, more intrigued in the Majesty than I was before now due to more information. I was about to just settle for a new Cherry Burst BFR, but I don't mind waiting it out a little more to find out what the Majesty's all about.

 

[jaysonm]

On the official company forum we can never condone circumventing your own country's distribution and warranty network. There are a lot of great people around the world working hard to get EBMM guitars in the stores and provide warranty repairs and replacements. When you buy a guitar in your own country, you are supporting those people and the EBMM presence in your country. That's all part of the extra cost and it's an unavoidable part of having these instruments anywhere in the world outside of the US. Obviously, if nobody buys guitars in their own stores the guitars would vanish completely from the market. When people complain about the lack of EBMM instruments there are in their own region but buy their guitars overseas, I'm sure you can see the inherent contradiction.

If you do decide to go that route, know that if you buy in the US your warranty will only be valid in the US and you will have no warranty in Australia. If the guitar needs to go back to the factory or to the store you bought it from in the US, you'll be paying all the shipping costs in full. Also keep in mind that you may be liable for import duty and VAT when the guitar arrives in Australia so make sure you factor that into the cost.

I understand what you are getting at which is fair enough.
The bottom line is someone like me can't afford this guitar with the mark up in Aus.
It is literally double the price. When you talk about hundreds it isn't that bad but when it is thousands, I don't know about you, but it's difficult for me to justify that.
I know about the warranty and all those other hiccups and i'll try and explore other avenues to make people at EBMM happy.

 

[JAMz]

There is a new JP6 Koa at The Music Zoo.

 

[Azzman460]

I also faced the same issue as yourself. Being an Australian i priced up some Ernie Ball instruments from a couple of my local dealers and the markup price on these new guitars was just too much for me to afford. So secondhand from the good ol USA it was. Found a guitar in the for sale section of this forum (of which there is currently a Koa JP6 for sale...) and got it sent over to me in aus and could not have been happier. Fantastic person to deal with over the forum here, which made me feel a lot better about the transaction, and received the guitar in utterly mint condition and haven't looked back! i would think any good luthier should be able to sort out any problems that could arise with the guitar, however there would be nothing better than if there was an issue, having the folks at Ernie Ball take care of the baby they created haha!

 

[jaysonm]

Thanks Azzman
I'm looking into the second hand KOA..hopefully it goes well!

 

[jovi_bw]

What do u want from the ebmm warranty?
I never think about the warranty when I buy every guitars
Its not a LCD TV , bluray player or xbox360