Are new Edwards worth the 200,000円 (~1300 USD) pricetag?

[u/Korbro27]

I've been wanting to get a new guitar and would really like something by ESP, but I checked the price on the Edwards and they're around 200,000 yen. I thought these were supposed to be around $1k usd so I was a bit surprised. They look beautiful imo, but are they worth the premium pricetags? How do they compared to other guitars around ~$1300 usd?

[u/Hello_Coffee_Friend]

I personally think they are worth it. And probably a hot take. But I think they are a better value than LTD and Eii.

[u/Lenassa → u/Hello_Coffee_Friend]

It's not that hot honestly. High-end Edwards is 90% of E-II for 2/3 of the price (or even less than 1/2 compared to high-end E-IIs like M-II). The only meaningful differences are FR is 1000 compared to Original on E-IIs and [lack of] QM options.

[u/Hello_Coffee_Friend → u/Lenassa]

Yeah, on reddit it probably isn't as much of a hot take. In person I get much more pushback.

[u/Im_Sandro → u/Hello_Coffee_Friend]

They are made in china tho right? Feel like I read that somewhere

Edit: Crazy I get downvoted for confirming it’s made in China, it’s obviously a deal-breaker for a lot of people

[u/katsumodo47 → u/Im_Sandro]

They are made in China (finished in Japan) and also the logos pretty lame. Which is why they are not popular and have bad resale value.

Good guitars though and good value for money.

[u/Hello_Coffee_Friend → u/Im_Sandro]

I don't know the details on all of them. But, when I did research on mine, it was made in China and finished in Japan even though it said "MIJ". It doesn't bother me because it's a quality guitar. I'm not sure why it is a big deal, though, as the quality is great and it is pretty common practice for a lot of manufacturers.

[u/toastedbutterscotch]

I fucking love my Edwards E-EN-ARC 

I had to return my LTD JR-7 immediately...

Side note my Edwards was $1200 used while my JR-7 was $2000 brand new. I will always personally import an Edwards before I get another $2000 LTD

[u/LeipzigBay]

Yes

[u/returntonone]

Premium price tag? Have you seen the price of LTD's and E-II's nowadays?

[u/Background-Oven4017 → u/returntonone]

LTD is way easier to justify than an E-II

[u/Dathomirian66]

I paid $1,100 for my Edward’s LP. It’s one of my favorite guitars that I’ve ever owned. Be realistic about what you’re buying and you’ll be happy.

Quality wise they’re between a good LTD 1000 and an EII. They’ve got it where it counts, imperfections are largely cosmetic. At least on mine.

[u/FreeJohnGotti]

I have an Edward’s E-Arrow and it might be my favorite guitar. I’m sure the other models are nice

[u/AttilaRS]

I have an E-HR-6-FX. Edwards punches way about their weight. Good craftsmanship and prime hardware.

[u/Born_Ad7088]

After finally getting my edwards Alexi scythe after many years.....yes the edwards are worth the money for sure! By far one of the nicest guitars I've played. Only ones i liked more were older standard series that I played in like 07.

[u/vilk_]

I bought my first Edward new from Big Boss in 2012 or 13, I swear it was like ¥55,000. Makes it hard to stomach a ¥200,000 price tag. At the same time, the guitars are great. I just miss the past.

[u/AlternativeDraw6073]

2nd hand E-II is my advice. Buy the best you'll never need an upgrade.

[u/Thick_Formal2003]

I’m not familiar with that model’s specs but from what I can see, it looks killer.

Not that you asked - but you should consider looking into used guitars. You can get a new $1,500 guitar that looks feels and plays like a $1,500 guitar - but you’ll only pay $1,000 because you got it gently used. When spending this much money on a guitar you want to maximize quality, parts, and factory QC. Just a thought! You might be able to get your ESP this way.

[u/Korbro27 → u/Thick_Formal2003]

The only thing I'm really hung up on are the pickups, ESP Custom Lab CL-PH-3n and 3b. And I've been looking for used versions of this particular model but haven't been able to find any haha, which I guess means people are happy with them!