Another Example of why I have no interest in Import Jackson Guitars - WMI Korea

[xenophobe]

I echo this. Also, very affordable Charvel Pro-Mods made by WMI with quartersawn necks and non-recessed OFRs would be right up my alley right about now.

Well, WMI is excellent with the neck thrus, so I'd want a 7 string warrior or whatever else they would build. Even a 7 string soloist would be great, IMO. And their neck thrus are real neck thrus... you can see the fine line where the wings attach to the neck blank. Impressive for the price point, IMO.

lepard, as one of our resident historians/experts on WMI, would you happen to know what other brands used WMI from 2006-onwards? I know your "current list" states Schecter, BC Rich, ESP/LTD, PRS SE, DBZ/Diamond, and recently Dean. But if I were targeting the secondhand market, I'm definitely interested in keeping my eye out for other WMI-built guitars especially from 2006-onwards.

You can add Ormsby, Chapman and Strandberg to that list as well.

[Number Of The Priest]

Here I am watching Rob Chapman videos non-stop and his brand completely slips my mind. Thanks!

LTD 1000 Deluxe Series (WMI)... what would be a fair price for one on the used market, assuming very-good-to-excellent condition (frets in great shape, no dings that reach down to the wood, no structural issues) with OHSC?



Stock image above. Yes, it's blingy. Tonight a local seller listed an LTD MH1000FR (mahogany superstrat with arched maple top, recessed OFR, and EMG-81/85) for CAD$550 with OHSC, citing a need to sell tonight since he was done his semester and would drive home tomorrow (no room in his car for the guitar).

Contacted the seller who said "Sorry, my dad won't let me sell for less than CAD$600 because we originally paid $800 plus $150 for someone to set up the Floyd Rose". Sounds like a load of crap. Who charges $150 for a setup? I've been setting up my Floyds for 15 years on my own, and even when I did need to bring guitars in to my tech, it wasn't more than maybe $60-$70.

I wondered if we could meet at the halfway price of CAD$575 and he agreed. I had to go to an appointment and said that he can contact me afterwards if he was still looking to sell.

After my appointment, I turned my phone on again and he left me several texts asking if I was still interested. I passed, pretending it was getting late in the night, I had already bought another well-priced used guitar two weeks ago, and would only buy another if it was a screaming hot deal. He had hoped to sell this LTD to fund the purchase of a Gibson Les Paul Studio for $1000+. I invited him to instead check out ESP Edwards at sub-$1000, hoping that sharing info would loosen him up and get him to agree on the original $550 selling price since he could more easily afford an Edwards. Nope.

We were totally friendly throughout the interaction, even if the way I'm describing it makes it seem less so.

The point was not to bicker over a measly fifty Canadian dollars. I would likely have jumped on it at $600 because I missed an EC1000 a few weeks back for around this price. The point was that the ad was originally listed at $550 and it's possible he regretted listing that low. The ad is still listed at $550.

Sorry if I drive a hard bargain. I really have nothing to lose.

[pianoguyy]

$500 would be fairly expensive for that guitar, especially for a "must sell tonight".

And the $150 setup could have included something like a fret level.
My response to people who want to jack up the price because it had a "setup" is: when you sell a car, do you raise the price $30 because you changed the oil? Of course not, it is just part of regular maintenance. You should be getting a full-service setup twice a year.
And then I also throw out some bullshit like - besides, I need to get my own setup because of the special string gauge and neck relief that I prefer to use.

[Number Of The Priest]

To be fair, I researched eBay's Completed Listings for the search term "ltd mh 1000" and came up with the following: http://www.ebay.ca/sch/i.html?_odkw=...+1000&_sacat=0

Cheapest one was CAD$690 plus CAD$71 shipping.

What are the odds a WMI guitar needs a fret level? This thread makes it seem like they leave the factory in impeccable, no-extra-work-needed (beyond personal preference setups) condition.

[xenophobe]

What are the odds a WMI guitar needs a fret level? This thread makes it seem like they leave the factory in impeccable, no-extra-work-needed (beyond personal preference setups) condition.

I don't think anyone here has said that. The fretwork is acceptable for a sub $1000 guitar. The ends are clipped just slightly short (CJ USA does that too these days) so you don't feel the sharp ends unless you're purposely trying to feel for sharp ends. You're certainly not getting ESP Custom or even Sugi or Fujigen level fretwork for $600.

You're getting overall build quality of >$1k-2k guitars for <$1k. The quality of work on my 7 string Stealth is comparable to USA Select. The binding is actually cleaner, the paint, the woodworking and hand shaping on par with the best Chushin Gakki ever had to offer.

WMI is like the new import standard similar to how Chushin Gakki used to be the quality standard of CJ imports. Just my opinion is that the fretwork on the WMI isn't as nice as Chushin Gakki by a little bit, but overall build quality is better by a little bit.

That's really what it means to us Custom snobs here. They're not on par with true customs, but they are great value for the price... pretty much what anyone would consider a perfect touring instrument. High enough quality that you'll appreciate playing it a lot, but not so expensive to where you would be afraid to play shows with it.

[markD]

That's really what it means to us Custom snobs here. They're not on par with true customs, but they are great value for the price... pretty much what anyone would consider a perfect touring instrument. High enough quality that you'll appreciate playing it a lot, but not so expensive to where you would be afraid to play shows with it.

That's where the PRS SE guitars are for me. If I am playing a big local show - opening for a national/international touring artist - I pull out my best shit and do the gig. I am only playing 20 minutes anyway. If I am traveling to do a show, like over to the East Coast of FL, I will take a PRS SE or equivalent. Something that will feel great, look great, but it won't cripple my soul if anything were to happen to it because I could easily get another of the same quality.

[PowerTube]

I can't really help you with the price, but I had that exact guitar except in solid white. It's very well made and has tons of bling. Very pretty instrument.

Just so you know, it looks like a neck-through but it's not. They call it a "set-through," where the neck is glued but it goes further up into the body than, say, a Gibson. Nothing wrong with that, but I just wanted to pass it on.

I ultimately sold it because it just didn't have that "it" factor to me. It was well-made, though.

[xenophobe]

That's where the PRS SE guitars are for me. If I am playing a big local show - opening for a national/international touring artist - I pull out my best shit and do the gig. I am only playing 20 minutes anyway. If I am traveling to do a show, like over to the East Coast of FL, I will take a PRS SE or equivalent. Something that will feel great, look great, but it won't cripple my soul if anything were to happen to it because I could easily get another of the same quality.

That's what makes them special to me. They're not specifically price point guitars, they're quality instruments that happen to sell at a particular price point... unlike ALL of Fender, Gibson, Ibanez, etc domestic or import production guitars. There's not really a whole lot you could do to make them better guitars... which is why Strandberg, Ormsby and others have picked them. You can purposely build cheaper or higher markup guitars, but WMI builds never feel like that.

[PowerTube]

Probably a dumbass question, but I assume we're talking about South Korea, right?

[lepard]

Here's a DBZ/Diamond neck-thru, EMG's, Original Floyd guitar on close-out for $499.99. These are basically the exact same guitar as the ESP LTD Deluxe models and the Schecters neck-thrus.

https://www.worldmusicsupply.com/closeouts/closeouts-guitars/dbz-diamond-barstf-fr-bc-barchetta-stf-electric-guitar?filter=25

[xenophobe]

Probably a dumbass question, but I assume we're talking about South Korea, right?

lol yes, South Korea.

[sk8boardbob2]

Here's a DBZ/Diamond neck-thru, EMG's, Original Floyd guitar on close-out for $499.99. These are basically the exact same guitar as the ESP LTD Deluxe models and the Schecters neck-thrus.

https://www.worldmusicsupply.com/clo...itar?filter=25

Not a bad price, but the link says set-neck (with a fugly bulge I'm guessing). All the LTD-1000 and Schecters have a smooth neck joint (proper neck through or "set through").

Also it's only 22 frets and the chrome hardware is a personal no-no.

[lepard]

Not a bad price, but the link says set-neck (with a fugly bulge I'm guessing). All the LTD-1000 and Schecters have a smooth neck joint (proper neck through or "set through").

Also it's only 22 frets and the chrome hardware is a personal no-no.

Oh yeah, duhhhhh............. all the DBZ's are set-necks. One thing I am noticing is that all the super great used DBZ/Diamond deals on eBay are long gone. They are starting to bring good money now. In fact, the Venom and Bird of Prey models are bringing pretty close to what they sold for new. I think DBZ/Diamond is going out of business. They have not updated anything on their website since like September 2015, no 2016 models, no 2016 catalog.

[pianoguyy]

I am just going to stick with my original assessment...
$500 is too much, especially when it "must be sold asap"

Hell, you use to be able to buy an ec-1000 new for $550 at some of those online dealers that sell their stuff for $50 profits but make up for it in volume.

[AAEA]

lol yes, South Korea.

guitar in the north Korean factory receiving final inspection