mileskb Posted March 29, 2016 Share Posted March 29, 2016 Please excuse me if this has been discussed, but I have searched and... I can't find any clear differences between the JTV-89F and the JTV-89F-US I can't find anywhere to buy a JTV-89F-US or even a price. So to be clear... What is the difference between the JTV-89F and the JTV-89F-US other than country of origin and if the US model is significantly better in some way... where does one find one? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisinon2 Posted March 29, 2016 Share Posted March 29, 2016 They're made-to-order, so you won't find one anywhere, unless someone's unloading one on ebay. You have to order it through L6...what the process is and how long you have to wait, I don't know. Someone will probably chime in. I've never played a US JTV...maybe they're the greatest guitars ever, and the handful of guys who've taken the plunge and commented on here seem to like them. However, imho the extra $3G that they want for them, is insane. As the owner of a boutique instrument, one in which I was involved in every step of the process, from selecting the cuts of wood, to sitting in the guy's shop when it was time to shape the neck so it came out precisely the way I wanted it, I know what you can get for this kind of money. In this case, the extra cash seems to buy you a quarter-sawn neck, a few more colors to choose from, and some vague assurances about more attention to detail. The modeling engine is the same. If you want a real "custom" instrument, all that money can be much better spent. Just my 2 cents. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie_Watt Posted March 29, 2016 Share Posted March 29, 2016 The difference is lots of $$. I agree with cruisinon2! Not worth the difference. Same electronics and same limitations. Better built guitar but not worth the over 3X cost difference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarrellM5 Posted March 29, 2016 Share Posted March 29, 2016 I would have to have a lot more disposable income to even consider a US version. For me personally, it's not worth the extra money given that I'm completely happy with the build quality of my Korean JTV-69. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisinon2 Posted March 29, 2016 Share Posted March 29, 2016 I would have to have a lot more disposable income to even consider a US version. For me personally, it's not worth the extra money given that I'm completely happy with the build quality of my Korean JTV-69. For the price of a US JTV, I'd buy another Korean one just for the guts, and transplant them into something else. Be it something built specifically with that in mind, or something else that got retrofit to accommodate the hardware. Another 3 thousand bucks for a guitar with the exact same specs as the "budget" version (yet somehow "better") doesn't make sense to me at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie_Watt Posted March 29, 2016 Share Posted March 29, 2016 I have zero complaints about the build quality of my JTV69S. Fit and finish is as good as any other guitar that I have. I could own four of them for what I would pay for one US version. I may upgrade the neck but I am satisfied with the stock one. I have been on the fence about that for a while. I like the looks of the upgraded necks I have seen here and I may spring for one soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mileskb Posted March 29, 2016 Author Share Posted March 29, 2016 They're made-to-order, so you won't find one anywhere, unless someone's unloading one on ebay. You have to order it through L6...what the process is and how long you have to wait, I don't know. Someone will probably chime in. I've never played a US JTV...maybe they're the greatest guitars ever, and the handful of guys who've taken the plunge and commented on here seem to like them. However, imho the extra $3G that they want for them, is insane. As the owner of a boutique instrument, one in which I was involved in every step of the process, from selecting the cuts of wood, to sitting in the guy's shop when it was time to shape the neck so it came out precisely the way I wanted it, I know what you can get for this kind of money. In this case, the extra cash seems to buy you a quarter-sawn neck, a few more colors to choose from, and some vague assurances about more attention to detail. The modeling engine is the same. If you want a real "custom" instrument, all that money can be much better spent. Just my 2 cents. The difference is lots of $$. I agree with cruisinon2! Not worth the difference. Same electronics and same limitations. Better built guitar but not worth the over 3X cost difference. Thanks for these and the other responses. Yes I also have two custom made guitars by a very well known builder, both were less than/about 3K. I just had another one spec'd that's closer to 4K but I digress, unless the JTV-89-US is completely hand made...neck thru.. not likely worth over 3K. I wasn't even able to find a price so thanks for that. FWIW, Korea can make outstanding guitars these days. If they are spec'd right. I would actually consider the JTV-US, if it truly was a custom build, but it sounds like it's just a USA build with different options and I haven't found a single review or reference of anyone owning one which I thought odd. Anyway.. thanks. Now I just need to get past that I can't have a Kahler bridge on it :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisinon2 Posted March 29, 2016 Share Posted March 29, 2016 Thanks for these and the other responses. Yes I also have two custom made guitars by a very well known builder, both were less than/about 3K. I just had another one spec'd that's closer to 4K but I digress, unless the JTV-89-US is completely hand made...neck thru.. Not a neck-thru design, afaik. It's a bolt-on, same as the Korean ones. They want nearly $4K...for a bolt-on neck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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