Korean Job Discussion Forums

[DonMegawatt]

I�m currently in the States and plan on moving back to Seoul for a few years. I�m debating on whether to buy an Epiphone Les Paul Ultra 2 here or in Korea (from the big blue building straddling Chongno 3-ga).

The downside for buying in the states is that it�d be my second guitar and the extra baggage rates will probably be murderous.

If anybody is planning on going to Nak Won or is familiar with their pricing ... could you post some estimates for what I can expect. I�m hearing conflicting reports on the net that they are made in China or S.Korea.

I�m also interested in the Paul Reed Smith SE Custom 22, Line 6 X3 Pod, and the Blue Encore 100 dynamic mic ... if you see any of those lying around.

This post my be a long shot but if anyone could help me out ... it could save me loads of money and hassle.

Thanks for reading and for any help!!!

[Meathands]

Epiphone does not have any official distributors in Korea because of the counterfeitting problem. In fact, they actively discourage people NOT to shop at the "infamous" Nakwon market.

That being said, there are lots of cool vendors at Nakwon with cool guitars. I would recommend looking for used stuff, though. It's probably less likely to be fake.

[DonMegawatt]

Thanks for the reply. I read on another forum that the phony Epiphone situation was largely sorted out by 2007 when the govt enforced some 2,000,000W fines for any fakes found.

I just posted another thread fishing for phone numbers/email for any decent guitar shop in Nak Won ... if you have a business card laying around ... please forward it to me. Unfortunately, I don't speak Korean.

Thanks again.

[Seoulman69]

Check out http://freebud.co.kr/
for prices on Epiphones in Korea.
It's pretty expensive here compared to the US. If you are lucky you might be able to find a Gibson Les Paul 50s tribute with P90s for $850 in the US. That about the same price as an Epiphone Les Paul Special here in Korea.

[Chris.Quigley]

My Epiphone is made in Korea... But they don't distribute them in Korea?

[fugitive chicken]

Definitely watch for the counterfeiting issue...Last year a friend bought a "The Epiphone" mandolin. Just because the government "resolved" the issue doesn't mean its enforced.

[Murakano]

I was just in Nagwon today.

The Epiphone LP Std is 550k, LP Custom 599k (from what I remember).....I wasn`t actively looking for Epiphones though so maybe the prices could be cheaper elsewhere. If you pay cash then you can get a discount.

[fortysixyou]

Any American-brand guitar will be about 60% more expensive in Korea.

Don't worry about bringing two guitars over. Just gate check them, yes you can do this, when you're getting onto the plane. The nice flight attendant will put them in the coat closet for you.

She'll give you a ticket for the guitars, and when you land, you give her the ticket, she gives you the guitars. Getting them from Incheon to your apartment with all your other luggage will be a huge pain though.

I brought over my American Fender Strat Deluxe two years ago...totally worth it.

[fortysixyou]

OP: Also consider buying a Korean brand Les Paul copy. There are tons of really well-made Korean guitars here, and if you're going to drop $750 (820,000 won), you could get something really nice here.

Here are some Korean-made guitars you could find.

http://www.cortguitars.com/electric_guitars

http://theguitar.co.kr/front/php/product.php?product_no=1174&main_cate_no=14&display_group=1

[redaxe]

Unless it's a really cheap guitar to begin with, you will spend less on the extra baggage fee than you would spend on buying it in Korea. You should probably buy it in America and bring it with you.

[Feng Shui Engine]

as other people have already said it'll be cheaper to buy an american guitar in the states and bring it here than buying in korea.
there's a lot of fake gear in nakwon, particularly guitars. you'll see a lot of imitations/american neck with a korean body etc.
personally I would advise against buying a korean made les paul imitation.

[happiness]

why not buy a used us strat and bring it over here and sell it on craiglist? the price diff is sometimes great.

[fortysixyou]

http://www.schoolmusic.co.kr/Shop/index.php3?var=GoodList&middle_name=Epiphone&large_name=&large_number=1&middle_number=494