Keion
Via: ASCII
Fender Japan reports that they’ve currently sent an order for the production of a large number of their JB62/LH/3TS model, the number of guitars that was ordered for production what they would normally have produced over 2 years..
JB62/LH/3TS is the left handed bass guitar that Akiyama Mio uses, and usually doesn’t sell that much as it’s left handed. But in the short span of 2 to 3 weeks the number that they have shipped would normally have taken 6 months to achieve, and they’re now low on stock.
The right handed JB62/3TS is also getting a number of orders, to which Fender Japan comments that the sales are also doing quite well for the current market where sales are down.
JEUGIA sanjou main store, the music store that was the original model for the music store featured in K-on ep 2, has been visited by many fans, and while they would normally only stock 1~2 copies of anime CDs, they actually managed to sell a combined number of 200 copies for the K-on OP/ED normal and limited edition CDs.
The store is also displaying the Les Paul Standard (Cherry Sunburst) which is the guitar used by Hirasawa Yui, and there have been many fans looking at it, but with a price tag of 250,000 yen (US$2,500) there haven’t been any buyers yet.
The website for the JEUGIA Yamaha music school has also started referring to K-on when introducing their courses. Such as in the Electric Bass course where they recommend the course to people who want to do K-on and their favorite character is Akiyama Mio.
The AKG K701 headphones used by Akiyama Mio in K-on apparently had a burst of sales too as a earphone store reported that the 74,900 yen (US$749) headphone had sold out for the first time ever in their store after episode 5 of K-on went on air.
However Harman International, the importer for the headphone, reports that the number of queries about the K701 had increased, but they have not actually seen a sharp increase in actual orders, probably due to that the K701 is an extremely expensive high end headphone after all.
But this is apparently not the first time they have received an increased number of queries on the K701 model due to moe related stuff, as they experienced a similar phenomenon when the K701 was featured in Iwai Takashi’s Moe Headphones Catalogue & Guidebook which was released June 2008.
May 14th, 2009 at 6:40 pm
Nothing on all the expensive silverware that the girls dine on every episode?
That said this certainly is an example where the sponsorship/label model works (Pizza Hut notwithstanding)
May 14th, 2009 at 9:33 pm
It’s also an example of how easy it is to influence otaku. I doubt the majority of those who ordered the left-handed model for the bass can actually play or are left handed for that matter.
Although, there is no shame in admitting that I picked up electric guitar because of Yui. . .
May 14th, 2009 at 10:47 pm
the sales of the headphones is comedy
97% of those fucking queers wont be able to tell the difference between those and some $29 behringer headphones.
but im the hater because i save my money
May 14th, 2009 at 11:28 pm
@Anonymous: You actually think the remaining 3% will be able to tell the difference?
May 15th, 2009 at 1:05 am
3% sounds possible.
May 15th, 2009 at 2:25 am
Whoa, why are the AKG 701s being reported as 749 dollar headphones? I can easily find these for less than 300 dollars new. Those otaku sure must love to waste money……
May 15th, 2009 at 5:31 am
74,900 yen is the average price that they go for when buying them in Japan. Prices on high end audio equipment can sometimes be very different depending on the country they’re being sold in for some reason, but I’m not an audiophile so I don’t know much about how all this works.
May 15th, 2009 at 6:14 am
heh, cool. i have a akg k701 myself for years and loving it.
May 15th, 2009 at 6:35 am
hello?
japan is the worst place to buy electronics of any kind.
May 15th, 2009 at 9:29 am
if you can’t tell the difference between something sub-$100 and k701s you’re probably deaf fyi
May 15th, 2009 at 9:57 am
@MooMooCow: Sounds like a tax thingy; where are these headphones manufactured? Outside Japan?
May 15th, 2009 at 4:06 pm
itt: weeaboos who only know of japans existence from anime
the japs pay more for electronics than people outside of japan do.
and they have no fucking clue.
and they are content.
and its not going to change
ill give a great recent. and relevant example i had to deal with
amazon us for klipsch in-ear custom 2 headphones
amazon jp for the same exact ones
comedy ensues
May 15th, 2009 at 8:44 pm
I don’t think that statement is applicable to all electronics in general, I normally compare prices of canon cameras with prices from the US and sometimes Japan’s prices can be cheaper by US$1000 or so. Currently the Canon EOS 5D Mark II + EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM is on amazon us for $4,499.99 when they’re available in Japan for 330,000 yen or so, or 373,269 yen on Amazon jp.
May 15th, 2009 at 11:09 pm
Product placement at its finest!
May 16th, 2009 at 9:58 am
>all electronics in general
yeah, there are some gleaming examples of the contrary, but wouldnt you agree thats the case “most of the time?”
May 19th, 2009 at 6:46 am
Audio-Technica does what AKG does for half the price.
Also, yeah, Japanese people will typically spend lots of money on electronics and not shop around on this intarweb contraption for a better deal. Why is that? Some kind of culturally insular behavior?
May 20th, 2009 at 8:54 am
@Crys: Perhaps the high shipping charges? High tariffs for imported electronics?
May 21st, 2009 at 12:27 pm
If somebody want to know prices of those 3 items in Stockholm, Sweden: Fender Jazz Bass 1962 leftie 3-color sunburst is 8795 krona= USD 1180, Gibson Les Paul Standard 1958 re-issue in Cherry Sunburst 15900 krona= USD 2135, AKG K701 4700 krona= USD 636. I have played Fender Jazz Bass (1974) 25 years, and owned in 80s a Tobacco Burst Gibson Les Paul DeLuxe 1981 model. My h-phones are humbly Philips HPM 1000 and some Koss Models. Main guitar amp is a Fender DeLuxe Reverb 1969, but i`m thinking to purchase one VOX Valvetronic(AD20) as seen in Mugi`s beach villa. Fender Rumble 100 is for bass.
No need to mention my other guitars and basses here, but i like also Ibanez, Epiphone, Tokai and Peavey.
May 21st, 2009 at 12:34 pm
Nemo_N: i believe AKG is a brand from Austria or Germany, or both.
May 21st, 2009 at 11:33 pm
You can get the K701 for $269 from Amazon.com delivery included. I’m surprised some enterprising type hasn’t already bought a truckload and placed them up for auction. I have noticed some music stores have said the K701 is being discontinued.
Maybe they’ll start calling the show K-701-On!