Edwards Ryūtarō Arimura model, made in Japan 2014. Ryūtarō is the vocalist and guitarist for Japanese alt-rockers Plastic Tree, who rose to fame in the 90s and did very well for several decades. His signature guitar was always a non-catalog rarity, and this is the first version with the funky slotted headstock. The guitar is approximately 335-flavoured, but with a few key differences. Firstly, the body is one-ply solid rock maple, not a laminate, so that adds some top end presence and a bit of percussive punch to the sound, not to mention being much trickier to build. As best I can tell, the pickups are a mod, as the other examples I can see shipped with Duncan APH2 humbuckers, although they're v2s with a different headstock. The 'Phat Cat' P-90 style single coils are a delight: screaming high end popping with character and clarity, juicy complex mids with a breathy dynamic response and a woody, immediate bass. The neck is pretty chunky, which suits rhythm playing perfectly, and the ebony board feels lush under the fingers. The cute little moon near the F-hole and star-of-David on the headstock add some gothic glam to the classy curves glossy black; the thing looks awesome. This originally listed for ¥180000 in 2014, meaning it was a significantly pricier than every other Edwards semi-hollow in the catalog at the time. It looks great on the shop wall, it'll look ever better on your wall, right?

Model: Edwards Ryūtarō Arimura 'Night Vision' 
Made: Japan, 2014 , ESP plant (serial ED1441352)
Finish: black, original crescent moon artwork, gloss poly
Neck: maple 3-piece, ebony board, 24.75" scale, 12" radius, fat '59 style profile
Body: solid rock maple, semi-hollow with centre block, 335-style dimensions
Weight: 3.955kg
Mods: pickups replaced
Pickups: Seymour Duncan 'Phat Cat' HB-sized P-90 style single coil x2
Case: original ESP hard case, docs included

Cosmetic condition notes: minor finish wear. The headstock has no major marks, just a light scuff on the back on the volute. The neck is clean and smooth in the hands, minor dimples on the back only. The back has some light scuffs in the middle of the body and back edge, no major marks. The sides have minor dimples near the jack and light scuffs on the bottom horn. The front has light scuffs in the elbow area and some light play wear on the horns. Overall: excellent condition (9/10).

Playing condition notes: Neck is straight, action is low, intonation is good, truss rod works. All electrics tested and working properly. The frets have minor wear only, 8/10 for fret life left. No headstock breaks. Wearing fresh 10/52 Moonshiners strings.