Topshelf Instruments in Hobart, Tasmania | Musical instrument store

Topshelf Instruments

Locality: Hobart, Tasmania

Phone: +61 401 935 454

Address: 82 Collins St 7000 Hobart, TAS, Australia

Website: http://www.topshelfinstruments.com.au

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25.01.2022 There’s a few fresh used pedals listed now on the website, and more incoming... fun times! #knowyourtone #pedals #guitarpedals #pedalboardoftheday #topshelfinstruments

25.01.2022 Wishing you the grandest of #gibsunday greetings, friends! Everybody wave to this #gibson 1991 #Firebird V! These were basically made by hand, only a couple of hundred were produced each year in the early 90s. As a rule Gibson stuff made in the early post-Norln era (1985-96 or so) is exceptionally good, especially if it was sent to Japan as their distributor at the time Yamano was notoriously picky. This one sold before it listed, it’s off to a new home in Brisbane tomorrow. If you see 90s era Gibson stuff kicking around, nab it now while it’s still a relative bargain and stash it for a few years, I reckon they’ll be worth a small fortune in due course. #guitarsdaily #knowyourtone #guitarsdaily

24.01.2022 Gold hardware on a #Strat... yeah or nah? These three all just listed online and are looking for love. All by #fenderjapan: 1. ‘57 Custom Edition ST57G-65, charcoal green, MIJ 1993 2. ‘71 reissue ST71-85tx, sunburst, CIJ 2000 3. ‘62 Custom Edition, charcoal blue, MIJ 1993... #stratocaster #fender #knowyourtone #guitarsdaily #topshelfinstruments

24.01.2022 So, friends... do you like outrageously good basses? Here’s some more niche MIJ nerdy stuff for you, following on from those gorgeous K.Yairi guitars earlier today. This here is a Bacchus, specifically a Handmade Series Woodline Ash 4, made in Japan 2010. Bacchus is another smaller Japanese builder, and again they hail from the Nagano region. Founded under the Deviser umbrella of brands under master luthier Yasuo Momose, Bacchus has always held themselves to an incredible sta...ndard for craftsmanship and quality. My understanding is that for decades, Mr Momose not only trained all the factory workers himself, but he also selected every piece of timber that went into their instruments by hand himself... and he was very, very picky. This is a more recent model, but that heritage really shows through. The wood on offer is amazing: two piece centre joined lightweight swamp ash for the body, superbly tightly grained hard rock maple for the neck, dark-as-midnight ebony for the board... very good stuff. They also make their own pickups, so this has a set of Bacchus’ own alnico V single coils in it. The results are outstanding: this is the most resonant bass in the store unplugged, and plugged in, it sounds enormously huge. Sometimes with a J style bass, you sacrifice a little bottom end roundness and heft in favour of top end clarity and midrange growl, but with this... you get everything. Singing, clear treble, growling sticky rich mids and a weighty, assured low end; it’s all there in spades. One of our local regular customers is a young player by the name of Kyle. He got pretty dang good at the bass pretty quick but was struggling to find the right bass to cover his many and varied gigs, as he is involved with projects covering jazz, gospel, hip hop, reggae, soul, punk, prog and metal, so he bought over 25 basses over three years looking for the right one, including some very serious USA made stuff. About a year ago Kyle scored one of these, and that was it... nothing else has come close and he hasn’t looked back. I scored this for a relative bargain so it’s going for about half the new equivalent price, which is an absolute steal. So hey, rob me.

24.01.2022 Things are best with a friend, right? I spent some time with two fresh arrivals today, both #fender beauties from 1977. Swipe for a full body: 1977 #stratocaster in sunburst, 1977 #mustang in sunburst. Both of these are in superb shape with tidy frets and original finish, and they’re both looking for love. I’ll do you a dealio if you take both #twinning #vintageguitars #goodguitars #guitarsdaily #1977 #knowyourtone #topshelfinstruments

21.01.2022 We’re a bit nerdy around here, but hey, the quest to find the best stuff requires it I guess. These two gorgeous things are made by K.Yairi, a niche builder in Gifu, Japan. Yairi stuff is handmade on a small highly specialised team, and unlike just about everyone else, they mill and dry their own timber. Some wood will air dry over several decades before it is selected for use in their instruments. That extra care in wood selection, alongside flawless execution, makes for gui...tars that offer a lively feel in the hands and deliver a superbly balanced, nuanced tone. Everything I’ve played from Yairi has this certain richness and airiness to the sound, it’s hard to describe but you’ll hear it straight away when you play it. If you haven’t played one, do yourself a favour and have a go! On the left we have a parlour sized YF-018B, made 2001, and on the right we have a dreadnought sized LO-K7 MAP, made from a cool spruce/maple combo. #acoustic #guitarsdaily #knowyourtone #topshelfinstruments

21.01.2022 I mean, sure, there are other #guitars, but... #strats, right? The best. A couple of weeks ago I was running low on Strats, so I figured I better buy some. Heaps arrived this week and just hit the website, more are coming too. Apparently I can’t turn down a good one? All six of these beauties are by #fenderjapan... we’re gonna use the model numbers like the good MIJ nerds we are, right? 1. ST71-85TX, sunburst, 2000 2. ST62-110, sunburst, 1993 (rare model! See our story ...today for a demo) 3. Japan Standard ST43, sunburst, 2007 4. Japan Standard ST43, Olympic white, 1998 5. ST57-55, vintage white, E serial 1987 6. Japan Standard ST43, shell pink, 1998 #stratocaster #stratpride #knowyourtone #guitarsdaily #topshelfinstruments

21.01.2022 How do you like your basses? Old, quirky and made by #yamaha? Perfect, we have you covered. 1. Super Bass SB500S, black, Japan 1981 2. Super Bass SB500S, refin to white, fretless. Japan 1981 3. Billy Sheehan Attitude ATT65, electric blue, Taiwan 1999... 4. Broad Bass BB800, black, Japan 1978 5. Pulser Bass PB400RA, black, Japan 1986 #weplaybass #bassforward #bassplayer #guitarsdaily #knowyourtone #topshelfinstruments

20.01.2022 If you know, you know, right? Hands up if you love MIJ Squier? We’ve had a good run lately scoring super early #fenderjapan stuff; including this killer pair of Strats. The black one is a 1983 SQ serial CST50 #stratocaster, the white one is a 1984 JV serial SST30. They both sound and feel absolutely magical. Seriously, these were made by ninja unicorns #squier #fender #vintageguitars #strat #knowyourtone #guitarsdaily #topshelfinstruments @ Topshelf Instruments

20.01.2022 Best brand name ever? #knowyourtone #guitarsdaily #topshelfinstruments

19.01.2022 Just a quick note to say we’ve loaded a stack of #guitars and #basses onto the website in the last couple of days. Here’s a few that just arrived: 1. #fender MIJ Trad 60s #telecastercustom, sonic blue, 2019 2. #fernandes JG40, hot pink, Taiwan 2001 3. #yamaha SF3000 Super Flighter, cherry burst, Japan 1982 4. Squier JV Serial SST30 #stratocaster, vintage white, Japan 1984... 5. #musicman Stingray 4H, black, USA 2008 6. Fender Japan Pro Feel #jazzbass JBR800, walnut gloss, 1990 Heaps more listing Monday! #guitarsdaily #knowyourtone #topshelfinstruments

18.01.2022 Seeing double this #teletuesday ! I’ve been making an effort to score more #fender American Vintage series stuff, but two AVRI ‘52 Teles in butterscotch in the same shipment? You know what? I don’t mind at all. Left is 2012, right is 2004. These are extremely close to a Custom Shop in build quality and specs, but they come with real wear instead of pretend wear #telecaster #knowyourtone #guitarsdaily #topshelfinstruments

17.01.2022 Today, I’ve been telling people the origin story of #fenderjapan, and it reminded me how much I love these guitars. I listed this 2013 #jaguar and 1986 #telecaster today, and they’re both such superb instruments; it’s a pleasure to send them out to new homes knowing they’ll bring so much joy for many years to come. #guitarsdaily #knowyourtone #topshelfinstruments

16.01.2022 Haven’t done a tradition #freshies shot on the couch for ages! Seemed too much to bombard you all, but hey, for old times sake, let’s go again, right? Plus, there’s some GOOD guitars here. 1. #greco EG600 LPC, black, 1977 2. #fenderjapan #Strat ST54-85LS, fiesta red, E serial 1988 3. #fender Japan #stratocaster ST57-55, black, E serial 1987 4. #fernandes JG65 Lucite body offset, Taiwan 1998... 5. Fender Japan #jazzmaster, sunburst, 2010 #guitarsdaily #knowyourtone #topshelfinstruments

15.01.2022 This beauty is a 1994 100th anniversary #gibson J-45, and it’s hitting the website later this morning. Sounds okay, no? It’s wearing a fresh set of Moonshiners 13-56 strings; if you’ve got a big ol’ dreadnought or jumbo and you’re not running hefty strings, upgrade your life and put some on? It gets the top of your guitar moving and brings out all the natural volume, brightness and bass hidden in there. #guitarsdaily #knowyourtone #topshelfinstruments

15.01.2022 Pedals update number one: we got a fresh batch of @dsmhumboldt Simplifiers, hooray! These never last long, so tag your mate who was always saying she was gonna buy one and let them know to get a wriggle on. Who reckons we should do an explainer/demo vid? #pedalboard #knowyourtone #guitarsdaily #topshelfinstruments

15.01.2022 Dear friends: we are stepping into the ‘brand new’ pedals game. Expect to see shipments of a few cool builders over the next few weeks. First up: we are stoked to join the @dsmhumboldt family... Simplifiers and Bass Simplifiers are now in store! They’ll hit the website Monday. If you’re not familiar with these brilliant amp replacement boxes, do yourself a Google #knowyourtone #guitarsdaily #topshelfinstruments

14.01.2022 It’s heckn’ #straturday, the sun is finally out in Hobartown and we are full of optimism and fresh #Stratocaster goodness. These al arrived in the last few days: 1-2: Squier Japan Silver Series #strat, black, 1993 3. Fender USA Eric Clapton ‘Blackie’, 1995 4. Fender Japan ST62-95LS, sunburst, 1993... 5. Fender MIJ Classic 60s Stratocaster, vintage white, 2017 6. Fender Japan ST62, Olympic white, 2014 #guitarsdaily #knowyourtone #topshelfinstruments

13.01.2022 A super tasty batch of #freshies arrived today, and most of the lot are basses. More on the rest of them tomorrow, but for now: here’s a #rickenbacker 4003S, made in USA 2015 in the classic Jetglo finish that just arrived. It sounds HUGE and feels great; it’s definitely got that grinding Ric growl. This one lists tomorrow, but drop me a line if you want to beat the crowd on it as these seldom come up in Aus! #weplaybass #bassforward #bassplayer #lemmy #knowyourtone #guitarsdaily #topshelfinstruments

13.01.2022 It’s a #lespauljunior kinda day, right? Everyone wave to our homie Rob, he scored this sweet 2011 #Gibson Les Paul Jr in vintage sunburst before it hit the website or wall. If you’re looking for something in particular, hit me up and I can do my darndest to make your dreams come true #guitarsdaily #knowyourtone #topshelfinstruments

13.01.2022 We’ve been busy listing a stack of new pedals on the website today; there’s still some more to do tomorrow but there’s heaps of great fresh ones up now. Head over and have a look #bosspedals #vintagejapan #knowyourtone #guitarsdaily #topshelfinstruments

11.01.2022 We’ve only got a handful of these @dsmhumboldt Simplifiers left in store; come by and sit on the couch and give it a go if you’re in the neighbourhood! #telecaster #knowyourtone #guitarsdaily #topshelfinstruments

10.01.2022 I found myself in the forest with my guitar around the bottom of #kunanyi this morning on non-shop business... couldn’t resist a couple of snaps of my @coleclarkguitars Hollow Baby hanging around looking fly. This #guitar has been my number one player since I bought it new in 2010, it’s done a heap of different projects and always delivered brilliantly. They don’t make them any more, so if you see one, snap it up and thank me later. #stratpride #coleclark #knowyourtone #guitarsdaily #topshelfinstruments

10.01.2022 I have too many lurid pink guitars - no one, ever #guitarsdaily #knowyourtone #topshelfinstruments

09.01.2022 Oh boy it’s #teletuesday again! We’ve had a stack of tasty #telecaster sweethearts through lately, but very few of them have hung around for more than one Tele Tuesday Here’s two fresh ones just in, both by #fenderjapan : 1. ‘62 Telecaster TL62B-65, double bound sunburst, MIJ 1986 2. ‘70 #telethinline TL70-85, natural gloss over mahogany, CIJ 1998... #guitarsdaily #knowyourtone #topshelfinstruments

09.01.2022 Little heads up to all our homies: my short attention span kicked in again and I’ve added a stack of guitars and basses to the ‘Clearance’ section of the shop website. The shop is choc-full with more landing next week, so we’ve gotta make some room! Guitars & Basses >> 1. Fender Japan JV Serial TC72-65 Tele Custom :: black, 1983 :: $2222 (good luck finding another one of these in the world!) 2. Musicman Stingray 5H :: black, 2006 :: $1999... 3. Musicman Stingray EX :: black sparkle, Japan 2001 :: $1444 4. Yamaha SL500 Studio Lord, brown sunburst, 1979 :: $777 5. Yamaha SL500S Studio Lord, red sunburst, 1981 :: $777 (not pictured!) 6. Fresher FL500 LP :: red sunburst, 1979 :: $666 7. Fernandes JG45 :: black, 1997 :: $555 8. Aria Pro II JB-600 :: royal blue, 1972 :: $555 9. Brian by Bacchus fretless JB :: teal, 1998 :: $444 #guitarsdaily #knowyourtone #topshelfinstruments

08.01.2022 Aw heck, it’s all an all #bass edition of #freshies! Rejoice if you’re living the #lowlife. Couple of tasty biscuits in here. 1 #ibanez Premium SR1200-VNF, Indo 2014 2. #warwick Corvette Standard Bubinga, natural oil, Germany 2004 3. #rickenbacker 4003S, Jetglo, USA 2015 4. #fenderjapan JB62-53, black, CIJ 2000... 5. #squier Classic Vibe 60s Jazz Bass, Olympic white, China 2009 #weplaybass #bassplayer #bassplayersunited #bassforward #guitarsdaily #knowyourtone #topshelfinstruments

08.01.2022 We’ve been a bit quiet on the socials this week... between some EOFY stuff, @dark_mofo being on a couple of blocks from the store and my tendency to NEVER STOP buying too many guitars, it’s been a kinda hectic week. There’s a stack of #freshies just in and listed, a stack more we are working through cleaning up, fixing up and listing, and another whole stack still incoming. We really do not have room for the lot of them, so keep your eyes out for some more clearance pricing o...n the stuff that’s getting a bit too comfortable on the wall... all fun stuff, right? Here’s five fresh Fenders, all in varying shades of white/cream/blonde for your #fenderfriday! All by Fender Japan: 1. Telecaster TL72-55, butterscotch blonde, 1994 2. Telecaster TLG-70 anniversary model, vintage white with gold trim and pearl binding, 1996 3. Precision Bass PB70-70US, Olympic white, 2000 4. MIJ Classic 60s Stratocaster, vintage white, 2017 5. Stratocaster ST62, vintage white, 2014 #strat #stratocaster #straturday #tele #telecaster #precisionbass #pbass #white #olympicwhite #mij #japan #fender #fenderjapan #knowyourtone #guitarsdaily #topshelfinstruments

07.01.2022 If you’re gonna buy a #gibson, surely a J-45 is the one you ought buy, right? #knowyourtone #guitarsdaily #topshelfinstruments

06.01.2022 Custom colour goodness... yum. I pulled these two out of the box from Japan, I couldn’t resist a little snap of them together when the afternoon light started streaming in the window. On the left is a #fenderjapan Custom Edition ‘57 #stratocaster, 1993, in charcoal green finish. The luthiers would burn the body with a blowtorch to add depth to the grain markings, then finish it in trans green... 90s was a weird, wonderful time. On the right; the classic Japan Standard Strat in shell pink, made 1998. Both gorgeous, but which one is more gorgeouserr? #stratpride #guitarsdaily #knowyourtone #topshelfinstruments

04.01.2022 Well, JT & I got through plenty of pastry for #pastrymonday. So that was good. Apparently it’s also #mustangmonday , so here’s a pair of sweet OG USA 70s #mustang cuties currently hanging around. The sunburst on the left is a 1977, the Olympic white on the right is a 1978; both made at #fullerton and both with original cases. Lord knows I’m a sucker for a Mustang, so hey... halppp miiii. #fender #knowyourtone #guitarsdaily #topshelfinstruments

03.01.2022 I just pulled this 1973 #fender #telecaster out of the box... we are all basking in its glory, frankly. It needs a minor wiring fix, so it won’t hit the store and website til Monday or Tuesday, but... oh snap, it’s gorgeous. If you’re interested drop us a line early as I expect this one might break a few hearts. #vintageguitars #goodguitars #guitarsdaily #knowyourtone #topshelfinstruments

03.01.2022 We got a new rug today. I think the 50th Anniversary #jaguar likes it? Listed a few fresh pedals today too; more to come tomorrow. #fender #offsetguitars #knowyourtone #guitarsdaily #topshelfinstruments

02.01.2022 It’s a #monochromemonday batch of #freshies, hooray! This lot are all by #fenderjapan and all dressed in variations on the tuxedo 1. Squier CTL30 #telecaster, A serial, MIJ 1985 2. Fender TL72-55 #tele, Olympic white, A serial, MIJ 1985 3. Fender Japan Standard Jazz Bass, black, CIJ 1998 4. Fender ST72/LH #lefty #stratocaster, vintage white, MIJ 2010... 5. Squier Silver Series SST33 #strat, Olympic white, MIJ 1993 #knowyourtone #guitarsdaily #topshelfinstruments

01.01.2022 Black and cream works, right? Who wore it better? 1. #gibson Les Paul Studio P90s, matte black, USA 2010 2. #fenderjapan Aerodyne #jazzbass, black, CIJ 2003 #guitarsdaily #knowyourtone #topshelfinstruments

01.01.2022 More #freshies, hooray! This time, these are all #fenderjapan flavoured. Couple are sold in advance as noted, the rest will list tomorrow. 1. ‘73 #mustang MG73-85, competition fiesta red, 2005 2. ‘62 #telecaster, double bound candy apple red, 2008 (sold sorry!) 3. MIJ Hybrid 60s Telecaster, double bound sonic blue, 2019 4. ‘57 #stratocaster ST57-58US, ocean turquoise metallic, 2000... 5. ‘57 #strat ST57-85LS, shoreline gold, 1993 (sold sorry!) #fender #japan #guitarsdaily #knowyourtone #topshelfinstruments