What's the story with Japanese pressings?

I would say they make super quiet vinyl pressings along with excellent to just fair sounding recordings. Like most it's still a gamble and just because its a Japanese pressing does not insure excellent results all the time.

Some of the Japanese pressings of Jazz on such labels as Verve and Blue Note are sonically great recordings. However, those of pop recordings are mixed. I like Japanese pressings of original European recordings such as 70's progressive rock. Those of original American recordings are usually thin, compressed, bass-shy, and bright. I hate these things and don't know why they have gotten the reputation they have as superior pressings. Maybe the difference is the quality of the masters sent to Japan.

Rlawry is correct:
I have many Japanese pressings, the 60's Jazz Verve and other jazz are very good, whereas the pop/progressive have very quiet vinyl formula, 2nd generation master tapes are used and the pressing lacks the spacial detail found in, say, the original UK pressing. Example: Yes Fragile: the U.S. pressing is noisy, distorted, harsh. the Japanese version, while quieter, has a flat sterile presentation and inner groove distortion. The original UK pressing has no distortion, lots of spacial information, warm, detailed, non-fatiguing. I have the exact same experience with almost all UK prog. rock recordings.

the universal japan pressings i've bought are all incredible. the closest thing to the originals i've yet to hear.....quiet and well made as well. the Steely Dan-Aja release is much better than the domestic cisco release. jimi Hendrix/Axiss....all the Nick Drakes....Rolling Sones, etc....all superb, if a bit pricey.

Ditto on the quality of the jazz LP copies of Verve, Blue Note, Bethlehem, Riverside, etc. Many of them are mono to keep faith with the originals, and the album covers are so exact replicas of the originals that one has to look carefully for the fine print that identifies them as Japanese origin. I've been record shopping in Tokyo three times this year. The irony is that the Japanese place very high value on the US original pressings, but one can buy mint used Japanese re-issues for very decent prices. (I'm not talking about yard sale or thrift store prices, but I am talking about true mint condition.) Most of these jazz re-issue LPs were probably made in the 70s and 80s. The sonics are excellent, sometimes better than the originals. Highly recommended.

Thanks for all of the input. I listen mostly to jazz and classical so maybe I'll give them a try.
Happy New Year!

I played the new Japanese Bob Marley: Exodus. I was very impressed, no faults I could detect. The gold album w/ the
raised red " Exodus" lettering is impressive as well.
BTW, dead quiet surfaces too. I have the Stevie Wonder:
Innervisions, but have yet to listen to it. Thanks for
the recommendation on the SD, Stones, and Aja Jaybo.
I guess it's time to try another Aja, and compare to my
standard ABC press.

fjn04....i think you'll find the uni/japan release to be closer to the original abc. the cisco release isn't bad, if you haven't heard the real thing.