Members Jakey Posted September 25, 2012 Members Share Posted September 25, 2012 This is not a dig at any nation, and I want to make that clear. However, outside of total boutique guitars like my Suhr, and taking into consideration the pirce points (very important) virtually every single big brand Western made guitar I have seen recently has been underwhelming when compared to the guitars coming out of China and the Far East, which have seriously impressed me. As an example, I have both a MIM Cobain Jag (c. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members poolshark Posted September 25, 2012 Members Share Posted September 25, 2012 This will go well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members sammyreynolds01 Posted September 25, 2012 Members Share Posted September 25, 2012 The eastern countries just have gotten better and making guitars. Alot of it has to do with they have better materials than they did 20 or 25 years ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Doctor Morbius Posted September 25, 2012 Members Share Posted September 25, 2012 About the same time that china becomes the #1 global super power and we're all living on minimum wage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members 67mike Posted September 25, 2012 Members Share Posted September 25, 2012 This is not a dig at any nation, and I want to make that clear. However, outside of total boutique guitars like my Suhr, and taking into consideration the pirce points (very important) virtually every single big brand Western made guitar I have seen recently has been underwhelming when compared to the guitars coming out of China and the Far East, which have seriously impressed me. As an example, I have both a MIM Cobain Jag (c. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Virgman Posted September 25, 2012 Members Share Posted September 25, 2012 If you live in Asia the west is the east. It's not that Asian guitars will be better but that western guitars will be worse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members soundcreation Posted September 25, 2012 Members Share Posted September 25, 2012 Japan (and please...it's japan...jap is a racial slur...thanks) has been making better guitars than the US (big builder to big builder) for the past 30 years. It's just almost all of the high end stuff never leaves the country. And most of the brands, are virtually unknown outside japan...although that's changing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Blackface Posted September 25, 2012 Members Share Posted September 25, 2012 Let's make the same thread every few weeks with a different title. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Jakey Posted September 25, 2012 Author Members Share Posted September 25, 2012 The eastern countries just have gotten better and making guitars. Alot of it has to do with they have better materials than they did 20 or 25 years ago. Yeah- also all have Western quality control, which does help- and they are becoming better thru practice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Virgman Posted September 25, 2012 Members Share Posted September 25, 2012 Japan (and please...it's japan...jap is a racial slur...thanks) has been making better guitars than the US (big builder to big builder) for the past 30 years. It's just almost all of the high end stuff never leaves the country. And most of the brands, are virtually unknown outside japan...although that's changing. Next thing you'll tell us is you can't say chink. Geez. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members soundcreation Posted September 25, 2012 Members Share Posted September 25, 2012 Next thing you'll tell us is you can't say chink.Geez. you can say whatever you want...you have the right to look as ignorant as you chose. stay classy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Floyd Rosenbomb Posted September 25, 2012 Members Share Posted September 25, 2012 Japan (and please...it's japan...jap is a racial slur...thanks) has been making better guitars than the US (big builder to big builder) for the past 30 years. It's just almost all of the high end stuff never leaves the country. And most of the brands, are virtually unknown outside japan...although that's changing. Think about car and motorcycle manufacturers too.Japan has dominated the US in these markets for decades now with superior quality and performance. The US is good at innovating, but we suck at refinement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DaleH Posted September 25, 2012 Members Share Posted September 25, 2012 There not trying to. Most import guitars are built to a price point. You can buy many high end import guitars that rival MIA but there not cheap. Have not seen any $300 MIA guitars that could hold a candle to my squier surf strat. {censored} I don't even see anY $700 ones that do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members soundcreation Posted September 25, 2012 Members Share Posted September 25, 2012 Think about car and motorcycle manufacturers too.Japan has dominated the US in these markets for decades now with superior quality and performance.The US is good at innovating, but we suck at refinement. I think it's a combination of things. I do think there is a work ethic in Japan that is on average superior to almost every other country on the planet with the exception of maybe Germany. But more than that I think it's just the standards a company sets for itself. What "corners" are allowed to be cut when manufacturing, time given to the worker per guitar for what they have to do..etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bsman Posted September 25, 2012 Members Share Posted September 25, 2012 There not trying to. Most import guitars are built to a price point. You can buy many high end import guitars that rival MIA but there not cheap. Have not seen any $300 MIA guitars that could hold a candle to my squier surf strat. {censored} I don't even see anY $700 ones that do. I'm willing to bet that my $267 Gibson SG melody maker could! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Jakey Posted September 25, 2012 Author Members Share Posted September 25, 2012 Think about car and motorcycle manufacturers too.Japan has dominated the US in these markets for decades now with superior quality and performance.The US is good at innovating, but we suck at refinement. I think the Japanese cars are good in some aspects, but nothing are built or perform like German cars. They have something special. A 911 will always be the ultimate everyday supercar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Jakey Posted September 25, 2012 Author Members Share Posted September 25, 2012 I think it's a combination of things. I do think there is a work ethic in Japan that is on average superior to almost every other country on the planet with the exception of maybe Germany. But more than that I think it's just the standards a company sets for itself. What "corners" are allowed to be cut when manufacturing, time given to the worker per guitar for what they have to do..etc. Germans are hopeless on work ethic!! Seriously- they're totally disorganised, very hierarchical. I'm proud to say that in terms of working hours, the UK has an incredible work ethic, and it's no secret that a huge amount of automotive innovation comes from the UK, often then sold (or employed) by Germans and others. We design, others make. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DaleH Posted September 25, 2012 Members Share Posted September 25, 2012 I'm willing to bet that my $267 Gibson SG melody maker could! I'll take a look at one if I see one. I'll be pretty impressed If the fret work is as nice as this squier. Price I see is $399 on the GC site. http://www.zzounds.com/item--GIBMMSG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Will Chen Posted September 25, 2012 Members Share Posted September 25, 2012 China is nearing the end of their run as the world's manufacturer of cheap goods as skilled workers are now demanding better salaries and working conditions. the guitar industry is so small a piece of the puzzle that I'm not sure when it will be effected, but they've already seen it in the automotive industry and its beginning in the electronics industry. The next market will not be America for cheap labor (sorry fear mongers!) but Africa. Its the last untapped resource of massive unskilled cheap labor to exploit. There are political concerns a plenty, but China doesn't care about that (funny how on a global scale in many ways they are actually more free market than America). China, building upon its current manufacturing dominance, will own the shipping channels and sub subcontract to Africa. Hopefully America and Europe will wake up and bring some of the manufacturing back to their own countries, but that will depend largely on if people continue to allow the infinite greed of the modern corporate model to persist... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mrbrown49 Posted September 25, 2012 Members Share Posted September 25, 2012 About the same time that china becomes the #1 global super power and we're all living on minimum wage. But by then the minimum wage will be $50+ an hour, because the dollar is worth next to nothing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members 67mike Posted September 25, 2012 Members Share Posted September 25, 2012 China is nearing the end of their run as the world's manufacturer of cheap goods as skilled workers are now demanding better salaries and working conditions. the guitar industry is so small a piece of the puzzle that I'm not sure when it will be effected, but they've already seen it in the automotive industry and its beginning in the electronics industry. The next market will not be America for cheap labor (sorry fear mongers!) but Africa. Its the last untapped resource of massive unskilled cheap labor to exploit. There are political concerns a plenty, but China doesn't care about that (funny how on a global scale in many ways they are actually more free market than America). China, building upon its current manufacturing dominance, will own the shipping channels and sub subcontract to Africa. Hopefully America and Europe will wake up and bring some of the manufacturing back to their own countries, but that will depend largely on if people continue to allow the infinite greed of the modern corporate model to persist... I hope you are correct, but logicaly, I can see no other fate for the US then to become China's plaything......they own the US. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members drivelikejoewho Posted September 25, 2012 Members Share Posted September 25, 2012 I was going to try and make a comparison to autos but I don't know that there is one. Toyota and Honda found a way early on how to mass produce affordable and realiable autos to get into the US market. There is a parallel there for guitars but cars are utilitarian and guitars are not. However, those are Japanese companies not Chinese. I think the bulk of the guitars these days are made in China or Southeast Asia. They are affordable but personally my experience with them hasn't been great as I don't feel their products are as consistent and reliable with that of the two biggest Asian car makers. I don't think I've ever owned a Japanese guitars. I've played a few nice ESP's but their prices are closer to what American made guitars cost. I think the best bang for the buck guitars out there are probably Korean made. They seem to have the best price to quality ratio as far as Asian guitars go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members genesis3 Posted September 25, 2012 Members Share Posted September 25, 2012 I think the Japanese cars are good in some aspects, but nothing are built or perform like German cars. They have something special. A 911 will always be the ultimate everyday supercar. Thought I read somewhere that the Japanese reverse engineered a Mercedes and came up with a Lexus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Jakey Posted September 25, 2012 Author Members Share Posted September 25, 2012 Thought I read somewhere that the Japanese reverse engineered a Mercedes and came up with a Lexus Exactly. And who would actually buy a Lexus over a Merc? (other than the CEO of Sony!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Into Nation Posted September 25, 2012 Members Share Posted September 25, 2012 Talking strictly value, S. Korea has already done this. I don't when exactly when the first examples were produced but I'd hazard to guess it's been at least a decade. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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