THE Thread for THE AGES - What's your thoughts OR Experiences with MIK versus MIC?

[stymye]

just posted these in annother topic,lol

 

MIJ, custom shop quality, at non custom shop prices.

They build damn fine guitars

 

[soundcreation]

Yeah...my strat I posted in that other thread is an ESP product as well. They really make insanely great guitars at the top end.

[zantor9]

I have 2 Deans and they both kick ass. They were MIC and i can't find any real problem with them besides the pups. They were crafted and painted very well w/o any screwups (from what i can tell) and i'm sure there are many more like mine made that do not disappoint.

[smorgdonkey]

I still think that Korea is ahead of China but the gap has narrowed quickly and soon Korea will only be ahead of China in experience.

[sleepeatplay]

Well, I have a Dean that is MIK, and a Dean that is MIC. The MIK Dean beats the MIC Dean hands down in terms of build quality. My MIK Dillion is also built well. That being said, my MIC Squier Stagemaster is also built very well. (Very underrated guitar.)

My MIK Dean is the only one I own out of 9 guitars that has no mods.

I used to own a MIJ Tokai explorer back in the 80's, it was an amazing guitar.

My .02

[crashclc]

I have a pile of MIC Ibby Artcores and they are all (dare I say) "perfect". Out of the box there were no visible flaws on any of them. I also have two MIC Ibby acoustics and one MIC Fender acoustic resonator. Out of the box, one of the Ibby acoustics had some rough fret ends and all three had high actions, so I could not call them perfect, but their construction and cosmetic finish were about as good as anything else I've ever seen. So on the basis of what I actually paid good money for, I would have to say the Chinese are doing just a fine job and nobody ought to be surprised about that. They are building just about everything we buy these days from TVs to toaster ovens. Assuming that Chinese manufacturing capabilities are likely to be substandard is just misguided these days.

 

I also have several MIK Ibby, Schecter and Fender electrics, and a Breedlove stage acoustic jumbo. They are also "perfect" and I'd go so far as to say the Breedlove is just stunning. So on my limited sample the Koreans do a slightly better job on average than the Chinese, but to be realistic I'd have to say that at any given price point, it's a wash. Either way, I wouldn't hesitate to buy either MIK or MIC.

 

Of my US made guitars; both Fenders had perfect finishes and the VG had one minor wiring issue. My Parker Deluxe Fly and Martin D35 are both about as good as it gets, bu both of my US standard Gibsons had "issues" . My buddy runs a guitar store and carries a lot of brands and I haunt other stores when I'm on the road. Overall I would say it is probably a wash between the US and the rest although I would have expected better for the money. My personal bottom line is that country of origin is basically irrelevant.