Still a label slave, eh? The guitar world is changing around us, and we need to pay attention.
badpenguin, who probably has more guitars than you and I combined [and we both have plenty], is absolutely right. Eastman and the upper end D'Angelicos will, $ for $, beat anything the Big 5 USA builders [Gibson, Fender, Rickenbacker, Gretsch, Guild] are doing domestically, with better detail and QC. Collings is doing it as well, although their price is much closer to the big guys, their dedication to quality sets them above.
Wilder still, some of the instruments coming out of Asia are as g