Gibson Guitar Board: dylanseeger - Viewing Profile - Gibson Guitar Board

It's not as much of a question really as it is a discussion. In the guitar world, if it's made in America, be it Les Pauls, Strats, Teles, anything, really, it's almost always considered superior to something like, say, an Epiphone (I've got an LP Standard) that's made in Indonesia, or China, or Korea, or a Fender Made in Mexico model. While, in tech, everything is made in Asia, China, usually. And at the top is Apple. Apple is what is often considered the highest in quality when it comes to tech, but it's all made in China. Why is an instrument such as an Epiphone considered so much lower in quality? It's cheaper than an American-made Fender Strat, and we're talking about a guitar with bindings and a chambered and carved mahogany body and neck with a maple top, I mean, is that really worth less than a guitar with none of that (I'm not dissing the Strat, but I mean, a lot more does go into making an LP, by design).

And also, how much of it has to do with the name on the headstock? I mean, don't get me wrong, if people suddenly started buying my records and/or I got a steady flow of decent income I'd by a Gibson Les Paul Standard and maybe a couple Stratocasters in a heartbeat, but I don't see that happening anytime soon. Does American craftsmanship really add $2,000+ to the price tag of a guitar that is (more or less) very, very similar? Does Asian craftsmanship really mean that an instrument should be thought less of? Does it mean than an iPhone or a Mac should be considered of lower quality?