Epiphone

[Thomse]

What are your thoughts on Asian built guitars . I see that as we go along they just keep getting better . Is there going to be a time were they are going to be some of the best guitars made . I have a lot of guitars USA made and Asian made . I like them both

[capmaster]

Well, I think it has a lot to do with attitude and elaborateness of the particular workers. In case there's due diligence through the entire process from initial wood treatment to buffing, excellent quality is the result.

 

More than half of my guitars are US made, followed by Mexico, Japan, China, Indonesia and Germany. The statement "The Ultimate Expression Of Craftmanship" on a 1980s Ibanez headstock in fact applies most to Japanese instruments. These are closest to perfection, and I talk things beyond adjustment or replacing nuts here. None of the others come close, and this persists after rework, too.

[kidblast]

Is there going to be a time were they are going to be some of the best guitars made

 

it's not unachievable. as Cap says, what the Japan factories were doing 20 years ago, (and pretty much continue to do) proves that point.

 

We all know what happened in previous eras, when the USA makers got complacent and the Japanese factories were kicking their collective arses all over the market

 

materials, wood sources, hardware, electronics... sure,, they all matter, but you can see a staggering improvement with the imports over the last ~10 years, there is no mistaking it. MIK, MIC, MII imports are WAY better than they used to be, seems they are continuing to improve by the year.

 

Can we say the same for the USA flagship companies? based on stuff I see, just in these forums with some of the stories we've all read, I'm not so sure.

[Red 333]

Some of the finest instruments in the world are made in China--pianos, violins, and guitars. Ever seen an Eastman?

 

The only reason we tend to think of them as lesser in quality is because the brands and Asian-built models we tend to know well are marketed, designed, and built to sold at an affordable price, relative to US and European brands. In order for the manufacturers to produce profitably for their intended selling price, they can't spend as much time on the building process or use the same materials as a guitar meant to be sold for more. The Chinese are certainly more than capable of building a Martin or Gibson or Fender quality instrument at an equal price-point. They almost do now, at a fraction of the price.

 

Red 333

[Thomse]

Some of the finest instruments in the world are made in China--pianos, violins, and guitars. Ever seen an Eastman?

 

The only reason we tend to think of them as lesser in quality is because the brands and Asian-built models we tend to know well are marketed, designed, and built to sold at an affordable price, relative to US and European brands. In order for the manufacturers to produce profitably for their intended selling price, they can't spend as much time on the building process or use the same materials as a guitar meant to be sold for more. The Chinese are certainly more than capable of building a Martin or Gibson or Fender quality instrument at an equal price-point. They almost do now, at a fraction of the price.

 

Red 333

I know china has been building string instruments longer then the USA

[milod]

yeah, China has had stringed instruments long before anyone literate knew there would be an "America" in any sense.

 

I have an Eastman archtop. It's quite nice. Not in ways the equal of an ES175 but as a player, doggone close.

 

My Epis, flattops and semis, are far better than they get credit for being.

 

A lot of traditional Chinese/Japanese/Korean stringed instruments have been awfully crude; some works of art. It all depends on the type of instrument and the maker. Ain't changed much in a cupla thousand years.

 

Right now the Epi even at the lower end is far, far better than instruments with similar lesser price from Gib/Martin/Fender were back in the late '50s and '60s, at least IMHO. A $100 Epi today is far better than a $100 guitar that I can recall from '63 without adjustment for inflation.

 

My guess is that if the world trade situation continues more or less as it is, we'll see improvements in mid-range instruments and potentially more countries with growing guitar traditions adding to the low end of prices.

 

The thing is, I question some measures of "quality" in any instrument that is reliable, acoustic, AE or electric. To me the playability for a given player is far more important than the brand on the headstock or price tag. Neck shape, scale, nut width, bridge width, and proper setup with the player's choice of strings, all are major factors too often, IMHO, ignored.

 

Frankly I'm far less concerned with bling and finish than I am on reliability whether it's an acoustic or whether there's electric stuff on a guitar. And that's a matter of materials and workmanship.

 

m