houndman55 Posted October 18, 2014 Share Posted October 18, 2014 Hey, Are there any current models standard wise that are still made in Korea? I heard they're supposed to have better qualit than the chinese ones. How about limited editions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barcham Posted October 18, 2014 Share Posted October 18, 2014 Korean made guitars are of no better or worse quality than those made in China or Indonesia or other Asian factory. You can get a gem or a dog no matter where a guitar was made, even if it was made in the US. And yes, some models are still being made in Korea as well as Indonesia. To know where a particular guitar was made, you will have to check the serial number or the made in XXXXX sticker on the back of the guitar. Most signature models and the Tribute Plus models are made in the Epiphone Qingdao factory in China. A guitar should be judged on it's own merits, not on where it was made. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeffery Smith Posted October 18, 2014 Share Posted October 18, 2014 The Joe Pass Emperor is made in Korea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dale6122jr Posted October 28, 2014 Share Posted October 28, 2014 The ES-175 Premium is a limited edition made in Korea. Great guitar with Gibson Classic '57 humbuckers. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rct Posted October 28, 2014 Share Posted October 28, 2014 The ES-175 Premium is a limited edition made in Korea. Great guitar with Gibson Classic '57 humbuckers. :) Me too! rct Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobouz Posted October 28, 2014 Share Posted October 28, 2014 The Joe Pass Emperor is made in Korea. I believe some are now made in Indonesia. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidblast Posted October 29, 2014 Share Posted October 29, 2014 my only Epi's are a hand full of Archtops for example, I think the Broadway's are still MIK afaik.. otho, I know the Swingsters (which are based on the Joe Pass) come from multiple countries of oring. I've got one that came from Indo, and it's really quite nice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobouz Posted October 30, 2014 Share Posted October 30, 2014 The ES-175 Premium is a limited edition made in Korea. Great guitar with Gibson Classic '57 humbuckers. I looked at one of those a few weeks ago. It's being built by Unsung in Korea, same as my 2010 Nick Valensi Riviera, which also came with Gibson pickups (P94s). So Epiphone still turns to Korean jobbers from time to time, and it generally seems to involve their higher end products. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barcham Posted October 30, 2014 Share Posted October 30, 2014 I looked at one of those a few weeks ago. It's being built by Unsung in Korea, same as my 2010 Nick Valensi Riviera, which also came with Gibson pickups (P94s). So Epiphone still turns to Korean jobbers from time to time, and it generally seems to involve their higher end products. Epiphone never stopped making guitars in Korea and Indonesia. Many models of Les Paul and others are made in these factories. The only models that seem to be exclusive to their Qingdao, China factory are the Tribute Plus and the various signature models they put out which are their top of the line products, save for the occasional Elitist model that they produce in Japan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobouz Posted October 30, 2014 Share Posted October 30, 2014 Epiphone never stopped making guitars in Korea and Indonesia. As is well documented, Epiphone turned to Korean manufacturers in the early '80s, contracting with Samick, Peerless, Saein, and Unsung for the vast majority of their production. I think the point here is that Korean production has been reduced to a trickle of what it once was. Indonesian production is a relatively new thing, at least from the stand point of Epiphone labeled instruments being imported into the USA. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Versatile Posted October 30, 2014 Share Posted October 30, 2014 All valid points... IMO though...rightly or wrongly... :blink: There is an ongoing drive to minimise production costs to permit 'static' or even reducing sale prices for mass produced guitars (and other instruments)... Therefore the 'chase me charlie' game is played searching for lower and lower labour costs whilst hopefully maintaining acceptable quality... <_< The appetite for attractive shiny guitars with big name cachet at bargain prices is voracious... :blink: V Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L8_4thesh0w Posted October 30, 2014 Share Posted October 30, 2014 Building them in Indonesia is likely also to further reduce production costs by limiting or eliminating the fees for importing wood products. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobouz Posted October 30, 2014 Share Posted October 30, 2014 It's been a low-buck barnstorming tour around the pacific rim since 1970, with of course some notable exceptions like the Terada-made instruments. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dannoh Posted April 30, 2021 Share Posted April 30, 2021 I have an Epiphone aj200s.. it also has a Gibson tab on the headstock. I can't seem to locate this model online anywhere but have found a guitar that looks exactly like it, but only says AJ on the tab at the headstock. And anybody lead me to this model it is Korean made. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larsongs Posted May 3, 2021 Share Posted May 3, 2021 I have some MIC & Korean built Epi Casinos. The Peerless built Korean Guitars are far better built quality than Chinese & Indonesian. The Peerless come close to Terada Japan built Guitars.. What they lack are some of the high quality USA components like USA Pickups & better Bigsby’s.. MIC’s are quite good though...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cunningham26 Posted May 5, 2021 Share Posted May 5, 2021 Years later this fight rages on- i agree with the post above that with epiphone, there are dogs and gems depending on each individual guitar. that said, having owned a few 90s epiphones and a few more recent ones, the MIC ones feel a little more dipped in poly than the MIKs or Indonesians. There's a very real thickness and in some cases a tackiness to them that really breaks from what people like. Total personal opinion, ymmv. i for one also try to avoid buying MIC products generally, and i think a lot of the quality questions can also have that charge to them as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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