Thundergod Posted December 19, 2009 Share Posted December 19, 2009 I have only played one PRS and it did not connect with me' date=' I see good features but don't care for the overall package. [/quote'] I feel the same way... and I bet you most gibson owners do Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thundergod Posted December 19, 2009 Share Posted December 19, 2009 What's your opinion on Mexican made Fender Strats? Do you see those as copies? Do you think their quality is on par with US made Fender Strats? I know you didn't as me' date=' but I think fender is a completely different thing... and I think their USA line is really better than the mexican stuff, I don't consider the mexican stuff copies, I consider them epis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie brown Posted December 19, 2009 Share Posted December 19, 2009 Especially, since they "borrowed" Gibson designs, save the headstock, in the first place. Hey, that's cool, I guess...but, I'd rather have/play the originals...any day. But, that's just me... CB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deepblue Posted December 19, 2009 Share Posted December 19, 2009 As for the flame top - yeah, you get hosed. WE, got hosed. lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Plains Posted December 19, 2009 Share Posted December 19, 2009 Yes, WE did...but at least you only got hosed once! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeoConMan Posted December 20, 2009 Share Posted December 20, 2009 Mexican Fenders are often very near the American models in quality since they share some parts. Used to be anyway. Seems production in Mexico has grown to include more of their product lines. Everybody I know with Mexican Fenders has told me they were very happy with them. Back to PRS - that's the most expensive guitar I own and I waited over two years to get it. Long story.... Was it worth it? Well, it's a stunning guitar to behold, plays like a dream, top-notch quality. But it really doesn't excite me. If I want a Les Paul sound, I grab a Les Paul. If I want a Strat sound, I grab a Strat. The PRS works and sounds great, but it's not really distinctive. I know several guys who gig regularly with them, including the band I play with now and then. Saves hauling around a bunch of different guitars to achieve a variety of tones. Still, how can such a phenomenal guitar fail to excite the senses? I dunno, but I've heard that said many times. And their cheap-*** import line is actually a very well made guitar judging by the few I've played and what my dealer tells me about the ones he sells. They NEVER come back - not for repairs, not because of buyers remorse... Gibson/Epiphone doesn't quite measure up I'm afraid, but I still love my Gibsons. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluzhammer Posted December 20, 2009 Share Posted December 20, 2009 Here's my 2 pennies worth..... I own several different brands and have just recently bought an SC-250 ( PRS ). To me my guitars are like my children, they are all uniquely different and I love each one for what it is. Do they have souls or not ? That's a matter of perspective and as subjective a subject as tone. I believe the player is the one that imparts the soulful qualities into his instrument with his hands, amplifier, pedals or whatever the player chooses to use. I rarely complain about the price of a guitar, I will however complain when quality doesn't equate with the price paid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riffster Posted December 20, 2009 Author Share Posted December 20, 2009 What's your opinion on Mexican made Fender Strats? Do you see those as copies? Do you think their quality is on par with US made Fender Strats? I do not see them as copies, they do have the Fender logo even if made overseas. Even if a technicality a brand is a brand to a lot of people. I know they are at par with the USA line, even after they have expanded their Mexican line to include more models in recent years like Neo says. THAT is kind of my point, PRS and Fender have affordable lines made overseas, with their brand on them. I am 100% sure they do not compare to their USA lines, but do having those lines save them from people complaining about their prices?. I own a 2005 American Stratocaster, at the time I was looking for a Strat I tried the Mexican version and simply did not care for the quality at all, the Mexican Telecaster was a better made model than the Strat I thought. I kept looking and ended up finding a store going out of business, got my brand new American Strat for $740 including tax. I really like the neck on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lowdown Posted December 20, 2009 Share Posted December 20, 2009 In hear some complaints about pricing. Be VERY rarely about quality issues. Been drinkin agen mate... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lowdown Posted December 20, 2009 Share Posted December 20, 2009 I know you didn't as me' date=' but I think fender is a completely different thing... and I think their USA line is really better than the mexican stuff, I don't consider the mexican stuff copies, I consider them epis [lol'] Why? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deepblue Posted December 20, 2009 Share Posted December 20, 2009 Mexican Fenders are often very near the American models in quality since they share some parts.Used to be anyway. Seems production in Mexico has grown to include more of their product lines. I agree except for one area. MIM electronics are garbage. My 70's style MIM was a sweet guitar. The only thing holding her back was cheap pups. I gutted it and had Texas Specials put in.....Very nice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeoConMan Posted December 20, 2009 Share Posted December 20, 2009 I had the opposite experience. The '72 Tele Deluxe reissues from a couple years back were made in Mexico. I kinda liked the guitar, but I just couldn't go for a Mexican product. Trying to find an original was fruitless - they were $2k or more on Ebay. I found out that the humbuckers in them were USA-made so I bought a pair and built my Strat (pics in link below) with a new Highway One neck and used American Alder body. I used Gibson pots and switch though, so I can't speak for the wiring in the Fenders. Easy to imagine there may be some shortcuts. I guess my point is that the differences between the Mexican and American Fender lines can be tough to see sometimes, while Gibson and Epiphone are usually as different as night and day. I know it angers some Epi owners when I say so, but I truly consider the majority of the Epi line to simply be cheap Oriental counterfeits. Too often it seems the only difference between Epi and the other fakes is that Gibson makes a profit on the Epiphones. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rocky4 Posted December 20, 2009 Share Posted December 20, 2009 I don't complain because they're butt ugly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dem00n Posted December 20, 2009 Share Posted December 20, 2009 I don't complain because they're butt ugly. Thank you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silenced Fred Posted December 20, 2009 Share Posted December 20, 2009 Odd statement here: One of the things that I don't care for in PRS is their perfectness, it just seems too right This may sound odd, but I want to know that they are handmade, and to me, the PRS' don't feel that way with the precision they are built to. I like my Studio, it has a small nick in the neck, but I know it is mine, I like the way it feels. Same thing with a 335 I played, it felt like a guitar should, like a piece of wood, but more. To me, I want a guitar that has character, and Gibson and some Fenders, just speak to me. I love PRS, if I had the coin to drop, I might, but that would be after a 335, a 339 and a Strat. I am probably an idiot anyways, but who cares? It is the internet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duende Posted December 21, 2009 Share Posted December 21, 2009 One of my favourite guitars is my Unsung Epiphone Sheraton 2. Here she is in action recently (I am plugging it because it has climbed to no 12 in the soundclick chart!) I love this guitar as much as my $$$$$ ones. I hope you enjoy (top track-I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles) http://soundclick.com/share?songid=8384643 Matt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lowdown Posted December 21, 2009 Share Posted December 21, 2009 Matt, that link to your Soundclick page is brown bread mate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duende Posted December 21, 2009 Share Posted December 21, 2009 ha ha fixed. Brown bread; love it[cool] Matt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duende Posted December 21, 2009 Share Posted December 21, 2009 I really respect the pricing and quality of MIM, MIA and MIJ Fenders. All quality instruments[cool] My love affair though is with Fender Japan; if anyone reading has not tried a CIJ or older MIJ Fender; it is highly recommended. The story of Fender Japan was that in the 80's after several years of quality control issues by Fender USA, the team paid a visit to their Japanese factory to take a look at how they were making their re-issues. They were so impressed, legend has it that they actually cried[biggrin] , as the quality and attention to detail was so high, it made them sad that the Fender USA brand had lost it's way so much. ????????!(Japanese Guitars rock!) Matt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hector Arcadius Posted December 21, 2009 Share Posted December 21, 2009 As a general comment, IMHO we all get to pay ''Brand'' logos everywhere in our lives. Even if we are talking guitars, cars, refrigerators, what have you... I have played Korean made PRS. Really nice work, except than the electronics. They are generally more expensive than Epis and they usually have bolt-on necks, instead of set-in, which is a costly process. So, as far as I'm concerned, I find them overpriced. Compared to Epis, at least. BTW, if you swap the electronics / pick-ups, you come to something more expensive than a Gibson Les Paul Studio! Their only reason of their existense is the fact that american-made PRS are so un-approachable instruments! They are considered (and actually are) hign-end, therefore people who want to buy them they actually want them to be expensive, in order to separate them from the rest players. And in mye eyes, they offer more eye-candy than ''soul'' in a player's hands. Although I can agree that Gibson are overpriced as well, I have to admit that Gibson policy is more ''honest'' n the subject. They offer really nice import guitars on very reasonable prices, with lots of options. If you can afford more, there is the American-made models, really great but pricey instruments. And if you have cash to burn, there is the Custom Shop. Finally, although many guys regard American-made Fenders to be great-instruments I can only say that I have played Indonesian-made G&Ls and Korean-made ESP/LTDs that blow them out of the water! I saw this LTD at my buddy's music store the other day. Horizon-shape, white color, EMG 81-85s, Floyd Rose, neck & headstock binding, set-neck and a bad-*** metal attitude. It costs as much as my Studio does and I find this to be a very faire pricing, according to what it offers. And a set-up, like it came from the Gibson Custom Shop. If I could afford it, I wouldn't have left the place without it... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeoConMan Posted December 21, 2009 Share Posted December 21, 2009 The story of Fender Japan in the 80's quality control issues by Fender USA the Fender USA brand had lost it's way so much. ????????!(Japanese Guitars rock!) At the end of the CBS Era' date=' the "American" Fenders were made in Japan. There was about a year in '85-'86 where Fender had no US production capability, so there was a rush to import guitars to fill the void in the market. Once the company was bought out and reorganized, the plan was to get back to basics concerning the legacy designs and their long history - give people what they paid for in other words. The Japanese guitars had been top-notch anyway, but it was undeniable at that point. You guys outside the USA have to realize the difference in the [b']American perspective[/b]. We have two choices - American made guitars and imports. The primary difference is price. Oh, you can read all the marketing hype and believe it if you want. It's price. At its most basic, American is good stuff and worth the money. Import stuff is brought in solely for low price, so is the quality suffering to deliver the price? Every guitar imported by Gibson, Brand F, or any other American company is done to control cost - end of story. Fender blurred this a little with its plant in Ensenada, Mexico. It's only 100 miles away from their American production facility in Corona, California. When that first opened, the story I heard was that the Environmental Protection Agency and California regulators were cracking down on VOC's from painting - it was true with the American car makers who were struggling to put quality finishes on a new car that would last more than a year... So, move across the border where nobody cares and you don't have to purchase near as much new $$$$$ painting isolation and capture equipment for the remaining American production. Those of you living overseas are buying stuff imported from everywhere, so the stigma isn't there. You buy expensive imported stuff, as well as cheap imported stuff. The differences in price are not the same either, so market comparisons are different. It pains me to see Japanese guitars dismissed by gear snobs (worse than ME!) as second-tier products. In my experience, there's nothing further from the truth. Once you head over to Korea, things start to head south. China, Indonesia, etc? Forget it. I'll keep my money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murph Posted December 21, 2009 Share Posted December 21, 2009 You guys outside the USA have to realize the difference in the American perspective. We have two choices - American made guitars and imports. Those of you living overseas are buying stuff imported from everywhere' date=' so the stigma isn't there. You buy expensive imported stuff, as well as cheap imported stuff. [/quote'] Very good point, Neo. As usual. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sailjunkie Posted December 21, 2009 Share Posted December 21, 2009 I've got the el cheapo Korean made SE Custom, and, dammit...it's a nice guitar for the price I paid!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pohatu771 Posted December 21, 2009 Share Posted December 21, 2009 They are generally more expensive than Epis and they usually have bolt-on necks' date=' instead of set-in, which is a costly process. So, as far as I'm concerned, I find them overpriced.[/quote'] I'm not sure where this statement keeps coming from. None of the currently-offered PRS SE models have bolt-on necks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeoConMan Posted December 21, 2009 Share Posted December 21, 2009 But if you wanna pay double, you can get an American CE with a bolt-on neck... [crying]/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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