Home › Forums › Discuss Your Gear › Does it really matter if the guitar is made in America
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February 12, 2013 at 5:40 am #4552
For me, if it is a Fender, than yes, it does matter. Fender USA all the way for me. Now watch me go out and buy a Japanese Fender Stratocaster. LOL Of course you can only buy USA Gibson guitars these days, so for a Gibson I think it will always have to be a Made in the USA Gibson guitar.
I bought my daughter this Les Paul Jr. Epiphone, Chinese made for $99 at Guitar Center in Davenport Iowa. It’s really a nice guitar and she loves it. But just something about having the real USA deal for me that wants the real thing.
The melody of the notes is what expresses the art of music . 🙂 6stringerPete
It really is all about ”melody”. The melody comes from a language from our heart. Our heart is the muscle in music harmony. The melody is the sweetness that it pumps into our musical thoughts on the fretboard. 🙂 6 stringer Pete
Pete
Active Melody
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February 12, 2013 at 5:56 am #9669
I have an american deluxe strat it was my 1st very nice guitar ive ever had, and it is very nice ,i picked one up some where not sure if it was a squire or mim but there was no way you could have slid your hand up the neck with out the frets cutting you
on the other hand i did get an epiphone les paul through the Iowa lottery and it is very nice, its not gibson but i didnt give 2500 for it either. I think alot of it is the eye of the beholder, some of its funds,some times its hard to justify.but i guess it could be worse -
February 12, 2013 at 7:18 am #9676
That is a hard one to really answer for me. This is only my 2 cents worth. While I am close to 60 years old, I have owned a few guitars. As far as USA guitars, I have had a 1978 Flying V, made in the USA, great guitar never a problem with it. A Guild Starfire 4 like a ES 335. Like the V made in USA and got them used. Beautiful guitar. I had a Squire Tele from Korea, not bad at all.
I got new a Gibson The SG made in the USA, a total piece of junk. It must have been tested on a Friday or Monday. It never left the store. I swore I would never own a Gibson again. Then after a Vox Apollo, (made in Italy) got stolen, I got a Gibson Sonic. This is plastic/composite type of body guitar. Not sure were it was made. It was just ok nothing great. Hmmmmmmmm a few years ago I got an Alverez cutaway acoustic, (korea) killer guitar, and a Art and Luterie, made by Godin acoustic, Canada, super hot guitar.I now own a Tele, MIM and to tell you the truth it is cool. The next step up is a USA Tele. Is it perfect??????? Is the paint perfect???Is the neck to body super tight?????? To answer all three no, but close. For under $600. its a great guitar. After being around auto/bike painting and pinstriping, I can really pick something apart. I like how it feels and sounds.
I traded the Art and Luterie for a Deering Goodtime Banjo. It is made in the USA. Its a $500. openback 5 string, made in USA. I support stuff here and yes its cheap for being made here, but they have cut many corners, such as after three years the first four frets are shot, I don’t always play with a capo. It does not stay in tune to save my life. And the final thing is it has no truss rod. You can not put on different type gauges of strings, they have to be close to stock.
As far as amps I had a Fender Deluxe Reverb from the 60’s. It was cool until it had some serious issues. It was clean. I got tired of it and turned it on to a friend of mine. Yep bye bye. He later told me it cost $500. to get it right.
I just got a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe 3. Made in Mexico, and it blows me away. Tubes!!!!!!!!! 40 watts clean and dirty channel, yessssss. At least with something imported if you are playing somewhere, when some clown wants to mess with your stuff, tell them its imported and they will walk away.
The real best guitars I ever owned and never had to take back to a store?????? And ESP/Ltd bolt on neck Les Paul , $200. Never any issue at all. NONE. And the Art and Luterie.NONE I just don’t see the amount of money at this time.There are talented Craftsmen all over the world. I own a 98 Harley Super Glide, USA of course, and there is stuff on it that is imported as well. The thing is, if you like it, it doesn’t matter. Oh yeah one last thing, I had a Epiphone Resonater Guitar. Got it new in 94. Another one I am glad to trade off.It was a flawed guitar. Junk. The guys at the store had to be conned so I could get the Tele.
fresnojohns -
February 13, 2013 at 4:01 am #9689
I applaud companies that keep their manufacturing in the USA instead of going overseas with it.However, the downside is the same with buying a car from the Detroit Big 3 – few can afford the products.
Case in point – being a fan of Alvin Lee and Larry Carlton, I like the Gibson ES-335 really well. Can I afford one, even a used one? No. Instead I found a Peavey JF-1, new with a Epi case from a local dealer for $375 tax, title and clean bill of sale. Great workmanship and sound for that price.
Look at a G&L sometime and you see Leo’s commitment to quality. Interesting about G&L, their cheaper bread & butter line called Tribute use all of the same hardware and electronics as the USA except that it is built in Asia. The guitars are shipped into the G&L California factory where they are are set up by G&L techs. Great value and since many people have to have the Fender name on the headstock, you can find used G&L tributes in new condition for about half price. One word of caution: if you play a G&L with an open mind, you may never consider a Fender product again. Yes, they are that good!
If money wasn’t an object, I would own several of Paul Reed Smith’s guitars. Go to their website and look at the quality, again its like Leo’s, total commitment to quality, it is totally amazing to see the detail and the extent of perfectionism that goes into their products. I don’t $1500 to spend on one of them let alone $30,000 as some of them are priced. I just bought a PRS body and set neck and slowly going to build one. Probably be as close as I will ever get to a PRS but I am still fascinated with the quality that goes into their products
As my friend FresnoJohn would say, just my 2 cents worth
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February 13, 2013 at 4:35 am #9692
Its all what we like. Many of us here are in the age group of 18 to I hope 70 years of age. I know I am getting to the 60 mark. There are more guitars and amps than the Big Three of companies.
Fender is doing what G & L has been doing. Aside from guitars made in Japan and Europe, Fender has the second in line stuff made in Mexico. About a few hundred miles from my place. Stuff is made and assembled in Mexico then back to Corona or Scottsdale and tested and reshipped. I love my Tele. It is bone stock. The new tube amp I just got is the same. Some componets are still made in the USA but put together accross the line, then back again.I love this amp. If I had the money, I would buy G & L guitars instead of Fender. I agree with Keith. They are sweet.
ESP and Fernandes, and also Ibanez are so hot. I played a Fernandes that blew my Flying V away. PRS is a work of art……Have you had the pleasure of a Gretsch or a Rickenbacker ?????? Unbelievable. They are perfect. After going on a tour of Fender in 1967-8, it is mind boggling as what they can do.
In those days they destroyed a guitar if it wasn’t made right…..Things have changed alot.
fresnojohns -
February 13, 2013 at 5:43 am #9696
I have 2 usa fenders and a mexican 40th anniversary Strat, I have gigged with the Mexican Strat for almost 20 years and in my humble opinion it is everybit as good as my usa ones, The only problem I have had is I have twiced replaced the pickup switch due to it crackling everytime I changed pickups,The only other thing wrong which is only wear and tear is the laquer has brocken up a bit on the back of the guitar arm but that is only cosmetic and due to the amount of playing it has had,I put it up for sale once and cancelled the deal on the last minute,So its now with me for the rest of my days…………Alex
http://soundclick.com/groundy
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February 14, 2013 at 1:26 am #9704
My guitar is made in the U.S.A. it is a $135 Peavey Falcon I bought obviously used at a pawn shop. Point is if your on a budget you can find an entry level guitar made domestically for a few hundred dollars or less, somewhere, if not the pawn shop then e-bay. I’ve had a lot of passing fancies and in case this guitar playing turned out to be another one, I tried to keep it cheap. It doesn’t have to be U.S.A. for me, it could be from Canada, I hear they’ve procuced a few good guitars. Let’s not do like everything else in America and see if we can get China to make it so everybody can afford one. Having a guitar I could afford because it was made by people who work in sweat shops would bother me while I was trying to play. Look at how many products on the shelves are made in China. Staple products of the American diet:cookware, clothing, footwear,bicycles, you name it. Most people worry about going to war with China, I don’t. I’m afraid they’ll get mad at us an stop the flow of barges. That may seem ridiculous to you, but think about that real good, what would REALLY be the consequences of that action. I don’t fault people for trying to enjoy their time on this earth, being frugal at times, but if you can afford it, and you be the judge of that, don’t hold back. If life is treating you right, spread the love.
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February 14, 2013 at 3:00 am #9705
@droidlizard wrote:
My guitar is made in the U.S.A. it is a $135 Peavey Falcon I bought obviously used at a pawn shop. Point is if your on a budget you can find an entry level guitar made domestically for a few hundred dollars or less, somewhere, if not the pawn shop then e-bay. I’ve had a lot of passing fancies and in case this guitar playing turned out to be another one, I tried to keep it cheap. It doesn’t have to be U.S.A. for me, it could be from Canada, I hear they’ve procuced a few good guitars. Let’s not do like everything else in America and see if we can get China to make it so everybody can afford one. Having a guitar I could afford because it was made by people who work in sweat shops would bother me while I was trying to play. Look at how many products on the shelves are made in China. Staple products of the American diet:cookware, clothing, footwear,bicycles, you name it. Most people worry about going to war with China, I don’t. I’m afraid they’ll get mad at us an stop the flow of barges. That may seem ridiculous to you, but think about that real good, what would REALLY be the consequences of that action. I don’t fault people for trying to enjoy their time on this earth, being frugal at times, but if you can afford it, and you be the judge of that, don’t hold back. If life is treating you right, spread the love.
You know I live on this side of the ocean and all I see is made in China, and food stuff (frozen vegetables that are used in all restaurants here) We have what they call 100 yen shops, now because prices are increasing in China, they now sell 200 yen and 300 yen stuff, which is about 2 dollars and 3 dollars. The days of cheap Chinese goods are numbered I feel because of the high cost of shipping, which is said to increase drastically in the upcoming years. I’ve played Chinese high yen Epiphone Les Pauls by Gibson here and I can only say one is paying for the name and not the quality. Way over priced for what you get.
The melody of the notes is what expresses the art of music . 🙂 6stringerPete
It really is all about ”melody”. The melody comes from a language from our heart. Our heart is the muscle in music harmony. The melody is the sweetness that it pumps into our musical thoughts on the fretboard. 🙂 6 stringer Pete
Pete
Active Melody
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February 14, 2013 at 3:28 am #9706
@groundy wrote:
I have 2 usa fenders and a mexican 40th anniversary Strat, I have gigged with the Mexican Strat for almost 20 years and in my humble opinion it is everybit as good as my usa ones, The only problem I have had is I have twiced replaced the pickup switch due to it crackling everytime I changed pickups, …………Alex
If you have a guitar that is crackling when you change pickup selection, before having it replaced, make a trip to Radio Shack and get some contact cleaner. They sell a brand called DeoxIT®/DeoxIT Gold® Spray, comes in a Twin Pack for $20. This is a really good product that not only cleans the contacts but lubricates and puts a protective coating on the contacts. They have other cleaners that are a little cheaper but this brand does a better job.
Here’s the link: http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2104746&locale=en_US
Very easy to use – insert the straw into the spray nozzle, put the switch in position 1 or 5 on a Strat, Rhythm or Treble on a Tele or a Gibson, give it couple of short bursts and work the switch back and forth a few times. Repeat this a couple of times and you should be good to go.
One note to keep in mind, wrap a rag or paper towel around the switch in case it may try to blow back on you or on the guitar. Typically this stuff won’t harm the finish but it does leave a little residue on the finish.
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February 14, 2013 at 4:30 am #9709
Thanks for the link, I will give it a try.
http://soundclick.com/groundy
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February 19, 2013 at 12:46 am #9794
With the way our country is going we should be buying everything and anything that’s MADE IN THE USA. I LOVE MY PRS guitars, masa boogie amps I have gibsons,fenders made in the USA. There is some good imported guitars. But with Gibson,PRS,fender,sully,Fano,alembic,bolin,brian Moore,gmp,grosh,hallmark,knaggs,mcnaught,Michael turtle,Nash,pensa,tom Anderson,TV Jones,Wayne just to name a few so why buy guitars anywhere but the USA. We need to bring manufacturing back to our country.
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February 19, 2013 at 2:02 am #9798
I have to be careful here because this forum isn’t the place for politics.
I agree wholeheartedly that we need to bring manufacturing back to the USA. I lost my job last year directly related to outsourcing so I know first hand on this issue.
However, the musical instrument industry has gone down the same path as the automakers. People can’t afford to buy new cars that would keep the assembly lines humming. Being in that financial position pushes me into 2 categories: 1) I drive a vehicle as long as possible and 2) when I buy a car, I buy a used one. Whether you buy a foreign or domestic, if it is a used vehicle, the US factories lose the revenue from sales.
The same is true for Gibson, Fender, PRS, Peavey, etc. As I’ve mentioned before, I love the 335. But I have a copy sold by Peavey was made in China because I can’t afford a Gibson. The Peavey is wonderful quality instrument that is as good as I need. Place this guitar in the hands of an experienced player without knowledge of the brand name, the Peavey JF-1 EX would surprise people.
I have a Peavey Classic 50 410 that is 20 years old and has plenty of scars from gigging. Its as tough as nails and i have less than $300 in it? Trade it in because its not new and shiny? Don’t think so. If anything happened to it, I would buy another without reservation – but it would be a used one. Hartley Peavey, even though he keeps much of the building of his amps here in the US, wouldn’t get any money from my purchase of a replacement amp. And the same point applies – if I buy a used Gibson or a used Ibanez, it doesn’t feed any money to the US company
Trust me, I would have 2 or 3 PRS in my arsenal but I can’t afford them, even used.
So without going into politics on the how and why, which is not what this forum is about, in my most humble opinion, there is the reason that people buy imports instead of domestics. They just can’t afford them
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February 19, 2013 at 2:10 am #9799
I live overseas and I still want to buy USA products.
by the way politicial threads as far as I know are ok, I don’t delete them so don’t worry about posting musical political treads. I enjoy reading them!
The melody of the notes is what expresses the art of music . 🙂 6stringerPete
It really is all about ”melody”. The melody comes from a language from our heart. Our heart is the muscle in music harmony. The melody is the sweetness that it pumps into our musical thoughts on the fretboard. 🙂 6 stringer Pete
Pete
Active Melody
Forum Moderator -
March 26, 2013 at 9:54 pm #10315
I have a reissue of the Mexican made strat lonestar deluxe recently purchased, and I have to say it is a great guitar.
Also I have a Chevy strat made in korea and about thirty years old and the only difference is that the chevy has a slightly brighter sound without any added sounds from a tube amp, in short they are both really good bits of kit. -
March 27, 2013 at 11:23 am #10318
@Bluezhawk wrote:
I applaud companies that keep their manufacturing in the USA instead of going overseas with it.However, the downside is the same with buying a car from the Detroit Big 3 – few can afford the products.
Case in point – being a fan of Alvin Lee and Larry Carlton, I like the Gibson ES-335 really well. Can I afford one, even a used one? No. Instead I found a Peavey JF-1, new with a Epi case from a local dealer for $375 tax, title and clean bill of sale. Great workmanship and sound for that price.
Look at a G&L sometime and you see Leo’s commitment to quality. Interesting about G&L, their cheaper bread & butter line called Tribute use all of the same hardware and electronics as the USA except that it is built in Asia. The guitars are shipped into the G&L California factory where they are are set up by G&L techs. Great value and since many people have to have the Fender name on the headstock, you can find used G&L tributes in new condition for about half price. One word of caution: if you play a G&L with an open mind, you may never consider a Fender product again. Yes, they are that good!
If money wasn’t an object, I would own several of Paul Reed Smith’s guitars. Go to their website and look at the quality, again its like Leo’s, total commitment to quality, it is totally amazing to see the detail and the extent of perfectionism that goes into their products. I don’t $1500 to spend on one of them let alone $30,000 as some of them are priced. I just bought a PRS body and set neck and slowly going to build one. Probably be as close as I will ever get to a PRS but I am still fascinated with the quality that goes into their products
As my friend FresnoJohn would say, just my 2 cents worth
there are a lot of differances in the tribute and the american made guitars in the G&L line
at least the new ones anyway
the tribute uses Leo designed g&l MFD single coil pickups where the USA uses Paul Gagon speced Alnico pickups
the tribute has a 9” radius on the neck
the USA’s most have a 12” radius
the tribute has a med c shape neck
the USA has many different shapes and sizes,C-U-and a V in slim,wide,moderen,or vintage
the USA;s neck are Plek dressed, which is a computerized system that analysis the frets and dresses them to perfectly level playing surface, it also cuts the 100% natural bone nut with precise depth
they also use different tuners the tribute uses an 18:1 closed back and the USA’s use a 15:1 closed back
I guess you just have to play each one and see if the differances are important to you
I have been looking at these guitars since i seen your post on them, i had never heard of them untill then
it seems you can buy a new tribute for about the same price as a MIM Fender and you can buy a new USA one for about the same price as a USA Fender.
I did see a tribute at a store and picked it up and played it. i didnt plug it in and it seemed to play well, it was the dark walnut stain which was very cool color i thought. I would like to have the 2 of them side by side and play them plugged in.you dont find alot of G&L’s in the stores to try not around here anyway. there are 3 or 4 in a store about 250 miles from me.it seems with the USA’s you can order them and customize them also, with color,necks,pick ups ect. but then the of course the price goes up.I have been wanting a Fender American standard tele for a while now, but i might be leaning towards the G&L asat. time will tell
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