Made in ???
Marc Johnson | Sep 13, 2012 | Comments 5
When the new 2012 G&L Legacy Tribute models walked in the door, everybody had to stare really hard at the headstock to make sure that the guitar wasn’t a USA model. When we compared it to a USA version of the same guitar hanging on the wall, the only thing distinguishing the cherry-red Tribute from its big brother was a mint-green pickguard.
Fans of TheToneKing.com will remember that not long ago I did a brief series of vids called “On the Mark” where I talked about the differences between manufacturer’s ‘top-shelf’ brands and their counterparts. Well, since then, they have become harder to tell apart.
ESP and LTD have been doing it for a long time. Aside from some dramatic cosmetic differences, the ESP and LTD lines are essentially the same guitars.
Fender has always been somewhat of an enigma in this regard. I know guys that swear up and down that Mexican-made Strats play way better than their American-made counterparts. Of course, the Japanese Strats aren’t bad, but the Korean and Indonesian models are one step above firewood.
Gibson seemed to learn their lesson back in the 80’s and 90’s when players were forsaking the Gibson label for their less expensive Epiphone counterpart. Since then, Epi’s don’t seem to be nearly the same quality.
PRS still keeps a schism between PRS and SE’s. There’s a huge difference between the two in everything from feel to finish. The one caveat is that the quality of the SE’s is almost too good for an import guitar.
Other manufacturers are taking advantage of the increase in quality of their import brands. Little known companies like Garrison Guitars are significantly raising the prices of their guitars, some even by 100%.
It makes me wonder if the Made in the USA thing is going to matter much in the next couple of years. When they were talking about releasing their IPO, Fender had mentioned that they were going to significantly concentrate on emerging markets in China and India. I know that these countries are always going to have a demand for US made guitars, but the price of a US made Fender is way out of the range of your average Chinese or Indian citizen. Were they contemplating flooding these markets with cheaper guitars?
There’s no debating that the shift in manufacturing is moving away from the US. Even companies like US Music aren’t manufacturing as much in the US anymore. But does that mean that the US guitar is going to become scarce? Or are their Japanese or Korean counterparts going to be just as good?
I have no idea how G&L is planning on selling one guitar for over $1,000 dollars when you can get one that’s almost as good for half the price. Hell, I have no idea how any of these companies are going to approach the whole globalization thing in the next couple of years. Either way, things are definitely going to change. It’ll be interesting to find out what the future of gear will be and what the US’s place will be.
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Filed Under: Commentary / Editorials • Featured • Guitars • Press • Reference
My guess is that Asian made guitars are going to go up in price. We’ve already seen increases, whether it’s good old inflation or a deliberate strategy on the part of the guitar companies. Soon enough we’ll be paying USA prices for Asian made guitars.
I sort of thought your article was meant to have a bit more focus into what the main theme that you started out with about G&L’s guitars and the pricing of USA models and the much cheaper but affordable and yet still very playable guitars. Dude the other ones are made in Korea or elsewhere. If you think the retail price or Street price or even what might be the MAP prices on these are far apart. Then I would hope that you’d realize that to the dealer selling the imported models are also getting a very nice discount structure from the LIST or companies list price.
However it seems you went and took a left turn and started to talk about how great PRS’s SE guitars are.
As well as you say that Fender’s Squire or even Fender’s models made in the far east are Fire Wood??? Man are you dead wrong. I mean it’s your own opinion but even the Modern Player models by Fender that are made in China say Fender on the headstocks. Plus they are pretty freaking awesome.
I tend to agree with you about the LTD/ESP models though these days as it’s hard to pay more for the guitar that has ESP on the headstock.
What I’d like to say here is that it really is tough to find a real crummy made guitar these days for under $200 bucks especially if it has the Squire by Fender or Epiphone by Gibson names on the headstocks.
So not only do the country of origin’s profit for making these guitars but so do the American companies when selling theirtAuthorizedutorized Dealers who profit from selling them. BUT… who in my most humble opinion are the ones that really make out is the consumers purchasing these well made and well crafted guitars.
In short you don’t NEED a $1000 dollar guitar in order to learn your craft to play these days. If your musiciang musicain these days part or even full time it’s much better to use that Squire or the Epiphone to carry with you while your on the road these days. And if you do have the bucks to own the more expensive model guitars by your favorite company or by your favorite player by all means these are the ones you should leave home where they’re a bit more safe and can always be under your watch and care.
You’ll still be able to play them and use them for close to home gigs as wrehearsalsr rehersals or for some studio recording.
Trust me if you got the chops you’ll be able to play most any well known brands import models and still sound great with the right amp and pedals.
I do have to say this that a guy I know bowled me over referred called refered to a PRS as a “Paul Reed Myth” guitar. I in some ways have to agree with him and that name for the pricing of his SE Korean models mind you they are well made but he is making a MINT for the retail prices that he tends to ask for most of the models that they mimic from his USA line of guitars.
All in all great article for the Tone King.
TVLTNT
Squier guitars have increase exponentially in quality in the last 5 years or so… I am NOT saying they are the same as Fender’s line, but ‘a step above firewood’ is just patently wrong and sounds like someone trying to justify their own over-spending(or worse, buying into a company’s marketing hype), rather than objective evaluation of a product on it’s OWN merits.
Complaining that a Dodge Charger isn’t a Dodge Viper doesn’t serve anybody, nor does it educate potential buyers in any way – but that’s ‘standard operating procedure’ when it comes to guitar gear…
Everything being equal, I agree that a label or the country of origin makes no difference in playability or quality. I hate to say it, but my LTD Viper 401 I bought for $200 is one of my better sounding/playing guitars. But, what I have learned buying/trading/selling over the past 20+ years is that as of late, resale value has been the deciding factor in what I put money into. Until people start putting value into quality and not brand names, those nicer quality mid range guitars we buy and put fancy pick ups into will never be worth as much as Gibson, ESP etcetera. And let’s be honest here. Who really buys a guitar and keeps it forever? I know I don’t, and I can’t believe I’m that much different from everyody else.
I have to disagree with you on the Gibson/Eppiphone thing as of late… Eppihone just re-upped their line of pickups. Modeling them after all of the current (and a few of the older) Gibson models… My 06 Eppi is an incredible player, beautiful tone, insane sustain, and the pickups (factory Eppi) have that big Les Paul sound. Through either EL34 or 6L6 half stacks…