Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum
Forum Ringside => Guitars, Amps and Effects => Topic started by: JDC on August 20, 2010, 08:58:29 PM
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Just wondering what you guys think to Korean guitars as I'm kind of on the wall about them, my mind set is basically USA and Japan = good, China = rubbish, but guitars from Korea I'm a bit ????
Now that's got me thinking I've never played a Mexican guitar, how do they rank too?
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depends, i think.
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You can't generalise by country of origin in my experience. There's good and bad examples from everywhere!
Treat each guitar individually ;)
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I have had some truly dreadful korean guitars but on the other hand i have had some truly amazing ones like my current ibanez RGA and my old Agile AL2500.
I had a japanese jackson once. Probably the worst mistake of my life as that guitar was probably one of the worst guitars ive owned.
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depends of course, but all the ones I own are beauts! They can rate along side the finest Jap guitars if they are done well.
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All my guitars are Korean, the only one I wouldn't recommend is my old Epiphone (although that's currently half rebuilt beside me a the moment). The Korean factories are pretty good, but apparently companies can choose what level of QC they want to pay for.
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It seems to me that production standards in the Far East are improving all the time. Japan kicked it off, then they shifted to Korea to keep costs down, now in turn it's moved to China and Indonesia.
I think the main reason a Korean Tokai (for example) is not considered as good as a Japanese one, and a Chinese one's not considered as good as a Korean one, is that they're aimed at very different price points. So the parts and materials are cheaper, less overall time is spent on production, and inevitably the end product isn't as "good". But there's very little wrong with the actual workmanship.
There's some pretty high-end stuff coming out of Korea, and even China, nowadays.
Exactly the same with Fender USA and Mexico, it's all about keeping costs down. The Mexican stuff seemed a bit rough and ready in the early days, but in terms of workmanship they're running the USA pretty close now.
As always, "you get what you pay for" pretty much applies, but most mid-price Korean guitars seem like very good value in my limited experience.
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i have 3 korean guitars, my first LTD which still is hanging on. my schecter 7 and 8's are of brilliant quality. and in my shop I personally QC every guitar that comes in and the korea stuff is the best. surprisingly enough, indonesia makes good cheap guitars too. but korea LTD and schecter are usually top notch. my crafter hollow body is also korea and pretty damn good sound even if i'm sort of a hack at jazz.
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If a guitar is good it doesn't really matter where it has come from. I have played a few stinkers from the big guitar producing countries and have also played some great guitars from all.
FWIW my Mexican Baja is a very well made guitar at a very competitive price. I reckon it runs a USA standard close.
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true that! sometimes it,s down to the unusually good plank of wood that sneaks through and ends up into your axe.
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I think the main reason a Korean Tokai (for example) is not considered as good as a Japanese one, and a Chinese one's not considered as good as a Korean one, is that they're aimed at very different price points. So the parts and materials are cheaper, less overall time is spent on production, and inevitably the end product isn't as "good". But there's very little wrong with the actual workmanship.
yep sure
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my only guitar thats ever been Korean made is the BC Rich Mockingbird - the guitar itself is very well put together and the finishing is spot on. however, the hardware isn't the best (korean floyd sucks ass).
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just bought a korean schecter blackjack from 2005 lying in a shop. Its pretty nice, 500k pots, well soldered very clean inside. The neck feels good, lacquer isnt peggy, overall good finish. Not fond of the sh1 sh4 split combo but its ok. I really got impressed on the fret job, arent sharp on the corner, well polished. Also the freboard is made out of nice rosewood, feels very soft and silky and seems to be good quality wood.
To be honest if feels better than my custom baritone I used to own and made by my luthier and the overall playing sensations are quite the same as my made in japan esp eclipse. :)
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I had good experiences with my PRS SE, which was Korean made I believe. Great craftmanship on that guitar, faultless. Cool woods/tones, too.
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I believe the LTD H-401 was Korean. One of the best guitars in it's pricerange... Pity they discontinued it.
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My Epi Joe Pass is Korean and it's a very well made guitar, just lacks a little of the western "made by a guitarist" feel
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I'm fairly sure that the Fenix I had (and sadly gave back to it's rightful owner last week) was Korean. Every bit as well made as a standard Fender in this case.
Now that I've rewired it and set it up properly, it's a right beast (stacked HB's)
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I had a Fenix-telecaster made in Korea and after one year the neck was a banana. Neckwood was not dried properly, obviously. But, I think nowadays you can buy better budgetguitars then say 20-30 years ago. I have a cheap Yamaha Pacifica-tele 311 MS (made in Taiwan!) which sounds - after replacing bridge, tuners, saddle and pickups - very good en is finished better then my American Series Telecaster. The woods are happening in this guitar. So: just play and feel, every guitar is different and will appeal or not.
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It's interesting that China is thought of as so far down the pile. Fernandes make most of their guitars in China and the build quality on them is excellent. They also stretch into the £7-800 price bracket - I'd always thought of China as being above Korea and below Japan. Which I guess just goes to show that you can't generalise by country.
Does anyone other than Fender build in Mexico?
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just bought a korean schecter blackjack from 2005 lying in a shop. Its pretty nice, 500k pots, well soldered very clean inside. The neck feels good, lacquer isnt peggy, overall good finish. Not fond of the sh1 sh4 split combo but its ok. I really got impressed on the fret job, arent sharp on the corner, well polished. Also the freboard is made out of nice rosewood, feels very soft and silky and seems to be good quality wood.
To be honest if feels better than my custom baritone I used to own and made by my luthier and the overall playing sensations are quite the same as my made in japan esp eclipse. :)
I had one of those for a while, dirt cheap too. Tuned to B standard it absolutely *destroyed* through a Dual Recto but I couldn't justify keeping it as I didn't use it much. Mahogany/Maple with set maple neck and decent hardware.
I also currently have a Schecter Hellraiser 7 and Agile 8. The HR weighs a ton but is well built. The Agile, some things about it are nice, others are annoying (not great set-up or final finish. Frets not the best either). Still inexpensive for what it is.
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I had a Fenix-telecaster made in Korea and after one year the neck was a banana. Neckwood was not dried properly, obviously.
Wow man, that does suprise me. I heard that they used to malke all the Squires, but had a fall out with Fender as they kept on keeping the good wood for themselves.
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I've got a bunch of Korean guitars... Of course quality depends on the price range... If a brand could afford to produce a 200 euro guitar in the USA you'd see poor USA guitars as well... My epiphone lp is nice and so was my ibanez s320 (that I don't own anymore) - in the 300 - 400 euro range, my dean caddy is very nice - 600 euros - and my ltd ec1000 deluxe and my ibanez sa2020 prestige are great, around 1000-1100 euros. my cort a5 bass - 700 euros, if I remember well, is excellent too. So have no fear to buy a Korean guitar, unless it's a very cheap one! Lately it's not too easy to find a really cheap Korean, they shifted entry level production in Indonesia and china.