Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum

Forum Ringside => Guitars, Amps and Effects => Topic started by: Sifu Ben on March 01, 2012, 07:30:40 PM

Title: Rasmus Guthrie Govan
Post by: Sifu Ben on March 01, 2012, 07:30:40 PM
http://www.musicradar.com/gear/all/guitars/electric/6-string-solid-body/guthrie-govan-530530/review
First up, stunning looking guitar, and looks like it plays pretty well
However, no set neck, no blower switch, and no tremol-no.
Oh, and £1300 for a Chinese made guitar!!!!!
I defended the M and S Rasmus models because I felt they probably would represent reasonable value for money once the usual discounts were applied, but this is way too far. If nothing else this guitar should be cheaper to make than the M200, so unless Guthrie is getting £300 per guitar, this is nuts.
We're talking ESP or Fender Deluxe money (or indeed used PRS) here.
Title: Re: Rasmus Guthrie Govan
Post by: Alex on March 03, 2012, 09:00:50 AM
I read the review in Guitarist and they liked it a lot, but I totally agree with you: the price is way too high for a chinese-made guitar. For that money you can already get guitars made by European luthiers (simple versions, but still).
Title: Re: Rasmus Guthrie Govan
Post by: Mr. Air on March 03, 2012, 09:07:51 AM
I'm not that into guitar prices, but 1300£ for a chinese and factorymade guitar is pushing the limit. I'm sure there's way better options on the market for the same price.
Title: Re: Rasmus Guthrie Govan
Post by: richard on March 03, 2012, 04:58:47 PM
Haven't tried the Guthrie Govan but a friend of mine came round with the original Rasmus H/S/S and I thought it was a terrific guitar. He paid about £900 for it and I thought it was worth every penny. Played and sounded great.
Title: Re: Rasmus Guthrie Govan
Post by: Philly Q on March 03, 2012, 06:04:39 PM
It's a tough one.... hardware and (presumably) timbers are top-notch, it has US pickups and the final setup is done in the USA.  So the actual quality should be close to the US models, the only real difference is who does the labour and what that labour costs.

But yes, it does seem overpriced for a Chinese made guitar.  Wonder how the profit margins compare?
Title: Re: Rasmus Guthrie Govan
Post by: FernandoDuarte on March 04, 2012, 01:11:29 AM
Well, the price is high because they are setup'ed in USA, what makes no sense in the end... You want to make a cheap guitar and go to china, but them you don't trust the QC of them and ship to USA, setup for US$ paid employers and them ship to the destiny???? pffft...
Title: Re: Rasmus Guthrie Govan
Post by: Sifu Ben on March 04, 2012, 01:24:18 AM
A) You don't pay £600 for a setup
B) the other Rasmus instruments are £300+ cheaper
C) Some of the better brands selling £300-600 guitars set them up in the UK or US (OK, probably not as nicely)
Title: Re: Rasmus Guthrie Govan
Post by: Sifu Ben on March 04, 2012, 01:27:00 AM
It's a tough one.... hardware and (presumably) timbers are top-notch, it has US pickups and the final setup is done in the USA.  So the actual quality should be close to the US models, the only real difference is who does the labour and what that labour costs.

But yes, it does seem overpriced for a Chinese made guitar.  Wonder how the profit margins compare?
This is exactly it, this guitar is made by Chinese factory workers who typically make less than $1 per hour. Couple this with the fact that this is almost exactly the same as the M200 but with no paint and a satin finish, and you have to wonder wear the extra expense is coming from?
Title: Re: Rasmus Guthrie Govan
Post by: Frank on March 04, 2012, 01:41:31 AM
So the guitars are shipped from China to the US then to Europe? That's a hell of a round trip, got to bump the price up with all that international shipping.

If I was going to spend that amount of money on a guitar then I'd be looking at a UK luthier to knock me up a custom instrument to my own specifications.
Title: Re: Rasmus Guthrie Govan
Post by: hunter on March 04, 2012, 07:13:38 AM
The fact that it goes to the US prior to the UK is pretty significant in terms of cost (shipping, taxes, customs). In the end price is there to create an equilibrium between supply and demand. If nobody asks for the guitar at that price, either they will lower the price to increase demand, or they will shorten/stop the supply. Easy, isnt it? :)
Title: Re: Rasmus Guthrie Govan
Post by: nfe on March 05, 2012, 09:25:22 PM
That headstock logo...

It looks like a £100 Christmas special. It's amazing how the Suhr version looks really classy but with some very minor (aesthetic) tone changes it looks like cheap junk.
Title: Re: Rasmus Guthrie Govan
Post by: Telerocker on March 05, 2012, 11:33:42 PM
I would save a little longer and steal a (used) Suhr.