American guitars V Far Eastern guitars!!!

[HJM]

Or buy Japanese on that point Spook Fish!

I have to say, I've played lots of Korean guitars. They're great for the money, perfectly playable, and very well made in the case of Brian Moore. But they lack mojo, that quality that just make you want to keep playing. It's probably down to some of the very slight imperfections you see on US and UK guitars. The Far Eastern boys have production guitar making sussed.

Having said that my old Ibanez Japan guitars sound and feel good. Especially my RT after I took the finish off the neck and had 6000 gauge frets installed, it plays and feels as good as my old (handmade) PRS.

[Spook Fish]

Hello!

you are right they have it sussed, on big automated machines. i was enticed once by an Ibanez that was about £325 and seemed very well made for the cash. bookmatched maple top, solid mohogony body & Neck, great style bridge and SD copy pups. well worth £325, but i couldnt bring myself to buy it. I'm no snob at all, I've got home made strats and Gibson dot Jap copy (given to me) and i like it alot. flawless binding and the neck is great.

dont you feel they charge too much? i know USA are very expensive but those lot cant touch Jet, Quicksilver, Heritage or USA BC Rich - Dean & Burns for design.

Those guys just copy everything. and you know they get kids to build em or some explioted women.

i nearly always play a Heritage H140cm, and there aint no jap or korean guitar can touch it. those guys make 6 guitars a day in Kalamazoo MI. Premium woods and harware. Old Gibson employees making better guitars than Gibson, and not commanding rediculous amounts of money.

best grand i ever spent - hopefully be putting Bare Knuckle crawlers in it when i get bored of the HRW ones that came stock.

** i dont have anything against Japs or koreans** :-)

[dave_mc]

^ ^ i disagree with your comments regarding lining other people's pockets, spookfish.

I have a german engl amp. I bought it because it beat the living cr@p out of british made marshalls (laneys were nice, but engl still was better).

I prefer (japanese-made) ibanez guitars. Also, Japan (afaik) doesn't run sweatshops. Would i play them if satch, vai or gilbert didn't endorse them? Yes- they use dimarzio pickups, and i have swinesheads (and fully intend to get BK's in the near future).

Bottom line, i'll buy what does what i want it to- nomatter where it's made. Luckily BK and SH are British, but if they were swedish, i'd buy from them too. Stupid, illogical arguments like "buy british or american, nomatter what" allows our own manufacturers to make substandard cr@p, and expect us to buy it. And charge ridiculous prices too.

I agree with HJM that the korean ones don't have the "mojo", but the japanese Ibanez most certainly do, IMO.

[Ratrod]

I've had a couple of Korean guitars; epi explorer, DeArmond M77T. I have to say they both had mojo. The Chinese Dean Psychobilly I have has tons of mojo. Strangely enough, the Gibbo LP I had......no mojo.

[The amazing Phil]

If Japan hadn't started churning out top notch gear the big names would've never had to clean their acts up after that rough patch they seem to have had in the 70's and 80's.

As for sweatshops, I'm pretty sure most places don't use them. They pay them less, but they can live on less in these places as well don't forget. A few quid goes a lot further in Korea than it will here in ol blighty.

My guitar's made in america, pickups and amp in the UK, but as others have said that's just how it happened. I didn't chose because of where they're from, and I've been toying with the idea of getting a Trussart guitar, and I think they're from somewhere like France?

If people want us to contribute to our economy, then home grown stuff should be the absolute best. Thankfully a lot of it is, although I don't see why I should think of the economy before making sure I get a good deal, I pay plenty in tax and it's not like I even earn that much in the first place, and that's where any financial obligation to the state on my part shall end.

[tewboss]

Japan has a higher standard of living so it really doesn't make sense that their guitars are cheaper than US or European guitars. I disagree that Korean guitars are mad in sweatshop conditions - South Korea makes very high-tech items such as computer parts. As far as lining another country's pockets, the way I consider it I am not going to pay for something that is bad quality just because it is made in GB. It just happens that Tim and Steve make some of the best pickups in the world. My finances aren't limitless so I want the best value for my money.

[Spook Fish]

I#m only yankin yer chains :-)

[fatbob]

I've had time to think about selling the Nightfly, I will probably keep it cos its my only single coil guitar. Reading some of the opinions was interesting though. As far as the politics/patriotism goes though, only UK made products would make me think twice. I did have an Eggle as my first "quality" axe. That was a beauty, regret selling that. (maybe there's a lesson here!!) PS. the Nightfly has stainless steel frets, they do make playability a lot nicer, but I've heard to the detriment of tone (too bright)

[willo]

well, if you ever want to sell the Parker to a fellow Wirralian, just let me know

[monkeywalker]

going bak to quality of korean stuff(and mexican), in my experience they nail you wen it comes to the pots and electronics in genral.the pots and pickups are sometimes cr@p.i spose it depends wat you pay. i would just replace the pots and pick ups on a korean guitar and then youve got something thats as good if not better(if you get BKP's  :) ) than an american model.

i dont no if someones already put this coz i dint read all the posts but this is just my opinion.

im so not with it today :?

[Dakine]

Homework homework homework!

All models from all countries have different positives and minus's.

Why do you have to sift through MANY Gibsons to find 1 good one (for that kinda money)? for example. Yet they hold good value.
ESP probably make a great guitar with the Eclipse for example.

My findings is that Japanese guitars are VERY well made. The japanese may NOT be innovators of any shape or form but they do tend to provide better quality/workmanship. Their ethics and work practice is very different.

Europeans are not much different to US.

For example, Ducati and Ferrari have THE WORST electrical ever (I come from automotive background as does father and grandfather etc.). Yet they both command high premiums! Why, cos the name brand mostly.

Anyway, all subjective. Personal feeling of a guitar is ALL thats needed. If you want to be sure (more sure) of the quality and craftsmanship then do a little homework (internet is great TOOL) and find that all countries build good and bad, stunning and junk instruments, just depends on your research.

[tewboss]

I'd also say that it depends which US brand you buy. Heritage are supposed to be much better made than Gibson, and obviously PRS are better made than Gibson as well.

My PRS SE obviously can't be compared with a real US made PRS.  There is no maple cap (although there is on the SE Custom), the pickups were poop, the hardware isn't as good (hence me changing to proper PRS tuners), and the quality of wood isn't as good - which probably explains why my SE feels really light.