What is so great about having an American made guitar?

elfro89

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So the story goes like this. I was in a guitar shop not too long ago when a salesmen who clearly thought I was a chump decided to give me some introductory half-assed sales pitch about their all American made stock. I indulged him since he had Japanese made Ibanez on his wall. He proceeds to tell me that they stock the best of gear, assuring me that because it was made in America, that it was the best money can buy. Now either he is an idiot, or I am totally blind. So we kept talking and I was playing the total fool, I said yeah I've always dreamt of playing a Les Paul through that classic Marshall stack, it's such an American sound. He goes "Absolutely!" I laughed before asking him If it was okay to take a Japanese made Ibz off the wall and plug into a Chinese made Marshall, his look was priceless.

But it got me thinking, is having an American made guitar just a stereotypical thing and why do some people wrongly assume every guitar made over the pond is somehow superior to the rest of the world?
 
At one time American electric guitars were the best in the world.  But thats mostly because the things were invented here, and the rest of the world played catch up.  But in this day and age, its possible to buy a great guitar from many different countries.

I think a lot of people coast on that image and name that the American guitars made 50 years ago.  Everyone knows about Gibson's current difficulty in producing consistent quality guitars. 

With modern tools and techniques a craftsman could be anywhere in the world and still produce a decent instrument.  That being said, being an American myself, I do like to buy American whenever possible to help our economy.  But I won't do it if I have to sacrifice quality.
 
i am not american. and i have bought/owned several guitars - american, japanese, mexican. i have also played some chinese/korean/indonesian stuff.

normally american guitars sell for a higher price. and (probably) due to that they come with higher quality components. also in my experience they have greater attention to detail.

inspite of so much anti-gibson sentiment, i still think gibson makes nice guitars. currently i have 4 gibsons. at their price range i have not seen a non-american guitar to match them. likewise the fenders.

american guitars have a certain repute for a certain reason which imo is well deserved.
 
vtpcnk said:
i am not american. and i have bought/owned several guitars - american, japanese, mexican. i have also played some chinese/korean/indonesian stuff.

normally american guitars sell for a higher price. and (probably) due to that they come with higher quality components. also in my experience they have greater attention to detail.

inspite of so much anti-gibson sentiment, i still think gibson makes nice guitars. currently i have 4 gibsons. at their price range i have not seen a non-american guitar to match them. likewise the fenders.

american guitars have a certain repute for a certain reason which imo is well deserved.

+1 I'm not from America and prefer traditional American instruments. I also like the styling of American guitars especially Fenders which to me are tasteful whereas some of the Japanese guitars border on kitsch. I'm sure the Japanese and Koreans make some nice guitars but it's like cars - I'm always going to prefer an Aston Martin (British) or a Ford GT (US) to a ricey Hyundai  :toothy11:
 
I haven't played a whole lot of US made guitars, but the reputations of ESP and Ibanez are pretty darn solid. They also make stuff like this...

nlp480ltd_hs.jpg


...I'm currently favouring Hagström guitars since the company was originally Swedish. Right now they're US owned and made in China, but that's how the world turns - the guitars are great! And really, that's all that should matter right?
 
For me, a good guitar is a good guitar is a good guitar.

Now a days, an American built instrument isn't the same as it was decades ago. Other companies have caught up in terms of tech & quality ,& unfotunately, some of the American companies have regressed. Most parts on an American built instreument aren't made in the USA anyway, so you're really paying a premium price to have a foriegn guitar assembled in the USA. But, either way, I'd play a guitar from Thailand if it was good

Here's a nice bit o' trivia. Kramer, who once ruled the 80s guitar world with their USA made instruments really had all their wood parts make in Canada by Godin. They were only assembled & tweaked in the USA. So much for built in the USA.
 
I really like Japanese Guitars, especially Matsumokus, contemporary fenders from the 80s and Heartfields.
for me it is also because I do not want to spend thousands on a guitar that is not custom, like a Warmoth.
I had a couple of american strats in the past, but I dom't think I own any American made guitars other than my warmoths at this moment.
 
I really love my Warmoth strat. Currently, I only own two guitars. One is a Warmoth built David Gilmour strat (Aesthetically, but its sound is for my band) and a Fender Telecaster. I never play the tele, and it isn't an "American made" guitar. It does, however, have a very comfortable neck. Not too thin, but not as fat as I like.

My personal belief is that as long as a guitar is high quality and suits my tastes, it doesn't matter if it had its parts made in china and assembled in Bangladesh before being set up in Korea. As long as it plays good and I can get "that sound" that I'm after, then I am happy.
 
Doughboy said:
For me, a good guitar is a good guitar is a good guitar.

Now a days, an American built instrument isn't the same as it was decades ago.

Yes it is, or at least can be
.The folks at Heritage still make guitars by hand, the same way they have for three generations, with the same tools, in the same factory at 225 parsons street Kalamazoo MI.

Here is a poorly made home video of how they make stuff at heritage, at around 3.50 you can see a guy roll a neck the old fashioned way, and yes that is me in the vid.

[youtube=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/user/HeritageOwners#p/u/3/HmVtZwidQ2E[/youtube]
http://www.youtube.com/user/HeritageOwners#p/u/3/HmVtZwidQ2E
 
 
I have 2 American Production guitars, my Am Std Strat and my PRS Custom 22 10 top Artist edition
the PRS is a dream boat, would put it up against anything Gibson puts out now days, best guitar I have ever owned
The Fender is a great guitar and you can see the difference between it and the offshore made stuff from Fender. however although it came with a decent setup, I had to bring it in for a better job when I got it, it was not up to my standards.

My other guitars, a Mollenhauer Es335 clone (Korean made body with American installed hardware and electronics) Fit and finish again better than Gibson, neck, well Mike is a friend of mine so when I sent it back to him telling him teh setup was for shit, he had his best tech on it and I got it back it was buttah. can not complain about the guitar and with Seymour Duncan PAFs in it it sings like a bird.
My Self assembled Warmoth parts caster, Barn Door, well what can I say, pure American parts, boutique pickups (Lollar) had my Luthier put a really neck/setup on it, reall nice. My favorite but maybe because I assembled it and did the finish on it.
My Mexi Tele, Nice axe, after giving it my Tech, it plays like Buttah. hardware is cheaper than my American stuff.
My Fretlight Strat, can not say where it came from but can say it is a great piece of electronic hardware that is truely a dream to learn new stuff on because of the led fretboard, but I find the hardware,finish and set up are for shit.

So what am I trying to say, well it seems that besides the PRS's overall superior build and setup, and the AM Fenders really high quality of build but average set up
the fact that when I assembled my Warmoth I held it to high standards
that my 335 has better build than a current American 335
that my Mexi Tele has a great neck, maybe the hardware is not as quality of it's American brethen, but then it cost 500 dollars less
and who really cares about the Fretlight

I think it boils down to the maker's quality control and the line within his catalog. After all there are makers that are not American known for extreme quality. And American makers known for lousy quality

I really can only think that any quality guitar holds value, seems though there is a mystique over stuff like Gibson commanding huge demand over average build,and MIM fender stuff seems to sell for cheap considering the quality there.

Just an opinion, but I know Fender AM stuff right now is great stuff, Gibsons Am stuff is lacking, and PRS American stuff is top of the line
but then it seems Gibson gets the best value. I can not explain it. But over makers like Ibenez and the like I see no reason to say American quality is better overall.

So what am I trying to say,
 
My opinion is the same as most peoples here, it really doesn't matter where it was made, if its a good guitar its a good guitar. I have played Am guitars that were great, and Am guitars that were downright crap. Believe it or not I've even played Chinese made acoustics that are right up there with Taylor and Martin. I just hate it when someone uses the place of origin as if it's something that matters in terms of build quality.

It's like this musician I know, has some insane gear, Mesa Boogies, Top of the line Music Man's and he looks down his nose at anything under a certain price range, or refuses to acknowledge someone as a musician unless they pack decent expensive gear, and most of that expensive stuff comes out of America in his eyes. I think to myself it's such a shame he has twisted his own mind in such a way. But it surprises me just how many people care about that place of origin as if it's somehow more prestiges to have an American made guitar. What you use and where it's made doesn't mean anything, and people who do care in terms of trying to look more prestiges, are like the musician version of those blonde pink bitches that carry dogs in handbags.
 
Just PLEASE don't buy Chinese.  There are lots of cheap great guitars from Mexico, Indonesia, Korea, etc.  Not buying Chinese is more important than buying American, IMHS, as far as the well being of our country.
 
spauldingrules said:
Just PLEASE don't buy Chinese.  There are lots of cheap great guitars from Mexico, Indonesia, Korea, etc.  Not buying Chinese is more important than buying American, IMHS, as far as the well being of our country.

I honestly hope that was a joke.  :sad1:
 
The bulk of the cost of American-made products comes from labor and markup. There's usually little or no difference in the quality of the product. The Koreans, Japanese, Chinese, et al use the same CNC machines running the same programs to build the same parts out of the same materials. Then, the bulk of the hardware and electronics are already made in the Pacific Rim, and the American mfrs. buy that to put on the guitars that are supposedly made here. So, wtf? What difference does it make? You can pay $4,000 for a $400 guiltar, or $400 for a $400 guitar. It's the same unit, although the folks making the $400 units that sell for $400 usually do a slightly better job because they're not pissed at the world. They're thankful to have something productive and remunerative to do.

I've said it many times before, and I'll say it again: If you've ever lusted after a Gibson Les Paul and you've got $400-$500 you don't know what to do with, buy an Agile AL3000 or AL3100. They're nicer than Gibsons, and I am not kidding. Gibson should be ashamed of themselves.

Their Teles and Strats are pretty inexpensive, too. But, they're also pretty pedestrian. Warmoth is the only game in town for a high-end example of one of those, and they're even American-made.

I'm not anti-American at all; far from it. But, there are some companies out there who are taking grossly unfair advantage of their workers and customers, both. Piss on 'em.
 
I have owned:,
US (Gibson, Fender, BC Rich, Guild, Martin, Warmoth)
Canadian (Godin)
Korean/US (Breedlove)
Korean (Ovation)
Indonesian (BC Rich)
German/Korean (Duesnenberg)
Japanese (Ibanez, Epiphone)

Came to a conclusion decades ago. A really nice guitar can be built anywhere. I base my choice on how the instrument plays and what it speaks to me. Not some darn label that if you desired, you could buy off fleabay.

Right now my "go to" electrics are the Doozy and Godin. My "go to" acoustic is the Breedlove. None of them were made in the US.
Sorry, the Warmoth in the group (a strat) is not the most needed though it is a great instrument. Now the Warmoth I am working on, that may get some dibs :)
 
all guitar companies are in it for the money. the more money you pay for a guitar, the more the chances for better parts, more attention to detail labour, better selection of woods, better r&d etc.

i own an early 80s matsumoku washburn hb35 (335 clone). it has a neck (and build) to die for. but the hardware and electronics are lousy.

my 58 reissue mij strat body lacks resonance (in comparison to my gibsons and warmoth jazzmaster and even a usa fender stratosonic that i owned).

in contrast every usa guitar i owned if i had it setup properly, really shone.

but my simon and patrick acoustic (canadian) is really great as well.

most american and european companies go to asia to build their stuff only for the low cost. and that sadly is going to have an effect on quality invariably at one level or the other.

but i am sure that foreign companies of high repute like ibanez, edwards, esp, tokai, greco etc at the top of their line have quality to match/beat american ones.
 
well
since my last post on the subject, I have went down to a mom and pop store and went over a few non American builds.
I think my opinion is heavily waited by the hardware on the guitar. I played a few made in China, Korea,and a few American made units and I tried to do an honest comparo,
let me say that there was no major names in the comparison.
alll the guitars sold for $399 or less.
ah, I think the end result was it just mattered who used better designed hardware. with modern CNC production the wood seems about the same, oh no clear finishes to guage the wood, just paint at this level, I admit that none had a setup job worth bragging about and the stuff with the lower end hardware would be effected by the hardware in a good set up, but as far as quality of build, all the same.
next it was to Wild West Guitars where I could mess with so called Top of the line production models.
well the setups were spot on but in each price point, Am or Off Shore did not matter here,all about the same.

My end opinion, they can build a quality guitar anywhere they want. You just as a consumer need to know what you want, and that when the price goes up so does the quality of the hardware on the axe, as does the setup work.
 
For me, it's equally about the labor practices & philosophy as it is about the quality.

Yes, there is a clear trend downward from the once dominant American manufacturing standards, but that doesn't mean there's not fantastic stuff being made in the USA.  As we all know on here, Warmoth makes stuff that is - especially considering the cost - of fantastic quality.  That's partially a factor of it being a smaller business where the people that work there want to work there & have some skill in luthiery/woodworking, and that, in turn, is enabled by the company paying something close to a living wage.  I dunno exactly what they get, but Warmoth employees probably don't make minimum wage, and there's a number of laws & labor regulations (in addittion to cultural attitudes) in this country that try to ensure people are treated decently by their employers.

Japan, Korea?  About the same, for all I've been able to tell. There's some differences of attitude & culture about the workplace, but treatment of workers is relatively the same or better.  And as has been mentioned: there are Gibson-clone Agiles, ESPs, Japanese Fenders, and all sorts of stuff coming out of there that put many American factory (& some 'boutique') guitars to shame.

But Indonesia, Vietnam, and especially China?  That's a whole different world.  There might be some folks that work in these shops that actually want to work on instruments and/or have some skill with it, and it's not uncommon for a fantastic instrument to be found in an otherwise garbage pile of Squiers or Rogues.  But the majority of factory work done there is done in factory cities, where people work on lines for far longer than is safe or fair, and are paid a fraction of the amount a burger flipper gets here. All because they have no choice in the matter - work in a factory where guitars/cellphones/plastic toys/etc are made because that's what's made there, or poverty.  That's the choice, and there's so many people over there clamoring for work that just about no one turns down jobs.

And why are just about all of these guitars solid or 'foto' finished?  Because the wood used in them is (usually) not great quality.  If a factory in China has an order to fill, they're going to get that order filled whether the wood has been properly dried & tone tapped or not.  Yes, we've all heard about the major fails of quality from Gibson, Fender, PRS, etc - but how many are actually surprised when their $150 Indonesian Ibanez unceremoniously breaks?  It's much more the exception when one of these asian factory guitars turns out to be truly great & memorable.  You might be tempted to accuse me of stereotyping, but it's a statitical reality: cheap instruments made under poor working conditions with the most economical materials & parts are going to be largely junk. 

That's a direct result of the faux-Communist oligarchy that [flamebait redacted]  :eek: :icon_jokercolor:

I'm ok knowing that the mark up on an American guitar gets split out among the factory workers & administrators, and yes, perhaps more stays upstairs with the owners & shareholders than some of us would like, but it's not as if that money never goes to the actual workmen in the form of bonuses, higher wages, better conditions/tools/workspace and so on.

For sweatshop built guitars in the poorest Asian countries, that's almost never true - their wages stay just above the gutter (despite potentially being relatively good for those countries) whether they produce Heritage wannabes or planks with strings.
 
Thats awsome.  I grew up in Kalamazoo and went to Parsons street in 1986 as a teenager and paid about $600 for a Cheryburst H150.  I remember that I replaced the pickups and the fret work wasnt very good but I love that guitar for a long time.  I sold it in 2005 and got a nice piece of change for it.  Their current stuff is amazing but huge $  If only....

big bob said:
Doughboy said:
For me, a good guitar is a good guitar is a good guitar.

Now a days, an American built instrument isn't the same as it was decades ago.

Yes it is, or at least can be
.The folks at Heritage still make guitars by hand, the same way they have for three generations, with the same tools, in the same factory at 225 parsons street Kalamazoo MI.

Here is a poorly made home video of how they make stuff at heritage, at around 3.50 you can see a guy roll a neck the old fashioned way, and yes that is me in the vid.

[youtube=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/user/HeritageOwners#p/u/3/HmVtZwidQ2E[/youtube]
http://www.youtube.com/user/HeritageOwners#p/u/3/HmVtZwidQ2E
 
 
I'm just a bit confused, was the guy talked about in the OP saying that an American made guitar through a British amp is a classic American sound? I guess some would consider it so, in my mind it's a classic British sound, especially mid to late 60's and 70's.

Like anything else many ideas are developed in America and the products usually made in America until someone else does it better- like cars, much electronics, etc. I've only driven Japanese, Korean and German cars for years. I'd play a Chinese guitar if it was very well made.

Great thing about America is that there is a choice and usually the best product gets the sale.
 
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