Re: Gibson Last straw...
Americans want the best.
And they want it fast.
And they want it cheap.
Americans want to be paid top dollar for their time and labor...but those same Americans don't want to pay other Americans what their time and labor is worth...unless it's a dentist, doctor or lawyer you're paying because you really need one.
So, because we refuse to support our own labor force by paying other Americans what their time and labor is worth, most guitars (and Levis) are now made somewhere other than the USA.
Buy a used Hamer USA if you want the best, want it fast, and want it (relatively) cheap.
Or buy a Gibson and quit complaining about other Americans making a decent living for their labor...
I will say that, yes, Americans are addicted to their opulence, and that I agree with you on that sentiment. This goes along with other threads and ideas, but it's also why we can only blame ourselves for the labor market and jobs going overseas: we think we should get paid $20/hr to flip burgers. We want the nicest electronics but as cheaply as possible, so they all come mainly from overseas where they can pay someone $3/hr to make 'em, or even better: use cheap manufacturing machines. Eliminate any QA/QC and you pay even less per item to make. So we basically ceased buying American made (mainly because it was more expensive, which came mainly from how much we like to get paid for the work we do) because we want cheap and fast and good (good enough that is).
I will chime in with the others in that it is a shame that overseas can make just as good, and sometimes strangely better, guitars than in the states. However, the minute I can afford an American Standard Stratocaster, I'll buy one, because I love my country. I just can't afford to love it, I guess, but that's another discussion. I'd buy a Les Paul custom made to my specifications, but at that point I'd be telling them to copy the Schecter C-1 Classic. Instead, I'll have Fender make me one in a Stratocaster body with a two-post tremolo tail, five way switching, etc. But this is mainly because I don't understand how, compared to their American Standard cousins of Fender, Gibson guitars are so more expensive. Fender has a much longer and better reputation, in my opinion, of catering to their customer, but then again I don't know both companies well enough to justify that comment.
Still, for what it's worth, I don't think it's cool that the poorer countries are being paid (i.e. their citizens in factories and whatnot) to make the luxuries of Americans. That seems very unfair. Sure, it provides them jobs, but still, this is too deep a discussion for me.
Anyways, my gripe isn't what I'm getting (Gibson), it's what I'm paying compared to similar American-made offerings from Fender. Both have their overpriced guitars (ironically the Seymour Duncan signature guitar was very expensive), but Gibson's guitars are worse. If $5k was my spending money for the month then I wouldn't be having this discussion, and probably neither would anyone else on here
