Made in China Guitars...

[blueman335]

Re: Made in China Guitars...

You didn't see this the first time I posted it? Was I on your Ignore List?

I get a lot of that, usually not from men though.

 

[blueman335]

Re: Made in China Guitars...

I get the feeling that if the Chinese manufacturers are building for a US or European parent company, there is some degree of 'overseeing' and guidance about materials, construction and the general issues the western consumers want from the products, and that results in some very high-quality stuff. Conversely, I can't help thinking that the manufacturers who are not aligned in any way with western brands may be the ones who turn out the very cheap and usually hit-or-miss products. I don't have any facts to back this up, it's just my own thoughts and observations.

+1. I agree. Set detailed specs and oversee the manufacturing process or you take your chances.

Like with Chinese drywall: no American company bothered to check the stuff out at the factory or at the docks? Where's the quality control and oversight?

 

[BloodRose]

Re: Made in China Guitars...

+1, ESP has almost ruined their reputation with the Indonesia/China LTD's. The early Korean made versions and the higher end LTD's that are still made in Korea are really good guitars. I have an EC100, one of the bottom line jobs from when LTD was first started (96, 97? Can't remember), but it smokes the mid level crap they're putting out now. Mine has a mahogany neck & body, it's a bolt on, but it's still a mahogany neck.

I don't own any Chinese guitars, mostly because I'll buy something better used before I would stoop to that level, but if I was buying new I would much rather keep my money in the states.

I had one of the early LTD AT400 models and it friggin killed! I HATE myself for selling it. Huge tone, great player and sustain for days. I looked at one of the new ones in that model range and the body was thin and it was feeble sounding.

 

[Bass_Medic_05]

Re: Made in China Guitars...

I have a few Chinese guitars; Epi's and other brands. The quality is very good, especially for the price, and I think it's better and more consistent than most Korean guitars I've seen. There's no shame in owning a Chinese guitar. Instruments are tools, and if you're a better player than a guy with a Gibson or PRS, who's the one who sounds better? Audiences don't care what's on the headstock, a big wallet means nothing on stage. It's what you do with a guitar that counts.

+1 I totally agree

 

[The Dali]

Re: Made in China Guitars...

I'm thinking about trying one of those, can't swing a US LP right now, and those look better than the Epis I've seen.

Unfortunately, I don't think these are being made anymore.

 

[ErikH]

Re: Made in China Guitars...

There are some MIC guitars that are really nice. I have noticed the quality of the MIC Epiphones go up over the years, but the last couple has been pretty steady as she goes. Still good instruments, but not great instruments.

I've owned an Epi MIC LP and it was a solid guitar. I decided to go after something else and sold it to raise the money. I do own an Ibanez MIC Acoustic/Electric and it's a real nice player. Suits what I bought it for just perfectly.

Anymore, I am going for American or Japanese electrics, although my PRS SE is made in Korea.

 

[Red_Label]

Re: Made in China Guitars...

+1, ESP has almost ruined their reputation with the Indonesia/China LTD's. The early Korean made versions and the higher end LTD's that are still made in Korea are really good guitars. I have an EC100, one of the bottom line jobs from when LTD was first started (96, 97? Can't remember), but it smokes the mid level crap they're putting out now. Mine has a mahogany neck & body, it's a bolt on, but it's still a mahogany neck.

I don't own any Chinese guitars, mostly because I'll buy something better used before I would stoop to that level, but if I was buying new I would much rather keep my money in the states.

I dunno man. I've had three EC-400s that were made in Korea and recently purchased a cherry sunburst 401 that was made in Indonesia. I gotta say, it sounds, plays, and looks every bit as nice as the Korean ones.

Having said that, I still say that Korea is the "new Japan" and everything from Indonesia and China is a notch below that. But they're catching-up FAST.

 

[Red_Label]

Re: Made in China Guitars...

I had one of the early LTD AT400 models and it friggin killed! I HATE myself for selling it. Huge tone, great player and sustain for days. I looked at one of the new ones in that model range and the body was thin and it was feeble sounding.

I've got FOUR of them and LOVE them! The black and gold AT models, the 400VF model in Tobacco Sunburst, and now a Cherry Sunburst 401. All thick-bodied and all flawless. Now the 500 and 1000 series are thin-bodied and I don't like them as much. I used to have EC-1000s in black and sunburst and sold them because I didn't like the thin bodies and all the gawdy abalone inlays.

 

[Wattage]

Re: Made in China Guitars...

These are extraordinary guitars and mandolins and they come out of China.

http://www.eastmanguitars.com/

 

[Edgecrusher]

Re: Made in China Guitars...

Ive been living in Beijing for the last few months and off and on over the last 4 years. Ive been able to spend some time with the guitar scene here and check things out. I can tell you this. People here play the same name brands they do in the US. Ive seen just as many people here with Gibsons Schecters and Ibanez as you do in the states. In about the same ratio's.

You can go into the shops here and you can find all the cheap knock offs you want. Brands like "Gig" and "Rocker" can sell for as little as 150rmb and you can see and feel right away that they are cheap and cheesy but they dont sell them as anything but that either. But at the same time its just as easy to find american made Les Pauls here as it is in the states.

Big name companies that have stuff made here get good stuff cause its in the manufacturing agreement from the start. It says you will build using x materials to y set of standards. Something to keep in mind is that here in China only labor is cheap. They still have to import wood and metals and they are expensive here.

China is like anywhere else they can produce wonderful stuff they can also produce junk.