JeffB
Let it B
I'm starting to think so. Over the past several months I have been doing alot of guitar "window shopping" and have seen some absolutely stellar instruments coming out of Korea...very close to to MIJ quality, if not as good as.
A few brands/guitars that have impressed me on a consistent basis:
Washburn: The Idol models. Duncan pickups, decent wood. Great neck shapes. Nice fretwork on the ones I've handled. I saw a blue quilt top one at Sam Ash for $479. I shoulda bought it, cos now I see they are $750.
Dean: the newer 79 series and even the Chinese DFH/Razorbacks, etc. The latest 79s I've handled are even better than the ones I've owned previously..which I thought were great bang for the buck as they were. Although the 79s still have low profile vintage style frets, the fretwire looks to have been changed to a higher quality wire recently.
B.C. Rich: These have impressed me the most. Exotic classics and Mockingbird specials in particular. Nice (laminate) tops. Excellent binding work, excellent fretwork, Ebony boards every bit as smooth and even as my $3K Dean, Either the wider Gotoh Tune-O matics (unlike the typical narrow TOMs on the majority of imports), or the Tone Pros locking TOM and tailpiece. And to top it off, VERY serviceable and nice sounding Rockfield pups. $750 or less for these guitars. I actually picked up a Mockingbird special X on closeout from GC for $450. Played like butter. And prolly the closest tone to a Les Paul I've ever gotten out of a non-Les Paul. REAL SA mahogany neck through too. Awesome instrument. I returned it for one reason: it also had that slow attack like a Les Paul, which in recent years I have a hard time dealing with. Only thing that guitar needed were new pots. The rockfield PAFs were very full and ballsy..like 59s with the oft longed for mids, and less boom.
Ibanez: wood has always been a crapshoot with Ibby, but the guitars these days are super solid. That Mahogany SZ 320 or whatever thing is an incredible deal for the $, and I think the Duncan/IBZ pups in them sound just as good as any "real" Duncan.
LTD: Higher end LTDS (400 and up) are hella good deals, and like BC Rich alot of them have upgraded hardware, pickups, etc. Prolly the biggest problem, like Ibby, is more often than not the wood is just dead as a doornail. But the fretwork, nutwork, binding, etc.
Fender: yes fender. Sorry, but the MIK showmasters and double H teles stomp anything out of Mexico I've handled.
PRS: OK, the neck sizes vary CONSIDERABLY on the Singlecut SE (some are absolute baseball bats, some just a nice chunky shape) but these MIK Singlecuts are serious bang for the buck. I've played 6 or 7 now, and only one when I picked it up sounded dead as a doornail (though it was very well built). The guy at the shop snatched it up from me when I made a comment about this one being the first "dead" sounding one I'd played, and he threw a new set of strings on real quick, and BAM. Resonance city. If these things were set up like the US versions with 2 tones and 2 volumes and the switch on the upper bout like a Les Paul, I'd own one.
new MIJ stuff is getting scarce here in the states...and old MIJ stuff is getting to be too expensive as they are so collectible now that folks know just how good they were. And lets face it, MIA stuff...is getting out of hand price-wise. The Koreans are stepping up to the plate. They may need some new pots or whatnot, but there are some very nice guits coming outta there these days :bigthumb:
A few brands/guitars that have impressed me on a consistent basis:
Washburn: The Idol models. Duncan pickups, decent wood. Great neck shapes. Nice fretwork on the ones I've handled. I saw a blue quilt top one at Sam Ash for $479. I shoulda bought it, cos now I see they are $750.
Dean: the newer 79 series and even the Chinese DFH/Razorbacks, etc. The latest 79s I've handled are even better than the ones I've owned previously..which I thought were great bang for the buck as they were. Although the 79s still have low profile vintage style frets, the fretwire looks to have been changed to a higher quality wire recently.
B.C. Rich: These have impressed me the most. Exotic classics and Mockingbird specials in particular. Nice (laminate) tops. Excellent binding work, excellent fretwork, Ebony boards every bit as smooth and even as my $3K Dean, Either the wider Gotoh Tune-O matics (unlike the typical narrow TOMs on the majority of imports), or the Tone Pros locking TOM and tailpiece. And to top it off, VERY serviceable and nice sounding Rockfield pups. $750 or less for these guitars. I actually picked up a Mockingbird special X on closeout from GC for $450. Played like butter. And prolly the closest tone to a Les Paul I've ever gotten out of a non-Les Paul. REAL SA mahogany neck through too. Awesome instrument. I returned it for one reason: it also had that slow attack like a Les Paul, which in recent years I have a hard time dealing with. Only thing that guitar needed were new pots. The rockfield PAFs were very full and ballsy..like 59s with the oft longed for mids, and less boom.
Ibanez: wood has always been a crapshoot with Ibby, but the guitars these days are super solid. That Mahogany SZ 320 or whatever thing is an incredible deal for the $, and I think the Duncan/IBZ pups in them sound just as good as any "real" Duncan.
LTD: Higher end LTDS (400 and up) are hella good deals, and like BC Rich alot of them have upgraded hardware, pickups, etc. Prolly the biggest problem, like Ibby, is more often than not the wood is just dead as a doornail. But the fretwork, nutwork, binding, etc.
Fender: yes fender. Sorry, but the MIK showmasters and double H teles stomp anything out of Mexico I've handled.
PRS: OK, the neck sizes vary CONSIDERABLY on the Singlecut SE (some are absolute baseball bats, some just a nice chunky shape) but these MIK Singlecuts are serious bang for the buck. I've played 6 or 7 now, and only one when I picked it up sounded dead as a doornail (though it was very well built). The guy at the shop snatched it up from me when I made a comment about this one being the first "dead" sounding one I'd played, and he threw a new set of strings on real quick, and BAM. Resonance city. If these things were set up like the US versions with 2 tones and 2 volumes and the switch on the upper bout like a Les Paul, I'd own one.
new MIJ stuff is getting scarce here in the states...and old MIJ stuff is getting to be too expensive as they are so collectible now that folks know just how good they were. And lets face it, MIA stuff...is getting out of hand price-wise. The Koreans are stepping up to the plate. They may need some new pots or whatnot, but there are some very nice guits coming outta there these days :bigthumb:
