Quality gear... who knew?

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Re: Quality gear... who knew?

I think the imports have improved as far as quality; however, I personally can tell a difference in looks, feel, and sound between the imports and the American gear. I have modded a MIM with American electronics and significant fret work. It played and sounded better but wasn't an American.

Everyone wants to say "this thread is about OP's NGD" (it's not, OP didn't even post of a pic of the guitar), but then everyone has to weigh in on the cheap versus expensive debate, but then claim it's only me who perpetuates it.... LOL, it's tough holding a minority opinion here, but it's worth it.

"but wasn't an American"... Note that you said "an American", not "my particular American", revealing a bias. That being said, what specific shortcomings did your modded/improved MIM have in comparison to your "American" Fender?
 
Re: Quality gear... who knew?

"but wasn't an American"... Note that you said "an American", not "my particular American", revealing a bias. That being said, what specific shortcomings did your modded/improved MIM have in comparison to your "American" Fender?

It literally was not an American–the guitar was made in Mexico and changing the electronics (noisy,) pickups (harsh,) leveling the frets, sanding the edges of the frets to be even with the fretboard, did not change the fact that is was not an American made guitar...you can't mod a Chinese guitar into a Korean nor a Japanese into a British guitar. lol It has nothing to do with bias man, the guitar was still a Mexican body and neck. :D

The Fender American strats usually have the modern thin contour and a wider string spacing than the MIM, or at least they use to. I prefer the American Standard specs and use those when I build mine. :) And I have played great and crappy gear from multiple countries. I like buying parts from American companies such as Warmoth and Musikraft because I have had zero issue in quality and attention to detail. :)
 
Re: Quality gear... who knew?

Everyone wants to say "this thread is about OP's NGD" (it's not, OP didn't even post of a pic of the guitar), but then everyone has to weigh in on the cheap versus expensive debate, but then claim it's only me who perpetuates it.... LOL, it's tough holding a minority opinion here, but it's worth it.

"but wasn't an American"... Note that you said "an American", not "my particular American", revealing a bias. That being said, what specific shortcomings did your modded/improved MIM have in comparison to your "American" Fender?

Actually, this entire thread was definitely about JB_From_Hell's new (to him) guitar. That is exactly what this entire thread was about and should have been about. Anybody who might think otherwise either has the reading comprehension of a 5 year old, is delusional or is hell bent on proving their opinion is the "right" opinion.

I am really worried for this forum's future. If this becomes a place where people who love their more expensive guitars feel intimidated by a certain forum member's insistent, bullying responses to their purchases to the point where they no longer post then this place will eventually become lifeless as a ghost town.
 
Re: Quality gear... who knew?

It literally was not an American–the guitar was made in Mexico and changing the electronics (noisy,) pickups (harsh,) leveling the frets, sanding the edges of the frets to be even with the fretboard,

OK, issues that not every import has, and if by chance it does, is easy to fix.

did not change the fact that is was not an American made guitar...you can't mod a Chinese guitar into a Korean nor a Japanese into a British guitar. lol It has nothing to do with bias man, the guitar was still a Mexican body and neck. :D

So you place value on the guitar's country of origin for it's own sake, apart from quality concerns.. how is that not simply "snob appeal"?

The Fender American strats usually have the modern thin contour and a wider string spacing than the MIM, or at least they use to. I prefer the American Standard specs and use those when I build mine.

Matter of preference, not of quality.

:) And I have played great and crappy gear from multiple countries. I like buying parts from American companies such as Warmoth and Musikraft because I have had zero issue in quality and attention to detail. :)

All else aside, comparing fully assembled guitars to Warmoth parts is apples and oranges, regardless of country of origin.
 
Re: Quality gear... who knew?

I am really worried for this forum's future. If this becomes a place where people who love their more expensive guitars feel intimidated by a certain forum member's insistent, bullying responses to their purchases to the point where they no longer post then this place will eventually become lifeless as a ghost town.

As I said before, this thread has really opened my eyes to how certain forum members bully and troll others into submission and I will seriously take that attitude into account in the future when I get advice from them.
 
Re: Quality gear... who knew?

As I said before, this thread has really opened my eyes to how certain forum members bully and troll others into submission and I will seriously take that attitude into account in the future when I get advice from them.

Why would you question the advice of someone who doesn't accept that an MIA Fender is probably a nicer guitar than something considered a budget guitar?
 
Re: Quality gear... who knew?

Why would you question the advice of someone who doesn't accept that an MIA Fender is probably a nicer guitar than something considered a budget guitar?

You say "nicer guitar" as if it's a universally agreed to notion that MIA's are "nicer", and from looking at this thread it's for sure that there's a near universal belief that this is the case, but nobody is able or willing to reference differences that are indisputably more performant, that are not matters of preference, that are things which are true of all imports and which can't easily be fixed. All I've got so far from anyone in this thread is that a zinc tune-o-matic will buckle over the course or many years. One day that will effect playability, but it certainly will not affect it within the first few days, months or years of purchase.
 
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Re: Quality gear... who knew?

OK, issues that not every import has, and if by chance it does, is easy to fix.

Never said all imports had these issues–that list was all the stuff I changed on mine. :)

So you place value on the guitar's country of origin for it's own sake, apart from quality concerns.. how is that not simply "snob appeal"?

Poor fellow, with your logic I don't see how you could get out of grade school. :baby: When did I say I put value on a country of origin? A modded Chinese guitar is...*gasp* a modded Chinese guitar and not a Korean nor a Japanese nor an American, etc. My statement was saying you can't mod a guitar from one country to the other. For Fender gear that I have tried, their Imports did not have the same specs on the neck that I like.

Matter of preference, not of quality.

...that was my point of why the MIM was not an American :smash:

All else aside, comparing fully assembled guitars to Warmoth parts is apples and oranges, regardless of country of origin.

You don't actually read...please quote where I was comparing assembled guitars to part guitars. I like the specs of a Fender American Standard neck–standard thin back shape, flat radius, medium jumbo frets....so those are what I order when buying my necks from Warmoth or Musikraft. I have found Allparts to be decent necks but feel like the attention to detail is better with the aforementioned 2 companies :D
 
Re: Quality gear... who knew?

Thread I ride sixteen pages long.
Thread I ride sixteen pages long.
Well, it took my git-tar away from me an' gone.
 
Re: Quality gear... who knew?

Never said all imports had these issues–that list was all the stuff I changed on mine. :)

So it was both anecdotal and easily fixable, not a strong case against imports or for domestics.

Poor fellow, with your logic I don't see how you could get out of grade school. :baby:

ad hominem

When did I say I put value on a country of origin? A modded Chinese guitar is...*gasp* a modded Chinese guitar and not a Korean nor a Japanese nor an American, etc. My statement was saying you can't mod a guitar from one country to the other. For Fender gear that I have tried, their Imports did not have the same specs on the neck that I like.

This would fall under "preference", not quality... do you understand the difference?



You don't actually read...please quote where I was comparing assembled guitars to part guitars. I like the specs of a Fender American Standard neck–standard thin back shape, flat radius, medium jumbo frets....so those are what I order when buying my necks from Warmoth or Musikraft. I have found Allparts to be decent necks but feel like the attention to detail is better with the aforementioned 2 companies :D

This thread is about issues of quality, look at the OP :

this MIA Strat has really opened my eyes to how crappy all my other stuff is.

he didn't say "how preferential all my other stuff is"
 
Re: Quality gear... who knew?

JB_From_Hell is entitled to make that statement DreX. They're called opinions and in this case it's an opinion formed from actual experience. It might not be the same opinion you have, but it is his opinion.

Trying to argue over somebody's else's opinion because it is not the same opinion you have formed is pointless.
 
Re: Quality gear... who knew?

Aside from sniffing up some old MIJ Ibanez guitars, I have gotten very curious about these guitars.
http://www.godinguitars.com/godinpassionp.htm

I have had a ton of guitars since 1980 something.......loads of cheap middle of the road stuff with jacked up hardware and pickups, mods....stuff been taken apart and destroyed, repaired and gotten back to working again....
Had few on the lower end in the more expensive range!

I have two CS Fenders now(well they needed be treated as well....they are American after all ;) hehe....) and two MIJ Ibanez guitars.....got two acoustic Godins as well.
And one cheap old Roadstar that is neckless at the moment!

If you have played for along time, and have some experience, quality right out of the box is way more cost effective in the long run.

I used to have alot of guitars, not anymore, and I am not as easily bored as I used to be(allthough I still can get there sometimes).
There is a difference, and a rather big one I might ad!
 
Re: Quality gear... who knew?

Trying to argue over somebody's else's opinion because it is not the same opinion you have formed is pointless.

this is not stated as opinion, this is stated as though it were fact:

an MIA Fender is probably a nicer guitar than something considered a budget guitar

all I'm asking is for is proof of this fact, and the main problem I'm seeing is that most people don't understand the distinction between preference and quality. The reason why anyone will be hard pressed to prove than imports lack in quality is because by and large they are all functional, payable guitars that last a long time if treated with even minimum care, so the necessary criterias of the guitars being "quality" are very easy to meet, and what remains is almost entirely issues of preference.
 
Re: Quality gear... who knew?

So it was both anecdotal and easily fixable, not a strong case against imports or for domestics.

I was not making a case against imports–I said it literally was not made in America :) The point of that sentence was modding it didn't change it from a MIM to a MIA Fender–it still had a thicker neck and smaller string spacing.

ad hominem

tru dat :butkick:

This would fall under "preference", not quality... do you understand the difference?


Wait, there is a difference?! :omg: You have enlightened me! *sarcasm*


This thread is about issues of quality, look at the OP :

...so every post you've ever made stayed true to the OP? :bsflag: If you read my original posts I was specifically talking about my experiences–not yours nor anyone else

he didn't say "how preferential all my other stuff is"

Again, when did I say that he did? My posts were about my preferences...I'm very selfish with my posts, all about me :banana:
 
Re: Quality gear... who knew?

If you do not understand you are reading an opinion in an internet forum then perhaps the internet is not for you.

On the contrary, nearly everyone treats it as fact that MIA is better than imports, that's why this thread is at page 12, because nobody will accept the simple point that every distinction between an MIA and an import comes down to matters of preference. Maybe they don't want to believe they paid $500 more for a guitar just to get something that's "different" and not "better".
 
Re: Quality gear... who knew?

I was not making a case against imports–I said it literally was not made in America :) The point of that sentence was modding it didn't change it from a MIM to a MIA Fender–it still had a thicker neck and smaller string spacing.



tru dat :butkick:




Wait, there is a difference?! :omg: You have enlightened me! *sarcasm*




...so every post you've ever made stayed true to the OP? :bsflag: If you read my original posts I was specifically talking about my experiences–not yours nor anyone else



Again, when did I say that he did? You were attacking my post and my post was about my preferences...I'm very selfish with my threads, all about me :banana:

your experiences and preferences are irrelevant, you're confused as to what this debate is about.
 
Re: Quality gear... who knew?

On the contrary, nearly everyone treats it as fact that MIA is better than imports, that's why this thread is at page 12, because nobody will accept the simple point that every distinction between an MIA and an import comes down to matters of preference. Maybe they don't want to believe they paid $500 more for a guitar just to get something that's "different" and not "better".

Some people think lots of things are better. I can find upteen articles/experiences on why organic food is better than processed and another upteen articles/experiences on why processed foods are just as good if not better. Like i said in my post that you ignored, "I think the imports have improved as far as quality; however, I personally can tell a difference in looks, feel, and sound between the imports and the American gear. I have modded a MIM with American electronics and significant fret work. It played and sounded better but wasn't an American. It all comes down to economics...costs with benefits/rewards. Some people want a brand, some people want a specific tone, some go for specific Country, some go for best "bang for the buck", etc. "
 
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