American vs. Import - Worth the money? - Discussion

How do I reduce the collection to sneak it in? Which credit card? Those are the things that matter.
:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

As long as it fits and gives me the sound and quality I want, nothing else matters.

How do I reduce the collection to sneak it in?

Truer words were never spoken!

My son's Squier Bullet Strat copy is made in Indonesia. I'll tell ya...aside from the fact that I'm not really happy with the fretboard - it's a little rough, looks like Rosewood but is probably something cheaper - the guitar as a whole is freakin' awesome.

It's a hardtail (no trem) and even though it's probably made out of some sort of cheap particle board (weighs about half what my MIM Strat does) the thing sustains forever. The pickups are also insanely hot, much higher output than my MIM at a given volume level. It aso has virtually no hum. Low action, good (not perfect) intonation out of the box, and plays like a dream aside from the aforementioned fretboard issue.

$89 at Guitar Center. Wow.

I think my Epi LP is Chinese, my Ibanez A/E is made in Korea, and my Yamaha acoustic is...at a friend's house right now so I can't check. :D

I've never owned an American-made guitar, and frankly, the country of origin doesn't matter one iota to me if it feels good and plays right.

I bought a Fender American Fat Strat recently thinking it would be a big jump over squier but i can slightly tell the difference in the sound, im playing through a line 6 spider 2 112 im wandering what would be the best thing to buy to get more of a stevie ray vaughn clean sound

I bought a Fender American Fat Strat recently thinking it would be a big jump over squier but i can slightly tell the difference in the sound, im playing through a line 6 spider 2 112 im wandering what would be the best thing to buy to get more of a stevie ray vaughn clean sound

One thing to try is to tune to all flats (Eb, Bb, Gb, Db, Ab, Eb)...at least that's what he does for Pride & Joy. Plus a tiny bit of distortion through a tube amp (or tube modeling)

I really don't care where mine was made. I just care that it's the one I can't put down. There is a Gibson j100 at the local GC calling my name right now. I don't care about the country of origin.

How do I reduce the collection to sneak it in? Which credit card? Those are the things that matter.

AMEN to that, Nick.

Good analogy, Bono.

i worked at a music shop for awhile that was mostly a fender dealer, besides some acoustics and trade-ins. i have to say that there was always a huge tone difference between the cheap squier strats and the more expensive fender strats. there wasn't as much of a tone difference between the mim strats and the mia strats, but it was there, and the necks on the mias were smoother. there are always differences between indiviual guitars but as a whole, there was a correlation.
for the record, i play a gibson studio lp through a marshall 30 watt that sounds like mario getting gold coins on the clean tone. i have no idea what to think.

One thing to try is to tune to all flats (Eb, Bb, Gb, Db, Ab, Eb)...at least that's what he does for Pride & Joy. Might that be Eb, Ab, Db, Gb, Bb, Eb? :wink:

I bought a Fender American Fat Strat recently thinking it would be a big jump over squier but i can slightly tell the difference in the sound, im playing through a line 6 spider 2 112 im wandering what would be the best thing to buy to get more of a stevie ray vaughn clean sound

One thing to try is to tune to all flats (Eb, Bb, Gb, Db, Ab, Eb)...at least that's what he does for Pride & Joy. Plus a tiny bit of distortion through a tube amp (or tube modeling)

Tiny little thing: use heavy strings (such as 13's), or this will suck.

I bought a Fender American Fat Strat recently thinking it would be a big jump over squier but i can slightly tell the difference in the sound, im playing through a line 6 spider 2 112 im wandering what would be the best thing to buy to get more of a stevie ray vaughn clean sound

One thing to try is to tune to all flats (Eb, Bb, Gb, Db, Ab, Eb)...at least that's what he does for Pride & Joy. Plus a tiny bit of distortion through a tube amp (or tube modeling)

Tiny little thing: use heavy strings (such as 13's), or this will suck.

Thanks...I am using .10's and it sound pretty good. I had to tone down the treble a bit on both the amp and the V-Amp but it's not bad.
Might that be Eb, Ab, Db, Gb, Bb, Eb? Wink

if you reflect it in a mirror it looks the same to me :roll: :wink: :lol:

if you reflect it in a mirror it looks the same to me :roll: :wink: :lol:Sure does!

For some reason it's customary to spell tunings from the lowest string to the highest, but to number the strings from highest to lowest. Go figure.
:lol:

if you reflect it in a mirror it looks the same to me :roll: :wink: :lol:Sure does!

For some reason it's customary to spell tunings from the lowest string to the highest, but to number the strings from highest to lowest. Go figure.
:lol:

You know where else number order messes things up?

How about the standard phone keypad as opposed to a calculator or your computer keyboard?

You know you've been using the computer way too much when you can't make a call because you can't find the ENTER key to accept the phone number. :oops: :D

Compared to 30 years ago, lower cost guitars are fantastic values -- playable, sound good and pretty durable.

But ...

Here's a list of things most newbies (and even many experiences players) don't notice when comparing guitars -- things that separate an okay guitar from a great guitar:

1. Polished frets
2. Quality nitrocellulose instead of a poly finish (the latter may even look better, but a wonderful nitro or other high end finish feels so good)
3. Precision of assembly, including nut height and fit, nut/bridge alignment that determines how well strings are spaced across the fingerboard, alignment of jack plates, flatness of pickguards
4. Amount of epoxy fill used around inlays
5. Base materials used in hardware (what's underneath that chrome?) and plating quality (how much gold? -- real or lacquer)
6. Pup wax potting
7. Pup mounting integrity (wobbly or tight? Well shaped pup rings that follow an arched top?)
8. Quality, material and detail of binding -- especially around joints and f-holes
9. Shielding (it's inside) -- ask for a screwdriver!
10. Filler at joints -- this can be done well and hidden by the finish, but better guitars need less
11. Neck joint integrity and alignment, especially for bolt-ons.
12. Quality of switches, jacks, pots
13. Quality of grain filling
14. Difference between a clever veneer and a true cap
15. Proper neck contruction for a long warp-free life: wood compositon mated with proper sawing and lamination
16. Internal fit and finish, especially of acoustics and (semi-)hollows

in playing the guitar...

1. Useful pup positioning, voicing and blending
2. Natural acoustic resonance of an electric
3. String-to-string balance
4. Response of the guitar to a wide range of playing styles and dynamics, including popping, pulling, smacking, tapping
5. Good tonal balance in an acoustic guitar -- from the audience position.
6. Good trem design that minimizes trem gargle

I'm others could add to the lists.

There's a really good start on a "What To Look For In A New Guitar" article. :D

A great list and great timing for me since I'm severely looking. Thanks for doing the finger work!

I had started "discovering" those nuances, shall we say, while going over my guitars, looking at every guitar in my local shops and talking to others. I'm happy to say I haven't uncovered anything surprising in mine so far, thank goodness.

Your efforts on that list did NOT go unnoticed! 8)