There are clear spec differences between e.g. a MIM strat and an AM strat, but not enough to justify the price hike.
I like good guitars, I don't care their country of origin. Although, if I was buying an '80s strat, I'd go Japanese, as the US quality back then was dire.
I like good guitars, I don't care their country of origin.
+1! If it feels good & sounds good, then it's good to me! 8)
"The only way I know that guarantees no mistakes is not to play and that's simply not an option". David Hodge
I like good guitars, I don't care their country of origin. Although, if I was buying an '80s strat, I'd go Japanese, as the US quality back then was dire.
absolutement! Japan was it then. Ibanez was hitting a new stride with some really hot, original guitars. I had an Ibanez Artist solidbody that put the Les Pauls of that era to shame in craftsmanship, beauty and playability. the Yamaha SG was another hot Japanese axe from that period. ambivalently, I traded the Artist for a 1st production year G&L S500, a fabulous, but less flashy guitar I've kept. ironically, the S500 was US made, but Leo had the quality nailed at G&L, and that guitar converted me to a big Fender fan.
-=tension & release=-
Whew! Haha, thanks for all the replies, guys. :D That confirms my suspicions and I'll just go on shopping for what I think sounds good. On a side note, I had experienced some irritation from South Americans when I referred to myself as an American - from their perspective, they were too and I wasn't being specific enough. I should have said that I was a 'Norteamericano' One thing that I thought was interesting was that they lumped all of us Northern Americans together and really didn't differentiate too much between a Canadian, US Citizen, and a Mexican.
On a second side note, a local guitar shop has a used PRS SE EG for $150, it sounds awesome to me...but is that too good to be true?
Thanks!
The price/quality thing is pretty a much a mixture of the cost of wages paid in the country of manufacture
Chris is prety spot on with this quote. Maybe (as far as guitars go) the "pre-CBS Fender" got the ball rolling. Once CBS got into Fender they said: "What!!! Pay these long haired freakos HOW MUCH to come here in and play guitars all day??? Let's get some machines in here!" Once Japan got into it...it got even worse.
But...in general...no matter what the product...it's impossible for any First World country to compete with one that offers slave wages to its workers.
Okay...off me soapbox, now!
Cat
"Feel what you play...play what you feel!"
I've heard Canadian citizens express both annoyance and amusement at their provincially-minded neighbors south of their border believing America = USA. wonder if Mexican citizens have similar feelings?
When my fellow Canadians use the word "Americans" we are referring only to citizens of the USA, not all the people in North America.
The only people I have encountered who suggest that saying "American" implies anything other than the USA are those in the USA.
That tends to amuse and annoy us.
are you suggesting my Canadian friends and colleagues (present company excepted) are not real Canadians?!?!?! :wink:
Gnease, you are correct that there are Canucks (and others) who feel that using American for citizens of the USA is expropriating the name of the continent for one country (actually 2 continents). It would be like China naming itself Asia or Zimbabwe becoming Africa. Unfortunately there's far too much baggage tied up in the name and it's unlikely that US citizens will be known as Usonians or Columbards (variants suggested in the past).
I also understand Kent's point too. There are very few Canadians who want to be confused for Americans (Usonians). In fact, very few other residents of the Americas want to be confused for Americans. That's why there's no great push to try and use the term "American" correctly for a resident of the Americas (just as Asian is for someone living in or sometimes descended from people of Asia). It would be likely that others would be confused and assume that the person using the term was from the USA rather than from the continent of North or South America.
Pop music is about stealing pocket money from children. - Ian Anderson
you are taking this way too seriously ... Usonians? (USAnians, mebbe?) now that's funny.
-=tension & release=-
you are taking this way too seriously ...
Yeah, I probably am. Basically, it's a logical correctness argument against a widespread entrenched practice. It unlikely that the former will win out against the latter.
Usonians? (USAnians, mebbe?) now that's funny.
"Usonian" is the term used by Frank Lloyd Wright for his American architecture and it's probably the most used other (non-derogatory) word in English as a replacement for "American". Even if it is the most used it still isn't used that much and your reply underscores the fact. There have been plenty of other terms going back to before the formation of the United States but none have really taken hold.
Back to the non-US guitar issue. I have a few actually - 2 ESP Edwards (Japan only sub-brand) that are made in Japan, 1 Godin made in Canada with some assembly in the US, 1 Seagull made in Canada. All really good guitars and cheaper than comparable US models from the "established" brands. The idea that non-US made guitars are cheaper than US made guitars because of "slave" wages or poor environmental issues doesn't necessarily hold, particularly against guitars made in other 1st world countries. It is part of the factor in comparing to developing countries though even there a large part of the wage difference is the cost of living and the workers are often making very good local wages.
When comparing big US brand guitars against other first world made guitars a very large part of the price difference is the premium for the brand name. Some consumers are willing to pay for that and some are not. The more the company (primarily Fender and Gibson) tries to make money off the name and the bigger the divide between the cost of comparable models from other brands then then more sales will go to the other brands.
Pop music is about stealing pocket money from children. - Ian Anderson
Interesting that "supply and demand" the two most significant factors that affect price in a capitalist system, haven't been mentioned.
Actually i only skimmed this thread so if it was mentioned i missed it.
When the topic turned to what "Americans" called themselves, or why they should or shouldn't, my eyes glazed over, and i lost interest.
maybe we should refer to ourselves as the "United States of North America"
political correctness is bs imo. :roll:
#4491....
