Made in USA: Does it matter?

[subversion]

friends, swee lee's sale event is creeping in, i've been hanging out at BB showroom for quite a bit during the school semestral break;i keep getting the 'Made in USA better right?' query from shoppers :roll:

it's undeniable that the USA (& Japan for that matter) sets a high production standard when it comes to guitars, there are good wares coming out of Korea & China lately- will you hesitate to invest in them?

i've tried many guitars for the past decade or so, along the way, i have invested in Korean/ Indonesian products & on the verge of going Chinese. there are some of us who shun a particular offering simply due to its country of origin which is a sad philosophy because a well made instrument is a well made instrument, even if it's conceived in the North Pole. isn't it time to check our ego at the door?

your opinions please...

 

[namle]

for me in fact i dont even go for brand neither origin of production

soudns nice... plays nice... looks good... i will grab it

 

[jbarks]

I have a Korean acoustic that plays like a dream and 2 Japanese Fenders that are pretty damn good for the price, BUT I tried out an American Deluxe P-bass the other day at Guitar Gallery and was blown away by the quality. Friend's MIA Lakland, same thing. PRS, G&L thinline ASAT (sounds huge). Amazing stuff. I guess if you're looking for something that's good, go ahead and go Asian by all means like I've done, but if you want the best of the best, MIA's pretty much there. I've thrown over 3000$ into stuff that's made in Asia already, so no hesitation there 8)

 

[Guest]

interesting thread. okie, time for me to contribute, hope this helps:
I had never own a MIA guitar but I had tried a few before. No doubt, the feel and the built quality is obviously better than all the rest.
I ever owned a MIJ Ibanez, MIK Ibanez, MII bass & guitar.
My simple conclusion is this, and still is, in the order of best to worst ranking:

MIA, MIJ - superior, no doubt.
MIK, MIT - came across both good and bad quality ones
MII - only bad quality ones

Another thing, errm.. don't be too impressed by those guitar magazines or websites that covers a guitar factory tour, as we all know, when there's a inspection/tour, everyone start to wayang... :lol: Trust only what you see, hear, and feel.

ok ok, all IMO.

 

[rottenramone]

..

i wonder if vai can shred on an MIC/MIK/MITanzania

 

[Guest]

rottenramone,

the point is this: Vai can shred on any MI* guitar, the question is how long can he last?

Vai takes up a MII guitar, wack the trem brigde for just a few seconds, wood starts to split, pivoting screws starts to losen, guitar falling apart.

But, see how he abuse his real JEMs. They all survived his 5, 10min songs...

 

[PatheinRaindropMoe]

hur hur hur :lol:

 

[rottenramone]

..

true. :wink:

 

[Paulo]

1 thing that just amazes me, watching Rosli Mohalim [lead guitarist for Sweet Charity, currently @ Handle Bar Pub, J.B] He's in his early 50s now, using a copy strat, 3 "MIT" BOSS pedals. DS-1, CH-1 n DD-3. thru a Valvestate 80 combo Marshall on clean channel. [all stock, no mods, using basic patch cables] 70s Blues-rock to Hard rock - excellent tone. His rendition of Blackmore, pouring from his fingertips like water. Think Highway Star, Burn, Stargazer. the tone was phew.

origin doubts, cld be in the mind too.

 

[Guest]

ok, real examples, zooming in at MIK guitars:
my previous MIK Ibanez S470DX 2003 model, well made.:rock:
my current MIK Ibanez RG321MHRB 2005 model, well made.:rock:
I guess MIK is worth investing.

 

[jbarks]

1 thing that just amazes me, watching Rosli Mohalim [lead guitarist for Sweet Charity, currently @ Handle Bar Pub, J.B] He's in his early 50s now, using a copy strat, 3 "MIT" BOSS pedals. DS-1, CH-1 n DD-3. thru a Valvestate 80 combo Marshall on clean channel.

+1 to the copy strats. My friend gets amazing tone from his Fernandes copy...it's so beat up that the mojo coming from it is unbelievable

 

[ShredCow]

Re: ..

i wonder if vai can shred on an MIC/MIK/MITanzania

There was an interview Mr Vai did with a French Magazine some time back. In that radio interview, Mr Vai was asked to play some tunes, on an acoustic with, I quote, "action, HALF an inch high".

Needless to say, Mr Vai gave in to the radio host and proceeded to play some simple covers and tunes, very nicely I must add.

After about 5 juvenile and pointless questions/songs (e.g., What song would you play to woo a girl? What song would you play when you are sad?), Mr Vai stopped, said he couldn't carry on playing like this and that he wasn't happy.

Point is, at the end of the day, its not so much about the make, its really about the TONE and the SETUP of the instrument. And being polite, sensitive to guitar virtuosos.

What I would be particular about any piece of gear, is the make and QC. If the MIA guitar I have, has horrible wiring, messy routing underneath the pickguard, I will be upset.

However, like what sub has said, the quality of MIC/MIK/MIT stuff has gone up, but when people refer to such guitars, the notion of the budget guitar comes into mind. Like the Ibanez Gio series. Those guitars, due to being budget axes, are really... well... axes.

 

[ShredCow]

origin doubts, cld be in the mind too.

hey paulo,
While i don't doubt that Rosli Mohalim has great tone, its likely he is really just satisfied with what he has.

When I play something like... i dunno, lets pick, a really cheap samick strat, then proceed to pick up a nice real fender strat, I hear/feel the huge difference. Granted, I might pick an awesome Samick and a dud Fender, and feel totally the opposite, but its less likely.

Same with effects, I don't understand how people will like a Tubescreamer or MIT DS1, when you compare them with other gear out there...

I don't mean any offence to you, or Rosli, I just think the reason why people don't check out other gear is:

1) They are satisfied

2) They never a/b-ed the pedals/guitar (which is key, not just listening to them seperately)

Be it an MIC or MIA guitar, its really just those 2 reasons why people don't upgrade or something.

 

[fgl]

my tots on the matter:
The player can pay means can play ... regardless

 

[subversion]

master Paulo: any chance of taking a pic of his guitar the next time you see Mr. Rosli?

... & then there's POT to prove us all that it's about constructional philosophy... i'm simply impressed by them.

 

[Paulo]

master Paulo: any chance of taking a pic of his guitar the next time you see Mr. Rosli?

... & then there's POT to prove us all that it's about constructional philosophy... i'm simply impressed by them.

pic, i'll try if i do make a trip down, sub. Rosli did tell me that it was put together by a m'sian acquaintance of his. Alder strat shaped body, maple neck/fretboard, large reversed strat headstock with no brand. vintage styled pickups n hardware. the tone that he achieves, i wouldnt have thought it was 3 MIT stock Boss pedals, DS-1 being the crunch engine. anyway, he's a perfect GAS neutralizer for me haha. 8)

POT guitars - the builder does an amazing job on them, excellent workmanship. every POT guitar i've tried so far, is well setup, ready to rock.

 

[subversion]

POT guitars - the builder does an amazing job on them, excellent workmanship. every POT guitar i've tried so far, is well setup, ready to rock.

thank you, sir! nothing too demanding, if you can snap some using your h/p camera, it'll be great.

as for the POT- i couldn't agree more.

 

[Mobius]

When I try guitars I never look at their origins. I decide whether its good by playing it. I am always amazed and amused tat MIJ Boss pedals can fetch so high a price jus because its made in Japan. Its this perception that certain products are better jus due to its association to origin or etc that jacks up the price. Same situation goes with all those boutique pedals. Tone is in the fingers not in your gear.

 

[ShredCow]

..... I am always amazed and amused tat MIJ Boss pedals can fetch so high a price jus because its made in Japan.....

Well, for starters, it does sound different. Maybe thats a factor too?

I don't believe tone is entirely in the fingers... but well, YMMV.

 

[Phil]

Life is too short for bad tone.

Actually it's more of a consistency of quality that MIA, MIJ product exude. Thus, people are more lenient towards spending on those particular products. Confidence.