Made in China

[ronadair]

I'm not sure - I could be very wrong here - but I don't think China has a deep Guitar history. I googled players & WOW they have players. Not a lot of history though, I think. So, "made in China" is manufacturing expertise. It begs the "soul" question. Eastman comes to mind.

Thoughts?

[Riverwolf]

Oh boy, here we go again...

[AZLiberty]

Originally Posted by ronadair

Eastman comes to mind.

Thoughts?

Eastman actually has a long and storied history as a stringed instrument maker. Guitars are a newer addition, but they have made stringed instruments for a very long time.

The company itself is Chinese, so in that particular instance, it is certainly NOT about offshoring to reduce labor and compliance costs.

[HAPPYDAN]

I don't know squat about Chinese guitar manufacturers, but I can recognize true quality when I see it. I have an Epiphone ES-339 Pro that appears to be made as well as it's Gibson brother, at 1/3 the price. It did need a good set-up before it would play well, though. Recently I test played an Ovation Celebrity Standard CS28. It was amazing, absolutely flawless, and sounded good too. Both are made in China. So, while China might be relatively new to the market, they seem to learn fast.

[Rosewood99]

Originally Posted by Riverwolf

Oh boy, here we go again...

That's what I was thinking. I liked the first 50 times a thread like this was started.

[Song]

[ronadair]

Oh... still relevant. ?!

[Steve DeRosa]

Originally Posted by ronadair

...I don't think China has a deep guitar history...It begs the "soul" question. Eastman comes to mind...

Originally Posted by AZLiberty

Eastman actually has a long and storied history as a stringed instrument maker. Guitars are a newer addition, but they have made stringed instruments for a very long time...

As a long-time orchestral string manufacturer Eastman clearly "gets it" when it comes to carved archtop guitars and mandolins - you'll find them highly rated on both the Archtop and Other Stringed Instruments Forums - and I consider their upscale, all-solid/all-carved Semi-hollows to be some of the finest instruments of their kind by any standard...

Quite frankly I'm far less impressed with their flattop line and, given what Martin/Taylor/Gibson/Guild are capable of producing in the under-$2K (street) price range, I'd sooner have one of those - IMO Eastman is at least five years away from being able to compete effectively, on a heads-up basis, with the major American makers...

[Mystery123]

It took a loooooooooooooooooooooooooong time to invent a wheel but it doesn't take much time to build another one so history doesn't matter.
We can create a new country and it'll have great guitar players in 20 years or less.

[ronadair]

No question... China can produce. "Made in Japan" used to be a negative. No longer. "Made in China" could follow.

[Rmz76]

Originally Posted by ronadair

I'm not sure - I could be very wrong here - but I don't think China has a deep Guitar history. I googled players & WOW they have players. Not a lot of history though, I think. So, "made in China" is manufacturing expertise. It begs the "soul" question. Eastman comes to mind.

Thoughts?

Builders in China either use a shared factory or maintain their own. Shared factories are owned by giant builders (e.g. Cort) who build to spec what the companies who order from them want. That includes options like quality of finish, types of glues, etc... If Cort (or any contracted builder in Asia) fails to deliver quality I would imagine the order could be rejected, etc... The when you pick up a $150 guitar built in China, the fact that it's made in China isn't the problem. It's the corners the manufacturer purposely cut to deliver an entry level guitar. The $900 Eastman is in every way in league with premium all solid wood US built guitars except for it's country of origin. Still may not be the right instrument for you, but the build quality is there.

[mercy]

I know there are a lot of opinions but Im with Steve De

[slianto]

Maybe China don't have much legacy or culture about the guitar itself, their old instrument is more like harp or something.

But don't forget, China is very good at "copying", and they can "adjust" the quality depends on the demand or price. they can build great instrument with decent price, or crap instrument with very cheap price.

I've seen same guitar models (Made In China) that sold in Thailand, the quality is so so, but the price also cheap. But I seen one that sold on Aussie, the quality is much much better and price also higher.

So don't get it wrong, China can make bad and great instrument, for their price.
But for the best craftmanship itself, I prefer US built or Japan or maybe Korea.

[zmf]

Originally Posted by slianto

But for the best craftmanship itself, I prefer US built or Japan or maybe Korea.

Absolutely. Totally agree.

To quote a line from a favorite movie of mine: "Any man who judges the individual by the group is a peawit."

Back to the popcorn. Carry on.

[tippy5]

No telling how they procure pallets of rare old growth tonewoods.
A hundred years from now our current guitars will be cherished.
Maybe even some of the Made in China models?