Why do you feel that American made guitars are the best?

[Toby Walker]

Your topic question implies that we already think American made guitars are the best, and you're asking why we think that.

I've played some great sounding and well made foreign guitars. As far as I've seen, there are talented luthiers all over the world.

[alnico5]

Originally Posted by Mick's Goat Whiskey Picks

There are premium builders all over the world. But you really can't say that a $800 Pac Rim mass produced import (regardless of how great the quality and tone is) is the equal of a $3k Martin, Gibson or Taylor. Just like my Toyota is an awesome car but it is not the equal of a Mercedes. Now if we pick premium builders outside the US and premium US builders and compare apples to apples the results will be probably be different.

Funny you should mention $800. My USA 1996 Taylor 412 cost me $800.

[Gasworker]

Originally Posted by Tico

I don't give a crap about favoring any country (including my own) over any other.
I'm not political or a nationalistic bigot.

I strongly prefer MY US-made guitars for how my Martin, Gibsons and Guilds sound, feel, and play.

... IOW my personal experience.

Hmmmm I think I am a nationalistic bigot. You see, I don't think foreign including US guitars are of lesser quality to Canadian made guitars. To be completely honest I don't really have a point of reference. I earned every cent I have in the service industry from Canadians. Where I have a choice I will buy Canadian. I feel I owe it. Ps I really really want a Gibson AJ. (Don't tell my fellow bigots)

[guitargoat]

Originally Posted by Mick's Goat Whiskey Picks

There are premium builders all over the world. But you really can't say that a $800 Pac Rim mass produced import (regardless of how great the quality and tone is) is the equal of a $3k Martin, Gibson or Taylor. Just like my Toyota is an awesome car but it is not the equal of a Mercedes. Now if we pick premium builders outside the US and premium US builders and compare apples to apples the results will be probably be different.

Few questions.
How many guitars built determines "mass produced" 2 million?
Isn't the US part of the Pac Rim?
Isn't "quality and tone" the most important criteria for a guitar purchase?

[rct]

I'm from a time when there was Fender, Gibson, Martin, and then everything else.

Everything else, with little exception was junk. And if it wasn't junk it was a copy of one of the aforementioned.

I've never been given a reason to use anything else, so I still use the same.

rct

[guitargoat]

Originally Posted by Toby Walker

Your topic question implies that we already think American made guitars are the best, and you're asking why we think that.

I've played some great sounding and well made foreign guitars. As far as I've seen, there are talented luthiers all over the world.

ding ding ding! We have a winner!! Thank you for your insight.

[BBWW]

I think Asian factories have come a long way and are putting out some pretty good instruments. I don't think they are yet consistently been producing anything better than US build guitars.

[Kerbie]

I'm hoping everybody can keep their answers polite and refrain from bashing any particular nationalities.

[tbeltrans]

I am somewhat surprised that nobody has yet mentioned "Spain" and "fine guitars" yet. Americans build fine guitars, folks in Spain have been doing that much longer, then there are fine guitars out of Canada, Ireland, William Kelday in Scotland, Japan, etc, etc, etc... Yes, Americans build some fine instruments, but so do folks in many countries. Search through the forums here and we will find references somewhere for just about all of them.

As a player, it really comes down to what the individual player wants in a guitar, rather than where it was built.

Tony

[alnico5]

Originally Posted by guitargoat

Few questions.
Isn't "quality and tone" the most important criteria for a guitar purchase?

I'm gonna buy USA made if possible and I'm not a bit ashamed of it. My La Patrie classical was made in Quebec, and my Glock was made in Austria, so I make exceptions.

[Riverwolf]

Originally Posted by Brucebubs

I wonder how many people in any USA guitar making facility - from upper management right through to warehouse and delivery - actually play guitar themselves compared to foreign (yes - Asian) guitar producers.

And yes, I think it makes a difference.

Why? and Why would you assume that an Asian does not play guitar?
Isn't it something like only 5% of USA population?

Originally Posted by Mick's Goat Whiskey Picks

But you really can't say that a $800 Pac Rim mass produced import (regardless of how great the quality and tone is) is the equal of a $3k Martin, Gibson or Taylor.

OK, but why? We know that the labor cost is the largest part of the guitar.
Wood is (mostly) wood.

Originally Posted by Thoragaverung

I do tend to prefer American guitars on one level: the workers who make them aren't being exploited as badly as somebody working in a third world sweatshop.

I totally understand this answer.

Originally Posted by cotten

This thread has the potential of getting ugly in a hurry. I hope I'm wrong.

I hope that you are wrong too. I was not taking sides, simply asking why...

Originally Posted by Toby Walker

Your topic question implies that we already think American made guitars are the best, and you're asking why we think that.

And the vast majority of forum members at least the "older folk" do think this way. It is all too obvious by the threads.

[SprintBob]

I want to feel like I am buying a guitar built by companies with employees who are passionate about building guitars. I'm not sure that is the case with some (but not all) Asian guitar manufacturing. Companies like Eastman, Gretsch, Pono to name a few sure seem to have passionate employees in their Asian facilities.

[JohnW63]

I own a China built Walden, a Korea built Newark St Guild, and a China built Yamaha "silent guitar", so I am not a hard core USA or nothing purchaser.

I think anywhere, where the guitar, as we now know it, is part of a long musical tradition, and is seen as something to cherish, they will build better guitars. From cowboys to rock and roll stars, the US has a lot of guitar playing and building in their culture. I do wonder if some of the factory workers in the factories in Asia could care if they built guitars or rolling pins. Obviously, some do, since very nice guitars CAN be produced there.

There are a few Asian built guitars I would like to try, and quite a few European ones I would love to play as well. But I really expect any US built guitar to really be good.

[guitargoat]

Have fun Ladies and Gents.

[HHP]

I have always believed that anything requiring a combination of craft and art is dependent on the culture in which it is made. Anybody, anywhere can handle the craft part, what they lack is the art part. Guitars have deep cultural roots in the US and those roots allow a builder exposed or immersed in them to make artistic decisions.

The US is not the only place this occurs, it just occurs more frequently as far as guitars go. Every region of the world has something so culturally ingrained that they continue to excel at it.

I think to excel at building anything, you have to have an informed point of view as to what the end product will do. Without that, you're just following blueprints.