Opinions on buying from Chinese OEMs

[catfish]

I buy only tea, fountain pens and mechanical wristwatches directly from the Chinese sellers, but only before I do a full research on the item I am buying and read the feedback posts from the actual buyers for this specific item and for this specific seller.

Had negative experience from buying anything else directly from China (e.g., shoes, clothes, etc.), except for the stuff mentioned above. I did not even risk to buy guitar tuners after reading negative comments on the Russian guitar forum, and you are considering getting the whole acoustic guitar!

[merlin666]

You get what you pay for. These are cheap guitars and if that is all you can afford then it's just a matter of good taste. I am not sure what you are asking but don't expect that you will get better value or quality than if you bought a similar priced guitar at Walmart.

[Hobo_King]

All the reasons not to buy direct from a factory:
1. Don't unless you are 100% sure about who they build for and overall quality.
2. Not all factories are created equal, trust me I've been to over a dozen.
3. Just because the specs are the same, dose not mean the build quality is. Solid woods could not have proper seasoning times, tops could be overly thick. Finish can be thick and poorly done.
4. Just because they do or have built for a name brand, doesn't mean all the guitars they build are the same quality. Say a factory is known for building Epiphone. They may build entry level all laminate guitars for them. If you buy a solid top or all solid guitar from said factory, there is probably a reason why Epiphone only buys all laminate from them.
4. Even is you are buying a similar spec guitar from a factory that builds the same spec guitar for a name brand it can differ. Name brand can have specific specs and QC that the factory name guitars may not.

[ghostnote]

As with a lot of things, you win some, you lose some. That's been my story with Chinese guitars. But I have to say that I've never been burned; just a little disappointed once or twice. But overall I've been quite pleased. In fact, I have a J-45 copy that is probably 75% of a real J45, for 10% of the cost. (it's a Durango B46; no longer made) As long as your expectations are reasonable, you'll be fine.

[rstaight]

In 2007 I was wanting an inexpensive acoustic. Wasn't playing much then but still wanted one.

We were in Nashville Indiana, a small town that has a lot of small shops and basically a tourist trap. Folks in the area refer to it as Brown County.

They have a small music store called Weedpatch Music. They are an Induana guitar dealer. Well, I picked up an Indiana Scout and was rather pleased with sound. The guitar also played well because the shop took the time to set it up.

The cost was $110. With a cheap gig bag and a strap. That guitar still gets played once or twice a week. The setup has never been tweaked, same as the day I bought it.

This is the guitar that goes on vacation. It now lives in a hard case and does go to a few jams.

As far as quality, you can get what ever quality you want from China. Just depends on who is having them build.

[musicman1951]

I've heard stories, but I've never experienced the miraculous savings these opportunities provide. Disappointment yes, but I've never felt the money was well spent and there has always eventually been regret.

But I'm not much of a gambler, and you might be one of the lucky few.

I always find the best value in used instruments. If money is tight the best value is in slightly ugly used instruments. The dings and scratches don't affect the sound.

[Mdinterman]

When we have so many great American guitar manufacturers like Martin, Taylor, Larrivee, Gibson, Collings, I would not even consider any Chinese product or foreign product for that matter. Some of these manufacturers have moved some models to other countries, like Martin with a limited number of models, I wouldn’t consider any of those. I prefer to keep Americans working.

[catfish]

Originally Posted by Mdinterman

When we have so many great American guitar manufacturers like Martin, Taylor, Larrivee, Gibson, Collings, I would not even consider any Chinese product or foreign product for that matter. Some of these manufacturers have moved some models to other countries, like Martin with a limited number of models, I wouldn’t consider any of those. I prefer to keep Americans working.

This particular discussion is not about 'Chinese vs X country' made guitars, but about OEM Chinese guitars sold at eBay, aliexpress, etc.

It is about Chinese no-name or fake-name 'pig in a sack' guitars.