Price point and name bias

[Guitartanzon]

I wonder if I suffer from price point or name bias

If I were given the choice to own one of two guitars, demoed side by side, and based on sound and playability, and quality, one far exceeded the other and was the clear undisputed winner, but is was cheaper and off shore made...the other was a double the price Martin ( or Taylor or Gibson), I would pick the Martin, Taylor Or Gibson. Why? well its a Martin, Taylor or Gibson....no matter what my ears tell me, it has to be better.

I think only one asian made guitar, Eastman, has put a small crack in that belief system to date.
I have owned Eastman, Alvarez, Guild, Cordorba, Yamaha, Ibanez, Loar, RK, so on ....they are all gone.

That is my theory, why I am occassionally seduced to buy an offshore made guitar, love it for a while, then decide, hey It cannot be that good, and sell it.

[jschmitz54]

It think you have brand preferences.

[Rev Roy]

What you are describing is brand bias. I try to follow my ears, not brands. But in my experience you generally get what you pay for in guitars like most other stuff...

[bfm612]

Originally Posted by jschmitz54

It think you have brand preferences.

I imagine in most cases it’s a brand preference, there’s reputational preference, and risk mitigation when it comes to resale value. From the prices I see on this forum, guitars are not a small investment generally. Personally for me it’s hard not to take a risk. I tend to gravitate more towards something that’s been recommended. Which is the where this forum comes in handy.

[FlyWilde]

Please keep in mind the option to use brand bias. Obviously this term has less potential for this thread to go sideways.

[Mandobart]

I see you're really talking about reputation, name recognition, brand identity, market perception, etc.

There are valid reasons to select a particular "name brand" guitar over a less established maker - resale value, warranty, US made, bragging rights and so on.

I recently completed my search for a flatpicking bluegrass guitar. I played Collings, Bourgeois, Eastmans, Yamahas, Gibsons and Martins. I ended up with a lightly used Martin HD-28. I love the sound, the feel, and truth be told Martin label on the headstock and inside.

[Guitartanzon]

comments noted, changes made

[TBman]

Originally Posted by Guitartanzon

I wonder if I suffer from price point or name bias

If I were given the choice to own one of two guitars, demoed side by side, and based on sound and playability, and quality, one far exceeded the other and was the clear undisputed winner, but is was cheaper and off shore made...the other was a double the price Martin ( or Taylor or Gibson), I would pick the Martin, Taylor Or Gibson. Why? well its a Martin, Taylor or Gibson....no matter what my ears tell me, it has to be better.

I think only one asian made guitar, Eastman, has put a small crack in that belief system to date.
I have owned Eastman, Alvarez, Guild, Cordorba, Yamaha, Ibanez, Loar, RK, so on ....they are all gone.

That is my theory, why I am occassionally seduced to buy an offshore made guitar, love it for a while, then decide, hey It cannot be that good, and sell it.

People tend to gravitate towards the familiar. To me, the names you mentioned, Eastman, Alvarez, Guild, Cordorba, Yamaha, Ibanez, Loar, RK, are all familiar to me (I own/owned some mentioned) and they are fine guitars.

Names on headstocks, tone woods, strings, etc are great conversations to have once your fingers are too sore from practicing/playing, but they are not a replacement for time spent with an instrument.

[AcousticDreams]

Originally Posted by Guitartanzon

I wonder if I suffer from price point or name bias

If I were given the choice to own one of two guitars, demoed side by side, and based on sound and playability, and quality, one far exceeded the other and was the clear undisputed winner, but is was cheaper and off shore made...the other was a double the price Martin ( or Taylor or Gibson), I would pick the Martin, Taylor Or Gibson. Why? well its a Martin, Taylor or Gibson....no matter what my ears tell me, it has to be better.

I think only one asian made guitar, Eastman, has put a small crack in that belief system to date.
I have owned Eastman, Alvarez, Guild, Cordorba, Yamaha, Ibanez, Loar, RK, so on ....they are all gone.

That is my theory, why I am occassionally seduced to buy an offshore made guitar, love it for a while, then decide, hey It cannot be that good, and sell it.

It may just be that you surfer from a bias towards a particular sound, a balance or tone, that one guitar maker is known for.

For Instance Martin has a certain sound, of which you own a couple of. Gibson has their own tone and balance. And for myself it is Larrivee's tone and balance that I crave for.

[RP]

I think that name bias is more a function of whether the brand is a known quantity or not. Does anyone remember the initial reception of Taylor guitars when they first hit the market???

By 1974, Taylor and Kurt Listug were laboring over instruments in the back of a small guitar store in Southern California. When the owner of the shop decided to move on, the duo bought the place and Taylor Guitars was born. Listug headed the business side of the company, and Taylor took responsibility for the guitars.

The first decade proved difficult. The fledgling company turned out an average of three guitars per day and had a difficult time selling them. But with great sound and superb action, the guitars were slowly-but-surely building the company’s reputation.

About 11 years in, guitar shops and players began understanding what separated a Taylor from other acoustic guitars. That’s when sales skyrocketed.

[Pura Vida]

Based on your extensive experience of owning many brands, it seems like a bias to me. I've never found a need to pay a headstock tax. Different strokes.

[Conomor]

Originally Posted by Guitartanzon

I am occassionally seduced to buy an offshore made guitar, love it for a while, then decide, hey It cannot be that good, and sell it.

You should probably have more faith in your ears and fingers then

The purchase and collection of guitars is a parallel hobby to the playing of them. Sometimes the guitar is the means to an end. Sometimes the guitar is an end in itself.

[DukeX]

Of course, but there are different levels and shades to everything, including brand bias. I prefer Chevy trucks, and I will pay more for a Silverado than I will for other brands' equivalents...but not too much more...

[Mr. Jelly]

Originally Posted by Guitartanzon

That is my theory, why I am occassionally seduced to buy an offshore made guitar, love it for a while, then decide, hey It cannot be that good, and sell it.

It appears that there are very many guitar players that become questionably dissatisfied with their guitar. No matter what the brand or price. It comes and goes.

[_zedagive]

I'm happy a lot of players think like you. It's allowed me to purchase several Breedloves that exceed Martins, Taylors, etc. that cost twice as much.