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July 2003
Posts: 3111
Location: Nashville TN. | http://www.elderly.com/new_instruments/items/CC24-BLK.htm |
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June 2006
Posts: 7307
Location: South of most, North of few | I think celebs are made just about everywhere. |
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February 2004
Posts: 1634
Location: Warren,Pa. | ...and years from now there will be another country where they'll build them cheaper than China. Then Fender will send the contract there. I guess they spec out what they want and look for the lowest cost-per-unit. We think we're losing jobs here in the US, but all the guitar-making jobs are being taken from Korea and going to China. Folks in Korea are having a bad time just like us.
John <>{ |
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Joined:
May 2003
Posts: 4389
Location: Capital District, NY, USA Minor Outlying Islands | If the economy keeps going the way it is, we'll be making celebs in the USA and Adamas in Germany. Actually, some of the chinese guitars are pretty good.
I was in Japan three years ago, and the Japanese were cursing out the chinese products like americans were cursing out Japanese products in the 70's. I had a feeling of schadenfreude. Didn't say anything, but it felt good. |
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Joined:
March 2002
Posts: 14842
Location: NJ | One of the gifts I gave to Jeanette this Christmas was a silver flute.
One of the many things that we had in common SO many years ago (and married to other people) was that we both played the flute.
Last year, I was using her flute (a nickel-plated Armstrong) for a recording down in my MusicRoom.
During a break, she came down, reached for the flute and inadvertently knocked it from the shelf it was on down to the floor. It received a minor "dent", a couple linkages for the keys got knocked out of whack, and got ever-so-slightly bent at the foot-joint (enough to negate a proper seal).
It sat in it's case unused for the better part of the year, and my plan was to have it repaired for Christmas.
When I went to pick up the repaired flute, I noticed a new silver one on display for an incredibly reasonable price. The proprietor told me that it was his best selling flute, it was well-crafted in China (he had toured the factory first-hand), and at that price, couldn't be "touched" by another brand.
I picked it up, played it for two minutes and said ". . Right. I'll HAVE it!! . ."
So, she got her old nickel one back & functioning for "sentimental reasons", and a new, silver one to PLAY (it has a MUCH better, brighter tone and HUGELY improved "playability" over her old one).
She LOVES it, and is considering going for lessons t'get "back in shape", flute-wise.
I'm considering going back for one of "my own" . . . |
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December 2001
Posts: 7210
Location: The Great Pacific Northwest | I have some reliable information that China has seriously caught on that they can charge a lot more for what they are making and prices in the past few months have not only gone up, but it's getting harder and harder to talk to any manufacturer there that will touch a product of less than 10,000 units.
Welcome to the new world order. |
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October 2006
Posts: 5575
Location: big island | "blueridge" guitars have definitely gone up in price over the last several months.
there's an interesting thread regarding the takamine EF75 on the AGF. the thread became a debate about whether or not countries like japan and china could produce good quality guitars since those countries really don't have the "heart and soul" for guitar music as does europe and the usa. sure, the asians can get the technical stuff down and build guitars from the ideas they got dissecting martins, etc. but is that "spark" that makes the martins, gibsons, and collings of the world so special also tangible in the takamines, blueridges and asian built ovations?
i think the heart and soul is in the player, not necessarily where the instrument was built. it is a wonderful thing to find an instrument that you can tell the craftsman applied their heart and soul into the making of, however, it is the player that brings that instrument to life. |
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Joined:
December 2001
Posts: 7210
Location: The Great Pacific Northwest | There are amazing players with passion around the world, in almost every nook and cranny. Same goes for Luthiers. We must remember that the guitars that are made overseas to be sold in the US, are MADE TO SPECIFICATIONS. They use the materials they do because that is WHAT THE SPEC is.
There are some amazing guitars being built in Korea and Japan too. They are NOT for the most part being built for the US market.
Brands like Schecter and MCS have imports that aren't cheap as in $1000 plus. The only difference between the USA made versions and the import versions are the features and the consistency because the USA made ones are made by hand. Further broken down using MCS as an example, the USA ones cost 3 to 4 times as much, and there is a long waiting list and you can get things like the necks carved just like you like and your favorite wood too. But if you are a touring musician and need 2 or three identical guitars for the road, you get the import version.
But I think the most important point is as example back on Ovation... a Celeb or Applause is made with the materials they are made with, and put together they way they are put together, because that's what they are being paid to build.
Could an up to standards Adamas be built in Korea. Sure, but it would probably cost MORE than an Adamas from Hartford because of having to make the materials available and the extra shipping. What would be the point? |
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January 2002
Posts: 14127
Location: 6 String Ranch | It's taken China 5 years to get where it took Korea 20 years and Japan 35 to get to. Of course, J and K were helping that learning curve a bunch. |
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November 2003
Posts: 11039
Location: Earth·SolarSystem·LocalInterstellarCloud·Local Bub | Case in point is Blueridge Guitars. These are China made and for around $800.00, do a very scary Martin imitation. |
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March 2002
Posts: 14842
Location: NJ | the guitar or the bird?? |
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Joined:
January 2004
Posts: 627
Location: Cherry Hill, NJ | The question of,"heart and soul" in building guitars by Japan or Korean guitar makers is pure nonsense. The entire Gretsch line and Takamines built in Japan are every bit as good as an many American made guitars. And Miles,yes, The Korean made O's or Cebs, could be made just as well as the American counter parts, if Ovation allowed the same solid spruce tops and necks as US produced O's. The American guitar manufactures have to ensure that, a less than the best quality materials are used, in the imported products to keep their own line viable. |
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May 2003
Posts: 4389
Location: Capital District, NY, USA Minor Outlying Islands | I think the reason they won't touch an order of more than 10,000 units is that, more than the quality issue, is that the cost of materials has risen. The chinese are interested in keeping costs low too. |
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September 2006
Posts: 10777
Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | On the news somewhere, I was watching how factories are being re-opened in Milwaukee, WI...
The reason being; with the falling dollar it is becoming just as economical to make many things in the US as it is to outsource.
The falling dollar means that it is costing more in USD's to pay wages in the currency of other countries.
Add to that shipping, to and from, plus quality issues, and the stigma of foreign-made toys and drugs...
And it can say "Made in USA"
Somewhere Americans (Yankees) get the idea that everywhere but the US is a third-world country...
They are Computer Savvy, hard-working, honorable People "Over There", who take just as much pride in doing quality work as anyone else. They probably keep the best guitars they can make for their own market.
And I'm sure alot of people in the world have just as much Musical "Heart & Soul" as in the US!
They think that all Americans are round-eyed devils that worship only Money!
And they could be right! :rolleyes: |
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Made in China???????
