Poll: Does it matter where your instrument is made?

SamJ · #1 05-31-2006, 09:06 AM

This applies to your Instrument, Amp, etc.. Where applies to "Country of Manufacture"

My question is simple, and I'll leave nations names out of this poll, but you can assume it's basically going to fall down along these lines.

1st world nation vs other nation production...

James Hart · #2 05-31-2006, 09:11 AM

I voted Yes, but not for region. I prefer my gear be crafted by an individual doing what the love/do well, not banged out by a factory worker

bikeplate · #3 05-31-2006, 09:14 AM

Hi

Yes

Rob

MysticMichael · #4 05-31-2006, 09:15 AM

A qualified no. If and only if the quality control is acceptable, I couldn't care less where my gear is manufactured. All other things being equal, that is...

MM

guy n. cognito · #5 05-31-2006, 09:16 AM

The poll question is misleading. Of course I care where my gear is made, but I don't care which country it is made in. Quality gear is quality gear.

Primary bass- Made in the USA
Secondary bass- Made in Korea for an American company. Set up in America
Combo amp- Made in the USA
Various effects- Made all over the world.

Jack · #6 05-31-2006, 09:23 AM

Not really.

Its kinda cool that my amps were both UK made, but I dont think any less of my cab which is Chinese.

As long as its a quality product, doesnt matter at all to me, so I voted no.

SamJ · #7 05-31-2006, 09:25 AM

IT's misleading because my original poll may have been offensive to some... I had to keep it simple, and why I said you can elaborate in the body of the thread.

I have to think that most people do have an opinion pro/con as to whether their bass is made in Country a vs b.. But I clarified the body to mention country.. I would ask a mod if possible to change the title of the thread to reflect country..

lonote · #8 05-31-2006, 09:25 AM

I like my American basses but I also like my MIJ and MIM basses as well as my parts bass. All my amp gear is USA made. Generally speaking (as always, there are exceptions), as gear becomes more expensive and higher quality is expected, it seems to be more likely to be American made. I don't think that's a coincidence.

chaosMK · #9 05-31-2006, 09:27 AM

If it's a Peavey bass made in the US, it seems to make a difference. I think they produce their high end stuff here.

Jazzin' · #10 05-31-2006, 09:30 AM

I have three basses, 2 MIMs and an MIA. The MIA is for sure the highest quality.

Thunder_Fingers · #11 05-31-2006, 09:31 AM

No, i dont care at all, as long as it plays and sound good, im happy, no mater if your bass is made in U.S.A, England, Japan, Taiwan, China... That doesnt matter, its the QUALITY of the instrument that matters.

SamJ · #12 05-31-2006, 09:35 AM

I guess I should go on record as the originator of the poll..

My Preference is (in this order):

Made in the USA
Made in EU or Japan
Made in Korea
Made in Mexico
Made in other 3rd world
Made in China - will avoid for reasons beyond the scope of TB.

pointbass · #13 05-31-2006, 09:38 AM

While I voted No, I have to agree with James Hart's answer above .... it only matters to me that it's made by someone who is highly concerned about quality control and detail, and that usually means a custom made bass to me. Now, that builder can be here in the US or elsewhere, their country of residence does not matter to me.

Amplifiers are of a somewhat lesser concern to me. As long as they provide a clean sound the country of origin is unimportant to me ...........

JPJ · #14 05-31-2006, 09:42 AM

Quote:

The poll question is misleading. Of course I care where my gear is made, but I don't care which country it is made in. Quality gear is quality gear.

I agree. I don't think that this issue lends itself to broad generalities. This is not a matter of "political correctness", but is more a matter of practicality. Are there incredibly talented builders (and mass-production companies) in the U.S. making outstanding instruments? Yet. Are there individuals doing the same type of work in Japan, Brazil, Australia, Canada, Mexico, the UK, etc.? Yes. Are factories in Korea making better budget basses than have previously been available? Probalby.

However, if the issue is MIA vs. MIM or MIJ Fender basses, then we're talking about something completely different. For the most part, the comparison isn't fair because it isn't an "apples to apples" comparison (differences in hardware, electronics, woods, etc.) I would also argue that paying $3000plus for a "custom shop" instrument from Fender USA would not come close to the level of quality found in many other mid-to-high priced U.S. Fender-inspired basses (Lull, Lakland, Sadowsky, etc.). To even complicate the issue, I think that many low output builders (and overseas companies, to a certain degree) are making instruments that exceed the quality and performance of instruments that are made in this country.

In my opinion, this has LESS to do with the quality of workmanship and commitment to quality from the "workers" point of view and is more a comment on the lack of leadership and/or direction from the top down. Workers in this country are just as proud and just as capable (if not more so) as in any other contry. It's just that corporate conglomerates like Fender and Gibson don't need to take themselves seriously anymore. It's just like the Chicago Cubs...they sell out the Park whether they win or lose!

morf · #15 05-31-2006, 09:43 AM

I voted yes because for alot of manufacturers, basses are of higher quality depending on the country its built in.

Dr. Cheese · #16 05-31-2006, 09:44 AM

I don't really care where an instrument or amp is made as long as it is quality. I recently played a great Chinese made Yamaha (RBX375) that I felt compared very well with Tributes but was $200 cheaper. That said, I do have a bias towards American made instruments because I am an American and I like to support industry in my own country, however, if I am on a budget or the foreign made product is clearly better, I will happily purchase an instrument made anywhere.

Fuzzbass · #17 05-31-2006, 09:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by James Hart

I voted Yes, but not for region. I prefer my gear be crafted by an individual doing what the love/do well, not banged out by a factory worker

Well said.

I voted "no" because it doesn't matter to me where that builder is located: US, Germany, Spain, wherever... except price-wise: due to shipping, currency conversion, etc, it's more cost effective for me to buy where I live. But if money wasn't an option, I'd own a Sei, a LeFay, a Drozd...

el_Kabong · #18 05-31-2006, 09:45 AM

Oh great. Another excuse by SamJ for an anti chinese rant, most likely prefaced by a refusal to discuss his opinion. Gawd just shoot me now.

JPJ · #19 05-31-2006, 09:49 AM

Quote:

My Preference is (in this order):

Made in the USA
Made in EU or Japan
Made in Korea
Made in Mexico
Made in other 3rd world
Made in China - will avoid for reasons beyond the scope of TB.

I realize that these are your personal preferences and respect the fact that everyone has different opinions. However, from an objective point of view, from someone who has seen and played a lot of gear, trying to rank contries based on the quality of the instruments that the produce is, to me, completely random and a futile exercise at best. Many fellow TBers could give many examples where these rankings simply do not hold true...ranking that would largely be based on objective criteria used to judge and measure the quality of an instrument....the same criteria that gear reveiws, music store owners, quality control engineers, and bass players use the world over. Should we start the list of basses and music gear from non-U.S. countries that blow away gear made in this country?

And what about Canada???

Canada is the Rodney Dangerfield of the music gear world, I guess!

toad · #20 05-31-2006, 09:55 AM

What is first world? Classifications based on standards of economies would classify Japan and S. Korea as first world. What countries are first world in your definition?

I have owned gear made in the US, Japan, Korea, UK, Germany, China, and Indonesia, and honestly, I can't make any generalizations on craftsmanship. They were made to appeal to specific markets, so of course the MII Squier is not going to measure up to a German Warwick.

I would feel pretty comfortable with a MIA, MIJ, MIK instrument from a reputable maker. I guess that would make me partial to first world production or it would put me in the "doesn't matter where it's made" camp, depending on how you classify these things.

I rethought the question, and if this is a political/ethical question rather than a quality question, I realized I don't care to answer.