A China Dilemma

[Gorn]

It sounds to me like you’ll never be happy with it because it’s Chinese made. Whether or not that’s irrational doesn’t really matter. We’re talking about a luxury purchase here. Spend your money how you want.

 

[Rib 13]

Just because something is made in America doesn't mean it is high quality.

.......my issue is pricepoint more than anything.....Given a wide margin of error based on visual reference in photos, there are neck-through multi-laminate basses on AliExpress going for 1/3 to 1/4 the price with the exception being bridge, pickups, and tuners as the differences...and Im not entirely sure the instrument Im looking at doesnt come out of the same factory, which is why the 1000 pricetag is an issue

 

[MultiScaleMale]

Just because something is made in America doesn't mean it is high quality.

In the bass world it usually does because you can't make an inexpensive bass in the US and be in business long.

 

[jd56hawk]

There's a bass that interests me. I like it a lot but not gaga over it......My GAS for it is pretty low and I easily talk myself out if it......one of the biggest things that causes me to U Turn out of the store is that it's Made In China......with the exception of the pickups, bridge, and tuners, it pretty much has a look of any bass that can be found in AliExpress or DH GATE and I can't justify its 1000 price tag. I'd also rather spend the money on a USA business.... Am I being irrational? Thanks

My Crafted In China CV Jazz is worth every penny I spent.
Would I trade it for a USA-made Fender Jazz?
Sure, then I could sell the Fender and buy two or three CVs.

 

[blackat]

You aren't being irrational. Just my two cents, but you have internal doubts for whatever reasons so go with that instinct. I've crossed the same bridge myself with made in China.

At the risk of going off piste, part of my own hesitancy with MIC is what I will call the murkiness of Chinese manufacturing. Maybe the objective quality is a reasonable value, but where are my dollars going? I recently had a lengthy exchange with a US company that outsources their lower end guitar building to China. They totally dug my concerns and the best they could tell me was that when their production person was at the factory there things looked OK. They couldn't really speak to ownership, worker'r rights, etc. I appreciated their honesty.

We can't all afford hand-crafted instruments made by a US luthier and I totally get that. But I guess there is, at least in my head, a sort of tiered system. For some reason I have a little more confidence in "made in Indonesia", even though that country isn't a hotbed for human rights, then I do in "made in China" perhaps because I know ownership of the factory in Indonesia is Korean (Cor-Tex, among others), a country that largely adheres to the rule of law. So I like to think there's at least a degree of oversight and accountability. Ditto for an entity like Fender, who actually have their own facility in Mexico. Meaning, ownership bears a certain obligatory weight not to do anything too egregious.

Sorry if I veered off thread but I thought it worth saying. Anyways, there are a lot of good instruments out there from all sorts of places at all sorts of prices. The bottom line is, with your budget you should be able to find one that doesn't make you second guess yourself or have doubts.

As for my little missive... fun fact; GE Appliances is financially tied to the Communist Party of China. In 2016 they got bought out by Haier, a collective enterprise headquartered in Qingdao, Shandong. Their CEO, Zhang Ruimin, is also a member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China.

So I guess even when we think we're buying from an American brand, we may not be. It's a complicated world.

 

[40Hz]

There's a bass that interests me. I like it a lot but not gaga over it......My GAS for it is pretty low and I easily talk myself out if it......one of the biggest things that causes me to U Turn out of the store is that it's Made In China......with the exception of the pickups, bridge, and tuners, it pretty much has a look of any bass that can be found in AliExpress or DH GATE and I can't justify its 1000 price tag. I'd also rather spend the money on a USA business.... Am I being irrational? Thanks

You’re being political and emotional.

Whether or not that’s being rational is not for me to say.

 

[ACRock]

Most of Apple's iPhones are made in China too...and its not just because of cheaper labor.

In terms of quality, some of the manufactured products coming from China are excellent (older Squier cv series), and some are ...not so good (Aliexpress, etc). There are political reasons for not buying from China (CCPs repressive policies in Tibet, Xinjiang, Hong Kong, etc, theft of intellectual property), but its not clear exactly who sanctions would end up hurting.

 

[moreblues]

Every one has a preference and opinion and that is the way it is and should be....But for me...
I like my basses like I like my Music, Food, Trucks, Bourbon and Beer...Made in the U.S.A.

 

[alembicguy]

 

[Rib 13]

You’re being political and emotional.

Whether or not that’s being rational is not for me to say.

Its possible it seems that way because political emotions are at an all time high these days but that's really not it.....if the instrument were 300-400 dollars less, this would possibly be a NBD thread.....and while most of my instruments are USA and I do buy from local brick n mortar stores ( which is where this one resides) I do have a few from other parts of the world that I'm happy with such as my Sire as one example

 

[40Hz]

As for my little missive... fun fact; GE Appliances is financially tied to the Communist Party of China. In 2016 they got bought out by Haier, a collective enterprise headquartered in Qingdao, Shandong. Their CEO, Zhang Ruimin, is also a member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China.

I’ve worked with companies that either outsourced to Chine or were contemplating doing so.

The simple reality is that in china everything comes back to Chinese politics and their party system. Everything is conducted with an eye towards its political overtones and “message.” If you want to do business in China, you accept that and play that game or you go home. It’s that simple. Their house - their rules.

It’s really no different anywhere else. We have standards and rules such as hiring practices and work hours that foreign corporations comply with if they want to conduct business operations here. And those rules were established by government entities for political reasons as well.

Bottom line: you can’t escape politics anywhere in this world. You play whatever hand you’re dealt depending on which table you’re sitting at. So I wouldn’t read too much into some political party insinuating itself into a company’s China operation. It’s the way business works over there. Over here we do a similar thing, except more subtly through political contributions and PACs.

China is just a being more honest about it.

 

[40Hz]

Its possible it seems that way because political emotions are at an all time high these days but that's really not it.....

Nothing wrong with emotion when you’re dealing with people. Last thing most of us would ever want to be is living in a purely rational and economically optimized society.

 

[sonic 7]

The country of manufacture really doesn’t matter anymore. Good quality instruments come from everywhere now. North American instruments have a reputation for high quality simply because it’s just not economically viable to produce a lower cost economy instrument here. An instrument is either worth it’s asking price or it’s not.

 

[chris_b]

. . . . I'd also rather spend the money on a USA business.... Am I being irrational? Thanks

No. I support your preference.

For the last couple of years I've made all my purchasing decisions after considering such factors.

 

[DJ Bebop]

I understand your thoughts, really. If it’s not worth the money, why bother? You say your GAS is low and you don’t seem to really need the bass itself. I also believe that $1000 for an instrument made in China (nothing against China itself or the Chinese people by the way) is a bit expensive. On the other hand, $1000 doesn’t seem to be enough for something made in the USA today… even here in Canada, $1000 would barely be enough for me to buy another Godin!

Where ever the instrument is made, I believe that if the price tag doesn’t reflect the overall quality, I’d pass.

What’s the bass you were looking at?

Sadowsky’s new Metro line is made in China at a hair under a grand.

 

[JRA]

if the instrument were 300-400 dollars less, this would possibly be a NBD thread

if it was "300-400 dollars less" you'd probably be wondering if it was real or fake!

The country of manufacture really doesn’t matter anymore. Good quality instruments come from everywhere now.....An instrument is either worth it’s asking price or it’s not.

 

[Rib 13]

if it was "300-400 dollars less" you'd probably be wondering if it was real or fake

That's actually a good point.....However, I was mainly talking of it's suggested retail price

 

[BadSanta1281]

I like to buy used, which supports the local economy and avoids any ethical/humanitarian angst.

This also avoids the forbidden subject that rhymes with molitics.

 

[Klangfarbe]

Since this is a carrot thread now:
What is the best fertilizer for carrots?

 

[Knavery]

Just because something is made in America doesn't mean it is high quality.

Cars are a good example.