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Chinese Made Gutars?

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IrishRifles

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Apr 17, 2013
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#1
A curious thing I recently was told about by another member.
Does anyone know what the deal is with these Chinese made guitars, some I see are what look to be knock-offs of American brand name guitars?
I see they are sold through outlets like Allibaba.com.
icon_shrug.gif
 
#2
Guitars or bass guitars? Yes, there's lots of Chinese knockoffs of brand name American instruments as well as instruments from other countries. There's also knockoff Chinese cell phones, cars, watches, and shoes.
 
#3
Gorn said:
Guitars or bass guitars? Yes, there's lots of Chinese knockoffs of brand name American instruments as well as instruments from other countries. There's also knockoff Chinese cell phones, cars, watches, and shoes.
Click to expand...
Well basses being this is a bass forum.
My question is are they any good and why are they so cheap?
 
#5
IrishRifles said:
A curious thing I recently was told about by another member.
Does anyone know what the deal is with these Chinese made guitars, some I see are what look to be knock-offs of American brand name guitars?
I see they are sold through outlets like Allibaba.com.
icon_shrug.gif
Click to expand...

You mean like Fenders?
 
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#9
Jeff Scott said:
The only thing I have to say about them is: buy at your own risk, and don't come on TB and complain about it if you do buy one. You have been WARNED. ;)
Click to expand...
I ain't looking to buy one not at all I've always believed in buying American made, I only bring it up because it was brought to my attention here but if I did thanks for the vote of confidence pal...... :p
 
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#11
I don't think you can make sweeping generalizations about any instrument based upon country of origin. Some of those guitars from China are made along side licensed products (such as Fenders), and we know those products are great, so why wouldn't the others be?

Regarding the blatant knockoffs, go read some of the threads like the Rickenfaker one. Sure, some of them are sub-par, but I don't think anyone has had the experience of necks bending in the wind. Many guys report very positive experiences with them, and find the quality, sound, and playability to be just as good as any other instrument from anywhere else.

Why are they cheap? Mass production for one, and if they are knockoffs, they aren't paying any royalties to patent/trademark/whatever holders, so that saves a bunch there.
 
#13
Lots of Chinese counterfeits of high-end American guitars out there being sold to the unsuspecting. They show up on Ebay all the time.

Do a search on the MyLesPaul forum. There is a crew on there who make it their business to spot the forgeries and flag them. Sometimes the sellers are innocent dupes but more often they are scammers who import fake Les Pauls for a couple of hundred dollars each and try to pass them off as the genuine article.

The fake Les Pauls are branded "Gibson" and have "Made in USA" on the headstocks and come in cases labeled "Gibson USA." There are features that are a dead giveaway if you know what to look for. Unfortunately the fakers are getting better.

Moral of this story: Do your homework before you buy.
 
#15
There has been a history of legitimate Chinese manufacturers producing in excess of their contracts for various makers and selling the excess. There have been incidents where they even use the legitimate trademarks. Approach them skeptically--best to buy at a store where you know the folks and they have a track record with their products. Avoid buying items from retailers / sellers who don't normally deal in that product / brand. Let the buyer beware!
 
#17
I spent a bit of time researching the Chinese guitars and came to the conclusion that it isn't worth the risk. There's a good series of reviews on YouTube, I think called China Guitar Sceptic, and he lays out the pros and cons pretty clearly. If you buy one through a reputable dealer and use Paypal, you MIGHT be safe. Alibaba and Aliexpress claim to have buyer protection and arbitration procedures in place, but read the reviews and you will find a lot of people getting hosed. I tried contacting the Aliexpress "customer service" several times just for yucks, all you get is an answering machine, emails just get robot responses, I don't think there ARE any actual human employees. You will see identical photos of the same guitars advertised by multiple "stores" but they are just re-sellers, and totally unregulated. The "Jim's Guitars" that rips you off today will resurface as "Golden Dragon" guitars tomorrow. I've seen a few using what are obviously photos of real American guitars copied off the web and represented as what you will receive. If you buy a knockoff with fake American copyright designs, and US customs opens your particular container for inspection, they can seize it and you have no recourse. All in all, it's about like dropping the rent money on a craps table in Vegas and hoping for the best. I expect within a few years the quality will improve to the point where the Chinese will start eating Fenders lunch, but it ain't there yet. Buy a Fender Squire, you'll feel better, and they are great instruments for the money.
 
#18
Are you just now becoming aware of the fact that there are basses made in China?

Or are you talking, more specifically, about actual counterfeits - Chinese basses which are actually branded as being Made in USA by American companies like Fender? I don't doubt they exist, given their sketchy reputation. If anyone has links to any suspected counterfeits you would certainly be doing others a service by posting them.

. . . Charlie
 
#19
Yeah it depends on the manufacturer, plenty of Chinese-made basses that are solid quality. They did a dang good job on my Matt Freeman Squier. The knock-offs though, that try and pass off as a brand they aren't, are legit forgeries and a bad idea. If nothing else, they are a serious crapshoot. You might get a good one here and there, but they aren't aiming to uphold an actual brand name, just trying to make you think you're getting some under-the-table deal.
 
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