does it matter where (bass) guitars are made?

[Killed_by_Death]

The QC accepted by the company is the only deciding factor not where the item was made.

Exactly!
On big projects we'd send a 3rd party contractor to inspect the goods before they were shipped.

However, in the case of farming out luthiery work, I suspect the lowest bidder wins.
I wonder which big name companies have their own QC people on the ground at the factories to ensure quality they can be proud of.

My Ibanez Premium (Indonesia) could be confused with a Prestige (Japan), but I wonder how they manage a better level of craftsmanship & QC in the same plant as the standard models.

I guess they could find out which staff do the best work & move them to the Premium line.
That's what I've seen done for more critical products in a production line.

 

[Topkat13]

To some yes, others not so much.

 

[chris_b]

However, in the case of farming out luthiery work, I suspect the lowest bidder wins.
I wonder which big name companies have their own QC people on the ground at the factories to ensure quality they can be proud of.

Lowest bidders always win. They should be the lowest bidder who meets the manufacturing criteria.

If I was running the company I'd set the level of QC and every item delivered would be checked and accepted or rejected against that criteria. Rejected items would not be paid for.

It seems that there are guys in the bass business running very good Asian operations. . . Tobias, Sadowsky and Dingwall to name a few.

 

[MYLOWFREQ]

No. I've had and tried a lot of basses that were made in USA, Mexico, Japan, Korea, China, Indonesia, etc. How they're made and the materials used determine the quality imo.

However, there have been times of relatively better quality production associated with certain factories in certain places at certain times in history.. Thus, you'll hear opinions like "basses made in blah blah in between these years at this factory were better in quality in comparison to the ones made in ..."

 

[mp40smg]

Yes! and No.
IME.. everybidy seems to be using the same prints and the same CNC machines to build everything. So, while there should be no differences. On many occasions I have seen differences.

Most noticeably, the quality of the finish. The Korean and Indonesians that I have seen tended to have better finishes. and on clear instruments, less rough sanding patches (especially on the corners) than the Chinese made versions/ variants.

Also, I question the woods. Maple/ Ash/ Rosewood/ etc.. I seriously question what we think of as maple (for example) vs what seems to be a variant of wood species known as "chinese maple".. Crab vs Krab (tm)

 

[neddyrow]

i like to support US workers in all my big purchases.

my bike, fridge, washer and dryer and dishwasher are all American made

my 2 Martin guitars are american made as is my Upton upright bass. My Guild B-30 was a Westerly Factory bass. The only non-American instrument is my 1950s Karl Meisel German upright.

It just seems that most Chinese stuff was made to be had and not used. Most cheap stuff I buy works once and then I have to throw it away. Such a waste of money and landfill space

 

[Drucifer]

It does matter to me, because the manufacturers now use country of origin to differentiate the quality of their basses. Not just construction quality, but adding features and using higher quality components in their top tier basses, and this affects the playability and sound of a bass.

 

[Two-Spirit]

Isn't Ibanez made in Japan?

 

[74hc]

I only have one oversea's made bass which is a MIJ. This is the cheap bass that I take where I don't want to take the expensive USA basses. Such as raining weather, tight stage, suspect security, etc.

The rest are all made in California although I did not plan it that way. It just worked out so. I was aiming for USA manufactured basses.

Quality of the product in my hands is not the reason why I don't buy products from low cost countries in AsiaPac. It's the things I cannot see or determine.... source of wood, pollution control, abusive labor practices, etc.

We all are very aware of the pollution issue in China. Why would I want to participate in that? Many of those countries have very abusive labor practices that control the labor force... forced housing, forced stores. We've moved past that more than a century ago.

The only abusive labor practice here that I am aware of is EBMM use of H-1B visas. For a guitar manufacturer? Something hi-tech there that cannot be found in the regular labor market in California?

Sterling, if you are listening, my money last went to Kiesel because of that.

 

[Thump C]

No! Not to me,I like what I like! But if you want to sell it,then it does!

 

[Two-Spirit]

Japan is a good places for basses and guitars, not all are great but some.

 

[PaulReside]

Neddyrow kind of beat me to it but I do my best, from sneakers to jeans to cars to bass guitars to buy USA. I can be a bit stupidly patriotic but I'm blue collar and prefer to support my fellow workers whenever I can. This has almost never let me down as I get consistently better products that last a lot longer, I throw away less and experience far less aggravation with things .

 

[Two-Spirit]

My cirrus is made in indonesia and I love it. It's a $1,100 mahogany neck through 5 string. It has the same VFL pickups Rudy Sarzo uses (Ozzy, Whitesnake, Quiet Riot). Some of Gibsons $800-$1,000 guitars made in Nashville have a reputation for being crap so I wouldn't use manufacturing location as your sole decision maker. Once you know what a $500 bass or $1,000 bass should sound like it easier picking out gear. I tend to gravitate to used gear myself so it doesn't really matter where it's made.

 

[arbiterusa]

Got stuff from all over the world. Have built for a big name, small volume American acoustic manufacturer. Have worked for a couple of instrument importers as well. The only nation that consistently builds top quality, no compromise stuff is Japan. But it's not cheap like it used to be, quite the opposite.

My main axes at the moment are Korean. Fundamentally very well made. The undisputed crown of my collection, my Steinberger, was made in the US and is too expensive to take out to the kinds of gigs I'm playing these days. The Indonesian Squier Jazz I have kicking around my office puts any 1970s Fender I've played to shame. My Italian Markbass is the second best amp I've ever owned, beaten only by my Indonesian Markbass. No nation has a monopoly on building good stuff anymore.

ETA: my wife could tell you, I'm a bit of a nazi about buying Made in USA. Especially with stuff that touches my food. I've done a lot of work in Chinese factories. I ain't eating off any dishware made in that country.

My last rig was 100% American save for the cables (I have always used Canare). So, what changed? American jobs are important!

Well, America quit building the stuff I needed. SWR and Steinberger got folded by companies who just wanted the IP and didn't care that the products were good or that people used them. That was my rig for 24 years. So I was left with no choice. Used old, outmoded, heavy gear or buy outside. So I went global. The only thing I'd change about my current rig (and I probably will within a year) is that FINALLY someone here makes (not assembles but MAKES) a good Class D amp - Quilter. And I am a very big QSC fan and cannot wait to make that switch.

The rest of it stays as is. I don't like it but that's how it is.

 

[fretno]

Yes to me it does, but MIA does not always mean it's better .

 

[JRA]

Yes to me it does, but MIA does not always mean it's better .

then why does it matter to you? just wondering...

 

[skortch]

A big factor for me concerns the people making the instrument. What are their work conditions and do they make a decent wage? What is their country's economic and political situation?

Then I consider the brand on the headstock. The closer the link between country of manufacture and the company's location, the better. The only "outsourced" instrument I own is a Japanese brand manufactured in Taiwan.

I suppose those factors are usually more important to me than the sound and quality of the instrument itself (though I can make exceptions for the second paragraph above). Otherwise, there have always been exceptional craftsmen/craftswomen around the globe.

 

[Bass_Thumper]

I much prefer to buy instruments from countries with a high regard for workplace safety and human rights. That being said, I do not exclusively do so.

I'm in this boat as well. With some items such as cell phones, you really have to be ok with where it's made or you just don't get to have one. On the other hand with basses, I guess I'm a homer in that my first choice is USA/Canada and after that Japan and then everyone else. There is no doubt that any manufacture can build a bass to whatever price point the company wants. You have to decide if the cuts made to meet a price point are a big deal or not.

 

[Old Blastard]

Of my four Fenders, three are "made in Japan" and my starcaster in China. All are great. My Ibanez is China, my FGN is Japan, my Jack Casady is Korea and both Rondo-sold Douglas models are China. They all make me happy when I play.

My four American built were made by a gnome named Andrew Drake in an Iowa workshop. They make me deliriously happy

 

[Killed_by_Death]

Isn't Ibanez made in Japan?

The vast majority is now made in Indonesia. Only the Prestige line is made in Japan.

If I was running the company I'd set the level of QC and every item delivered would be checked and accepted or rejected against that criteria. Rejected items would not be paid for.

This is exactly why a 3rd party contractor is the best way.
If it were up to the hiring company, they'd find more reasons to reject things in order to not pay for them.
It's also better to inspect on the ground at the manufacturer, before they get shipped.