Does it matter where it's made?

[klokker]

So, the high end manufacturers have to differentiate themselves on other things - fancy wood, fancy finishes, high end hardware, etc.

That makes a difference to me. I don't have any "high end" basses but I do have a few USA model Fender and G&L basses in the $1500 - $2000 range. Fit and finish is just better, IMO and it's just, well, nice.

But, having said that, the best bass player I know of plays modded Squiers nothing USA made. Sounds great.

 

[Nev375]

I'll assume that this statement is made at least somewhat hyperbolic for the purpose of the discussion. What it does bring up, alluded to in earlier posts, is that trade and consumerism is not free from other concerns, which may include political views (as in the quote) or concern over international human rights conditions (as in the other previous posts).

As a consumer, what my purchase costs me is not my only consideration. I also consider what my purchase costs others. Whether you prefer John Donne (No man is an island) or MLK (holiday weekend!..."We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny") I believe that it is import that I consider the multitude of ramifications of my choices as a consumer.

As with all things, YMMV.

Everything you mention is part of a rabbit hole of personal prejudice and taste. If you think you can comprehend the complexity of human behavior across cultures and histories foreign of your own and claim to understand any rightness or wrongness of it then more power to ya. But I'd think you were a fool to believe that. Any country is capable of build a high/low quality instrument or a cheap/expensive one. That is dictated by skill and economics of business. The fact that statistically there are differences in production numbers of each are also irrelevant. Because if a country like China produces at least one extremely well made instrument at a high price then the premise that China only produces low quality cheap instruments is shattered. Given the population of China I think that's entirely plausible.

The only thing the country of origin can tell a person is how many miles the object has traveled to come to them.

Therefore the only thing that matters in the OPs question is the personal prejudices one carries with them.

So no. No hyperbole intended.

 

[dramatwist]

Nope. Not anymore.

 

[Mike Whitfield]

It matters quite a bit to me because of geopolitics and because once China becomes a dominant manufacturer of something, it often becomes the ONLY manufacturer of something. That's a highly undesirable end unless one wants a single Communist world government. From a quality standpoint, I do agree that origin is not necessarily deterministic in quality. I do have some mid-priced Chinese-built guitars and they are scary good quality, although definitely built to be cheaper (much thinner maple caps, etc.) But that's a market decision; there's no inherent technical reason why China couldn't build high end instruments right now. I also have one low end Chinese guitar which is a POS, but an American-built $150 guitar would be sooo much worse. My most expensive bass is a Peavey Foundation and an 80s MIJ National of about the same price so I cannot speak specifically about basses of quality, but I do have more expensive guitars and I will say that my Gibson SG Special sounds and plays great and it's fit and finish are flawless - but really not better than my Indonesian and Chinese-built guitars of about the same price point. Once we get above $500, quality is generally excellent unless one is paying for a particular name. That said, American-made and Japanese and Western European instruments are always going to be more expensive than Indonesian or Chinese or Korean instruments of equal quality, because of our higher labor costs and environmental burdens.

I will say that I've found Indonesian-made, Korean-made and Mexican-made instruments to be a good personal compromise between cost, quality and geopolitics. But that's a different equation for everyone, and gigging/recording musicians would have a vastly difference weighting than a casual office warrior like myself.

 

[Leonid Nidis]

Yes it does,most of the times.
Its not cos they cant build in the east,its because mostly instruments from the east are build for a price point.

 

[buldog5151bass]

I have two issues with most of the Chinese instruments that I have seen and or played:
1. They tend to use inferior components.
2. A lot of what is pumped out (other than what is made for the big companies) is counterfeits.

 

[GIBrat51]

Does it matter to ME? No, not really; although, given a choice between an "X" made here in the USA, or a foreign made version, I make no apologies for preferring the one made here, and supporting the American economy... But, if there's no option? Nah, as long as it wasn't made someplace like North Korea, where doesn't matter much. What matters to me is how well it's made. I do have a bunch of basses and other instruments that were made in the USA, but that's where Ricks, Alembics, Carvins, vintage Kramers and Fenders, were made. So are ODE banjos and Warmoth basses. But, I have instruments made in China, Korea (South Korea ), Indonesia, and Japan as well. I have the instruments I have, because of what they are; not where they were made...

 

[2F/2F]

When you are talking about things like this, there is correlation, and there is causation.

There is a lot of correlation between U.S. made instruments and "good" quality. But it isn't because "Americans" are inherently any better at building instruments than Koreans, Indonesians, etc. (which would be causation). It's because the kinds of companies that produce here tend to have a certain niche in the market, and that niche is higher end instruments.

The foreign made lines of U.S.-based companies can be great, sometimes even superior to a well made U.S.A. instrument...if (big if) the U.S. brand that contracted the manufacturer pays the maker enough to make them good! But these overseas factories have contracts to build such and such guitars for such and such amount, and they need to make that profitable for themselves. As an overseas guitar factory, you probably have the skills to make a G&L level instrument...but you can't actually take the time or afford the materials to make that G&L level instrument if you are only getting paid $50 a piece to do it.

It's not like Indonesians or Chinese people fundamentally lack excellent craftsmanship skills just because of where they're from (causation). It's that the contracts these companies tend to get are for guitars that will sell at a relatively low price point (correlation).

The bottom line is that a well made instrument is a well made instrument, a badly made instrument is a badly made instrument, and either kind can be made anywhere. Judge an instrument's quality not based only on where it is made, but on your understanding of guitar craftsmanship.

And FWIW, plenty of the most godawful, crummy, completely useless guitars ever made were made right here in the good-ol' U.S. of A, going way back. But you don't see much of that any more. It isn't because the U.S.A. all of a sudden became elitist in its manufacturing philosophy. It's simply because U.S. companies decided they wanted to make a lot more money. No U.S. guitar company wants to pay for U.S. labor just to sell cheap-o crap, to be forced to provide a safe and humane work environment, and to be forced to consider environmental damage, when they can pay foreigners pennies or dollars per day to do it, with limited labor or environmental oversight.

 

[brianrost]

Does a US made instrument sound and feel five to ten times better than one made in the far east? And is the finish any better or worse?

US mfrs go overseas to build cheaper models. Not just cheaper in price, but cheaper in the specs. It's possible that an imported bass will be as good or better than a US bass, but they are apples and oranges...different parts (pickups, bridges, tuners) to start with and often different woods, esp. using basswood or other "mahaogany like" woods rather than ash, alder, rosewood, ebony, maple. The proof is always in the playing, use your ears and your fingers to tell you if it's good enough.

Keep in mind some mfrs do not build anything in the US. Add Sadowsky to that list, only custom shop orders will be made in NYC from now on. NS Design (Ned Steinberger) builds top of the line stuff in the Czech Republic and low end in Asia with a custom shop in Maine if you are willing to pay $$$$$$$$.

Then there are the non-US mfrs, Yamaha, Hagstrom and Warwick being the most prominent. Do Canadian mfrs like Godin, F-Bass and Larivee count?

 

[Cycleops]

Finally, China and Far East makers don’t have environmental regulations to concern themselves with. They have a lot more loop holes to get wood and to contaminate the atmosphere. If you’re familiar with OSHA in the US, they don’t quite have that in China - much cheaper. You can’t think “let china pollute their own atmosphere who cares” because we all share the same atmosphere. Pollution from China blows across oceans to pollute other places too - we’re all in the same place.

This is an issue that affects all of us, but it’s easier to pretend it’s someone else’s responsibility and not do anything about it. Me included. When I need to remind myself to appreciate what I have, I just have to read about working in a factory in China.

I knew this would stir up a hornets hornet's nest and I was right .
Environmental concerns would come top of the list, that's if you have a conscience and a conscience costs money which is fine if you have it.
I Iive in Ghana and just last week was reading of a Chinese women who was arrested here for trying to get a container or two of rosewood out of the country. I believe Rosewood is included in the CITES treaty. She paid a bribe which apparently was insufficient. You can bet these were destined for guitar fingerboards. There's always a way particularly in corrupt countries.
There are issues of working conditions as you say but the vast majority of people will buy on price and value and other things can go hang. Not good but that's the way things are.

 

[Maxdusty]

Just my two cents. 90% of an audience is not going to know or care what type of bass you are playing but, 98% of an audience can tell if you are hitting wrong notes, out of tune & such. As long as your bass can stay in tune, be void of dead spots & have reliable electronics play what you can afford. These are my absolute favorite twins. I paid a total of $225 for both. With this being said amplification is a whole different area
View attachment 3672549

Is that a Peavey Fury on the right? If so, did those knobs come with it? I have a Fury with aftermarket knobs on it, was wondering what were the original knobs on these.

 

[steelbed45]

If you are nationalistic or racist it matters a lot!

Otherwise, no.

How, exactly, do you know this?

 

[Maxdusty]

When I'm interested in a bass, I don't look at where it's from these days - basses from Indonesia, S. Korea, China - it doesn't really matter. Woodcrafters in this country have been making musical instruments than the US has been in existence, so it's not like they don't have the skill to do it. In fact, having lived in Asia for a good portion of my life as an expat, I have seen woodwork that is so intricate and well made, in terms of skill level they often exceed anything I've seen here. Woodcrafters in Ubud Indonesia are incredible.
How does that relate to basses? Supply the outsource factories with the material to work with, machines, tools and parts to use and allow them to spend as much time to work on basses as their US counterparts and they will be able to produce them of the same quality than if it was done here.
So the answer is yes, they can make terrific basses if the parent corporation allow them to.

 

[Doublesixes]

As a newcomer to basses and the hype that makers use to promote their brand I can't help thinking that those selling premium priced offerings particularly from the US are having a tougher time persuading us to buy their products. Does a US made instrument sound and feel five to ten times better than one made in the far east? And is the finish any better or worse?
Chinese and far eastern makers are now producing products that are light years away from the ones they offered 25/30 years ago and quality seems comparable with top end Fenders and other US or Western brands. Do people like having the kudos of a non far eastern instrument despite being little real difference?
What do you all think?

Whatever we buy, play, it's made in our planet, planet Earth. When are we going to start thinking in terms of what connects us all, beyond arbitrary boundaries? By the way, basses made today, regardless of origin, are all good.

 

[tgriley62]

Is that a Peavey Fury on the right? If so, did those knobs come with it? I have a Fury with aftermarket knobs on it, was wondering what were the original knobs on these.

Not sure. This is my other Fury with the slant SF pickup. Knobs seem the same

 

[Rezdog]

Greetings from the North,

I do own a few basses made in Asia (Squiers, Yamaha) and they are quite good in my humble opinion. But I am not ashamed to say that I enjoy supporting the talented work of local artisans/builders. I have a Kalamazoo Michigan made Gibson Thunderbird and 2 Reverend Brad Houser 5s made in Detroit (Warren) Michigan. I spent my formative years in Detroit. Right now I'm awaiting completion of a build from Serek in Chicago which I still consider in the region. So I get the whole we live in a great big world thing and I've been thru a lot of it but I still like to support the effort and talent of my neighbours. Even though I'm in Canada most of the time now lol. And yes I have 1 Canadian made Godin bass too.

Rezdog

 

[Tommy V]

here's the difference.. in '79, i bought a brand new Fender Jazz bass for ~ $400 .. in 2019, i sold that bass, for $2500 ..

i love my current collection of Indonesian instruments, but all of them combined will never appreciate to that level.

 

[Dincrest]

I'm not sure if this was mentioned in this thread, but I have heard techs say that the cheapo overseas-made Fender-clone type Strats and stuff have knockoff bridges and other components whose specs differ from their American counterparts, so you can't really drop in a nicer bridge without some routing, which could potentially cost as much as just getting another cheapo guitar new. Nothing to do with the country of origin, but simply building "down to a price" rather than "up to a standard."

Like others have said, it's not so much where it's made, but how it's made and who's making it. A skilled woodworker on one continent would craft a nicer instrument than some overworked and underpaid grunt in a sweatshop-style factory on another continent.

And manufacturing as a whole has changed so much over the decades. I remember back in the 1980s when Hyundai cars were absolute tin cans and some of the worst cars on the road. Cut to now, and Hyundais are among the most reliable cars on the road. I would buy a Hyundai before I buy a Ford. I've owned several American cars and a few Asian cars over the decades and my anecdotal experiences have always been the same... 75,000 miles is when all my American cars started to break down, whereas my 75,000 mile Asian cars were just starting to break in.

And even then, not all country's brands are created equal. We all associate "Japanese cars= reliable" yet Mitsubishi cars are among the most unreliable cars on the road. And though US automakers may not make small cars as well as the Japanese, Chevy's small truck engines never seem to die. I know a guy with an S-10 pickup that has 210,000 miles on it and is still going.

 

[kodiakblair]

Is that a Peavey Fury on the right? If so, did those knobs come with it? I have a Fury with aftermarket knobs on it, was wondering what were the original knobs on these.

Fury on the right is a 3rd generation. The knobs have been replaced for the $20 each "P" knobs

2nd generation shipped with speed knobs. 3rd generation shipped with chromed dome knobs.

Regarding the OPs topic "Does it matter ?"

If I was to take the $1500 for a production line USA P-bass and spend it with a luthier in Poland or China I'd get a wonderful bass built to any spec I desired.

Trouble is folks look to the cheap deals.

 

[pie_man_25]

All I can tell you is, my first bass is a Mexican Squier series Jazz - the cheapest bass you can get with fender on the headstock that isn't a fake, and my other bass is an American deluxe Jazz V. On the Mexican bass I sound like a bad bassist playing a cheap bass. On the American deluxe I sound like a bad bassist playing an expensive bass. Love them both to pieces though.