Does it matter where it's made?

[Cliff Colton]

Every employee at a USA bass manufacturing facility knows who Jack Bruce is, so they fully understand the function and purpose of the bass they are building. It’s made better that way.

 

[MYLOWFREQ]

I don't think it makes much of a difference at this age.. I own American, Mexican, Japanese, Korean, Indonesian and Chinese basses. The workmanship is so close that if good quality materials are used, it makes zero difference where it's made.

 

[Cliff Colton]

I’d prefer having a bass where the quality control inspector said: “Wow nice! This one’s got that Jaco sound!” Or “ Jeez, Leo Lyons would love this one!”

 

[groove pump]

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

I can say with high confidence that I have another Godin electric guitar in my future as well as one of their acoustics. Their necks are yummy!!. Much love and appreciation for the people and places I've visited there, too. I should also sample one or two of their basses when I can track them down.

...Saturday GAS...

 

[4andnomore]

It depends.

My Squier Affinity P/J cost $200. Made in China, alder/rosewood. Near flawless fit and finish. With a little fret work, totally Gig-worthy. Worth it? Hell yes!

USA Fender Original 60s p-Bass at $2,000 is my favorite bass EVER! Worth every stinking' nickel and then some.

So I'm enjoying the Squier until my fortunes are such that I can acquire the Original 60s. either way, life is good.

 

[el_Bajo_Verde]

As long as it's not made in a sweatshop or from child labor, I will buy it

 

[Dincrest]

And taking a tangent off of what I said before, I think about the experiences TalkBassers have had with various independent luthiers. Who doesn't want to support an artisan from their home country or even home state? I do my best to dine at mom 'n pop eateries, support my local comic book store, buy my produce at local farmers' markets, etc. It's through TalkBass I've become aware of folks like Pete Skjold, Cliff Bordwell, and many others.

Buy local, support local, all that good stuff.

But not all of these US luthiers are created equal. Let's take Bee Basses for example. Appealing instruments with unique/original design aesthetics and the TalkBassers who do own them say they're impeccably crafted instruments. However, several TalkBassers also expressed that the luthier behind Bee Basses is a headache to deal with because he's uncommunicative, unreliable, and seems to disappear for months (even years) at a time. I believe there are folks here still waiting for instruments they put deposits on years ago and are out some serious money with nothing to show. It's clear Bee makes a very high quality product, but is it worth the gamble or hassle or whatever?

Again, this all ties back into the sentiment of "it's not WHERE it's made, but HOW it's made and WHO is making it."

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 or Chevy. 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.

 

[Roger W]

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.

Well, "they" are the manufacturers making decisions on what materials are used in their foreign fab sites.
To pick on someone other than Fender, Lakland produces its Skyline models primarily in Indonesia and the Classic models in the US. The Skyline 44-60 (Jazz style bass) neck is flat-sawn rock maple, the fingerboard is Indian laurel, Hipshot Ultralite tuners (licensed to a foreign manufacturer) and the nut is Delrin. The Classic 44-60 is quartersawn rock maple, rosewood fingerboard, Hipshot tuners, and a bone nut. The price difference is about $1400, essentially twice the cost.

 

[DirkP]

I don't think it makes much of a difference at this age.. I own American, Mexican, Japanese, Korean, Indonesian and Chinese basses. The workmanship is so close that if good quality materials are used, it makes zero difference where it's made.

I like US Fenders and own 5 of them. I own many japanese Fenders, too - and have owned one mexican Fender.

The instruments with the worst qc and workmanship are the US ones. These are mostly optics, but I have to shake my head. Pickguards that don't fit the control plates on the most expensive american made production instruments (AVS series Jazz Basses). Bridges that aren't period correct at all on 5.000,- Fender VI Custom shop basses, while the japanes ones for 1/5 of the price are correct and the necks have a better trusrod system.

A mess of garbage under the pickguard of a 2.000,- American AVS Precision... Woods that are too fresh and wet so that at the time of delivery all the pickguard screws have no fit and the strap holding screws fail after some weeks...
I still like these Fenders but I don't see any rational for supposing US made instruments are better built. It is true that for economic reasons instruments build in other countries often, not always, are fitted with less quality pickups and hardware - but this is out of economic reasons. This is mostly about Fender, Musicman for example is an example of excellent quality.
I think most industrial products are better build in China etc. than in the USA. Made in USA is nostalgia (as Made In Germany is).

 

[Jay2U]

For the quality of the bass it may not matter where it's made. There may be other factors that play a role, like the origin of the wood applied and the labor conditions.

 

[_One//Man//Mutiny_]

I'll say no, if it sounds good and feels good, it IS good.

 

[Auspuff]

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?

Yes, it matters.

 

[Clark Westfield]

I have an American Special Jazz that is amazing!

Now I have had some Squires and MIM in the past, all great basses.

But there is something about the Made In U.S.A Fender guitar, that just makes my brain need and want to own and play it.

Be it nostalgia, history of all those great American roots, Fender legacy, and so on, I just feel the American is for me.

Time to me gets shorter every day, as with everybody else, so when I play, I put what feels right in my hands. Weather it’s in my head or not, there’s just something about it.

 

[superheavyfunk]

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?

1) No. At least not in my experience.
2) Sometimes. It depends on the manufacturer.

 

[Tnavis]

I have a Dingwall NG3, which while made in China, is hands down one of the best constructed basses I own. Although, if I recall, they are setup in Canada before they ship out. Still, it's such a good bass I can't even imagine what the Canadian made Dingwalls are like.

I don't think the country of origin matters as much as the components and the time put in to setup and quality control.

 

[oo_ee_oo_ah_ah]

My first bass guitar was a USA Fender JP90 that I purchased back in 1994, and to this day it is still the worst instrument I have ever owned. It was terrible in every category, a true piece of . Two years ago I bought an Indonesian Squier VM Jazz that is immaculate, and 10 times better than the JP90 in every way (sound, build, playability).

And I paid $120 less for it than than what I paid when I "bought American" 26 years ago.

 

[Nev375]

How, exactly, do you know this?

I thought I explained that 10 posts ago.

 

[king_biscuit]

If you can't play before you pay, it's a crap shoot. Always. No exceptions. Ya payz ya money and ya takes ya chances. Obviously, with reputable dealers that have good return policies, your risks are greatly lessened. But, it's still a crap shoot buying a bass never having played it.

I disagree somewhat. I worked in a music store for 10 years and I am convinced most people can not properly judge an instrument in a store. The main criteria people use to judge is low action and fresh strings. If an otherwise great guitar/bass is not properly set up and has old dead strings, most people will label it a dog and move on.

 

[Nev375]

I disagree somewhat. I worked in a music store for 10 years and I am convinced most people can not properly judge an instrument in a store. The main criteria people use to judge is low action and fresh strings. If an otherwise great guitar/bass is not properly set up and has old dead strings, most people will label it a dog and move on.

What has the incompetence of consumers got to to with the competence of manufacturers?

 

[Killed_by_Death]

I've been able to compare two of the same model built in different countries, China & Indonesia.
The Indonesian-built instrument was miles ahead of the Chinese-built one.

I've also had some crummy experience with Chinese vendors in the past on big projects, so I generally swerve MIC goods.
Living in Asia, you get to see first-hand the difference in quality.