It never used to matter to me where a bass was built. I just bought the best sounding gear I could afford, and no other consideration mattered. These days I find I'm becoming concerned about where the gear is made and under what conditions. There are countries I don't like and companies I don't like. So far I've been able to work around most of the entries on my "don't go there" list.
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Does it matter where it's made?
- Thread starter Cycleops
- Start date
Russian (and Soviet Bloc) basses are in a class by themselves. "Far east" basses generally tend to be superior in all respects to their "Soviet" counterparts. Any "Soviet" bass that is playable, and sounds halfway decent, has probably been extensively modified.
As always, there are exceptions. Klira, for example, has made some (relatively) nice hollowbodies.
Not saying you’re not doing it, but that’s only a factor when someone buys new. And you’d be supporting American labor if you bought a MiM Fender and replaced the hardware with made in America Hipshot hardware, etc.
The quality of an item has very little to with the country of manufacture. It is all about the tolerances that are built in BY DESIGN. and in the case of MOST of the made in china/korea/etc basses, they are in fact NOT designed in China. The more tight the tolerances are, the more expensive the end product becomes. Squier tolerances are much wider than say a US made Fender, which is why you may get more squiers that aren't "perfect" (by whomever's standard), they are simply closer to the edge of the bigger (yet allowed by design) tolerances. What does this mean in practice? It means that you will get some near perfect squiers (that even feel better than US fenders), and you will get some that don't seem as perfect, that is how they keep the price low. Is that worth the lower price? IMO, yes. (It is also worth it in Squiers opinion, btw).
I used squire as the example here, but tolerances work the same in EVERY PRODUCT in the entire world, and tighter tolerances are what give you a better product, that just happens to cost more as well, regardless of country.
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I used squire as the example here, but tolerances work the same in EVERY PRODUCT in the entire world, and tighter tolerances are what give you a better product, that just happens to cost more as well, regardless of country.
T$
Exactly. The exact same CNC machine, exact same stock, and even the exact same operator can produce sub-millimeter accuracy or multi-millimeter accuracy depending on feed rates, tool design and maintenance. Tighter tolerances mean slower manufacturing and more labor. There is no technical reason that, say, China couldn't turn out first rate instruments today, other than economic factors. Japan ran into this wall in the late 70s/early 80s - they could make a superior product, but public perception greatly limited their high end sales so it wasn't worth the additional investment to make top of the line instruments for export. Gradually though that changed, with brands like Ibanez and ESP gaining reputations for quality instruments. Already we're seeing some Chinese brands marketing under their own brand names, just as Samick and Cort have begun marketing to increase margins over the OEM market.
All that matters is if the instrument plays well in your opinion and you like playing it.
I have an LTD B-206SM and it has none of the problems you describe.
I got it barely used at my local MusicGoRound for almost 50% off MSRP about 3 years ago.
It is one of the best 6 string fretted basses I have ever played. It feels awesome in your hands, it sounds good to me and the controls are great and there are lots of adjustments with the 3 band eq.
But the most important part is, like I said, it feels great in your hands and plays fast and smooth.
Pickups and other hardware can be changed/replaced, getting something to feel good in your hands via modifications is much more difficult and voodoo like.
I'm a firm believer that with most anything, you get what you pay for. Of course there are exceptions, however cheaper is not always equal. A bass that cost $300 less than another bass that feels, sounds and plays similar may have a good reason for the lesser price. This difference may present itself after a few years of service. It's like having a quality set of strings vs a cheaper set that last 1/2 of the life of the more expensive. In some situations the cheaper bass is suitable and serves the intended purpose leaving the final discretion to the buyer.
Yes, but then it also feels five to ten times better than any car made in the US too.
Have a 1991 Ibanez Soundgear 800LE, made in japan, and a 1994 Soundgear 505, made in Korea. Both are well-made and play great. Also have a 76 P-Bass, made in US, and a 2014 Squier Jazz, made in Indonesia. Both play great, are well-made. Not sure it matters much anymore where it's made.
Better for what? I love playing my Harley Benton short-scale P basses, (I've got two of them!) They cost about 65 euros, they record well, I've got them set up as I like them, (until I want to set them up differently ), and I can experiment with them. Are they as well made as a Fender P bass? Of course not. Do I care? No, because they suit my tastes and needs, and in that sense they are "better" than many other short scale basses that I've owned and played, none of which were as inexpensive as the Harley Bentons.
My Sire V7 was better made and sounded better than my American Jazz. But I sold it because of the Fender name and resale value. A good player will make a bad bass sound good. A bad player will make a good bass sound bad.
I'm happy to hear your LTD bass is of better quality than the one I had 10-15 years ago.
Well, a lot of what you're paying for is name brand. If you pay a grand for a Gibson bass, that grand is made up partially of expensive American labor but there's also a premium for the Gibson name. If you pay a grand for a Korean-made ESP bass, labor is much cheaper but also ESP simply cannot command the markup that Gibson can command. Certainly you get what you pay for in terms of resale value, but there's room for many more hours of hand fitting in the Korean-made bass, or higher quality components, or some of both. Fender and Rickenbacker are much the same equation, though in my opinion less so than Gibson which is known for spotty quality control. (Ironic I'd think this way since I do own one flawless American-made Gibson guitar and no ESP or Fender products, but it is what it is.)
I love American-made products but objectively they are worth a premium only as long as we collectively agree they're worth a premium. With more and more Americans believing that America is at best a set of arbitrary boundaries, I'd be surprised if that collective agreement lasts much longer. At that point, American-made basses must compete on a even playing field with basses made in Indonesia, South Korea, Eastern Europe, even China. For many players, that time is already here. In my opinion Gibson et al really need to be aggressively pursuing that ability (read: quality and innovation) rather than some "lifestyle" marketing premium.
I'm American so I look for American products first and I usually find an exceptable product that doesn't require a loan. Asian products get their tech from you know where.
I’ve owned lots of bases over the years before I decided what I liked. Your tastes change as your playing develops. My US Fenders sound good but you can tell they are mass produced. Neck pockets not great. My Sandberg is very well put together. My old Japanese P is also well put together and sounds great. If GAS gets the better of me I’d go for another Sandberg.
