+1, as well as the disparities between labor practices and other regulations (such as those pertaining to the environment-which are indirectly cost-related as well).
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Does it matter where stuff is made?
- Thread starter Sneakypete
- Start date
+1, as well as the disparities between labor practices and other regulations (such as those pertaining to the environment-which are indirectly cost-related as well).
Why would you appologize? I think that's mostly the case. I'll personally only buy high quality gear, experience has taught me that lesson, but I want it as cheap as I can possibly get it.
I'm convinced that the country of origin has nothing to do with potential quality, it's just that IMO in a majority of situations imports are chosen for the bottom line price rather than the bottom line value.
It's all about the reputation and track record of the country in question. Germany, Itlay, Japan, England, and the USA have built their reputations by building quality products over the years(Fender, Lexus, Porche, etc. Japan is an Asian country and they build quality products; lets put the race card back in the pocket. Furthermore, if we are talking about race, who says the workers for US companys are all the same race? Something tells me that a company such as Fender that is based in California has a pretty diverse work force, California does have a large Asian.
bongomania
Commercial User
When I started this thread less than 24 hours ago I had no idea that I'd get such a great response so thank you all for the time and effort you've put into this. It proves what I've always known - we bass players don't just do deep notes - we do deep thoughts too! I see this from both sides - I'm an engineer in a very small engineering company (only 12 people) serving the printing industry and the irony is that we sell complete systems to China (they aren't interested in something so low volume) but we get quite a lot of our components and sub-assemblies from China. I've been there, and to Taiwan, and I can tell any of you who doubt it that these people are definitely NOT ill-educated peasants but smart, ambitious and with available manpower completely beyond the dreams of any western company. I still feel though that I should support "my" people just like I try to support small shops rather than supermarkets and online giants. I don't quite get this anti-WalMart thing though - they recently took over a British supermarket chain - should we be worried? Americans please advise! A common theme through this thread is, I think, right to the point - we are way too consumerist in our thinking and buying habits and the point about $150 shirts hits the nail on the head. I resolved some time ago that I won't buy anything that looks like it's from the kind of sweatshop where my fellow humans are exploited, whatever country it is, and if that means I have to wait and save up then so what? I recently had a little traveller 6 string acoustic hand made (look up Shapelywood guitars on the web) to my exact specification - I waited a few months for Richard, the luthier, to make it and it cost £400, so not even expensive, but it is an absolute joy to own and play. What I need to do now is find someone who builds bass amps the same way. If it costs £1000 and I have to wait six months I honestly don't care. Thanks again boys - keep on a'pluckin' and a'grinnin'!
Generally, yes, I'd agree, but you can't deny that a significant (maybe not majority, but it is significant) portion of the US population does, or at least did at one point, have racial biases against Asian cars. At a time when Japan was making very good quality cars and the US was making junk, the term "rice-burner" was everywhere. Asian cars where small "sissy" automobiles that were only fit for wimps and women. Lo and behold, gas prices rose and people were forced to reevaluate their cultural assumptions a bit, and now Honda and Toyota are giving GM and Ford a good run for their money, but for a couple decades Japanese products endured (and somewhat still do endure) a very real racist cultural stereotype.
uhh...maybe its their work ethic + their low pay. It reminds me of those honest, hard-working immigrants like my great-grandparents who came to this country looking to make an honest living: whatever that was. They came looking for a buck...and found a buck when non-immigrants were getting paid two and somehow were happy with that - on account of the fact that they would be getting paid 50 cents back in their homeland. That's why I support immigration. America is the Rome of the new millenium: we've been doomed by our own success to be lazy and inefficient. HOWEVER...you let those Asian countries on the rise catch up and in about 50 or so years they'll be on top and adopt the same lazy, inefficient attitude Americans have. Its a perpetual circle. Maybe by 2100 Africa will be on the rise.
less about where it's made, more about the distance between where it's made, where it's sold, and where it's ultimately utilized...ymmv
Clarification.. quality checked before warehousing and shipping... and how close the engineering spec is to the specimen
+1
I like how you phrased it "every effort". Its not easy to completely "buy American"...but it isn't hard to seek out the products of our fellow countrymen and allies as much as we can.
still have to get the goods from point a to point b, no matter how good they are
I try to buy American products as much as possible IF the quality is there. All my gear is currently made here in the U.S. ( CS 64 Jazz Bass/ Avatar B212neo/ Carvin B1500/ SKB rack case) except for my CIJ 51 reissue P-bass. I must say that my P-bass is every bit as good as any American P-bass being sold today except maybe for a CS model, and I am quite satisfied with it. I want to support our country's work force and economy as much as possible, but I also must make purchasing choices based on my personal needs. I'm not rich so whatever I spend my money on must give good value. However I try to make said purchases American products if they meet my criteria for quality and price.
+1
Another experiment: let's all take a look out of our suburban homes.
What do you see?
I see a 7 lane avenue, straddled on both sides by huge parking lots, recessed Dollar Generals, plaster Rite Aids, used car lots, and Burger Kings next door to McDonalds.
All because we want it cheaper, faster, and easier.
We don't create for tomorrow anymore: we only create for today.
You're right.. the higher quality producers station QC engineers at/near the foreign production facilities... they reject them before they leave.
Not trying to offend.. not every USA designer waits until they arrive to inspect.
If they were so bad...then why did you buy one for your mother? They must have been paying you good.
Not to mention our inane ability to waste massive amounts of money with no consideration of where its going (i.e. the trash)
This can be found in our excessive consumption of:
restaurant food, a couple nights at the bar, cigarettes, clothing, disposable goods, drugs, etc.
In other words, we throw away so much crap when 100 years ago what you were able to acquire was guarded and prized...and much of it still floats around antique and secondhand stores to this day. Whilst we save $600 buying that Squier and not the USA Fender, we just end up throwing that $600 away on something else that doesn't last. We're no better than where we started.
To the OP:
If you play it, or play through it, and you like it, does it matter where it's made????? Who else do you need to please or satisfy besides yourself????? The public policy and political aspects of this question, though interesting and worth discussing, are probably not relevant here, nor is it where I really think you're going with the question.
If you play it, or play through it, and you like it, does it matter where it's made????? Who else do you need to please or satisfy besides yourself????? The public policy and political aspects of this question, though interesting and worth discussing, are probably not relevant here, nor is it where I really think you're going with the question.
your point is valid and no offense taken at all, but i'll clarify my thought to better communicate it because i'm speaking of something that's rarely considered--shipping goods from one side of the earth to the other isn't sustainable...it has positives for certain economies, but holistically, it's counterintuitive to build something in china that could be built in NY only to ship it to NY for sale and usage...profitable, yes of course, and there are positives for certain people in the short term
