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"Made in _____" ???

#142
I think the problem lies in hows we interpret what we mean by "better". Yes American made basses are made better, but that does not mean that imports are not well made, and that some people might find they like the way the imports sound and play better. That's their personal opinion, they're not wrong for feeling like that. My Squier Jazz may not be as well made as my MIA Jazz but I certainly like it as much, and I feel that it sounds and plays as well as the MIA, and you can't tell me I'm wrong. Maybe the wood and hardware are indeed cheaper, but that doesn't seem to affect the overall quality.
 
#143
bmc said:
That is just ignorant.

Time for the mods to shut this thread down.
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How a bass costing 500$ be better than a 1500$ bass. How can a 500$ bass have the same quality woods, same quality electronics, same quality hardware, same quality pickup and of course same quality fit and finish ???

Of course a 500$ are well made but they can't be as well made as a 1500$
 
#144
Its cheaper to manufacture overseas than in the U.S so they can charge less for an instrument. A worker in the U.S may make 20.00 hr producing a product, but overseas a worker doing the same thing may make 1.00 hr or maybe even less. Less overhead means lower priced product. Plus some of the materials used may not be as good a quality. Don't really know,I have never done a side by side comparison, but I like basses made in the U.S as well as overseas. I like to play whats comfortable and works for me. I would love to buy all things made in the U.S and support our manufacturing, but for the most part its not in my budget.
 
#145
Clef_de_fa said:
How a bass costing 500$ be better than a 1500$ bass. How can a 500$ bass have the same quality woods, same quality electronics, same quality hardware, same quality pickup and of course same quality fit and finish ???

Of course a 500$ are well made but they can't be as well made as a 1500$[/QUOTE


what is meant is basses of the same price range. say $1000 for a MIA v Korea made. would the workmanship be less on same price basses, you would not compare a MIA $800 basses with a MIA $2000 bass so why do it with a far east $500 bass.
if you take say a Cort $1300 bass and compare that with a MIA bass of the same price then is there much diffrence in quality. I dont think there is anything like the diffrence of say 10 years ago.
or take a Gresch or a G&L or a Lakeland that made in Korea but tested them against a bass of the same price range.
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#146
For me, it's more an act of patriotism to buy American... I honestly go to great lengths to ensure all of my gear is American made... That being said, I don't look down on anyone for using gear made overseas. In fact, the new Ibanez SR Premium and the Yamaha TRB lines are some of the best basses I've ever played. It's all about finding the right vessel for your sound. It's just for me personally, I know when I buy American that no one was mistreated and that I put something into the American economy. I would, however, buy a used instrument made in another country as that would not be supporting the company but rather a particular guitar shop.
 
#149
cv115505 said:
For me, it's more an act of patriotism to buy American... I honestly go to great lengths to ensure all of my gear is American made... That being said, I don't look down on anyone for using gear made overseas. In fact, the new Ibanez SR Premium and the Yamaha TRB lines are some of the best basses I've ever played. It's all about finding the right vessel for your sound. It's just for me personally, I know when I buy American that no one was mistreated and that I put something into the American economy. I would, however, buy a used instrument made in another country as that would not be supporting the company but rather a particular guitar shop.
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Good points.
 
#150
Its just that more time and cash has been put
Into an american fender.. And indonesian squires are budget instruments. If u had a squire made in american ( also being a budget build ) it will sound exactly the same but probably worse cause more money will be spent on labour ) . But **** that, a good instrument can come from anywhere. My first bass was an indonesian squire PJ ( biased ) i love it to bits i wouldnt chooose it over my american deluxe but alittle bit inside me is convincing me that it does sound better then alot of the mexican basses. But this is probably because of the amount of time i spent on getting use to my babies sweet spots.
 
#151
IMHO, I have basses made all over the world. USA production basses can be a little better in general, but not always. I am sure we all have examples of our Made in.... are much better than our MIA whatever, but sometimes it is what you pay for. Quality and craftsmanship have never come cheap
 
#152
StuartV said:
It would be a gross generalization (i.e. LOTS of exceptions), but it seems to be widely held that going down the pecking order from US made, you would have Made in Japan, then Made in Mexico and at the same level Made in Indonesia, then below those Made in China (and Made in Korea).

In other words, other than made in the US or Japan, Indonesia generally (again, a very broad generalization) seems to be consistently as good quality as you can get.
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My experience has been that the instruments made in Korea are far better than those made in China. Probably as good as anything made in USA.
IMHO Korean made Yamaha and Ibanez guitars are as good as anything out there.
I can never understand why most players snub Yamaha. I own a few of their instruments and they are superb by any measure.
 
#154
-Are the MIA Fenders, Sadowskys, Spectors and so on better because they are made where they started out, or are they better simply because they are American?

I see some mention Warwicks, Ritters, Celinder and other brands that have their origins in other countries, would they be better if they were MIA?
 
#157
Joenok said:
-Are the MIA Fenders, Sadowskys, Spectors and so on better because they are made where they started out, or are they better simply because they are American?

I see some mention Warwicks, Ritters, Celinder and other brands that have their origins in other countries, would they be better if they were MIA?
Click to expand...

You raise a good point. My suspicions are that the original manufacturer in the original plant can take advantage of their product knowledge and continuous improvement (if management is so inclined) and therefore ultimately make the best instruments of that type (Fender, Höfner, etc.).

It is difficult to transfer that to another culture unless that culture has completely embraced the discipline of quality (such as the Japanese are normally credited to have).
 

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