filtersweep
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....guitar were all hanging out, arguing who was best.... a bit of a comparative narrative related to country of manufacture.
The American, a '13 Custom Lite...
The thing only weighs 7.7 lbs--- is lighter than my Telecaster.
Yeah, it is a bit thinner than a regular LP, and has a belly cut.
Quality is good-- not quite perfect.
We will see how well the gold hardware holds up.
You can see a line under the binding between the nut and the first fret. That is the biggest quality issue I have noticed.
No complaints about the fretwork.
Looks decent enough..... I paid about $900 used-- a great price for buying it here.
So now we jump to the opposite end of the world--- A Chinese made Ibanez 105. I purchased this in Boston on a trip, through Craigslist--- the seller delivered it to my hotel. Price was incredible- $400 with a case, and it looked newer than anything you might find at Guitar Center.
It is ridiculously glossy.
I have tried to find flaws....
But there just aren't any visible manufacturing issues.
Yes, the wood is gawdy.
But the binding and everything is perfection.
It plays quite nicely. I'm not much of a hollow body player, but it is a fun guitar to fool around with.
From Mexico we have this thing- a '72 Deluxe Reissue- purchased new here in Norway for about $400 on a blowout.... excellent price for Norway.
I love this guitar- like the LP (an LP for those who don't like LPs), this is a Tele for those who don't like Teles....
The paint job is an experience....
Comfortable? At 8.4 lbs, this is a beast of a Tele.
Not sure I would buy a US Fender. The quality if quite decent as is.
And from Korea:
An LTD MH 400. I bought it new-- 50% off-- overpaid by US standards, but I was just getting back into guitars and wanted something modern. It was around $700-- a very good price for a new guitar like this-- here. Higher end models just have crazier bling and binding, which I don't like. These are no longer made in Korea.
This is quite flawless in its build.
If I ignore the head stocks and countries of manufacture, the Gibson, LTD, and Ibanez are all quite similar. The Chinese Ibanez and Korean LTD actually have the best fit and finish-- with the binding, and all the details. Gibson has the best feel-- and nicest actual finish-- not so glossy. A Fender is a Fender. I'm not a big fan of the three bolt design, as the neck can be laterally flexed rather easily.
The electronics in all of these guitars are quite fine. The Chinese is quite minimal, the EMGs are EMGs. The Fender WRHBs are what they are-- love 'em or hate 'em. I like the brightness and snap that they have--- that the Gibson lacks. But the Gibson have a silkier quality.
I like the Gibson brand, most of all. Not necessarily because they were made in the US. Fender probably does itself a disservice by kindly placing the MIM on the back of the head stock- unlike the old days.
Country of manufacture? I don't believe it really matters that much from a practical standpoint. Of course if I try to resell.... then again, cost is lower for Asian guitars. I sold two instantly a few months back. Buyers can afford them. I see Gibsons ads lingering around for months before they sell. I don't live in the US, so I don't have some nationalistic pride. But brand is something that still matters to me, to a degree.
The American, a '13 Custom Lite...

The thing only weighs 7.7 lbs--- is lighter than my Telecaster.

Yeah, it is a bit thinner than a regular LP, and has a belly cut.

Quality is good-- not quite perfect.

We will see how well the gold hardware holds up.

You can see a line under the binding between the nut and the first fret. That is the biggest quality issue I have noticed.

No complaints about the fretwork.

Looks decent enough..... I paid about $900 used-- a great price for buying it here.
So now we jump to the opposite end of the world--- A Chinese made Ibanez 105. I purchased this in Boston on a trip, through Craigslist--- the seller delivered it to my hotel. Price was incredible- $400 with a case, and it looked newer than anything you might find at Guitar Center.

It is ridiculously glossy.

I have tried to find flaws....

But there just aren't any visible manufacturing issues.

Yes, the wood is gawdy.

But the binding and everything is perfection.
It plays quite nicely. I'm not much of a hollow body player, but it is a fun guitar to fool around with.
From Mexico we have this thing- a '72 Deluxe Reissue- purchased new here in Norway for about $400 on a blowout.... excellent price for Norway.

I love this guitar- like the LP (an LP for those who don't like LPs), this is a Tele for those who don't like Teles....

The paint job is an experience....

Comfortable? At 8.4 lbs, this is a beast of a Tele.

Not sure I would buy a US Fender. The quality if quite decent as is.
And from Korea:

An LTD MH 400. I bought it new-- 50% off-- overpaid by US standards, but I was just getting back into guitars and wanted something modern. It was around $700-- a very good price for a new guitar like this-- here. Higher end models just have crazier bling and binding, which I don't like. These are no longer made in Korea.

This is quite flawless in its build.

If I ignore the head stocks and countries of manufacture, the Gibson, LTD, and Ibanez are all quite similar. The Chinese Ibanez and Korean LTD actually have the best fit and finish-- with the binding, and all the details. Gibson has the best feel-- and nicest actual finish-- not so glossy. A Fender is a Fender. I'm not a big fan of the three bolt design, as the neck can be laterally flexed rather easily.
The electronics in all of these guitars are quite fine. The Chinese is quite minimal, the EMGs are EMGs. The Fender WRHBs are what they are-- love 'em or hate 'em. I like the brightness and snap that they have--- that the Gibson lacks. But the Gibson have a silkier quality.
I like the Gibson brand, most of all. Not necessarily because they were made in the US. Fender probably does itself a disservice by kindly placing the MIM on the back of the head stock- unlike the old days.
Country of manufacture? I don't believe it really matters that much from a practical standpoint. Of course if I try to resell.... then again, cost is lower for Asian guitars. I sold two instantly a few months back. Buyers can afford them. I see Gibsons ads lingering around for months before they sell. I don't live in the US, so I don't have some nationalistic pride. But brand is something that still matters to me, to a degree.
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