Clones and copies?

Boudoir Guitar said:
They’d have to be reeeeeeally good to be better. Asher’s are fantastic.
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The Duesenbergs are, too. Apparently even Paul Franklin seems to approve. And as said, they come with that Multibender (and a specialized capo, too), which is making them quite something else than a plain lap steel.

Here's a video just demonstrating some sounds (unfortunately no Multibender action):

I think it sounds just fantastic here.

And here's some Multibender stuff:
 
Boudoir Guitar said:
You’re conflating US companies being outcompete by Japanese companies in the 80s (in price and quality) with US companies choosing to outsource. Two fairly different issues.

Of course the consumer is going to choose the cheapest option between two similar products. Economics 101.
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When I was a full-time, broke musician in 80s LA, *all* of my guitars were MIJ deal$, except my 1980 ES335 (which couldn't be matched by "budget" gear), luckily I had supporters/patrons that contributed to the cause (y)

Never was interested in Les Pauls after borrowing ridiculous $$$ Norlin boat anchors (that didn't "do it" for me), but when the LP bug hit 25+ years ago, I ran the racks in six (6) states (with the funds to buy the best regardless of price, within reason), here's what I ended up with:

1992 Les Paul Studio (8.5 lbs., sadly the neck warped before I realized what Gotham climate did to guitars)
2003 Les Paul Cloud 9 (7.4 lbs.) w/Holmes 450/455
2004 Les Paul Supreme (8.1 lbs.) w/TV Jones Classics
2005 Les Paul R9 (8.1 lbs.) w/Timbuckers
2005 Les Paul '68 Custom (8.3 lbs.) w/BKP Miss. Queen/Miracle Man

My tip after trying/playing countless Lesters almost 4 decades: Good Wood = Good Weight

I really ❤️ that 92' Studio that I bought @ 48th St. Sam Ash, hooked me on LPs, shame about the neck, traded it along with a Schecter C1 LE towards the '68 CS RI...

Honorable mention: ESP LP clones, close but no...

Nixon Cigar.jpg


Buy once, cry once.
 
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Sascha Franck said:
All fine. But the Duesenbergs are really excellent and likely a step up.
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Cute.
Since us Germans and Croatians have a long tradition of Zither making I’m sure it translates to make a superior lap steel.
I get they’re your pals but come on.

I have no idea about their current quality, hence me not guesstimating but the likely a step up is funny.
 
So, how many guitar building companies are there giving you a dedicated tour of how and where (!) the outsourced portions of the instruments are built/assembled? Straight on the company's startpage?
And is anyone particularly happy with stuff built in China under partially horrible conditions just because there's a "Made in China" sticker somewhere?
IOW: Riding on whatever high moral horse is justified just because Duesenberg doesn't put a "Made in Croatia and Germany" sticker on their guitars while otherwise being completely transparent, whereas you will never even remotely know about the conditions under which all those cheap offerings from the far east are slapped together?
Yeah, right.
 
And fwiw, yes, I am completely aware that the average wage per hour is a lot lower in Croatia, compared to the european average wage. But it's still €14.40 vs. €3.20 in Bejing (which seems to be the highest in China).
 
SillyOctpuss said:
@Eagle how do you know the pickups are G&B? Are they stamped G&B underneath? I was just having a look and have found this same article on a lot of Duesenberg dealers websites.

This is claiming they make the pickups and implying they make the guitars. If it's incorrect then duesenberg should really be stopping their dealers advertising their brand this way. I'd be surprised if the article hasn't come from duesenberg considering it's on different retailers websites.

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Manufacturers have tooling marks that may as well be signatures on parts. When you see them on a regular basis you start to see the tell tail identifying nuances that are exclusive to one particular factory.
 
Sascha Franck said:
So, how many guitar building companies are there giving you a dedicated tour of how and where (!) the outsourced portions of the instruments are built/assembled? Straight on the company's startpage?
And is anyone particularly happy with stuff built in China under partially horrible conditions just because there's a "Made in China" sticker somewhere?
IOW: Riding on whatever high moral horse is justified just because Duesenberg doesn't put a "Made in Croatia and Germany" sticker on their guitars while otherwise being completely transparent, whereas you will never even remotely know about the conditions under which all those cheap offerings from the far east are slapped together?
Yeah, right.
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Nothing on them is made in Germany. Nothing.
 
One thing on my bench a while back was was pretty disgusting.
They were passing off Suhr pickups as their own design. You can even see where they peeled off the sticker.
IMG_4682.jpeg

And on the spec;
IMG_4683.jpeg

They claimed it was a mistake on the spec but someone went to the trouble of peeling off a sticker from under the wax .
 
Sascha Franck said:
Oh, so the work put into routing, drilling, assembling and finetuning doesn't qualify as "Made in Germany"? Did you already tell this to, say, FAS?
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Assembled yes…made no.
Hence the push in the US 2 decades ago for a “assembled in the US with foreign parts”.
 
Sascha Franck said:
And fwiw, yes, I am completely aware that the average wage per hour is a lot lower in Croatia, compared to the european average wage. But it's still €14.40 vs. €3.20 in Bejing (which seems to be the highest in China).
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But in China you can rent a flat and support a family on that so is that a problem?
 
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