Guitar brands and third party manufacturers. Who makes it , where and does it matter.

[Eagle]

I currently own guitars made in (in rough region order):

• United States
• Canada
• Finland
• Poland
• Slovenia
• Japan
• South Korea
• Indonesia
• China

All of these guitars are good. So the country of manufacture or factory doesn't matter to me much, the quality of the guitar does.

For example my only acoustic is a Chinese made, all solid wood Ibanez AW800 because I liked how that guitar played, sounded and felt better than the Martins, Yamahas and others I played when shopping for one. 17 years later it's still great.

Out of these countries, Indonesian made guitars have been the most impressive to me for price vs quality. The Ibanez BTB33 bass and the Schecter Coupe hollowbody I have are nearly flawlessly built, certainly well above their price tags.

I think it is interesting to know which factory made which guitar, but especially for older guitars it's difficult to find out. But it makes no difference to me in enjoyment of the individual guitar.

With Strandberg, to me the issue is not the country of manufacture, but the quality vs price. It feels like those Asian labor savings are not translated to the buyer price. I've played Japanese made Strandbergs that sold for about 3000-4000€ some years ago, and those were really nicely made and totally worth the money, but expensive to import.

On the flip side, the 2400€ Korean made Strandberg Boden I briefly owned was literally the worst quality guitar I have ever owned. Unusably bad fretwork, chunk of wood missing near the nut, worst quilt top I've ever seen, finish flaking off the hw right from the start and more. It was a disgrace they tried to sell it at all - but somehow that guitar made it from the Korean factory all the way to Sweden and then to Finland only for me to have to discover it's a bag of shit and return it. I put Strandberg on my "do not buy list" because of that.

Your experience with Strandberg is mostly unlucky and I could name similar things from practically all main manufacturers . The Korean factory is highly regarded (normally). I agree bang for buck Indonesia is hard to beat but my top coach for value is MIM FMI group because of the high end hardware and electrics that in many cases of up to 70% of the cost of the instrument if bought aftermarket. This is happening on the best Korean and Indonesian builds too but they are not the price of the FMI stuff.

 

[laxu]

Your experience with Strandberg is mostly unlucky and I could name similar things from practically all main manufacturers .

Yeah I know. I'm just insulted by the lack of care from a) the factory b) the brand's own QA. Sure, they would have replaced it but I don't spend that much money on a guitar with the idea that I have to play QA. It's also why I won't buy a Gibson without trying it first, played way too many bad ones.

 

[MindCrime]

I currently have guitars from:

United States * ( 2 - EBMM Silhouette Specials )
Mexico * Taylor acoustic
Indonesia * Cort G300 PRO
Paris, France * Vigier Expert Classic Rock

I'm satisfied with this blend of instruments. They sound very good and feel great...in my hands.

 

[State of Epicicity]

It's also why I won't buy a Gibson without trying it first, played way too many bad ones

Amen.

 

[State of Epicicity]

I wonder about working conditions in the factories of countries infamous for human rights abuses.

 

[Achilles]

I wonder about working conditions in the factories of countries infamous for human rights abuses.

This is mostly a thing of the past when it comes to places exporting to major markets. As part of initial overseas factory audits a section of the paperwork is all about work conditions and worker's rights, etc. Before you'd ever have a chance at a Purchase Order from a major brand you'd have to prove not only your factory quality and capability standards but also the 'human resources' aspects of your operation.

Six year olds sewing sneakers for Nike 18 hrs. a day is mostly an urban legend at this point.

 

[duzie]

It sometimes seems like the older I get, the cheaper my guitars get. (Marriage, home ownership, fatherhood...) These two are both Indonesian. ~$350 used for the Jem Jr; ~$900 new for the SG.

IMO the Jem Jr is a ridiculous value. Looks, neck carve, attention to detail, finish (neck and body) are as nice as on any solid body guitar I've played. The only arguable let down is the bridge, but a real Edge would probably double the cost of manufacture. Needed a good setup. Otherwise, a steal.

The SG veers more into the "manufacturer selling 'cool factor'" territory, with Iommi inlays and custom pickups (which I don't personally like all that much.) On the one hand, it's a well-executed neck through with a lovely heel carve, nice inlay, binding, and fret work... "good bones". On the other hand, the guitar just will not stay in tune. I've changed tuners (stock parts sucked) and added a String Butler (surprisingly effective), which improved but did not correct. I honestly think the neck is just too thin to support 24 frets of leverage hanging off the body. Or maybe the truss rod isn't adjusted properly to compensate? I wish I knew a tech I could trust. Me setting up a Gibson/ Epi is like me trying to speak French lol.

Anyway, I digress. Point is, they're both (relatively) cheap. They're both Indonesian. They're both beautiful.

View attachment 19251

How long have you had the Iommi
I don’t believe I’ve ever heard you mention it.

 

[laxu]

I wonder about working conditions in the factories of countries infamous for human rights abuses.

Honestly I don't think that is a major issue in most guitar factories. Most of them are quite modern with CNC routers doing rough shaping, then sanding, painting, assembly and setup by personnel. You can find a lot of guitar factory videos online and it's usually the older US/European ones that are less modernized, but obviously not sweat shops or anything.

 

[Eagle]

I wonder about working conditions in the factories of countries infamous for human rights abuses.

Good luck finding that out . One thing people should remember is that all the golden age Fenders were built by none playing no experience minimum wage Mexicans on the whole and the guitars are great. It's a pity there wages weren't .In the race to the bottom for rights and wages USA was the bottom at the time.

 

[Eagle]

This is mostly a thing of the past when it comes to places exporting to major markets. As part of initial overseas factory audits a section of the paperwork is all about work conditions and worker's rights, etc. Before you'd ever have a chance at a Purchase Order from a major brand you'd have to prove not only your factory quality and capability standards but also the 'human resources' aspects of your operation.

Six year olds sewing sneakers for Nike 18 hrs. a day is mostly an urban legend at this point.

Take a little look in India.

 

[Achilles]

Take a little look in India.

Name a major brand selling slave labor goods and getting away with it in 2024.

 

[Eagle]

Name a major brand selling slave labor goods and getting away with it in 2024.

Nike still;https://thethaiger.com/hot-news/nike-defends-sweatshops-accusation-in-thailand
and they won't be alone.

 

[State of Epicicity]

I think about a factory that may present well to secure a contract then exploit and intimidate workers after the fact. There have been so many news reports of these kinds of tactics throughout the world. In textiles that kind of thing is notorious, and in the US it's rampant with the treatment of undocumented workers in agriculture, like those who were forced to pick produce in fields while wildfires were approaching in sight, until the air was too thick to continue, when every other business had long evacuated.

Of course it's very difficult to find out, and no brand wants to associate with that kind of practice publicly, but, to paraphrase the older Walmart documentary title, low prices come with a price. Of course it's not just the developing world, it's just where some of the most horrific instances are reported, often because a tragedy occurs that companies can't hide, like workers locked in a building that burns and has no functional fire exits.

To me all of commerce is a little prayer to the goodwill of people; it's a hope. I like to think that guitars are in a different class, but I just wonder; I've never heard any stories about sweatshop guitars. When I hear stories from around the world in other industries, I'm not exactly heartened with promise.

So I just hope that the guitars I buy have been made with human decency toward the people making them.

 

[Eagle]

I think about a factory that may present well to secure a contract then exploit and intimidate workers after the fact. There have been so many news reports of these kinds of tactics throughout the world. In textiles that kind of thing is notorious, and in the US it's rampant with the treatment of undocumented workers in agriculture, like those who were forced to pick produce in fields while wildfires were approaching in sight, until the air was too thick to continue, when every other business had long evacuated.

Of course it's very difficult to find out, and no brand wants to associate with that kind of practice publicly, but, to paraphrase the older Walmart documentary title, low prices come with a price. Of course it's not just the developing world, it's just where some of the most horrific instances are reported, often because a tragedy occurs that companies can't hide, like workers locked in a building that burns and has no functional fire exits.

To me all of commerce is a little prayer to the goodwill of people; it's a hope. I like to think that guitars are in a different class, but I just wonder; I've never heard any stories about sweatshop guitars. When I hear stories from around the world in other industries, I'm not exactly heartened with promise.

So I just hope that the guitars I buy have been made with human decency toward the people making them.

Yes I agree.

 

[Achilles]

I think about a factory that may present well to secure a contract then exploit and intimidate workers after the fact.

For the record, the ones I'm talking about who pass an up front audit also have to agree to at least 4 random spot check audits a year from a 3rd party contractor. If there's UL or other agency stuff that needs auditing they will usually take the lead.

Worked on the design of a commercial in-ceiling line (117 volt) with a factory in South China back in 1997-1998 who are still producing the same exact models - I know cause I'm CC'd on the annual audit alert emails they get even though I retired a few years back.

 

[mbenigni]

How long have you had the Iommi
I don’t believe I’ve ever heard you mention it.

I've posted pics of it once or twice... and bitched about my struggles with tuning at least that many times.

I had to search my email for an invoice. Apparently I bought it in November of 2020. My how time flies. I was going through a period where I was even more obsessed with Sabotage than usual - wanted to cover the whole album front to back, and needed something with a fixed bridge to tune down to Db. The Epi was reasonably priced, looked the part, and ticked a lot of boxes. I love the guitar, but mostly because of the looks, honestly. I'd have an easier time playing some cheapo fixed bridge RG, and it would almost certainly stay in tune longer.

 

[duzie]

I've posted pics of it once or twice... and bitched about my struggles with tuning at least that many times.

I had to search my email for an invoice. Apparently I bought it in November of 2020. My how time flies. I was going through a period where I was even more obsessed with Sabotage than usual - wanted to cover the whole album front to back, and needed something with a fixed bridge to tune down to Db. The Epi was reasonably priced, looked the part, and ticked a lot of boxes. I love the guitar, but mostly because of the looks, honestly. I'd have an easier time playing some cheapo fixed bridge RG, and it would almost certainly stay in tune longer.

Do you still have it?
Was the tuning issue ever resolved?

 

[the-trooper]

I wonder about working conditions in the factories of countries infamous for human rights abuses.

"Typed on my iPhone"

 

[mbenigni]

Do you still have it?
Was the tuning issue ever resolved?

Yes, I still have it. The tuning issue is... improved, but I wouldn't call it resolved. As I mentioned above, I put locking tuners and a String Butler on it. (The latter is kind of "controversial", but I was surprised at how effective it was.) And I keep bumping string guages to compensate for the lowered tuning/ string tension. (I think I'm up to 11's now?) The extremely thin 24 fret neck is still a liability, though. And as @Eagle has said before, I should have a new nut cut by a professional tech, but I haven't had the opportunity.

 

[Achilles]

Worked on the design of a commercial in-ceiling line (117 volt) with a factory in South China back in 1997-1998

Next time you're in an airport, shopping mall, movie theater, sports arena, etc. check out the ceiling speakers they have installed.
Look for the small square logo in the middle of the grill. Good chance they're mine!

Been selling in healthy quantities for 25 years now. Commercial audio lines don't need to 're-invent' the product every couple of years like they do with consumer. There's literally millions of these installed all over the planet.

They're freaking everywhere!