Is USA made premium justitified?

Rocker

My USA built Fender Precision was better than everything else (MIM, Squire, Yamaha etc) in the music shop I tried out, so I bought it. Cost more of course but I think the cost difference was worth paying. I really wanted the Squier but it was significantly inferior to the Fender bass so I left it on the rack. 

thegummy

The Fender models made in America are better than the models made in Mexico but not because of where they're made, they're just higher end models.

menamestom

thegummy said:

The Fender models made in America are better than the models made in Mexico but not because of where they're made, they're just higher end models.

Depends I think.  I stripped my 90's US strat and the body was about 10 pieces. I've seen Mexican ones with nice 2 piece bodies.  Both are covered with similar poly finishes.

Electronics on the USA models are better, and to be fair I think the modern USA models have improved a little. 

I now have a Mexican neck on my US strat and I prefer it, not just the profile but the finishing is a little better.

I'm not sure 'higher end' always has some measurable quantity if you take the electronics out of the equation.  Based on the last US Tele I played I'd say the quality of set up certainly wasn't a factor. 

prowla

I don't understand the question - they only make Rics in the US.

guitarfishbay

I'm yet to be convinced less pieces of wood makes a better instrument.  There's probably a point where too many pieces of wood makes it worse, but at least with neck construction I actually think multi laminate can be preferable if the instrument needs a more rigid neck.

Aesthetically for a body or top less pieces does look nicer.  But for tone, I'm not convinced.  Given most Les Pauls are at least 3 pieces (two for the top and one for the back) though many are 4 or potentially more.

JayGee

I concur with the position that perceived differences between USA built and Mexican built Fenders have more to do with market positioning than anything else but even this breaks down sometimes. Subjectively my Mexican built Graham Coxon Telecaster gives nothing away to a contemporary USA standard and it’s probably better built than my own horribly unfashionable ‘84 USA built Telecaster...

57Deluxe

for playability - no
for resale-ability - yes

Rocker

57Deluxe said:

for playability - no
for resale-ability - yes

Too glib an answer my friend. If it were that simple. This is why you should always play the instrument before you buy. Could go either way but you will know......

thegummy

menamestom said:

thegummy said:

The Fender models made in America are better than the models made in Mexico but not because of where they're made, they're just higher end models.

Depends I think.  I stripped my 90's US strat and the body was about 10 pieces. I've seen Mexican ones with nice 2 piece bodies.  Both are covered with similar poly finishes.

Electronics on the USA models are better, and to be fair I think the modern USA models have improved a little. 

I now have a Mexican neck on my US strat and I prefer it, not just the profile but the finishing is a little better.

I'm not sure 'higher end' always has some measurable quantity if you take the electronics out of the equation.  Based on the last US Tele I played I'd say the quality of set up certainly wasn't a factor. 

Maybe it used to be different but now the American model definitely has a differing finish to the Mexican (polyurethane vs polyester).

The bridge and tuners are different too and I think the nut.

Main point is that it's not the same model being made in different countries at different prices, they're different models regardless of country.

If you can comfortably afford the American pro or original then you're not throwing money away for nothing because of the country, it is a higher spec guitar.

guitarfishbay

thegummy said:

If you can comfortably afford the American pro or original then you're not throwing money away for nothing because of the country, it is a higher spec guitar.

Which is what muddies the water so much in this debate.

There's no good reason a guitar can't be crafted to a high standard in any country, it's all about business.

richh

Isn't this a self perpetuating thing?  Even if there is no discernable difference between the USA product and one from elsewhere, you generally can be confident that this is going to hold value relatively well.  For example, if you buy a Fender custom shop strat used, and then want to sell on at some point, it was easy to get your money back.  That was a year or two back, when they were often selling here for £1750 / £1800 - if you bought then and sell now, you may even get £2k or more.  Not bad!

Sadly, the guys who are bold enough to buy something new often lose money and find it hard to sell in the future.  Not all brands are as easy to sell as USA Fender or Gibson, but 'Made in the USA' seems to be taken as a mark of quality / pedigree?

WezV

rossyamaha said:

The ugly truth of the matter is that it costs more to push the start button on a CNC machine in the US than it does in Mexico/ Korea/ Indonesia/ Chine etc. 

exactly this.   You can get distracted by spec sheets,  but labour is the biggest factor 

If you made the same guitar from the same materials with the same processes you would see a big difference  in price just from the labour costs.  

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_average_wage

How much is your time worth?

darthed1981

richh said:

Isn't this a self perpetuating thing?  Even if there is no discernable difference between the USA product and one from elsewhere, you generally can be confident that this is going to hold value relatively well.  For example, if you buy a Fender custom shop strat used, and then want to sell on at some point, it was easy to get your money back.  That was a year or two back, when they were often selling here for £1750 / £1800 - if you bought then and sell now, you may even get £2k or more.  Not bad!

Sadly, the guys who are bold enough to buy something new often lose money and find it hard to sell in the future.  Not all brands are as easy to sell as USA Fender or Gibson, but 'Made in the USA' seems to be taken as a mark of quality / pedigree?

Wisdom from me.

Jock68

Labels, people pay for Labels. Japan produces better Guitars than America but it does not have that brand label name on the Headstock.  Blind tests prove that quality is better elsewhere but people focus on Re Sale value so they play it safe and buy Brand names.  

Chalky

Gotta love this place. Every time we have this topic it always ends the same:

There is no difference.
Its stupid people with too much money paying for a label.

Why are the stupid people also the ones with money?

thegummy

Some people are just convinced that nationality determines guitar building ability.

Also, some people with cheaper guitars wnt to convince themselves that they're as good as any; some people with expensive guitars wnt to convince themselves they've not wasted their money.

With fender there's no debate really because they don't make the same model in different countries.

Sassafras

Now that Trump's 'in charge' I'd feel dirty buying American.

darthed1981

Chalky said:

Gotta love this place. Every time we have this topic it always ends the same:

There is no difference.
Its stupid people with too much money paying for a label.

Why are the stupid people also the ones with money?

To be fair, no one has said that.  Not yet anyway.

Also as with all luxury goods, someone normal can save up or max a credit card and someone rich can buy it casually, but neither situation explains the motivation of same, or the relative value for money.

ilavinis

There's no inherent difference. Guitars made in the Far East are cheaper and lower quality than a MIA Fender because they're built at a far lower price point so the quality control will be worse and the materials used will be cheaper. For example, if Fender told the factory that makes CV Squiers to start making £500-600 guitars then Squier would blow Fender's own products out of the water probably. If they told their American factory to start building sub £200 guitars, would they be better than the CV Squiers? I very much doubt it because the cost of labor involved will be higher. 

thegummy

Also not all Asian made guitars are cheap, I'd imagine a 1400 quid Schecter would be as good as an American pro fender. Even better actually because the labour is cheaper so more of the money will go on materials.