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If you think people think USA guitar are superior than everyone else, there are people out there who thinks the new Fuji X100VI is worse because it is now made in China as opposed to the X100V that was made in Japan.
All the while, posting this crap online through their Made in China phones…it’s a piece of metal and silicon. If there is anything that is easy to shift manufacturing, it is electronics and it is not like this is China’s first rodeo. These people would have a house full of Made in China stuff like TV, Xbox, PS5, Laptops, Computers, kitchen appliances, parts in their car, all sorts. Yet they somehow thinks a camera will be worse off because it is made in China now.
When asked about Fuji’s other camera (X-Pro line) that is Made in Japan and had QC problems…they give some BS reason that blames something else.
These are merely collectors masquerading as photographers all the while showing hypocrisies. They will say things like “the value of the V will be higher than the VI”, BS like that. When the original X100 is still the cheapest of all the ones out there, made in Japan too.
Putting the effort in will result in the best noise. Unfortunately I'm a bit lazy!
I imagine for cameras, many simply have no idea where they are made!
I'm in agreement. I've never quite understood how a consumer will have problems with MIC goods when the most integral objects one owns (laptop, TV, phone) are all MIC.
Some people - not very bright people admittedly, but there is an awful lot of them - simply don't realise that guitar makers all around the world are turning out spectacular quality, turning out superb guitars which, all things considered, are better instruments than the hidebound American majors make.
In Europe you have the understated excellence of Lakewood and the downright outstanding Furch. in the UK Lowden is a legend and deservedly so. in Australia Maton has been the go-to brand for decades, with Cole Clark now ranked highly, and newcomers Pratley and Fenech both carving out reputations. In Japan, quality guitar making has been a way of life for the best part of 50 years. And so on.
Note that I haven't even mentioned the cheap Asian countries where decent, ethical timber supply is very difficult to see and impossible to verify (China in particular) and gross ill-treatment of workers is routine (Indonesia and other places - special mention for Cort in this connection). In any case, you don't have to look for illegal loggers and and human rights abusers to find instruments which are, all things considered, better than most American ones.
Nor do you have to look for lower wages - pretty much everywhere outside the 3rd World has higher wages than the USA, and usually higher business costs in other departments too. American guitars are very, very expensive. It's not just that they have high sticker prices, they are also (for the most part) under-specified compared with equivalent guitars made in Europe, Australia, or Japan.
Does American make good guitars? Sure it does.
Are they better than guitars made in the UK, Europe, Australia, or Japan? No.
Are they inferior to guitars made in the UK, Europe, Australia, or Japan? On the whole, yes. They under deliver at any given price point, or looked at from the other direction, are seriously overpriced at any given specification.
Have I bought any American guitars myself? Yes, two (a Tacoma and a Guild). I still have the Tacoma and love it.
Would I like more American guitars one day? Sure. I have my eye on an all-Koa Taylor and am not averse to the notion of a Martin HD-28 or a Collings. I am perfectly well aware that they are poor value for money (not so much the Koa Taylor, which is pretty reasonable for what it is) but once in a while they offer something different that I want. For the most part I'll go on buying the best guitars from the best makers - at any given price point a company like (say) Lakewood will always deliver a better guitar than you can get from (say) Gibson - but it is not good to be too inflexible about these things. If I fancy an all-Koa Taylor (and I do) then I'll buy one and not worry too much about the price. (But not this year because I want to stay married!)
Tradition
Labour costs
Brand perception (which is related to tradition)
Traditionally there best Fender and Gibson/Epiphone guitars were made in the USA and the best Ibanez were made in Japan, so that is still something that exists in the minds of buyers (and is encouraged by the brands).
Labour costs are higher in the USA, so as has been said it makes more sense to make a more premium product there as you can charge more for it and make a better profit per unit despite the higher labour (and probably material) costs.
Using the example of MIM vs MIA Fender, there are lots of people on the thread saying how good MIM Strats and Teles are, and this is true. There are however material differences between the MIM guitars and MIA guitars that make the MIA guitar "better".
I've got a 2001 MIM strat. The neck is great and it plays well. The stock tuners were 90% as good as the stock tuners on an MIA strat. It cost about £300-350 back in 2003. I'd still (after a pickup upgrade) happily use it as a gigging guitar as it plays well and it's solid and inexpensive.
I also owned a 2008 American Standard Tele. The ways in which the MIA were better than the MIM are:
-3 piece alder body on the MIA vs butcher block poplar body on the MIM (transparent finish MIMs at the time had the same butcher block body with a veneer applied to hide it)
-alnico pickups on the MIA vs ceramic bar on the MIM
-steel bridge on the MIA vs cheap metal bridge on the MIM
-pretty thin polyurethane finish on the MIA vs thick polyester finish on the MIM
-MIA came with a hardcase, MIM did not
As a result of all the above the MIA sounded and felt better in my opinion.
I think the American Standard was about £800 at the time. Are the differences worth £450-500 more than an MIM strat? That's a matter of opinion, but there's no denying that there are differences.
Over time the MIMs have got better (Deluxe player for instance), though this has corresponded to steady price increases so arguably they aren't the bargain they once were.
The MIAs have continued to get upgrades over the years to justify the difference in price (really starting with the American Deluxe range which became the Elite and then Ultra range, as well as the American Standard becoming the American Professional, and the Highway 1 which was introduced as a more affordable USA made guitar with stripped back features and a gig bag instead of case becoming the American Performer).
The American Vintage range goes a step further and adds nitro finishes and custom shop pickups.
The United States does NOT have higher labour costs than comparable countries. Not even close. Wages are higher in Germany, Japan, Australia, the UK, and Canada. Hell, even South Korea has a higher minimum wage than the US, and the Czech Republic is equal.
Only poor 3rd World countries like Indonesia, Mexico, and China have lower wages than the USA. The Yanks constantly repeat the "our stuff is expensive because labour costs" line and it isn't even close to being true - compared to all other wealthy countries (UK, Japan, Canada, Europe, etc.) their wages are lousy.
(Note that their per-capita income is high, but this is because wealthy Americans often have huge incomes: there aren't many of them but they skew the average.)
In short, even though America has lower, often much lower labour costs, American guitar prices - comparing like for like - are usually much higher than those of manufacturers in places like Germany and Australia and Japan.
A nice premium German guitar like a Duesenberg Fantom costs about £2900.
A nice American guitar of similar construction like a Les Paul Standard costs about £2500.
Personally I have no preference either way re poly v nitro finishes as it makes dick all difference to the 'tone' ... but I wish my US Gibson Les Paul chipped, dented and scratched less easily.
I have championed the 'feel' of US instruments in the past ... but the Far East has caught up big style. My Far Eastern Gretsch 5420 is just as much of a lovely, quirky, cantankerous suitcase of a guitar as any US one I've played :-)
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