Your next guitar?

[Uncle E]

USA=three more letters to raise the price even more by rip-off companies playing on the superficiality of your average guitar player

Well, that and it literally does cost more to produce in the USA. When you buy Japanese, Korean, Mexican, or Italian, you don't know where the parts are actually coming from. Mexican Fenders all have cheap Asian parts, that's a big part of the reason why they're often so inferior to USA Fenders. A Mexican Fender with upgraded pickups, bridge, and tuners could very well be as good as or better than a USA Fender.

Of course, even "Made in USA" allows for some margin of imported parts but at least it's not like Korea or Italy where the products can be made 100% in China and only just pass through the distributing countries. I love SE model PRS's but they're Chinese guitars, not Korean, despite what's printed on the headstocks.

[Uncle E]

Hink, my ideal guitars are Les Paul, Telecaster, G&L, some PRS but my next war* guitar (*= for all jobs) will be a simple LTD M-50 or M-10 customized with the best electronic possible (passive), brass nut, reverse headstock (I'm 70 addicted!), a Bill Lawrence XL 500 on bridge and a Seymour Duncan Super 59 on neck (all passive), Gotoh machine heads and Wilkinson Bridge (If the M-50) and nothing else, so I have both 70 and some 90 sounds!

I think Hink has a 300-series LTD that he loves but IME the 400-series is the best value. If you got an M-400, you might not need to do any upgrades and the general build quality might be a lot higher.

[hibidy]

Superficiality?

[Hink]

Hink, my ideal guitars are Les Paul, Telecaster, G&L, some PRS but my next war* guitar (*= for all jobs) will be a simple LTD M-50 or M-10 customized with the best electronic possible (passive), brass nut, reverse headstock (I'm 70 addicted!), a Bill Lawrence XL 500 on bridge and a Seymour Duncan Super 59 on neck (all passive), Gotoh machine heads and Wilkinson Bridge (If the M-50) and nothing else, so I have both 70 and some 90 sounds!

well I'm not exactly a fan of Les Pauls , Teles are great but I would buy a MIM tele before I would buy a USA (I did have a black 72 tele custom, not a re-issue for years), G&L are exceptional guitars as are PRS but both imo are way overpriced. All my guitars except my Ibanez Prestige 1550 are active in one way or another, my cheaper LTD does have the reverse headstock...ironically the Ibanez is the only guitar I have ever owned for over a year without changing anything on it besides the strings. It's a great guitar and there is nothing I see that I can do to improve my few issues with it and I know my way around guitars at least well enough to handle most things.

My other ESP/LTD, the one I use the most the only thing I did was swap out the EMG 85 with an EMG 60 I bought from Hibidy, I added an EMG PA-2 pre-amp (which I never use, I might take it out and put in a blower switch) and I wired it so it's 9/18 volts.

Right now in front of me are three electric guitars (I'm in my livingroom right now, not my studio), 6 Duncan pups and one EMG. SO I am a fan of SD as well. Actually there are 8 duncan pups if you count the two woodys in the hammered dulcimer I built but that doesn't count because that was one of my more stupid moments. In fact they do nothing at all but cannot be removed and two piezo pups about the size of a quarter that I paid 8 bux each for work awesome

FWIW I do have a squier tele in pieces, it's a custom too and I do have all the parts. I bought it for the body when I first built my baritone using a Warmoth baritone conversion neck. However about a year and a half ago I changed the body to a Warmoth body once I settled on my electronic choices. I will put the tele back together one day

[Hink]

Hink, my ideal guitars are Les Paul, Telecaster, G&L, some PRS but my next war* guitar (*= for all jobs) will be a simple LTD M-50 or M-10 customized with the best electronic possible (passive), brass nut, reverse headstock (I'm 70 addicted!), a Bill Lawrence XL 500 on bridge and a Seymour Duncan Super 59 on neck (all passive), Gotoh machine heads and Wilkinson Bridge (If the M-50) and nothing else, so I have both 70 and some 90 sounds!

I think Hink has a 300-series LTD that he loves but IME the 400-series is the best value. If you got an M-400, you might not need to do any upgrades and the general build quality might be a lot higher.

dont forget mine is a neck through Eric, but then what would I know about the quality of a build right?

[Uncle E]

dont forget mine is a neck through Eric, but then what would I know about the quality of a build right?

I never said there's a problem with your guitar, I only said he might have better luck with a 400-series just as I have. It's really not something for you to get defensive about.

[hibidy]

I'm sorry I said anything. Should have just left it alone and then this thread would stay un-neckro'ed.

[Hink]

USA=three more letters to raise the price even more by rip-off companies playing on the superficiality of your average guitar player

Well, that and it literally does cost more to produce in the USA. When you buy Japanese, Korean, Mexican, or Italian, you don't know where the parts are actually coming from. Mexican Fenders all have cheap Asian parts, that's a big part of the reason why they're often so inferior to USA Fenders. A Mexican Fender with upgraded pickups, bridge, and tuners could very well be as good as or better than a USA Fender.

Of course, even "Made in USA" allows for some margin of imported parts but at least it's not like Korea or Italy where the products can be made 100% in China and only just pass through the distributing countries. I love SE model PRS's but they're Chinese guitars, not Korean, despite what's printed on the headstocks.

I dont care what it says on the neck but this is kicking a dead horse which I have no time for. I think I should stay out of these threads because I see more people who think that because they pay more for a guitar it's better and my opinion differs greatly. My guitrs are not status symbols, they are tools. My ESP is built in China and it's as good or better than the USA strats I use to sell. So while I respect your experience to be honest Eric my experience is far different than yours and equally as valid.

I dont mind mind cheap Asian parts because never has any of those so called cheap parts ever failed on me. I do mind paying more for less though. It sickens me what is considered American quality in many things and I do not feel bad for one second buying Chinese parts, sorry. Money doesn't come easy these days (with a daughter in her senior year of high school it's going to be a very expensive few years to come) and I wont spend more for bragging rights. If the USA wants to compete again they need to make changes and right now across the board (not just music gear) IMHO made in the USA means crap...sorry to be so blunt but what pride there was in those words last century is quickly dying. There are still some good companies but those three letters imho raise the price far more than they raise the quality today

[Hink]

I'm sorry I said anything. Should have just left it alone and then this thread would stay un-neckro'ed.

you know what...I'll just stay out of all guitar related threads from now one...bye

[Turello]

@Hink: The Les Paul guitars are certainly uncomfortable and heavy but the love for the sound and also for aesthetics ..!
Someone said that the Telecaster is just a piece of wood ... Fools! I love it just because she trail all the creativity of guitarist
The Japanese G & Ls are very strong, trust me!

PS: Hink, don't worry, after all It's a pleasure talk about our fanatism\passions..!

[trimph1]

I'm sorry I said anything. Should have just left it alone and then this thread would stay un-neckro'ed.

you know what...I'll just stay out of all guitar related threads from now one...bye

I wish you won't.

As far as anything goes here. That is just it. I have a weird collection of guitars and basses to play with.

Everything from the Sears catalog up to Gibby/ Ibby/Fender/Jackson....who knows what else.



So we have guitar snobbery now?

Good grief.

[Uncle E]

My ESP is built in China and it's as good or better than the USA strats I use to sell. So while I respect your experience to be honest Eric my experience is far different than yours and equally as valid.

Sure! Actually, my favorite strat bridge is Asian, I upgraded my American strat with it and it improved it a lot, IMO.

My point was merely that products made in Japan, Korea, Mexico, or Italy can actually have origins from anywhere, whereas "Made in USA" means that a product must at least be 50% made here.

[tapper mike]

It all boils down to...Personal Taste

I've had a few real LP's and loved the tone to no end. I've had more then a few LP copies in the low, moderate, and fairly high priced range... None compares to the real deal to me. Sure I own a copy LP right now and it will "get me through" what I need it to do but it's no LP. That's personal taste not snobbery.

My (made at Peerless in Korea) Raven West 450 (prs shaped semi hollow body) was relatively inexpensive at time of purchase. The tone, feel and quality surpass my luthier made one of a kind Michael Kelly Phoenix Vibe (Howard Roberts Fusion III copy) It's near on par with a 335 I used to own. I thought it had the tone / quality I was looking for. On occasion the vibe fits the bill but It would need some serious fretwork to be on par with any guitar I currently own.

Personal taste is more over what drives us to purchase the guitars we choose. I've had two ibby's but I was dissatisfied with them not from a workmanship level but from a ...Buyer remorse not really the sound that was me.

[hibidy]

I'm very VERY excited and very VERY nervous It's going to be my first 7. But I just couldn't resist that limba! Should be here Friday (unless MF screws up as they've been known to do )

[Uncle E]

Limba/Korina is my favorite body wood these days. The combination of brightness and thickness is probably perfect for a 7-string. I hope it's a killer!