Buy your electronics from Korea, your cars from Japan, and your guitars from America.

[color=red]*WARNING: DO NOT MIX UP.*[/color]

[quote="sheerheartattack"]One's musical style isn't as dependent on his guitar as one would think - especially with such versatile guitars as are Les Pauls and Stratocasters, both which could play just about anything with the right pickups.[/quote]

So lemme get this straight...

A guitarist's sound depends not only on his play style, but on his guitar, amp, and effects too? You mean the guitar's brand isn't the only important thing?

THIS THREAD HAS BEEN VERY INFORMATIVE.

Believe it or not, there are people that didn't know that yet, Grey.

Wait, what's wrong with korean guitars?


I really want that guitar

[quote="itaffy13"]Wait, what's wrong with korean guitars?


I really want that guitar [/quote]

There's nothing wrong with them.

If you're going to go by country of origin, obviously the United States is the best. China is also great, because of the unique mixture of low labor costs and high quality management. However, there's really no benefit to buying your guitars from Japan or Korea (although there's nothing wrong with it, either). They may be cheaper, but if the savings aren't coming from labor, then where are they coming from? Exactly.

hmm...

I've got to think this one over...

[quote="GoldenRhino"]

A guitarist's sound depends not only on his play style, but on his guitar, amp, and effects too? You mean the guitar's brand isn't the only important thing?
[/quote]


Pretty much. Granted Les pauls, SG's, Starts, Cyclone, jsut (Fender vs Gibson) they do have somewhat different sounds fromt he companies. They also use different woods at times for the necks and fret boards. So the guitar itself will have some different sounds, also which amp your cranking it through is pretty equally if not more important< this is a matter of player opinion, your style and ability come in, but really in the end its the pick ups on each guitar that produce the nice "pro" results. Its all in the pick ups, the fret board wood ( maple is brighter then rosewood [according to some people i talked to]) and if you read [i][u]Guitar for Dummies[/u][/i] (pretty useful if you wanna learn about the makes of guitars and what makes what better and stuff.) the wood that makes up the body helps retain the ringing and stuff. Though some will swear by a certain model its what fits you, but its more in the pickups on an electric

now the question would be, who has better stock pickups[/i]

[quote="itaffy13"]Wait, what's wrong with korean guitars?


I really want that guitar [/quote]

Real guitars are made in America.
Korean guitars can make a good first guitar but eventually you will want an American guitar.

AHHHHHH....

Got it! Ya I'm definitely not a beginner! It's just that I don't have enough money saved up to buy an american unless it's the Highway One which I really don't want.

BUT, there's always the choice to get a job! Then, it adds up and by May, I'll be able to buy an American Guitar!!!!!

Wait, which american strat should I purchase? (Link Below)

http://www.fender.com/products//search. ... ratocaster

By the way, Lite Ash Strat is made in Japan.

I think they just revamped the American Standard lineup. If I were you, that'd definitely be my starting point.

[quote="itaffy13"]AHHHHHH....

Got it! Ya I'm definitely not a beginner! It's just that I don't have enough money saved up to buy an american unless it's the Highway One which I really don't want.

BUT, there's always the choice to get a job! Then, it adds up and by May, I'll be able to buy an American Guitar!!!!!

Wait, which american strat should I purchase? (Link Below)

http://www.fender.com/products//search. ... ratocaster

By the way, Lite Ash Strat is made in Japan.[/quote]
Even if its American that does not mean it will sound like you want it to.
I suggest that if you are going to buy an American Strat go to a shop that sells them and play them ALL!
Pick the one you like the sound of best.

[size=200]I tried them all![/size]
Man, there are a lot of guitars .

[size=150]Anyway, in the end I just couldn't get my hands off of the 2008 revamped strat. It has such a solid sound.[/size]

As for the ash, I was so stupid to want it. It sounds terrible on high gain and that's just not the case with The Pillows.

[quote]China is also great, because of the unique mixture of low labor costs and high quality management.[/quote]

This sounds like Japan, actually. There are some nice Chinese guitars out there but it's really hit-or-miss, based on the experiences of myself and others. Typically Japanese guitars are the nicest Asian-made, followed by Korea, then China, then Indonesia or whathaveyou. Old Japanese guitars from the sixties aren't so great, but they've been at it for so long now that everything is really top notch. Same with Korean guitars, which seem to constantly be getting better. Maybe Chinese ones just aren't made with really good materials since they're supposed to be cheap to begin with, but I've played a lot with crappy frets and that sort of thing. Though I'm sure there are plenty of decent ones to be found.

Actually right now I think the best deals Fender has going are the Mexican-made Classic series, which are just about as nice as the Japanese Fenders but cheaper and easily available. On the other hand, the pickups aren't always as nice, but you can switch that around when you're ready.

Thinliine is, once again, confused.

The three (and only three) issues are build quality, materials quality, and labor costs.

Build quality is simply based on quality management. Japan does well, and China has matched that equally in the past ten years. Who knows about the rest of the Eastern Seaboard (and who cares)?

Materials quality is simply a "duh," and is based almost entirely upon what tier of guitar you buy from the manufacturer. A Fender Awesome will have nicer materials than a Fender Good or a Fender Mediocre, and so on.

Labor costs are based on the labor laws of the country. This is where a bulk of the savings come from in places like China and Mexico over places like Japan and Korea. Taking the same materials to make the same guitar, it will always be cheaper in the former countries to build.

http://www.wwbw.com/Gibson-Les-Paul-Fad ... -(Closeout)-i159493.music
the guitar manabe is currently using i think.
incredible price for a gibson, but I dont really suggest buying a guitar without trying it out. just wanted to share this sweet deal