Made in China quality

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rabies

rabies

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I just bought a made in China guitar (Ibanez AS153 semi-hollow body). It's a second but not sure what the issue is (probably cosmetic).

Seems to be of excellent quality, great playability, tones, feel, action, fretwork and looks fantastic. Everybody seems to think Asian manufacturers (e.g. Chinese) are inferior but I don't anymore. It would be nice if Mesa/Boogie and Fractal manufactured products in Asia as well (better value).
 
my rig is 2 chinese made stock jet city's (jca22h and jca20HV) and they are fantastic. Also have a tokai LP chinese made and a no name LP from china as well. The build quality of the tokai is awesome, th no name sounds great but some of the fret work is rough but nothing I have seen on the odd gibson
 
Guitars from JAPAN is where its at, they are and have been the best since the 70's.

The best Ibanez are made in Japan also.

Next is Korea and Indonesia, not sure which is better right now.

China produces mass quantity garbage, their amps & guitars a 20 years behind everybody else when it comes to quality & attention to detail.

China seems more intent on stealing ideas and fooling people to buy rather than spending time and research to come up with it themselves.
 
charveldan":1s2gqb8h said:
...China produces mass quantity garbage, their amps & guitars a 20 years behind everybody else when it comes to quality & attention to detail.
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So..... What about Chinese made tubes? Mass-produced garbage? ;)

I see this argument on here all the time. It's a stereotype and you can't simply lump everything into one basket. Does China produce some cheap shit? Sure. So does virtually every other country on the planet. It doesn't mean that there aren't quality items being produced as well. It's more about the company doing the production work and the efforts they put into ensuring quality. The company that I work for has manufacturing facilities in China and Korea, as well as several other "3rd world" locations. We are as diligent about ensuring the quality of those products as we are about the ones that come from the U.S. That's what good companies do.

Just trying to make the point that you can find examples of good and bad from all locations; not just Asia. It might be best to judge things on their merit and not make assumptions based on geographic locations.

Just my .02, YMMV, etc.
 
The labor/assembly is fine, it's the parts sourced and in the case of guitars the quality of the wood sourced as well. Their factories merely assemble from a material/parts list specified from whoever they are contracting with.

rabies":1mt4pl68 said:
It would be nice if Mesa/Boogie and as well (better value).
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There's the catch, "better value" usually means they would most likely make a compromise on the components in order to pass the value on to you.

I don't doubt at all they could build a quality guitar/amp if you provided them with the same source materials.

But companies don't usually manufacture in China to offer you a superior quality product, they do it to save costs and lower the price. Made in China is assumed to mean cheaper.

Let's say a company wanted to offer a guitar or amp of a certain quality made from the same source materials as their original factory of origin. Would the labor savings alone make the venture profitable? Maybe, but it seems like most companies don't ship all the same source materials to China, maybe some do? I don't know... :)

With Fractal I think they might be able to pull if off easier (imo).
 
Vox and Blackstar are made in China... Some of that stuff is awesome :)
 
There is something to be said about an old Japan Ibanez however, I have a Korean made guitar that plays just as nice and is great quality.

I do consider when and where things are made but it usually will not affect my decision.

I have seen better overseas products than USA or Japan. It works both ways.

If you are someone who will ONLY buy a Japan made guitar because of the stereotype I am sorry for you friend.
 
I think my head just exploded.

When will these people figure out how the world works.

China is our enemy. They have nothing but ill intentions towards the US. Their plan from the very beginning once entered into the world trade organization was to financially ruin the US. They are ruining our manufacturing basis here and are laughing all the way to the bank.

You want better prices? Call your representatives and tell them to ease up on small and big business. Let our free market flourish once again, that will bring prices down.
 
RJF":1g9o1pze said:
When will these people figure out how the world works.

China is our enemy. They have nothing but ill intentions towards the US. Their plan from the very beginning once entered into the world trade organization was to financially ruin the US.
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How the world works?

I think you need a reality check
China doesn't care about the US
They don't have a plan to ruin the US
China cares about itself, China wants to make money
Just like any other country, including the US
 
and yes my other electric is a MIJ Epi Elitist LP that kicks as as well. another great deal.
 
Just speaking from my experience but I've had bad luck with Chinese made gear. I've also had problems with two MIM Fender amps now, due to cheap parts. Come to think of it, I've had more problems with Mexican Fender amps and guitars than any other gear.

I don't think it would be good at all for a company like Mesa to manufacture in China or anywhere else. They price very fairly and have no problem selling most of their products. One of the few big companies to keep it all in the USA without huge prices and that's part of why people buy.

Some of the Chinese stuff has its place and I'm not bashing or generalizing it all but to some degree, you still get what you pay for.

*typed from my Chinese-assembled iPhone 5s. :lol: :LOL:
 
rabies":1pvzehuk said:
guys don't go crazy, please list specific chinese made amps and/or guitars that you feel are high quality. mine is a good example i think. sick guitar for $650 new.

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/AS153AYS/
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Squier Classic Vibe Serie is very nice for the price

As long as the electronics are replaceable, you're good
I would never get a Chinese made amp
Vietnam isn't too bad though
 
The country is not important as the company making it. If they are committed to Quality control, sourcing the correct parts, etc... than there can be good products anywhere.

If the company cheaps out and does whatever is necessary to make the highest amount of profit per unit, then the quality will suffer....
 
lot of quality gear is made in china. it all depends on QC, take a look at ie. Eventide or ISP stuff (designed in USA, made in china)
 
Quality control is more important than country of origin. If the company making the item is dedicated to producing a quality product, they will. You can buy really crappy things that were made in America. The reason MIC stuff has the stigma it does is because companies use cheap parts, cheap labor, and cheap QC, so they make crappy products.

A company like Mesa does not offer cheaper products because that would do a disservice to their brand. They're not competing on price, but rather the fact that their products are made by hand in America. Their stuff is fairly expensive, but they're not outlandish (at least in the US). If they were to ship production overseas they'd lose that mom and pop/boutique shop feel, and lower the image of their brand. If they really wanted, they could follow Toyota's way of doing things (Lexus/Scion) and have the amps sold under a different name.
 
Shask":24zdsk1m said:
The country is not important as the company making it. If they are committed to Quality control, sourcing the correct parts, etc... than there can be good products anywhere.

If the company cheaps out and does whatever is necessary to make the highest amount of profit per unit, then the quality will suffer....
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Bingo , we have a winner ! :yes:
 
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