Chinese Made Guitars Are Garbage

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On this episode I aim to dispel some myths about Chinese made guitars and some of the ethical concerns over buying Chinese made guitars.
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#guitar #cheapguitar #cheapguitars #inexpensiveguitar #inexpensiveguitars #electricguitar #amazonguitar #budgetguitar #guitarreview #guitarreviews #bestbudgetguitar

[@TwoBassed]

They once said that about Japanese ‘fender’ knockoffs, now you pay a premium for a Japanese made fender!

[@VidarLund-k5q]

Gretches as well, by Terada. Excellent guitars.

[@jltrem]

I'm old enough to remember when Made In Japan meant cheap junk. In '82, when the MIJ Squiers came out my first though was "These must be inferior." Yeah, right.

[@Atlantean-1980]

Eastman make some of the finest guitars in the world, made in china.

[@JayceAllanGuitar]

I have an Eastman acoustic. One of the guitars I've owned the longest. I'd really like one of their Les Paul style guitars.

[@Atlantean-1980]

@@JayceAllanGuitar i have the juliet, but im eyeing up a sb57 currently, or a sb59 in the red antique finish....cant go wrong with them....and the latest models called the di ambrossio ranges are the most expensive because they are made in usa...id like to think one day, those of us who bought the chinese eastmans when the prices were still good, will be still happy , and they may even be sought after one day and increase in value...not that is why any of us buy eastmans...but ya never know mate :)

[@IanWindsor-j6p]

​@Atlantean-1980 I own the varnished Juliet then bought an sb59.very high quality instruments.sb is stunning you won't be disappointed.

[@DMSProduktions]

Eastman is a PROPER instrument maker, employing real tradesmen!

[@jimmyhaley727]

yamaha too,, love mine and the price

[@jetteroheller]

I have two Indonesian-made and three Chinese -made guitars. With my skill level I should probably have zero anywhere-made guitars. I have maybe $1k invested in my hobby vs probably close to $10k if I had the real deal. That’s how the economics work for me.

[@garycrant4511]

As a British guitarist, the choice is simple. Too many of us cannot afford overpriced imported USA made guitars. Also the quality control of USA Gibsons, in particular, is not as good as Korean and Japanese guitars at half or much less the price. Several of my guitars are Chinese, including Epiphone, Squier, and Fender. They are almost all near flawless. Same applies to my Indonesian guitars.The only significant area of concern regarding entry to mid level Chinese guitars is the fretwork generally tends to be less than ideal. So action set up is often slightly higher than desirable. My two American Gibsons are amongst my most expensive instruments, but not good enough to justify the premium price point. We can be nostalgic about British and European made guitars from half a century and more ago. But our guitar industry for the most part went extinct as far back as the 1980s.

[@AvroBellow]

Perhaps you should consider Godin. An English chap on KZbin named Simon Smith compared a Godin LGXT to a Gibson Les Paul (you might want to watch it). The LGXT is a three voice guitar that has three outputs. One is standard electric, one is for an acoustic amp and one is for a Roland synthesizer. Godin has the best quality control in the world and each guitar comes with a card that has no less than five signatures of QC inspectors who have all signed off on the guitar promising perfection. They're not cheap but their level of quality meets or exceeds that of Fender and/or Gibson while their QC easily exceeds both. Defective Godin guitars are extremely rare, like less than 1 in 1000. Godin also makes a Strat-style called the Session and a Tele-style called the Stadium. Godin guitars are fully made in Canada and Godin also makes their own parts. The only thing that they sometines import are Seymour Duncan or TV Jones pickups (although Godin also makes a lot of their own pickups as well). Thus, they are TRULY Western-made guitars.

[@badassYJ69]

A lot of us here in the USA can't afford the USA made guitars either✌️these days a lot of the Japanese manufactured are much better, even some of the Korean made guitars.

[@Tich141]

I totally agree only I seem to have got lucky I guess. I have a number of guitars including two usa strats. They stay in there cases as my two favourite/best guitars are a made in china kramer striker and a £65 kit strat that I have modded and have played for the last 10 years. It amazes me that the £65 kit has better fit/finish than my usa strats. This includes the fret work. It has the lowest action of all my guitars. Plays and sounds great. Work that one out🤷🏻‍♂️

[@richgreene5038]

The reason why Chinese companies use inferior quality materials because the company that has placed the order gave those directions to make a particular price point to reach a specific profit margin.

[@AvroBellow]

+1 to this. The Chinese are VERY capable of making top-notch products but that's not what the Western brands want.

[@kelmanl4]

Exactly, these factories make what you ask them to make. There's plenty of trash made in the EU and US that costs more for the same bad quality if that's your aim.

[@christianhertwig1593]

@@kelmanl4yes 👍🤗

[@DMSProduktions]

Of course. My former boss did much the same when launching his own house brand guitars in his shop!

[@Markleford]

Exactly this! Additionally, the amount of QC attention is dictated by the accountants. The thing with cutting corners in both materials and labor for a cheap guitar is they know that they're marketed at beginners, who won't know the difference. Sadly, though, those beginners won't know if their lack of progress is because of their lack of learning ability or whether it's a poorly setup instrument holding them back.

[@jjcollins]

Here is my input and experience with this, not that many people will care most likely. I started playing guitar in 1989/90. In 1996 I started working in guitar retail and became a certified guitar technician, while also being a professional musician for 10+ years. I worked in guitar and music retail for over 15 years as my day job. I still continue on as a guitar technician. This whole situation is nothing new. In the 1960's and early 70's guitars made in Japan were considered garbage. By the mid to late 1980's they were considered some of the best in the world as Japanese craftsmanship and work ethic is some of the best on the planet. In the late 80's and early 1990's we saw the beginning of the made in korea guitars. Many people said the same thing, total garbage etc, and in truth, many of them in the beginning were absolute garbage. I remember getting guitars in my store from korea, that were low end instruments, and they were not even playable. But, move on now, and in the last 20 years or so, world music, cort and samick are just as on par with japan. In the early 2000's Indonesia started to get going, and now they are on par, or close with Korea. China will soon follow. The fact of the matter is that China will build you what you want, so will the other asian builders. You want a cheap guitar that is borderline junk and they will build it, if you want a high end $1000.+ guitar that is on par with American made, and they will build that too. Look at the quality of Epiphone in the past 5 years or so...some of the best quality that I have seen in a long time, and all of the Epiphones and Kramers are made in China now, or Indonesia. I own many of them and they are fantastic guitars. The other thing I will say in closing, is that many of you may remember that when we were kids, there was a "culture" with older people about "only buy American". I remember so many people saying, "I dont want to buy made in japan or taiwan or korea, etc". This was across the board with everything, electronics, clothing, etc. Some people will never get past not buying American, or "American guitars are the best"...but if China reaches the guality that Japan did (and they are getting close), there will be no excuse or complaint with owning a chinese made guitar. And I'm not talking about chibsons, that's a whole different story, I'm talking about ethical, well made instruments From Fender, Epiphone, Kramer etc. Great video and discussion Jayce! Happy new year to you and yours!

[@JayceAllanGuitar]

Thank you for the comments. Happy New Year.

[@mortonwilson795]

You pretty much took the words out of my mouth! That might not stop me adding my 2 cents but well said.

[@banced1]

Eventually we can send our children back to work to contribute. Open borders kept my wages stagnant and now they're complaining about legal immigration driving down their "educated" wages. Like I said in my comment. One day we will ask. How many Americans does it take to change a light bulb.

[@AmadorCowboy]

For many Chinese makers, they are already there. I recently bought a Chinese D45. It didn't show in the pics on Ali Express (probably for obvious reasons) but when it arrived I removed some packing tape from the headstock to reveal a big American brand name that starts with "M." And if you look at it, it is pretty much an exact copy but I would not try to pass it off as such. I have several "M" guitars and while they are still superior, the Chinese copy is impressive with the quality of wood used, the quality of construction, and the tone. I didn't really want to buy a Chinese copy and I would never tell anybody that it is from the American company. My point is that the quality of this instrument is impressive all for less than $300 and I am now considering buying a custom made model with my own name inlaid on it.

[@kurtb2274]

@@jjcollins hey jj, you mentioned chibsons. If they didn't put Gibson's logo on it, what would you think? I definitely don't want a fake with the real name attached, but I see nothing wrong with a Gibson style copy. They are getting good at it too.

[@TCarrNY]

Honestly, everything we own is made in China. I don't think anyone has a home that has NOTHING made in China. So the fact that my Squier Stratocaster is made in China doesn't bother me. My Arturia MiniLab 3 Keyboard Controller is also made in China. I think some of the problem may be some not so honest Chinese sellers selling knockoff guitars that may have given people pause buying a Chinese guitar, particularly if the guitar doesn't have a serial number that can be registered on the guitar manufacturer's web site. That probably led to some of people avoiding Chinese made guitars altogether.

[@WingHouseCup]

These days the argument that guitars made overseas are bad just doesnt track. They are producing good instruments at the right price. I have some Firefly's and honestly what you get for the money is unreal. That opens the door to many aspiring musicians who may not have $1500 or more to purchase an instrument. In my opinion that's a good thing for everyone.

[@chevy4x466]

Boomers r just trying to gate keep music. The boomers shipped our generations jobs overseas. Then shame people for trying to buy what they can afford with the pittance left over from their paychecks after paying their inflated bills and debts. Furthermore, American companies have screwed the little guy even after they played by the rules and stretched to get their dream guitar, only to realize that the modern Gibson and fender r worthless. Yet for some reason, the boomer Gibson and fender r fetching anywhere from 10k to a million dollars for that era. It never ends with these boomers

[@johnconti1329]

People sleep on Firefly. I bought one of their "single cut" guitars as a modding platform, as they do skimp on electronics and hardware to keep costs down, but the guitar itself is awesome. It's currently my favorite.

[@WingHouseCup]

@johnconti1329 same here. I modded the heck out of the ones I got. Not that it's completely necessary, but spend a few bucks and you have a worthy axe. Plus if you're like me the project aspect of it is part of the fun. Lol

[@johnconti1329]

@@WingHouseCup And you'll still end up spending less than if you bought a guitar thats spec'd out the same out of the box. Also, ball end frets 🤤

[@MegaRomans01]

Imo there is no ethical consumption under global capitalism. No one is going to stop buying the stuff so why cry about that issue? As far as materials, you can play a guitar made from 100 pieces of plywood glued together than cnced down To a guitar shape with a finish. Give that guitar a Proper set of electronics, hardware with setup (all easy to do or install by anyone), and it will sound as awesome as anything else. The only reason to buy the expensive stuff is 1. You want to for reason you made up, 2. You want to impress people with what you bought. At least as far as i see it.

[@ubertalldude]

If there's no ethical consumption, then I guess there's no nuance to be discussed on the matter based on your regurgitated communist talking point. A child slave laborer building something is unethical, and according to you a well-payed union worker with health benefits and a pension is unethical too, so "why bother crying" about the child slave laborer. The reason to discuss it is because slavery and child labor is bad. Don't let communist talking points that make sweeping generalizations cloud your judgement or cover up the nuance of a well thought out discussion, such as the one this video provides.

[@caseylee12]

Every guitar I've bought in the last 5 years is 2nd hand. I don't have to worry about this issue ( as a matter of fact, my best guitars came from South Korea). I get more bang for my buck. But I always PLAY IT FIRST!

[@MegaRomans01]

@caseylee12 hell ya dude! my fav guitar right now is from Vietnam! I have owned it over a year it is still so awesome to play! Prob see more use on that guitar than my mij fender strat because the humbuckers.

[@LeftEarth2]

​@@MegaRomans01is it an IYV Les Paul? and is it also emerald green? Excellent build quality for the price. I own one of these, and I absolutely love it. I took off the metal covers on the PAF style pickups and it screams like a banshee in heat.

[@derekfarrar2912]

I’ve heard People say… If it’s made of wood and has strings, I’ll play it.

[@markjones759]

I only started playing guitar 3 years ago,and my first guitar was a Harley Benton.I live in the UK,so the guitar arrives within a few days.My teacher takes a look,and is very positive about it. Within the next few years,I purchase another few guitars,again from Thomann/harley Benton,and everything is great with them,but I’ve always wanted a fender Strat.2 weeks ago,I got a fender strat from a local music store,which had to be ordered in as I’m a lefty. When it arrived in the store,the owner rand me,so I went there the following day,to be told that it had issues,in that there was serious fret buzz with 3-4 of the frets,and that he would need to return it to fender.Aday or so later,he said he had decided to take it to a local luthier to get it sorted out.A few days later later I had it in my hands,and I was happy. So,how come a cheap Chinese guitar can be practically perfect,and an expensive American made guitar be allowed to leave the factory with what seems to have had no QC whatsoever? Also,luckily for me,there was no extra expense for the work the luthier did,but I don’t expect an American made expensive instrument to require work,other than maybe a set up to your own preference,the mind boggles,

[@garethcollocott6310]

Great, this is good for you. But before you go and spend money, try second hand USA strats, Gibsons or Japanese strats ` you wont look back. Awesome to have you playing guitar!!!

[@Stitch-id2ge]

It’s who they hire in America. Everyone wants to stand around on their cell phones and do nothing these days. Diversity at its finest. Let that sink in!!!!

[@DimitriLeeBX]

At 600 to 700 you can buy a Godin guitar that is manufactured and assembled in North America. Specifically Canada and New Hampshire in the USA.

[@che2335]

350 used too

[@mitchpalmer5116]

I have a few Chinese guitars that are definitely not garbage. Have you played a new Gibson lately? A lot of them are garbage.

[@paul-u3q]

American propaganda produced by big corporations that have bought a brand name bissiness with no ties to the original manufacturer. The rest of the world seems satisfied with affordable quality instruments. New guitars need to be played in. People should learn how to put strings on properly, and set up everything else themselves properly and most of what they deem defects will be eliminated.

[@JayceAllanGuitar]

That brings up a good point. Technically modern Fenders and Gibsons are copies. I'd say the Heritage Guitar Company occupying the old Gibson factory in Kalamazoo Michigan are making Les Pauls that are more true Les Pauls than Gibson. Some consider any Fender made after CBS acquired them not a true Fender. Maybe G&L are more "true" Fenders. At what point does the soul of a company die, after say the 3rd owner? Interesting.

[@timesurfingalien]

Chinese made guitars must be ok. The big boys have them make a lot of stuff for them

[@Doobs77]

Very true and a valid point

[@vinhrua1]

If they can make all iPhone components I don't see how they can't make an electric guitar.

[@johnmacleod5723]

I work on guitars regularly, I bought a Chinese Epiphone with the intention to take a poorly made guitar and bring it to USA standards. I bought a 58 Flying V new and the fit and finish were poorly done. The person sanding the neck deformed the neck so badly that I needed to re profile the neck. The wiring was sub standard and needed to be completely replaced and the original finish felt like cheap plastic which is due to using the cheapest polyurethane they can find. I am totally baffled that people speak highly of Chinese manufacturing when the Chinese manufacturing industry has an ideology that says - we want to make money , let’s make an item using the cheapest available products so we can maximize profit. The Japanese philosophy is let us show you a our excellence through the quality of the products. The USA guitars I have worked on may not be perfect , lots of finish issues such as the binding not scraped evenly but the guitar felt, played and worked without issue. I have worked on many Korean guitars and found their quality to be excellent especially from World Music Industries but the Indonesian guitars have quality issues much like the Chinese. The Chinese are interested in maximizing profit, manufacturing an item is a means to an end for them and not the driving force behind their efforts. I say don’t give enemy nations your hard earned money.

[@gorgon9786]

.. Try one of their chainsaws!.. :-)

[@Mr.PhatsVarietyVibesShow]

you know what this is about? it all comes down to guitars & music ; Music isn't as valued as say a Car... Chinese factories can pump out good car parts & well made cars ,& other big ticket items , but guitars ? who cares about a guitar , the market for guitars is much smaller than for stoves ,so more effect is put into a stoves due to the regulations & safety issues & the same for cars,, but guitars who cares if the neck isn't the best . or the screws are made of cheap pot metal . Building guitars there are very little quality controls, & the factories know the buyers of guitars will accept the flaws case in point there a whole industry of after market guitar parts ,& also we should blame the mod community they are part of the problem. How many times have we read comments from dudes that will say they love cheapo guitars .because they are a good mod platform . How stupid... ONE major factor why Chinese auto makers aren't allowed in the US market is because Chinese owned companies don't comply with US standards for safety & DOT guidelines but Chinese owned guitar brands , no problem, sure come on it.. we have a guitar for every idiot willing to accept the flaws & mod it with after market parts made in china,,

[@СерафимТоманов]

Said a man who wrote this text in iPhone or Android that was made in China, wears American or European brand cloth that was probably made in China and uses many useful tool including guitar tech that was made in China. Guess in these scenarios you can forget “enemy nation”. This enemy never did anything to you.

[@gorgon9786]

@@СерафимТоманов so, you can put politics into this debate!??..

[@СерафимТоманов]

@ I didn't put it. I just said that everything is made in China even in the US. I said it to the guy who put politics in the discussion saying that he doesn't want to help the "enemy" and recommend the same thing to the other customers with clear message about China. Not my fault he said that.

[@rodnyg7952]

"Chinese made guitars are garbage" is just a grand generalization that doesn't really say anything, mostly click bait. Many different well-known manufacturers, mid-level producers and independent makers source their manufacturing in China primarily to save on costs that can be passed down to the consumer. The idea is to sell as many units as possible within a certain competitive price range. China has been making guitars for world markets since the 1940's, and most massed produced budget guitars since the early 70's. Knockoffs came about around mid 80"s after Japanese knockoff productions began getting sued in the 70's

[@JayceAllanGuitar]

@@rodnyg7952 that’s what I said. Hmmmm.

[@rodnyg7952]

@@JayceAllanGuitar good, then we agree. I often avoid watching videos that have obvious click bait titles....hmmmmm

[@JayceAllanGuitar]

But you will comment on them? Hmmmm 😂

[@rodnyg7952]

@@JayceAllanGuitar for sure, been doing that for years. Sensationalized or misleading headlines deserve it ...hmmmm

[@JayceAllanGuitar]

Well you proved that click bait works because it grabbed your attention whether you watched or not. It would be great if KZbin didn’t work that way. But I’m pretty sure if this video was titled “I explore the reasons people think Chinese guitars are junk and why they aren’t” this video would have 300 views instead of almost 10k. Trust me. I’ve experimented with titles. The more sensational the better. I don’t make the rules. 🤘🏻🎸

[@kevincrozier8625]

Here's a couple of points. Number one: Practically everything we buy here in the US is from another country. Not everything. But man, look at your phones, your tv's, your appliances. Most are from China. Most of the components that go into vehicles are from another country. Most clothes come from China. And two: Companies like Gibson and Fender, PRS, Musicman, and others have their prices so high that as far as I am concerned, they are geared for touring or session musicians. A weekend warrior with a wife and kids cannot afford $3,000 on a guitar or amp. Hell, even $500 or $1,000 is too much. And it's not just guitars. You have rent or house payments that have skyrocketed. Food has gone up. And then you have your cell phone bills, health, life and car insurance. Gas, electric. Car payments. Yes we could get a loan for the guitar, but for the weekend warrior, that's just not feasible. As for myself, I purchase guitars and amps like I do my vehicles. I do not look at the name. If I like it then I buy it. I have never been one to say I gotta have that because it's a Gibson or a Fender. I have owned a lot of no name guitars and with a bit of set up, they are just fine.

[@JayceAllanGuitar]

Well said. My first electric guitar was given to me by my brother, and he got it in trade for doing work on someone's car.

[@petedetraglia4776]

Anyone complaining about Chinese guitars should throw away their cell phones immediately...It's hypocrisy plain and simple...Fesley is killing it now. I just bought the Fesley FST1000 Ghost Series (Their newest super strat style guitar) and after I set it up to my playing style it's a BEAST!!! It hand n hand with my Schecter C-1 Platinum with EMG 81 and 85 actives in it!

[@johncfoster7949]

@@petedetraglia4776 Is your child working in a factory or going to school?

[@t.c.494]

Many big companies have their low end guitars made in China. Geography has nothing to do with quality. If you are buying a guitar for two hundred dollars, expect junk. Do the math. You can't get something for nothing, unless you gamble, in which case the odds are steeply against you.

[@mmoly-cj4bd]

Nice job on history of Chinese manufacturing in a short time span. I'm 67. Back in early 2022 I bought a Yamaha FG800 for $220. and then later that year a Yamaha Pacifica 112V for $310. They both look great and stay in tune and their build quality is great for what they are. They are easy to play and look and sound good too. I have always been price conscious in making purchases and really have gotten a lot of value in these two guitars. Although I don't practice every day, I've stayed with to the point I'm at an intermediate level. So, to me, it's about learning and progressing and enjoying the instrument. As I get better, I can't help but wonder how many people buy an expensive guitar only to quit months later and into the case and closet it goes. I'll bet it's a high percentage.

[@JayceAllanGuitar]

@@mmoly-cj4bd thank you I appreciate that

[@muzikmonkeyman1]

I have a Eastman SB59. A handmade guitar built with quality materials built buy a precise luthier.

[@gavriloprincip11]

are you sure its not a "Ameastman" ?(an Amerian knok off of the quality Chinese made Eastman counterfited in an unscrupulous sketchy U.S. sweatshop and sold on Chinese ebay with terrible customer service in broken Manderian by obvious english speakers ?)

[@crazy8sdrums]

I appreciate the fair and balanced view offered here. I am tempted to reply, but it would become a book. Make America Great Again. The Les Paul guitar was invented/created in America. The Stratocaster and Telecaster...America. Jazz...America. Blues...America. Rock n Roll...America. Heavy metal...America. (UK was involved a fair bit too...) The airwaves are now dominated by prefabricated, regurgitated music. Very little creativity. Very little originality. Not very inspirational or exciting. Same for movies....all regurgitated junk. Formulaic junk. What do we hope to achieve with our art?

[@JayceAllanGuitar]

That's a complicated question. First, it's a competitive world. If America wants to be the center of guitar building again, they will need to be competitive on price. Even if Fender or Gibson could make a cheaper guitar in the US, say under $1000 they'd probably steal a lot of market share away from the other companies with cheaper guitars. We'll see how this whole tariff thing plays out. Second, as far as art. I say, do it because you love it, not thinking you'll become rich and famous. I recorded my first album for myself. I mean, I like it when other people hear it, but I did it for me. There is great music out there, but you have to seek it out. Stuff on the radio, TV and movies is all "pop" culture. It's all designed to make the studios money. That's the upside to the internet, we can find all sorts of independent art and music (even movies) out there if we look.

[@BazonBlades]

I buy what I want and don't care what anyone thinks. The biggest problem is that people can't mind their own business. I don't care what you think about what I buy. Why should I?

[@rocknrollresignation93]

This is the way!

[@sgtmac62]

I agree! MIJ. MIK. Yes. MII. Maybe. China is a huge human rights violation. Democratic Beijing, though imperiled, is Euro in thought. It really weird. MIC exception, Eastman.

[@JayceAllanGuitar]

Eastmans are great guitars.

[@tonmaas1641]

It's all about pleasure in playing.(And costs) I played a USA made American standard Fender Jazz bass for quite a long time and since 8 years I play a Chinees made Squier 60's CV Jazz bass. Serial number starts with CGS. The only thing I have changed on it are the pick ups into Apollo Amsterdam handmade pickups and the pops into CTS, replaced the pickgard and headstock with my selfmade. I never thought I would say this but: In quality, playability and sound it beats the USA Fender. By far. In price : Fender 1800 Euro's and the Squier less then 300 Euro's. Question is : are you a collector who thinks to make money out of an investment or are you a player who loves to make music? One thing is for sure: the audience don't notice or care.....They just want to have fun, listen to good life music, have a beer and and a good time. that is all what matters, where ever your instrument comes from.

[@XiangJi]

So much common sense in this video. I'm not supporting child labor or anything but just to give it a bit more context - my parents used to work even at a young age in China on the farm. This is the practice with a lot of rural Chinese even till this day. Generally speaking though, i think people should buy local. US made guitars may be expensive but how many guitars does a person need anyway?!

[@JayceAllanGuitar]

I mean, that's how it was here in the US for a long part of our history. Everyone in a household worked to help the household get by. I think in all honesty, there should be a return to small shops building guitars, but everyone is so hung up on brand names.

[@gorgon9786]

@@JayceAllanGuitar great answer, and a correct answer Mr. Allan!.. My experience,.. People all the way from 50s-60s..the young adults who were into music,.. They knew, (cause someone always knew,) it was the 2 American brands type instruments they was look'n for.. The last decades, this has been dropped a bit of, because of the quality of the far east instruments took a even bigger quality step up!..

[@luckyhaskins69]

As a Gibson Guy, I recently purchased an IBG hummingbird made in china and It is a wonderful guitar. very well made. It is not meant to be a gibson, but at the price point, it is a very cool guitar I like it enough that I am going to put some real electronics in it so I can use it live. The stock pickup rig wont cut it.

[@JayceAllanGuitar]

@@luckyhaskins69 I’ll have to check out that brand. Interesting.

[@luckyhaskins69]

@@JayceAllanGuitar It's an Epiphone IBG " Inspired by Gibson" . hand crafted in china.

[@JayceAllanGuitar]

Ah, got it, yes.

[@luckyhaskins69]

@@JayceAllanGuitar very nicely built. beautiful and plays like a dream. sounds good also. perfect action, perfect intonation...very cool guitar. super lite also, which i dig.

[@rickycompton2610]

I say buy what you can afford, But there’s always the Gibson and Fender USA made guitar haters saying Epiphones are better Than Gibsons and The Squire are better than the Fender stuff, And it seems to be coming from people who never owned The made in USA versions. There is a difference just my Opinion, Most Squires have fret sprout and crappy hardware and pickups same with Epiphone until recently Epiphones now cost as much as the USA Gibsons did when I was growing up I’m 61 now, It’s unreal the cost of guitars.I own a lot of USA made Gibsons including a R8 Les Paul VoS and others and Fender Custom shop teles and Strats.

[@misterknightowlandco]

For those of you who don’t know, 85% of the guitars in existence were made by Cort, Samick or WMI factories. That number may be a little lower over the last 5 or so years with the boom of budget Amazon guitars, but just remember, if you’re guitar doesn’t say made in USA or a Godin made in Canada, Cort, Samick or WMI made it.

[@LeftEarth2]

_Is it ethical to pay Gibson prices and get Glarry quality?_ Wiseman say: Forgiveness is devine. But never pay full price for bad guitars. 😂🎸

[@MegaRomans01]

bossanova?

[@mikesyria1787]

I saw a Gibson Les Paul behind glass at a guitar store You could not touch it It was like $5,000 The bridge was off center I laughed I didn't feel so bad about buying a Chinese guitar

[@JayceAllanGuitar]

@@mikesyria1787 whoa. Not good. 😂🎸

[@benjaminhawthorne1969]

I do NOT know the country of manufacture, but one year, bless her heart, my mother bought me an ESTEBAN acoustic guitar for Christmas! 💩😂 It was quite a horrific experience. I just assumed that it came from, as President Trump says, "CHINA!" It was as if the big chunk of plastic that passed for the nut had no string slots cut into it, so the action was about 1/2 " off of the frets! Even after I tightened the truss rod, the neck still showed MAJOR back bow. I literally had to wrap the neck in steaming towels to get it pliable. Then I grabbed the guitar and bent the neck over my knee! 🥴 After all of this work, of course the thickly painted plywood top did NOT sound very nice!

[@JayceAllanGuitar]

Sounds like my very first acoustic guitar.

[@LXS-ud6yf]

As it turns out, I just I ordered a Halo Octavia wide neck guitar. The components are made in China but shipped to America where it's assembled. The price is reasonable, it's not inexpensive. The reason I bought it is it's the only production electric guitar I can find with a classical style guitar neck. The width at the nut is 48.5 mm and the width at the bridge is 61 mm. The fretboard radius is 20 in. While I've seen a few electric guitars with this width at the nut, I haven't seen that width matched with an extra wide bridge which is a bit surprising. So in my case my decision was driven by being able to get the specs I want without paying for a custom-made guitar.

[@JayceAllanGuitar]

That's awesome. My brother is 6'8" tall. He made a guitar and found a place that sells wide necks. He found one that's 2" wide. I can't play it but it's perfect for him.

[@davidcaro8217]

Personally, I would buy a guitar made in China but will never-ever buy a Gibson or Fender knock-off.

[@oscardelta1257]

I'm not opposed to stuff made elsewhere. I just looked at guitars made in America after watching your video and there is no way I could justify paying that much. I'm my mid 60's and retired. I decided I would like to learn how to play guitar. I just bought a Donner DST100 guitar package on sale for $80. It comes with everything to get started. If I decide I don't want to play then I'm out less than a franklin and will donate the guitar to a kid who might use it. I just ordered it yesterday so I still waiting for it. Anyway, it might be fun just to modify it using better parts and it would still be a lot less than getting one made in America. Even if I decided I didn't want to learn to play it might be fun just to modify it.

[@JayceAllanGuitar]

@@oscardelta1257 definitely. Enjoy that. Donner makes good stuff. I’ve owned a few of their guitars.

[@bluzmansix]

If you live outside of the US (like me), and arent trying to support a US guitar industry (and I understand why you would if you live in the US) , and are simply buying guitars based on price/quality - then there is no competition. China/Indonesia/Japan win every time. I play and look at my mid priced Ibanez guitars and I'm dammed if I can hear/see any quality issues! Let's get real people. 😮

[@jeremythornton433]

If American made guitars were the same price, I'd buy them. Here up in Canada, I have3 Canadian made guitars and they didn't cost a bundle and they play, sound and look great. I have a few Chinese made ones and get the same results. Play, sound and look great. My Mexican Strat too. No bad issues with any of them.

[@andykerass3695]

Tell me twenty years ago you bought a chinese made guitar 😬 okaaaay.... tell me today you bought a chinese made guitar, 'can i see it?' Edit: i guess 20 years ago id still want to see it 😅

[@VidarLund-k5q]

I own excellent Chinese made real Gretch and Yamaha guitars. By the way, the most copied guitars within popular music must be the Martin Dreadnought that originated in 1916 as the Ditson built for the Ditson Music Company. It became Martin D-xx in 1931.

[@glenndavis479]

There use to be an add on TV years ago with an Asian guy in it talking about cat food it went like this..."Plenty cat food , all the same , different label" , sound familiar??? Fender acquired the Squire name...Gibson did the same with Epiphone and they both sold under those names products that were made cheaper through China and both of those big names did it to consolidate the market...Fender for the rich , Squire for the poor same for Gibson. The real kicker is that other companies from other countries are utilizing the Chinese/Asian manufacturing industry demanding better quality control measures & using quality hardware that are better and cheaper than both Epiphone & Squire. In Australia you can't buy a budget Squire Tele under $500 but I bought an Artist brand (Australian) made in China that craps all over Squire in quality/price and warranty-wise for $330 AU. I wont be buying another Squire or Epiphone ever solely on the principle that they are overpriced and part of the Fender/Gibson market consolidation model , it's a case of they have overpriced their secondary brands and it will ultimately be their downfall...who would have guessed.

[@christopherhuff3123]

Mine is great. It's a copy of a signature model that had a limited run of about 90. Even if i could find a "real" one, i don't have 18 grand to pay for it. l then bought my mom a Gibson Dave Grohl copy and she was absolutely thrilled. Not one complaint. The legit companies catering to rich people with over priced gear have paved the way for Chinese copies. They make good instruments in my opinion.

[@Rezratnative]

I own Chinese guitars because that's all I can afford 😢

[@Mr.PhatsVarietyVibesShow]

There isn't a faction explicitly aiming to completely eliminate child labor laws in America, but there are efforts to loosen child labor restrictions in several states. For example, states like Iowa and Arkansas have recently passed laws to relax these restrictions, allowing minors to work in jobs that were previously prohibited and reducing requirements for work permits. These changes are often driven by arguments that there is a need for more workers and that working can provide valuable experience for young people. However, opponents argue that loosening these laws can disrupt childhood development, interfere with education, and pose health risks to minors. It's definitely a contentious issue with strong arguments on both sides. What are your thoughts on this? this is what I found,

[@victorstillwell9893]

Living in the part of the country you're referring to I have witnessed the strong desire to set the societal clock back roughly 150 years or so on progress. I blame lead poisoning for it.

[@Mr.PhatsVarietyVibesShow]

@@victorstillwell9893 it's very sad but true..

[@oceanfloormusic]

In my experience, if you swap out the pickups, there's not a huge difference between the Chinese guitars and more expensive models.

[@markdeloria20]

In MY experience, Chinese guitars do tend to need a little more set-up work to be playable right from the start, but overall are quality instruments. If you spend $300 each on guitars built in Korea, Indonesia, and China, you'll likely have to do some kind of adjustments on any of them. But the Chinese made guitars may need a more severe truss rod adjustment, or have fret sprout, I've had a couple with wiring issues from the factory... Overall for ME, not a big deal... I like to tinker. And again... This is just MY PERSONAL experience. It hasn't happened with every Chinese guitar I've owned, but it TENDS to happen more often than with guitars from other countries. Much also depends on the price. I have no qualms getting a guitar made in China, I have several.

[@TheSolfilm]

That must be true, we all know that CNC machines are better in America. I mean, yeah, they are mostly chinese made but it doesn't matter, as soon as it get through the US border, it becomes better.

[@Str1ng5]

People want to pay 1,500 for an american guitar and compare it to a chinese guitar they paid less than 200 for........ pay 1,500 to a chinese guitar company and watch how much better it is than the american one

[@JayceAllanGuitar]

One name...Eastman!

[@AmadorCowboy]

I recently purchased a Chinese made D45. I have to admit I am rather impressed with the quality. No glue slopped inside, scalloped bracing, real abalone inlay, beautifully finished, rosewood body and a spruce top. But more importantly, the sound is very good; decent bass and great sustain. I can't say the same about a Spanish made classical guitar I bought. While it doesn't sound too bad, one need only look inside to see that it was slapped together. I have several high end Martins that I compare to the Chinese D45. Its not quite up to Martin's tones, nonetheless, it sounds great. It could stand a bit of refinement. I am going to take it to my luthier to have the frets dressed a bit and the nut replaced to spread the strings out just a bit. The nut and neck are exactly the same width as my M D28 so this should not be a problem. For $279, its really a fantastic instrument.

[@cmbr.]

Ex-epiphone factory workers have the skills

[@AndrewTait-f2w]

I bought a Kapok ET from China, it's like a super Tele, mahogany body and neck, purple heart fretboard, strat type headstock, the body has an arm chamfer and a belly cut, it has 2 humbuckers with coil split via the push-pull tone knob, the value and tone knobs have been repositioned to more like a strat, it has a 2 point strat trem with background for claw and springs, the top is a nice tobacco sunburst, the back and sides are red. The neck is modern C slim taper, small volume, very comfortable, it plays great and sounds fine, the pickups are overwound and a little dark, it weighs 7 lbs. Buy a guitar from China? I have nothing but praise for my Kapok ET, and it only cost $330. American, fantastic value for money and the most comfortable telecaster I have ever played. Good video, keep it up please.

[@JayceAllanGuitar]

Never heard of that brand, I'll have to check it out.

[@hannosolo]

I have US and China made guitars. The PRS hollowbody iI from China has immaculate quality and flawless playability. My China made squire 50 cv is played far more often than the US tele pro ii and it did not require luthier neck work that pro ii did. Edit: Squier.

[@WickedFesterBand]

I always say, it’s not the country of origin that matters but the factory. It’s just certain factories are in certain countries. Epiphone inspired by Gibson are made in China but it’s a Gibson run factory. They are excellent guitars. Fender makes a lot of Squier guitars in China. Again, good guitars. Another thought is a Chinese factory commissioned to build a brand where the company requests cheap quality components to limit cost vs quality components. Potentially bad and good guitars coming from the same factory. It’s complicated.

[@JayceAllanGuitar]

Well said. I love my Epiphone SG 61 Inspired by Gibson. It's a great guitar.

[@spinynorman4382]

I have a Epiphone inspired by Firebird and LPC and they are as good as my 2 Gibsons, LPC and SG, pound for pound. No regrets whatsoever. Little bit of fret leveling ing the epi LPC but Firebird is flawless, no mods. I probably tried 10 different pickups in the 1983 Gibson LPC before I was happy.

[@christianhertwig1593]

If a relatively well made guitar (it remains to be defined what is relatively well made and what is absolutely good or superior) and fully functional costs little (say between 300 and 750 euros to have a wider range of possibilities in basic materials) then a guitar for more money can ONLY be worse for the difference in the increase between prices if it gives the same in functionality and utility. It may be more beautiful, but that is a matter of taste and something very personal. Many times people talk about wood as a basis for super high prices or tablets for example. Which is pure marketing and works from one supplier to another supplier to the final consumer. And more in relation to the pads that are super expensive in relation to material and manufacturing cost. Many tablets cost less than 20 euro in materials but sell for more than 600 euro. Crazy. Also, nowadays many electric guitars for very high prices don't even have stainless steel frets. And they are not very expensive either.

[@rebeccaabraham8652]

I noticed a supplier's advert saying that the guitars they're offering for sale are OEM over-run for the big manufacturers - so odds on - you're going to get a guitar as good as the less expensive ones in your local guitar store. What people forget is that if China just wanted to make a quick buck - they'd put out inferior guitars and they'd only get one shot at a sale; up the quality and then they're likely to get more sales and referrals... it's a matter of economics - and they're not stupid. Personal experience is two chinese guitars and they're both at least as good or better than guitars I've bought locally - and I've played gigs with them, once they'd had a quick setup - and I do mean quick; there was nothing wrong with them - I just had to set them up for my playing style! Of course - you might get a lemon - but every manufacturer has those... and for the costs, I'm prepared to risk the cost of a new guitar - especially as I don't buy the cheaper ones - $300-400 seems to get you some very nice instruments!

[@JoeR203]

It's kind of a crapshoot when it comes to guitars made in China. On one hand, you have the people who fork over money to have a factory build a guitar and put that person's brand name on the headstock and the person placing that huge order probably doesn't care about quality. They just want to make a quick buck. On the other hand, you have a company who seriously wants to have their own brand and want it to be the best it can be for the price, so they make sure the build quality is better because they want to make a name for themselves.

[@oneanother1]

Heard of tease guitars? That's exactly what they are trying to do with their brand. The budget guitars market is too crowded though.

[@JayceAllanGuitar]

If you want to "make a quick buck" selling guitars is NOT the best way to go about it. I talked to Torsten the owner of Tease. He's a straight shooter. He believes in what he's doing.

[@simonpepper9721]

Some chinese pickups for 10 bucks are as good as 100 bucks + yank pickups.

[@lanatrzczka]

I like your transitions between edits. It avoids the jumpy look many videos suffer from. I think I'm going to try something similar for my videos. I'm pretty sure I know how you did it.

[@JayceAllanGuitar]

I use a 3 to 4 frame crossfade. I think I only left in one jump cut from edit to edit. Sometimes I will use longer crossfades, especially if I want to show a passage of time. Thank you.

[@josecarlosramolete6109]

i once purchased a strat guitar crafted from China. Oh boy, the 6 screws (synchronized tremolo bridge) already protrude at the back of the guitar even if the screws were not totally snugged. The body wood was not good in quality. I truly wished they used maple wood for guitar bodies (like Squier guitar bodies were made from).

[@Mr.PhatsVarietyVibesShow]

I think the issue is when we think of Chinese Made Guitars I think we mean Chinese companies that the Chinese government subsidizes ,& wants a piece of their action ,because of those Subsidies' those Chinese brands tend to retail cheaper than American brand guitars that also build guitars in China, but those American companies don't get any Chinese government Subsidies ,but they do benefit from wages being cheaper in China then say Vietnam , but I do hear that now that's even changing There are pros & cons to buying made in China , heck most of our stuff is made in China from American brand stoves, to cars to guitars you name it to even Tesla.. but those Subsidies give an advantage to those Chinese companies what I am saying is the Chinese are looking out for their own people first..

[@shred5]

In terms of quality, there's Japan and the US who for the past 40 years have been pretty much fighting for the top spot - I would wager that largely because of one American manufacturers consistently poor quality for the same period of time, Japan might actually take #1 if I have to pick. For #3, you basically have China competing with a group of other Asian countries, where most of the entry level instruments are made. For the most part, builders are more focused on quantity rather than quality, and are given the bottom of the barrel in terms of woods to work with but these guitars have greatly improved that lower tier of guitars compared to what it was years ago. However if you look at Eastman as an example of a higher end Chinese guitar, they're definitely not up to par with guitars made in Japan or America. I cut my finger open on a sharp fret on a $1600 Eastman, even Gibson isn't that bad.

[@JayceAllanGuitar]

@@shred5 I guess that just shows how quality can differ and each person’s experience with a certain brand is unique. I’ve owned 4 or 5 Eastman acoustics and they’ve all been amazing. I’d put them up against any Taylor or Martin I’ve owned. In fact the only Taylor I owned had terrible fretwork.

[@shred5]

@@JayceAllanGuitar to be fair, I only had that issue on one of them, some others had minimal fret imperfections and others had some minor issues but nothing too bad. Although I have yet to play an Eastman acoustic at any price range that I can honestly say sounded great, they're just consistently bland tonally, not boomy like a Martin or rich like my maple Guilds (my personal favorites)

[@JackDraak]

Godin makes it's entry level guitars in China, i.e. the Art and Lutherie Legacy EQ Natural I just got. $399 Canadian, solid top, scalloped bracing, and VT electronics kit. It's a lot of bang for the buck! You could spend 2x and get one made in Quebec... I'll go try one out, but I think, as a beginner, I won't really see a difference that justifies the extra expense.

[@mikesyria1787]

That's what they used to say about Japanese guitars

[@TheTwoTwoForReal]

I wonder how many of the guitars "made" in other countries than China, actually use Chinese made parts?

[@AircraftFuelerEddie]

I have a Jackson JS32 Gus G Star made in China, it cost me $399 USD and IT IS AMZAZING❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@bluwng]

It’s illegal in the US to hire non US citizens and it is unethical but we do it all the time especially under the current administration.

[@senseiruss]

Jayce - this is an excellent overview of the subject matter. It’s very helpful and I appreciate that you did the research to present as much fact-based info as possible, while acknowledging the grey areas. I love your channel, and being an affordable guitar enthusiast, I look forward to all of your vids. I wish you and your family a happy, healthy and fulfilling 2025; and for you much growth and success on your outstanding channel!

[@JayceAllanGuitar]

Thank you. I appreciate that. I'm trying to do more editorials, than just the same old guitar reveiws.

[@kentharding5874]

I have made a decent amount of money transforming made in China guitars into unbelievably awesome guitars. I buy em, do my thing, sell em put the money into tools, learn some more about how to do it better and then do it again. I amost always double my money. I have some mic guitars that I will never sell! They can be that good. Being a brand snob is just dumb. That mindset only limits you and the possibilitiesthat you are missing out on.

[@AnnoyingCritic-is7rp]

I think when you buy a Chinese guitar you want to get a good deal not a great looking piece of furniture.

[@JAL-cc8jd]

I have several Eastmans and they are absolutely amazing guitars. Also a couple great Gretsch Electromatics. And a number of great Gibsons and a Heritage. As well as some Korean and Indonesian guitars. I think there are great guitars being made all around the world and that’s a good thing.

[@michaelthomas9991]

Thank you so much for eloquently stating the many truths and issues involved with this subject!!!

[@JayceAllanGuitar]

@@michaelthomas9991 thanks for watching. I appreciate the comment.

[@tamcee6628]

ALL COUNTRYS CAN PRODUCE GOOD OR CRAP GUITARS. YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR.

[@michaelp9061]

Guitars are garbage in general. You play them,kind of. I m sure you can tell. And remember don’t spend $10 and demand $100 quality. It never works. Don’t be cheap.

[@JayceAllanGuitar]

I like to buy cheap guitars to see how far they can push the envelope. I've got some pretty incredible guitars that were less than $200. I've also got some dogs but it's fun to tinker with them.

[@CKS64]

From what I've seen on KZbin it doesn't matter what you play or how well you play it there are always Troll's that will criticize your guitar/ playing/tuning/choice of pick and whatever. People used to say how inferior Japanese cars are now they are the Industry Standard. Everyone thinks they are the be all Decision maker and bully them into whatever they think are acceptable products. I say let them say what they want their confidence level is so low they need all the help they can get.

[@JayceAllanGuitar]

Well said

[@jjcollins]

100%

[@billmumbo2697]

A few years ago a work colleague told me his teenage stepson was guitar mad and not knowing anything asked for my advice I got him to phone the lad and ask him what sort of guitar he liked ( I'd filled him in on strats and teles Les Paul's and so on) from what he said he wanted a Les Paul sort of guitar and amp my colleague was going to get an everything you need in one box deal once I found out how much he could afford I said leave it with me and my going into s/h shops I found a vintage ( brand ) Les Paul , a small fender amp a gig bag and I gave him a couple of good quality leads a spare stand a cd of Robert Johnson ( he liked blues !) I chucked in a distortion pedal and a stand I had no use for my friend was delighted ( saved him money!) the kid got a great guitar already set up and much better than the box store . Did a similar thing for my cousin's granddaughter a few months ago .

[@JayceAllanGuitar]

I wish I knew you when I was 12! LOL

[@trapin68]

The Chinese guitars - I think - are a great option if you're looking to learn Electric Guitar and are not sure if it's for you. The other alternative would be to buy a major brand and then sell it if you change your mind, but then you're losing money on the deal. At least with a Harley Benton, Firefly, or even a Squier, if you decide it's not for you, then you can just make it a piece of wall art in your den and you're not out a lot of money. LOL!

[@Michel-r6m]

Got a Gretsch (made in China) and Sire (Made in Indonesia). Both guitars I enjoy (keepers).

[@TedTalksGuitars]

I have no issue buying Chinese made guitars. I think if we all looked around our homes, garages, and work places we would find that bulk of the items we own and enjoy are made in China so I always find the debate laughable with regard to guitars. If a person has ethical objections to buying Chinese guitars I certainly ain't made at them. However, their argument would hold more weight and their position would be more credible (at least to me) if they held the objection related to all products they purchase. Just my thoughts.

[@nellayema2455]

For a budget import guitar, I'd rather see it come from Korea or Indonesia. However, the Chinese guitars made for Squier, Gretsch and Epiphone are much better than they used to be, so I don't have a problem with them. Heritage Guitars is now owned by the Singapore based company, BandLab Technologies. Fortunately, the new owners haven't changed the way the Kalamazoo made guitars are crafted as far as I can ascertain, so foreign ownership hasn't had any negative impact on the brand, other than offering an inexpensive line of bolt-on neck guitars in other countries named the Ascent line.

[@XCELERATIONRULES]

Guitar snobs,love you guys!

[@JayceAllanGuitar]

@@XCELERATIONRULES not really! 🎸🤣😂

[@johndotson920]

I love this i have Chinese, Indonesian, and Us made guitars and honestly they are all great guitars. I work for a global manufacturing company and our products are made to our specifications. We hold high ethical standars and all of our manufacturing, raw goods and where we get them have to follow certain ethical guidelines. So everything is tightly reviewed by our company

[@tracydavis96]

Gibson, fender all of these American made guitars are over priced. buying their guitars is like buy their names. Why Care. Just play.i choose not to spend a butt load of money.

[@kurtb2274]

Many people buy Chinese guitars because they might not be able to afford an overpriced Fender or Gibson. I own a Chinese made Breedlove Pursuit acoustic. It's beautiful and next to my friends 000 Martin/Clapton, it holds it's own. I own a Vietnamese made IYV, semi hollow, and it's pretty darn good. I own a BFG Gibson, not sure what the hype is about that Gibson. The IYV semi hollow has the best fretwork I've felt, ever. The Gibson bfg will cut you up. I know it's the bfg, but at least make it comfortable to play right? I'd love to buy an American Fender but I can't afford one. After rebuilding a Yamaha Pacifica 112ce, it seemed paying more than 2000 for an American made guitar is crazy. I spent $250 of parts, on the Yamaha, and it sounds great, but most of all, it feels good to hold unlike the Gibson. The Gibson is a 2018, and the chrome is bubbling on the tailpiece and TOM. Those pieces aren't even Gibson branded? How much is a nice piece of wood? How much is the CNC machine? How long to cut a body? Same time here as in China. I don't support China politically, but i don't want to support greedy CEO's either. I just don't think any guitar except a tribute to some artist, is worth that much. Add up the parts! Buy the best stuff, slap it together in a partscaster. 3-400 for pickups Buy a $400 fender neck, get a $400 body. Buy the best pots and switches. Hard to go over $100 there. Seems like you've just built a custom shop stratocaster for way less.

[@JayceAllanGuitar]

@@kurtb2274 I paid about $1200 for my CNC. I get really good lumber from a local lumber mill for about $50 (enough for a body) maple for necks is pretty cheap maybe $25. Rosewood and Mahogany are probably more but not much more. Plus guitar companies buy wood in bulk. So they get better pricing. I think some guitar companies own their own tree farms.

[@kurtb2274]

@JayceAllanGuitar from what I've seen with Breedlove guitars, they go to the areas and select the trees for their special woods. Their main wood seems to be from their native trees in Oregon, Myrtle Wood . It has nice grain structure.

[@fenderpicker57]

China can make a really bad guitar or they can also make a great guitar. Take Fender for example, they spec out they're company models. Classic Vibe is the upper end and they're higher quality guitars. The Affinity models are lower quality. They're Bullet models were cheaply made. All by the same factory.

[@mortonwilson795]

I have been playing for 50 years or so - my first electric was (and still is) a 1968 Gibson Les Paul Custom. Over the years I have bought (and kept) guitars made in USA, Mexico, Canada, Germany, Japan, Korea, China & Indonesia. As far as Asia is concerned IMO ''generally quality ranks 1. Japan, 2. Korea, 3rd = China & Indonesia. That said, within China specifically Eastman stands out in a league of it's own - I have played several and next purchase(s) will be an SB59/v & Juliet - comparable to Gibson Custom Shop easily. Epiphone makes some excellent guitars and I have bought 4 (at great discounts, here in HK) specifically to modify to my own taste - Gotoh Hardware, Bone Nut, '50s Wiring and a mix of Monty's, Lollar & Bare Knuckle pick-ups. Again, generally (!) I find wiring and pick-ups are still a weak point, a bit hit and miss, for some Epiphone & PRS SE (Indonesian made) instruments but that actual guitars themselves 'have bones' and make an excellent platform for tailoring to your own preferences. I buy guitars to record with, I'm not an 'investor' or 'collector' but FWIW I do believe that 'first generation' Eastmans, particularly the hand varnished SB59/v, in a couple of decades may become 'unicorns' in the same way as '50s Gibsons are these days - maybe not so crazily overpriced but extremely desirable, nonetheless! Happy New Year to all!

[@Tom-in8jz]

Eastman is Awesome ❤

[@dlee1224]

You're damn right

[@Buddhamaniac]

I have a Chinese-made Epiphone "Masterbuilt" AJ500M acoustic that is excellent. All solid wood, grover tuners, etc. A very good guitar that sounds great. It was quite affordable compared to American-made guitars. I don't regret the purchase at all.

[@JayceAllanGuitar]

I've own a couple Masterbuilt acoustics. Fantastic guitars!

[@DMSProduktions]

Australian made guitars: Are we a joke to you mate?

[@JayceAllanGuitar]

I only know Maton. They’re pretty pricey for me.

[@DMSProduktions]

@@JayceAllanGuitar I know! The acoustics are all solid woods etc, mostly native Aussie species like red gum, Queensland maple, blackwood, Jarrah etc! the bloke that does my guitars used to work for Maton. He told me with CNC manufacture, it only cost them ~A$30 to make a guitar! The rest was finishing, set up etc!

[@JayceAllanGuitar]

Wow. That's pretty cheap. Are there any electric guitar brands made in Australia?

[@DMSProduktions]

@@JayceAllanGuitar Lots of boutique builders! Maton makes electrics as well! They are probably the biggest, followed by Cole-Clark, who do both. Then in the more progressive/metal realm, would be Ormsby guitars out of Perth. Not really a mass prod industry here but there are hundreds possibly thousands of cottage builders of all stripes here. Amp builders as well!

[@JayceAllanGuitar]

That’s awesome.

[@scrubbingmonkeys2488]

Great for beginners and folk strapped for cash. Not cool to have a wall full of every color. Waste of resources.

[@Daverotherham]

American guitars are imports too for me, so patriotism is not an issue. I have a variety of guitars from various places and China holds its own. My best guitar, by any objective assessment, is Korean.built for an American firm , while the one I play most is American, the one I look to for something special is Chinese built for an American firm, and an old Japanese guitar splits the difference with all three. So I think country of manufacture is an irrelevant red herring; a guitar is what it is and doesn’t know where it came from

[@RussInCanada]

Dingwall basses are Chinese instruments.

[@johncfoster7949]

If you want the United States to be successful buy American guitars. If you want China to be successful buy Chinese guitars.

[@JayceAllanGuitar]

@@johncfoster7949 well let’s see. Only 7% of the US population plays guitar. So I doubt the guitar industry is going to be what determines whether either country is successful or not. The world buys so many other products from China it probably dwarfs guitar sales. Also you can’t buy American made guitars (at least from the big names) without some of your money also going to China, since both Fender and Gibson have some of their guitars made there. I’m guessing Fender has seen the writing on the wall since they are now selling a Fender branded guitar made in Indonesia. So it’s a nice idea but not even close to reality.

[@johncfoster7949]

@ I bought from small builders.

[@JayceAllanGuitar]

That’s the way to do it. I bought a Heritage guitar from Kalamazoo, but even that company is now partly owned by an Asian corporation.

[@marlan3rd]

Very interesting commentary, it sounds like you have researched the subject and presented some very valid points. It is interesting that growing up that in the 1960's things in Japan were considered cheap then things made in Tiawan or Hong Kong were considered cheap , then things made in Korea were considered cheap but then over time it changed. It seems that common thread is that companies are constantly looking for cheaper labor to improve their bottom line as you pointed out. Very well presented.

[@JayceAllanGuitar]

Thank you.

[@MuscleCarLover]

I have a Chinese Squier, I have no ill feelings towards it apart from it being a beginner grade guitar (it's a Bullet Strat from 2010). It still has a maple neck, it still has a rosewood fretboard, yes, the body is basswood, but the same is true for many Japanese Fenders

[@mikebaird6788]

I completely agree some of them are but the deal is that people buy them when they know that they are cheap and then put improvements into them to save money to not buy an expensive guitar ended up with a good product

[@Str1ng5]

Buy whatever you want from wherever you want ! Global market place ! Free enterprise. Its the American way

[@adrianguggisberg3656]

Some of the chinese guitars off the internet are utter rubbish, but most are fairly decent and some even outstanding. My two gigging guitars are a built to measure G&L USA strat and a chinese thinline hollowbody. The hollowbody isn't a 'cheap' guitar, it was over 1k€, but it is perfection. The materials, the look, the feel, the fret job, everything. Also, when looking under the pickups and with an endoscope through the f-holes, it's super clean. No glue squeeze out, no rough edges and routings, everything is cleaned up and sanded, even where it doesn't matter and isn't visible without a mirror or endoscope. So, at a reasonable price point, the Chinese make absolutely stunning instruments, and they make good midrange instruments for under or around 500€. But there is a certain price point, below which they need to cut too many corners and the instrument turns out unpleasant, as can be seen in a few of the reviews on this channel.

[@HughJengine]

I had 2 Gretsch guitars made in s. Korea and China. Both had great finishes and sounded really good. The trouble with them was the soft frets: they wore down within 18 months and needed dressing/replacing. Admittedly i played them a lot but the USA strat i have has frets that lasted much much longer. So £550 for a cheap Gretsch but £300 for a re-fret in 18 months. Shame because those Gretsch guitars were great sounding guitars. Just my experience.

[@jamesmarkham7489]

Great video. I was expecting another generic take on the subject but your view was fair and well researched

[@JayceAllanGuitar]

Thank you. I tried to include as much factual information as I could. This is a broad subject. I could do an entire 2 hour documentary on it.

[@jamesmarkham7489]

@ absolutely. I think you covered the various arguments on both sides very well. One truth a lot of people don’t want to admit is that without these cheap guitars most guitar players today wouldn’t exist. I’ve been playing for 20 years and I still can’t afford a USA made instrument.

[@MeekSith777]

Happy New Year Jayce! Looking forward to seeing more content.

[@JayceAllanGuitar]

Thanks for watching.

[@ryandesain5090]

Just grabbed a nice Chinese Squier and it's brilliant for the price. I now get why people love the classic vibes series guitars.

[@doomwreckertelevision3527]

Im 1 min in and have already said " CHYNA" 3 times.

[@JayceAllanGuitar]

😂