I finally broke down and bought my first Chinese made guitar at 70. It's a reissue (with some changes) of the the old Ibanez AR series. I've also got a vintage 83 Ibanez Artist and I'm impressed to no end with this new Chinese one. I think just like here it depends on who in China makes the guitar but I will say that this one is a winner for sure.

AR 325

 

I wouldn't buy some no name copy from China but a Yamaha made in China sure.

 

+1

 

I had a friend who scoured the city for the perfect acoustic. He was shocked to find out he bought a chinese guitar. He shrugged it off. "It was the one I liked."

 

Buying a knockoff wouldn't really bother me but personally I couldn't buy one that has Gibson, Fender, etc on the headstock.

 

My Washburn Strat is made in China and it's actually a great guitar. Nice tones and extremely easy to play. Its neck is maple with a rosewood fretboard but the body is poplar so the thing is so light that I can hold it by the base with one hand and wave it around. I couldn't do that with my Godin.

 

or is there any bad vibe around supporting the off-shore copy-cats?

Lately i've been looking at George Harrison's first Gretsch duo-jet, and sure enough there is a copy available from China.

It's not like (in my case) the real Gretsch company is loosing a sale - I could never afford the real one these days (planning on retiring soon!) ...plus I do have some 'real' guitars anyway -( Les Paul, Strat, Firebird, Tele )...so I'm just wondering what experience others may have had buying these kind of guitars.

Thanks,
Jim

As long as there is no copywrite/trademark infringement I don't have any issues with where it is made.
It's not that Gretsch is losing a sale,it's the fact that the guitar with Gretsch on the headstock is built to deceive.
They will almost inevitably find there way into the used marketplace.
The less of those type of guitars in the country the better.

Sites like Aliexpress will pretty much put anything you want on the headstock IIRC,so put something personal on it.

 

Theres no name chinese and then theres the beginner/budget lines from established companies.

 

I spent some time with a knockoff Ricky 12 string last week. It played and sounded just as good as I would expect from an Epiphone. It was obvious to a trained eye that it wasn't a big dollar Ricky, but it was sufficiently good.

A buddy of mine ordered it from Ali because he needed it for two songs in their live set, and he couldn't justify a real one for the light use it gets.

 

I have no problem with goods made in China. As long as they are labelled as such. I don't like when they infringe upon trademarked logo's. If you're going to build something, even if it is a knock off, put your name or original logo on it and be upfront about what you are selling.

 

+1

I played a few fake Chinese Gibson’s a.k.a. Chibson, and the build quality is low. Not to mention the illegality. You can’t trust a crook, and that’s what they are. Stay away.

Ibanez, Epiphone, etc. All have great guitars made in China. Even used, they are good deals and there is no shame in a Chinese made guitar, as long as it’s not a fake.

 

What Jim said.

 

Yep, they’re both right.
Hey, my Squier Vibes are MIC, both awesome.

 

Eastman make good instruments in China.

I have a Sigma DR28V which is an HD28V copy and made in China. Martin used to own the Sigma name in the 70s.

Anyway, the Sigma cost a little more than what the tax would be on an HD28V. I know this because I also have and HD28V.

I got the Sigma guitar because it approximates the playability and sound of a Martin but if I go to a field party and accidentally back my truck over the guitar - well I ain’t gonna be out that much.

I tried lottsa different guitars while looking for a good but less expensive guitar. The Sigma is closer to my Martin guitars than the cheap line Martins that I tried and it was half the price.

If the Sigma was the only guitar that I had I really couldn’t complain although I probably would anyway.

I liked the sound of the Eastman dreads that were about a grand but didn’t like the necks on them for some reason. They had their own sound which was very nice but not like a Martin sound.

Didn’t like any of the cheap Martins which weren’t exactly cheap at 12 to 15 hundred and some of them had the plastic fretboard which feels odd to me.

 

I absolutely refuse to buy a name brand American guitar for 3 prices & have to go pay to make it playable , definition of insanity in my book

 

i had the exact same guitar as beach bum, and it was a really good guitar. the pickups were surprising. i liked them alot, they were very articulate.
as for the chinese fakes, i would probably own one if i could play one in person, and it was a good guitar. i just don't have the guts to take a chance and order a new one.
from what i have heard from others, and what i have read on some of their forums, you can get pretty decent quality if you are willing to spend a little more. also, i have read several complaints of bridges not properly aligned with the neck. all the threads i read, the company replaced those guitars. still, it meant prolonging the wait for the guitar, in the end. if i was going to do something like that, just my opinion, i would custom build a rondo, or build a warmoth guitar.

 

I just jumped ship and bought a Epi. Les Paul Standard plus top pro off a friend. Decent player. You would have to be into the Gibby studio price range to get a comparable Gibson for playability.

 

Not sure about no name guitars but I do have a couple of MIC guitars. I have an Ibanez PM35 NT and an Epiphone es339 with p90s, Both are excellent guitars. The quality of some of the Chinese made guitars have come a long way. It won't be long before they catch up to Japan and Korea.

 

Factories around the world all function pretty much the same. Give the customer what he wants, no more (or you lose money), no less (or you lose customers). You build to the customers specs.

So if AliExpress gives you a set of plans with specs, that is what you build, it doesn't matter if it is good or bad, that is not your call. If Epiphone gives you the same plans with better specs, then that is what you go by. In fact, it works fantastic when you have the same product going to multiple customers with different specs because then the runs can be sorted/graded while in process. You set up for your high spec customer and, while running, those that fall outside their parameters, get assigned to where they fit other customers, then, when the high spec customer's order is filled, you just run off what you need for the rest (it's a lot cheaper to just keep running as is than to make adjustments to make shitter parts). In my factory life we always had 2 bins at the end of the line, one OEM and one Aftermarket. Some of the aftermarket parts didn't meet OEM specs, but most of them still fall well into the range spec'd by OEM because the line just keeps running until the orders are met.

 

i had the exact same guitar as beach bum, and it was a really good guitar. the pickups were surprising. i liked them alot, they were very articulate.
as for the chinese fakes, i would probably own one if i could play one in person, and it was a good guitar. i just don't have the guts to take a chance and order a new one.
from what i have heard from others, and what i have read on some of their forums, you can get pretty decent quality if you are willing to spend a little more. also, i have read several complaints of bridges not properly aligned with the neck. all the threads i read, the company replaced those guitars. still, it meant prolonging the wait for the guitar, in the end. if i was going to do something like that, just my opinion, i would custom build a rondo, or build a warmoth guitar.

I have thought about getting a guitar from Aliexpress but I reasoned, why do that when you can get one from Rondo for the same price or less that has the quality guaranteed or you can return it. As for custom ordering, it is hard to beat for what you can get at that price point.

Not sure about no name guitars but I do have a couple of MIC guitars. I have an Ibanez PM35 NT and an Epiphone es339 with p90s, Both are excellent guitars. The quality of some of the Chinese made guitars have come a long way. It won't be long before they catch up to Japan and Korea.

A number of factories already have. Eastman is one I can name off the top of my head and that comes not from me but from pros who have played just about everything under the sun.

Factories around the world all function pretty much the same. Give the customer what he wants, no more (or you lose money), no less (or you lose customers). You build to the customers specs.

So if AliExpress gives you a set of plans with specs, that is what you build, it doesn't matter if it is good or bad, that is not your call. If Epiphone gives you the same plans with better specs, then that is what you go by. In fact, it works fantastic when you have the same product going to multiple customers with different specs because then the runs can be sorted/graded while in process. You set up for your high spec customer and, while running, those that fall outside their parameters, get assigned to where they fit other customers, then, when the high spec customer's order is filled, you just run off what you need for the rest (it's a lot cheaper to just keep running as is than to make adjustments to make shitter parts). In my factory life we always had 2 bins at the end of the line, one OEM and one Aftermarket. Some of the aftermarket parts didn't meet OEM specs, but most of them still fall well into the range spec'd by OEM because the line just keeps running until the orders are met.

Jim, I started reading your post and said to myself, "this guy has got some manufacturing experience". And a few more lines down confirmed it. Very viable points for those that don't have your experience.

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I recently bought an Alvarez Masterworks dreadnought with some of you may remember. These are top notch guitars. If they had a better dealer network, you would see them all over N. America.

Someone mentioned a Gretsch copy. I have always liked Gretsch hollow bodies and have never ordered one because the necks are too narrow. I looked into this with a Chinese manufacturer and they can make me a copy with the neck specs I like. If I go ahead, I would like some reference to Gretch on the headstock but obvious to everyone that it is a copy and not the real thing. I was thinking about misspelling Gretsch or Gretsch with "copy" in smaller letters. I don't want to break the law and don't think anyone should infringe on copyright. I would never buy a real Gretsch for the reasons stated about so they would not be losing a sale. I even emailed them to ask about the neck and they couldn't help me. Any suggestions for the headstock?

 

Yeah, my MIC Squier CVC is pretty sweet straight out of the box as well. They aren't exactly "super cheap" neither, apart from some of the small elecronics that can easily be replaced. The biggest surprise for me with that one is the tuning pegs. They're fantastic. Like @Budda stated, a lower line/beginner guitar made by an established company. I'm not sure how much "Made in America" actually means any more in many cases.

 

I've been quite impressed with the Classic Vibes, especially the thinline tele and 50's strat. Controls and switches are easily swapped out but The 50s strat pickups are oustanding.

 

My Epiphone Black Beauty was made in China. On the outside it looked immaculate, but when I removed the pickups and electronics I found large chunks of the Mahogany were missing. It almost looked like a crack the size of the grand canyon. I think China is getting better, but still not up to spec with what is made in Korea. Comparing the Chinese Epiphone to my Korean made Prestige Heritage? No comparison, the Prestige is a much better built guitar then the Chinese Epiphone.

 

And yet, they are two different guitars and two different companies and two different price points.

 

My MIC guitar is an 2015 Epiphone Casino Coupe. Some frets had popped when it was new, but that was such an easy fix, I don't consider it a problem as they have stayed in place since. So far it is a thumbs up. Had the pickups rebuilt and it now more of a thumbs up. The only Gibson equivalent was the ES390 at $2500+

 

You get what you pay for with the budget lines and some people may accept it but I personally wouldn't. I'd stay away from the copies for sure but even the legit lines of instruments from China and the like turn me off. polite no thanks

 

It can be hit and miss. Sometimes you get what you for, sometimes you don't, sometimes you get something more. I scored with latter. Besides I don't have the F-ing $$$ let alone the justification to get the alternative.

 

Well, we were used to bad copies from China. But I was surprised some years ago, while looking closely at the back of guitar headstocks on eBay, how frequently I saw the "Made in China" sticker on guitars you would otherwise believe they were made in USA because they were sold by known american companies. Even guitars of a knowned UK brand (sorry, name slips off my mind) bear a curious sentence hiding the fact they are not made in UK... Some have their parts made in China while the whole instrument is built in USA. I saw my findings comfirmed in 2014 (search the net for "Acoustic Guitar magazine chinese vs american") and by my former luthier (before I moved) who made some trips in Asia where he could get a close look at what was going on in the guitar world and told me that chinese industry has now learned to make good guitars and their guitars would soon get on north american market.
So, the general rule stay "try it" ! And have a good friend look at it before you buy.

 

... Even guitars of a knowned UK brand (sorry, name slips off my mind) bear a curious sentence hiding the fact they are not made in UK...

That would be Tanglewood. They put "Tanglewood Guitar Company United Kingdom" on the back of the headstock. Mine has "Designed in the United Kingdom, handcrafted in China" on the label inside the body, but I have seen some with absolutely no indication that they are made in China. Nevertheless, they seem to be good value.

 

Some bozo in Ottawa is selling a Chibson on Kijiji and he keeps reposting it. He has no price now, but it was $600 at first which is ludicrous. His ad says that the pickups have been replaced and they are real Gibson pickups so it’s worth ‘more’. But it’s a Chibson, how would someone know that the pickups are real Gibson’s when it also says Gibson on the headstock on the knockoff.

I would never buy a piece of garbage Chinese made guitar off of Aliexpress much less try and sell one second hand for good money locally. There are plenty of real Gibson’s for the same money.

I ordered a thermometer on Aliexpress once. After about three months, it hadn’t arrived so I opened a dispute. Then, to my surprise, it mysteriously arrived in my mailbox after about six months of waiting. However, it was DOA and when I opened the battery compartment, there was a non standard battery in it that had leaked acid. What a waste of time.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

I would never buy a piece of garbage Chinese made guitar off of Aliexpress much less try and sell one second hand for good money locally. There are plenty of real Gibson’s for the same money.

The reason they are selling so many to N. America, though, is they are not all garbage. Some of them are very good guitars for a lot less money than you would pay here, so you can't blame people for buying them direct from China. Many simply can't afford the prices in N. America.

 

Anybody that says the chibsons from Ali- express are as good as the real deal, have very low expectations of what they are looking for.
But I have a couple made in China guitars that are surprisingly good ,and would have no problem playing them Out at a show.

 

I was assuming this thread was about legitimate MIC guitars