[Jim Soloway]

Tomato, potato.
Okay, so everything is made in Korea but screwed together in Germany. I’d say that’s way more “made in Korea” than it is “made in Germany”.

Where ever they are made, that are both designed and built to a quality standard that has made them a common tool for some seriously world class musicians.

Just my opinion but I think that country of origin is an absurd factor on which to base the value of an instrument. Quality and utility (and sometimes scarcity) should really be the only considerations.

 

[Jim Soloway]

I don’t want to derail this thread because there have been countless discussions on many forums, but…

You’re 100% correct that where an instrument is made is only one factor in determining price/value. Just TELL ME WHERE IT’S MADE!!!!

Duesenberg won’t. Even the information earlier in this thread isn’t actually from the company. It’s just some dude on a guitar forum.

Watch…
“Duesenberg bodies and necks are made in Korea, the hardware is hand-hammered by dwarves in an underground cave somewhere off the coast of New Zealand, and the pickups are made by captured aliens in a sweatshop located at Area 51. Everything is teleported to Germany where it’s assembled by naked supermodels (so the buttons on their clothes won’t scratch the instruments).”

That’s just as accurate as the previous info.

What's more important: that they tell you their exact manufacturing process or that they tell you that Vince Gill plays one (and sometimes two) or their guitars at every concert? Vince Gill has a wonderful collection of instruments and his live show is remarkably well crafted with about a 9 piece band so they can recreate the sound of his recordings. As far as I can tell, he always uses his Duesenberg for a couple songs. I don't think he cares where it's built/assembled. He just cares about the job it does.

 

[Jim Soloway]

yet country of origin is part of how we collectively decide if something is “good” before it even hits the market. Thats been consumerism for decades.

Even in the guitar market, that really only applies to a small percentage of the market. No one complains that Sadowsky archtops are built in Asia and they sell for $5600 to $6500 US.

 

[Jim Soloway]

I will actually answer that.

It’s part one. 100% part one.
If I’m spending $5k, I want to know about the product I’m buying. I don’t care that a millionaire musician (who was likely given the guitars) plays them.

Don’t get me wrong. Vince Gill is a monster player and I’m 100% certain he really likes the guitar or he wouldn’t use it. But even if he did pay for them, $5000 to him and $5000 to me is a completely different matter and I’d like to make a bit more of an informed decision. And unlike Vince, I also have to take resale value into account.

A few questions:

What is it that you don't know about where Deusenbergs are made? As I understand what they've been saying for a long time, the parts are made in Korea and the installation and setup is done in Germany. It's not terribly unlike Reverend.

And what's the resale market like for Deusenberg? Looking at the Sold forum, it appears to me that the demand is pretty strong.

 

[Jim Soloway]

I know little about them but if they are fretted in Germany they arent doing that before being finished so they are more than just assembled/installed and set up there. Some Epiphones are assembled in USA but they certainly arent fretting and finishing them there. It sounds like they are doing more in Germany than many boutique builders who order partscaster parts and customise/assemble/relic.

And they're doing it with a lot of very highly regarded proprietary hardware. I've only ever heard raves abut their trem.