Questino about instruments sold in the US and Europe

[Dexter_prog]

Today I went to take a look at the music stores in Buenos Aires (Argentina) and I saw that a lot of stores brought a lot of Schecter guitars and basses (1 year ago no one in a store knew what a Schecter was). I also found that they were really cheap (compared to how overpriced stuff is in Argentina), which lead me to believe they would be of shitty quality (i.e.: China, Indonesia). Well, they are Chinese and Indonesian. I tried a Demon series 7 with a fixed bridge which was at a cheap price and of Indonesian origin and it was meh, you know, shitty pickups ("duncan designed"), it felt kinda weird and cheap. I mean, not bad for starters, but not the type of guitar I would buy after having 2 Japanese Ibanez. So, I came across a store that had some Korean Schecters, these were REALLY overpriced, even for being Korean, and they didn't let me try them - clerk's response after I asked was "trying it implies that you have to buy it. I laughed and left (things are different in here, we don't have stores like Guitar center, but there are some stores where you actually can try stuff, this clerk was just a retard).

Anyway, my point is. Of what origin are those Shecters, Ibanez, etc you can find in sites like guitar center, musicians friend, thomann, etc for prices like 600/700/800 usd/euro (which I believe are moderate prices for a guitar in a place like USA/Europe)? Are them American/Japanese? Or are them also Korean and the American/Japanese ones are above, say, $1000? Same thing applies to basses.

Another question, apart from pickups and machine heads, what is different between a Chinese and a Korean or a Japanese guitar? I am trying to figure out what makes an Indonesian guitar be so cheap and a Korean one so expensive (in the stores: USD 500 vs USD 1500)

 

[Dalinkwent48@aim.com]

I remember reading a while ago that they had sold the company at one point...before they sold it they were just kind of mixing and matching parts for the guitars (pup A Neck C Body F)and then after they sold it they started actually making "lines" (pup A Neck A Body A)...Im not sure if this applies now though

 

[iHate]

In America most of the schecter guitars sold in stores like Guitar Center are Korean models. All the Korean 7-strings are about $1000 now, and 6-string hellraiser/higher end korean models are around 750-850. There are lower end 7's and 6's that are Korean which can be had for 500-700. I have come across Indonesian or Chinese Schecter models, and IMO they are complete garbage. Korean models are set up in the US, but I don't know if the other ones are.

I've only seen American made Schecter's online, and they are only custom shop models and very expensive.

For what the Korean models are, they are pretty decent in comparison to other guitars in the same price range... I think they play fairly well, but feel just a tad bit on the cheap side. After owning a Japanese Ibanez and an Ernie Ball Music Man, I personally would not buy a Schecter.

 

[Torniojaws]

Stay away from the cheap Schecters (under 500 euros), as they are not that good. But luckily the good Schecters can be had for around 850 euros or more, which is not a bad price at all for their quality! From my understanding, pretty much all modern Schecter guitars are manufactured in South Korea, and then inspected in the US before being shipped to the retailers.

 

[Dexter_prog]

After Dalink(...)'s post I entered the Schecter forum and I found 4 or 5 threads talking about the Chinese/Indonesian made Schecters in the US, it seems that the plague has spread because many people saw them in Guitar center and similar stores :/

So, what about Ibanez? Are the ones sold in the US/Europe made in Korea too?

 

[El_Gato]

If they're not made in Korea/China, they're made in the US by korean/Chinese workers. lul

 

[nwright]

Schecter and ESP are owned by the same parent company, but are kept as 2 distinct and seperate companies...As it stands, I don't know exactly how and where they are made, and some claim that Schecters and ESP's are made in different factories, but I think there remains a possibility that they are made at the same place.

My point...
I don't much about how Schecter does things, but I know more about how ESP does things...Traditionally, when ESP first launched the LTD line, they were REALLY close to the ESP's they were modeled after...Only made in Korea (cheaper labor)...The hardware and even some of the pickups (ESP LH series) were the same as what you'd get on a Japanese made standard series here in the US (but MIJ)...Over time, the LTD line became demarcated by product lines designated by a number series (100,200, 300, 400, 500, 600, 1000's are all they've had)...And, over time the all Korean production for all the lines has shifted...First, the 50-200's went to China, and then some of the 200's (like 256's IIRC) went to Vietnam and the 400's went to Indonesia...I believe the main reason for this was economical of course, as the labor in Korea went up, as well as their reputation as guitar builders...So in order for these companies to keep profit margins, they move manufacturing to facilities that have cheaper labor, and possibly source cheaper woods and hardware as well. For ESP/LTD, the 1000 series and the 600 series (LTD signature series product line), AFAIK they have remained in Korea. Some 200 series sig models are Chinese made, though, and I believe at lease the George Lynch LTD sig (GL-256) is made in Vietnam. I've heard that in the 80's Japanese guitar builders were reviled (at least in the US), because many felt as though they were taking away jobs by making guitars that sold much cheaper than US counterparts...Then, all of the sudden Japanese guitars were deemed "well made", and Korea popped into the picture...Then China, and now Indonesia and Vietnam...As time goes on, IMO it will remain that as each country hones their ability to craft guitars, the quality and public perception of said quality will go up as well...Just as it has for Japan.

The biggest difference between ESP and Schecter may be that ESP is a Japanese custom guitar manufacturer, and Schecter was a custom maker in the US. I think it could be argued that the core of each company is VASTLY different than how it seems the company is presented by these cheaper mass produced guitars. After all, the designs are made and approved by the company, but then the building is just sourced to a manufacturing group..There's a real good chance that whoever makes a Schecter or LTD is probably making guitars for a variety of companies...Cort immediately comes to mind, as does Samick.

I know that ESP Japan is so far removed from what LTD is, or even what ESP is to the US market, that it's hard to think of them as the "same" company, IMO, but that's a different subject.

 

[Suicide_As_Alibi]

For quite a while Schecter, ESP (Ltd), Ibanez and G&L's cheaper guitars were literally all made in the same factory by Cort in South Korea. I've had 3 Ltds from then and a couple of Corts too, and the build quality on all of them was fantastic, especially on the Corts (and getting an all mahogany set-neck PRS copy for like £200 was great).

The last few times I've tried out Ltds though, they were much poorer - flamed-maple tops didn't match up properly, there were blemishes in the neck wood, and they just didn't feel quite as sharp to play.

Steve

 

[nwright]

For quite a while Schecter, ESP (Ltd), Ibanez and G&L's cheaper guitars were literally all made in the same factory by Cort in South Korea. I've had 3 Ltds from then and a couple of Corts too, and the build quality on all of them was fantastic, especially on the Corts (and getting an all mahogany set-neck PRS copy for like £200 was great).

The last few times I've tried out Ltds though, they were much poorer - flamed-maple tops didn't match up properly, there were blemishes in the neck wood, and they just didn't feel quite as sharp to play.

Steve

If they were newer, and were 400 series or lower, it would more than likely not be made in the Cort factory in Korea. I've found some Indo made 400 series that were great, some that were duds. Same can be said for any guitar, but the great/dud ratio I think increases as the Asian manufacturing shifts, lol.