slystewart Posted April 7, 2008 Share Posted April 7, 2008 It seems the problems that have gone on this weekend in London and Paris got me thinking about some companys that see to be moving there productions to China..and it seems that some bass companys like I understand Ampeg and others seem to be going this way. If you were buying an amp that was made in the USA or China would it make a difference to you I see adverts on ebay amp made in the USA or made in China just a view Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
budget bassist Posted April 7, 2008 Share Posted April 7, 2008 i bought a chinese made ampeg and the tweeter is on the fritz... I'm not going to do that again if i can help it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc B Posted April 7, 2008 Share Posted April 7, 2008 Good question. I try fairly hard to be an 'ethical shopper' but it's nearly impossible. I do try and minimise the amount of stuff I buy that comes from countries with dodgy human rights records like China, cut down food miles, buy as local as possible and even grow some veg in the garden! I also avoid buying Chinese made musical and electronic equipment if I can because I don't think the quality is as good as it could be. I've definitely noticed a difference between Ashdown combos and speakers with Made in England compared to the inferior (in my experience) Made in China equivalents. The Japanese made lens on my wife's old Minolta film SLR is definitely of higher quality construction than the more recent Chinese made Minolta and Sony equivalents (all 3 are the standard entry level kit lens). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
6stringbassist Posted April 7, 2008 Share Posted April 7, 2008 No way I'd buy Chinese, the quality isn't as good, plus their human rights record stinks. I personally don't think that they should have been given the games in the first place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hit&Run Posted April 7, 2008 Share Posted April 7, 2008 [quote name='Doc B' post='171619' date='Apr 7 2008, 05:28 PM']I've definitely noticed a difference between Ashdown combos and speakers with Made in England compared to the inferior (in my experience) Made in China equivalents.[/quote] I'm glad I got an English Ashdown secondhand then! Personally I don't spend enough time worrying where stuff was made, I just want to own it. If I had the financial freedom to be discerning I'd try to be more ethical with who gets my cash, or at least I think I would be. Until that time arrives however, I'll just have to amble on with sweat-shop goods at low prices. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc B Posted April 7, 2008 Share Posted April 7, 2008 [quote name='Hit&Run' post='171634' date='Apr 7 2008, 05:50 PM']I'm glad I got an English Ashdown secondhand then![/quote] Me too - I just got an Electric Blue 130 as PX for my (Chinese) Nemesis last week - the first thing I did was look to see where the EB was made. [quote name='Hit&Run' post='171634' date='Apr 7 2008, 05:50 PM']Personally I don't spend enough time worrying where stuff was made, I just want to own it. If I had the financial freedom to be discerning I'd try to be more ethical with who gets my cash, or at least I think I would be. Until that time arrives however, I'll just have to amble on with sweat-shop goods at low prices.[/quote] That's a good point. I am lucky enough to have the luxury of being able to choose what I buy and where from, etc. Just make sure the quality is up to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simon1964 Posted April 7, 2008 Share Posted April 7, 2008 (edited) Good question. The point hadn't really occurred to me before, but I guess the answer has to be no. Edited April 7, 2008 by simon1964 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kiwi Posted April 7, 2008 Share Posted April 7, 2008 Its threads like this that tend to invite xenophobic comments. Just because something is chinese made doesn't mean its crap. The chinese are actually capable of stunning levels of craftsmanship, but thats NOT why manufacturers choose the country to supply product. At the end of the day, quality control BY THE MANUFACTURER is the most important influence on levels of quality, so if you're getting crap product, then place the blame squarely at the foot of the manufacturer, not the country. Warwick's Rock Bass is made in China and the build quality in terms of fit and finish is up there with any of the higher range Warwicks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beerdragon Posted April 7, 2008 Share Posted April 7, 2008 I don't think the posters were commenting on the quality of stuff made in China crazykiwi. just the politics going on at the moment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beedster Posted April 7, 2008 Share Posted April 7, 2008 A lot of guys who've bought their vintage Fenders on ebay probably own a Chinese made bass without knowing it! I bet there's at least three times as many 70's Precisions out there as Fender ever made I know mine are originals 'cos the QC is way too poor to have come out of China! Personally, although I'm a cynic and suspect the Olympics have gone to China for purely commercial reasons, I also hope it was a shrewd move by the West to find a way of making China play to Western political rules. That is, give them a taste of Western-style media hype and then hit them with a 'get your human rights/foreign policy house in order or we'll hurt you financially' message. Sad truth is they probably got the games 'cos they're a huge untapped market. After all, there's more potential for new car sales in China than the rest of the World put together... Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kiwi Posted April 7, 2008 Share Posted April 7, 2008 [quote name='beerdragon' post='171891' date='Apr 7 2008, 11:05 PM']I don't think the posters were commenting on the quality of stuff made in China crazykiwi. just the politics going on at the moment.[/quote] In the context of bass equipment? OK, whatever. All I'll say is that if people wanted to exercise a no-chinese-manufacture policy in respect of their purchase decisions, they'd probably find themselves making more sacrifices than they bargained for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LukeFRC Posted April 7, 2008 Share Posted April 7, 2008 yes boycott all chinese stuff because of their awful human rights record, tibet and Sudan. boycott all american stuff because of the injustice of the IMF and World bank screwing the developing world through trade, illegal wars in the middle east and general policy of going around the world killing folk who disagree over the last 50 years. boycott all UK stuff for following US on the above, being a major player in the arms trade, failing to put anysort of commonwealth pressure on mugabe or china (for the above), or turkey, or israel...... don't ya just love our western-colonial cultural moral smugness? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Golchen Posted April 8, 2008 Share Posted April 8, 2008 I wouldn't buy from China. There seems to be a lot of 'fakes' coming from over there these days. I wouldn't like to comment on the ethics, because, as mentioned above, the UK and the US don't exactly cover themselves in glory on the World stage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toasted Posted April 8, 2008 Share Posted April 8, 2008 [quote name='budget bassist' post='171612' date='Apr 7 2008, 05:18 PM']i bought a chinese made ampeg and the tweeter is on the fritz... I'm not going to do that again if i can help it.[/quote] Damn those Chinese, killing our tweeters! Come on man, that could have just as well happenned to a USA-mdae Ampeg. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cantdosleepy Posted April 8, 2008 Share Posted April 8, 2008 [quote name='LukeFRC' post='171966' date='Apr 8 2008, 12:31 AM']yes boycott all chinese stuff because of their awful human rights record, tibet and Sudan. boycott all american stuff because of the injustice of the IMF and World bank screwing the developing world through trade, illegal wars in the middle east and general policy of going around the world killing folk who disagree over the last 50 years. boycott all UK stuff for following US on the above, being a major player in the arms trade, failing to put anysort of commonwealth pressure on mugabe or china (for the above), or turkey, or israel...... don't ya just love our western-colonial cultural moral smugness?[/quote] I only eat what I can grow. My amp tree is ailing, but I got a bumper harvest of BB614s this year. Dig for victory! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beedster Posted April 8, 2008 Share Posted April 8, 2008 [quote name='LukeFRC' post='171966' date='Apr 8 2008, 12:31 AM']yes boycott all chinese stuff because of their awful human rights record, tibet and Sudan. boycott all american stuff because of the injustice of the IMF and World bank screwing the developing world through trade, illegal wars in the middle east and general policy of going around the world killing folk who disagree over the last 50 years. boycott all UK stuff for following US on the above, being a major player in the arms trade, failing to put anysort of commonwealth pressure on mugabe or china (for the above), or turkey, or israel...... don't ya just love our western-colonial cultural moral smugness?[/quote] Fair points Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bremen Posted April 8, 2008 Share Posted April 8, 2008 [quote name='LukeFRC' post='171966' date='Apr 8 2008, 12:31 AM']yes boycott all chinese stuff because of their awful human rights record, tibet and Sudan. boycott all american stuff because of the injustice of the IMF and World bank screwing the developing world through trade, illegal wars in the middle east and general policy of going around the world killing folk who disagree over the last 50 years. boycott all UK stuff for following US on the above, being a major player in the arms trade, failing to put anysort of commonwealth pressure on mugabe or china (for the above), or turkey, or israel...... don't ya just love our western-colonial cultural moral smugness?[/quote] +1000 I'm setting up an electronics company in Wales. I don't think we've ever done anything unpleasant to anyone, so come on everybody: Buy TaffCo! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beedster Posted April 8, 2008 Share Posted April 8, 2008 [quote name='bremen' post='172072' date='Apr 8 2008, 10:31 AM']I'm setting up an electronics company in Wales. I don't think we've ever done anything unpleasant to anyone[/quote] You've never heard Harry Seacombe sing then Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beedster Posted April 8, 2008 Share Posted April 8, 2008 Remnds me of that classic Blackadder scene: "Don't go to Wales Baldrick; gangs of swarrhy men roam the valleys terrorising the locals with their close harmony singing" or similar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheRev Posted April 8, 2008 Share Posted April 8, 2008 [quote name='LukeFRC' post='171966' date='Apr 8 2008, 12:31 AM']yes boycott all chinese stuff because of their awful human rights record, tibet and Sudan. boycott all american stuff because of the injustice of the IMF and World bank screwing the developing world through trade, illegal wars in the middle east and general policy of going around the world killing folk who disagree over the last 50 years. boycott all UK stuff for following US on the above, being a major player in the arms trade, failing to put anysort of commonwealth pressure on mugabe or china (for the above), or turkey, or israel...... don't ya just love our western-colonial cultural moral smugness?[/quote] This has got me thinking about how hard it is to shop 'ethically'. I have basses made in USA, Japan and Korea (south, obviously), amplification & cabs made in USA, Italy, China and UK.... but where do all the components come from? Regardless of where a product is built/assesembled, the chances are that it will have components (screws/wire/capacitors/casings etc) that come from the cheapsest possible source - probably China. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassbloke Posted April 8, 2008 Share Posted April 8, 2008 Simple solution. Buy second hand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Jack Posted April 8, 2008 Share Posted April 8, 2008 From a Chinaman ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LukeFRC Posted April 8, 2008 Share Posted April 8, 2008 lets not get onto where the actual wood has come from.... All that hard wood and holes in the rainforests..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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