Dr M Posted November 16, 2012 Share Posted November 16, 2012 Looks to be going the same way Japan went with regards to musical instruments. I own 3 Korean-made guitars and a Korean-made bass. These cover a bit of a range of prices, but the quality across all of them is outstanding. This seems awfully familiar when you think about the reputation Japanese made budget instruments from the 70s and 80s now enjoy. So are we going to see a gradual rise in the prices of Korean made instruments? Some companies already seem to have shifted manufacture of budget lines from Korea to China (Epiphone springs to mind). And do you think the current Korean budget instruments are going to achieve the kind of reputation things like Japanese Squiers now have? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doddy Posted November 16, 2012 Share Posted November 16, 2012 I wouldn't necessarily call Korean made instruments 'budget' anymore-not when companies like Lakland are producing great basses at around a grand. There are some ace instruments coming out of Korea right now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RhysP Posted November 16, 2012 Share Posted November 16, 2012 The budget instruments these days are from China, India & Indonesia; it's pretty easy to pay over a grand for a korean built intrument these days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Foxen Posted November 16, 2012 Share Posted November 16, 2012 +1 the cheap and really good Korean thing has happened. The Korean made Epiphones are really nice but the new ones are made in China with the same model numbering. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iconic Posted November 16, 2012 Share Posted November 16, 2012 My westfield came from Vietnam! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyf Posted November 16, 2012 Share Posted November 16, 2012 [quote name='Doddy' timestamp='1353087338' post='1871573'] I wouldn't necessarily call Korean made instruments 'budget' anymore-not when companies like Lakland are producing great basses at around a grand. There are some ace instruments coming out of Korea right now. [/quote] +1 My Lakland Skyline Jo Osborn is Korean. Having owned two American Fender Jazzes in the past and worked in music retail in the past, I've played A LOT of Jazz type basses of all price ranges. This one blows most of them out the water. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidlovellbass Posted November 18, 2012 Share Posted November 18, 2012 +1 for Lakland but an instrument is only going to be as good as the amount of money the manufacturer is will to spend on each instrument. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lurksalot Posted November 18, 2012 Share Posted November 18, 2012 I have a Spector legend which I have played for 3 years and love it , a reasonably priced Korean made bass and it is excellent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve-bbb Posted November 19, 2012 Share Posted November 19, 2012 TRB1004/5/6 are korean and excellent build quality Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spinynorman Posted November 19, 2012 Share Posted November 19, 2012 I can't see why an instrument made in one country should be any better or worse than one made in another. Provided the materials are the same quality, the investment has been put into the factory and the quality control is right, why would a US or Japanese worker be better at operating a CNC machine than a Korean or Chinese? The Japs in the 60s set out to make cheap copies of US-made instruments. Once that stopped being the objective the quality improved. Now it's just marketing, with US-based manufacturers putting better components into US-made instruments and charging a premium. I'm not sure how they get away with it; you don't see Apple putting out US-made iPads at a higher price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JapanAxe Posted November 19, 2012 Share Posted November 19, 2012 Fender are happy to put their name (i.e. Fender, not just Squier) on the Modern Player Jazz, which is [s]made[/s] crafted in China... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dingus Posted November 19, 2012 Share Posted November 19, 2012 Two pieces of wood don't know whether they were cut and bolted together in Korea or California .What matters is the quality of the materials and , perhaps even more importantly , the care and accuracy with which they are manufactured into the final product . On a historical note , there is a long history of innate prejudice and suspicion in the Western World of the competence and ability of people and goods from the Far East , but, like most prejudices , it is based on ignorance . As anyone who has visited the region will tell you , the people there are as technically savvy as anywhere on the planet , in fact probably more so , and have a talent for getting things done correctly . Of course they can build high quality guitars in Korea - they are one of the most technologically advanced societies on the planet . They could do whatever they put their mind to . I've played so many basses from supposedly esteemed brands that were made in the U.S.A and Europe that had fundamental manufacturing faults but were still put out for sale that I have no faith in the idea that West is Best when it comes to bass making . I would also point out that Lakland have been made in Indonesia for the past few years , and if anything they are even more consistant than when they were made in Korea . It's the same company as made them in Korea , Cortec , in another state- of- the -art factory with very high standards . The only trade off with these far eastern -made basses is likely to be longevity- it remains to be seen if the neccesary compromises made in materials over more expensive western-made instruments will make them robust enough to still be usable in 30 years , but looking at the JV Series Squiers I would say that there is every chance a lot will go the distance . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr M Posted November 19, 2012 Author Share Posted November 19, 2012 [quote name='Dingus' timestamp='1353330493' post='1873653'] Two pieces of wood don't know whether they were cut and bolted together in Korea or California .What matters is the quality of the materials and , perhaps even more importantly , the care and accuracy with which they are manufactured into the final product . [/quote] Sorry, I wasn't trying to suggest that factories in the Far East are any less capable of producing high quality instruments - simply that in general, instruments produced in Far Eastern factories will be produced to a much tighter budget. Even accounting for the difference in labour rates, this usually results in far less time being spent on finishing and QC, leaving instruments more likely to be somewhat rough around the edges. The surprise is often that, even though less time is likely to be spent on those finishing touches in Far Eastern factories, the results are still outstanding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dingus Posted November 19, 2012 Share Posted November 19, 2012 [quote name='Dr M' timestamp='1353345773' post='1874010'] Sorry, I wasn't trying to suggest that factories in the Far East are any less capable of producing high quality instruments - simply that in general, instruments produced in Far Eastern factories will be produced to a much tighter budget. Even accounting for the difference in labour rates, this usually results in far less time being spent on finishing and QC, leaving instruments more likely to be somewhat rough around the edges. The surprise is often that, even though less time is likely to be spent on those finishing touches in Far Eastern factories, the results are still outstanding. [/quote] I wasn't aiming any of my comments at you or anyone else on Basschat in particular-on the whole most folks in this site seem very accepting of basses made in the far east- I just mean to point out that , as many of us have learnt first hand, where something is made is no guarantee of a particular level of quality control . The only thing that ensures consistancy is someone being dilligent enough to keep an eye on standards of workmanship and not letting the duff examples through . I'm lucky enough to be shopping at the other end of the market , but across the board you can get some excellent value for money basses made in Korea and Indonesia et. al. , from starter basses right up to pro -quality instruments like the Lakland Skylines . If the same basses were made in America or Britain they wouldn't be any better made by Western factory workers . Fender have enough of a problem knocking out half decent U.S.A made instruments that retail for thousands of pounds ; heaven knows what a mess they could make of super cheap basses if the made them in California . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
machinehead Posted November 19, 2012 Share Posted November 19, 2012 [quote name='Dr M' timestamp='1353085384' post='1871534'] Looks to be going the same way Japan went with regards to musical instruments. I own 3 Korean-made guitars and a Korean-made bass. These cover a bit of a range of prices, but the quality across all of them is outstanding. This seems awfully familiar when you think about the reputation Japanese made budget instruments from the 70s and 80s now enjoy. So are we going to see a gradual rise in the prices of Korean made instruments? Some companies already seem to have shifted manufacture of budget lines from Korea to China (Epiphone springs to mind). And do you think the current Korean budget instruments are going to achieve the kind of reputation things like Japanese Squiers now have? [/quote] Laklands have been mentioned in this thread. The Lakland models built initially in the Korean and now the Indonesian factories seem to command a premium price equal to US made Fenders. So that's just down to marketing strategies surely? And then there's the Korean built G&L Tribute range which are excellent quality and build standard and about half the price of Korean/ Indonesian built Laklands. Is there enough difference between these two to justify the enormous difference in price? I don't think there is myself but I'm not knocking Lakland by saying that. I'm just commenting on the power of marketing. I'm in the camp that says that the country of origin has little or no bearing on the quality but is simply used as a marketing tool and a method of maximising profits. And profit is what business is all about isn't it? Frank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dingus Posted November 19, 2012 Share Posted November 19, 2012 (edited) [quote name='machinehead' timestamp='1353364811' post='1874358'] Laklands have been mentioned in this thread. The Lakland models built initially in the Korean and now the Indonesian factories seem to command a premium price equal to US made Fenders. So that's just down to marketing strategies surely? And then there's the Korean built G&L Tribute range which are excellent quality and build standard and about half the price of Korean/ Indonesian built Laklands. Is there enough difference between these two to justify the enormous difference in price? I don't think there is myself but I'm not knocking Lakland by saying that. I'm just commenting on the power of marketing. I'm in the camp that says that the country of origin has little or no bearing on the quality but is simply used as a marketing tool and a method of maximising profits. And profit is what business is all about isn't it? Frank. [/quote] I agree with you Frank , that there are some excellent instruments coming out of the Cortec factory in Indonesia , which is where Lakland are built , and I would suspect G&L Tribute . The Lakland Skylines higher cost reflects the degree of attention they are given back in Chicago where they are Plekked and fitted with the same top quality pickups as the full-spec American basses , and they also have very similar quality bridge and tuners as the U.S models . There really is little or no difference between the sound of the Skylines and the handmade U.S Laklands and the playability is also first rate . The G&L is also excellent but maybe has had less man hours spent on it than a comparable Lakland Skyline , and when factoring the production cost of any guitar the amount of skilled man hours neccesary to produce any given instrument is the key calculation for the manufacturer . Lakland have had a good marketing strategy for sure and are a very successful company , but the undeniable quality of their product at every price point is the real key to their success. Edited November 19, 2012 by Dingus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twigman Posted November 21, 2012 Share Posted November 21, 2012 I bought a Korean Epiphone (new) last month. The quality is superb. The price tag wasn't exactly budget. I have a JV Squier from 83 and many folk rave about them. Are they really all that? Mine is a tad lighter than a US Fender I think but is it really any better? i don't particularly like playing it and now only play my Warmoths that I assembled myself. No it is not for sale. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr M Posted November 21, 2012 Author Share Posted November 21, 2012 [quote name='Twigman' timestamp='1353517533' post='1875532'] I bought a Korean Epiphone (new) last month. The quality is superb. The price tag wasn't exactly budget. I have a JV Squier from 83 and many folk rave about them. Are they really all that? Mine is a tad lighter than a US Fender I think but is it really any better? i don't particularly like playing it and now only play my Warmoths that I assembled myself. No it is not for sale. [/quote] Out of interest, what was the Epiphone you bought? I was under the impression all of Epiphone's production had been moved to China. On the subject of the JV Squiers, I think some of the stories have been blown a bit out of proportion. There certainly seem to be some really good Jap Squiers that are better than a bad US Fender, but I always understood that the real point was the quality for the price. A US Fender is maybe four times the price (currently £200-£300 for a Squier, £800 upwards for a US Fender. I imagine it was a similar gap in the 80s) but can you really say the US is four times 'better'? (The difficulties in quantifying 'better' aside.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twigman Posted November 21, 2012 Share Posted November 21, 2012 [quote name='Dr M' timestamp='1353523570' post='1875644'] Out of interest, what was the Epiphone you bought? [/quote] It was an Epiphone Sheraton II in black with bound neck and body and abalone/pearl inlays Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
machinehead Posted November 21, 2012 Share Posted November 21, 2012 [quote name='Twigman' timestamp='1353526305' post='1875696'] It was an Epiphone Sheraton II in black with bound neck and body and abalone/pearl inlays [/quote] Those are great guitars and despite the fact that their price has been steadily increasing, they still are good value for the money. Enjoy it. Frank Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fender73 Posted November 22, 2012 Share Posted November 22, 2012 a bass is a bass... :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donnyboy Posted November 22, 2012 Share Posted November 22, 2012 [sub]I think( some) Korean made are very under-rated, great quality, fantastic players and unbeleivable value for money!! ......[/sub] [sub][sub]............especially the Epiphone EB3 I'm trying to sell [/sub][/sub] [sub] [/sub] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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