Philsweep - Posted - 04/12/2009:  20:09:12

I was looking at a rob Ickes wechter scheehorn model buy realized I'm looking at an oriental built guitar when I should be looking at an American built guitar. I realized we need to start or continue to buy american made products. Why is Rob Ickes promoting a korean built product ? let me know ,oh its about money lets let him know we want american built products. or we won't listen to his music.
Phil

Stringnut - Posted - 04/12/2009:  20:58:09

I think it is similar to the Paul Beard Signature Gold Tone resos. The bodies are also made in Asia and shipped back to the U.S. for hardware installation and final assembly by Beard. I would try to "walk a mile in their shoes" before coming to any conclusions as I am sure if Wechter/Scheerhorn and Gold Tone were totally built in the USA, they would have to charge quite a bit more for their guitars due to the higher standard of living here. Gotta pay your employees more. That doesn't sound like it makes sense but I would like to hear it "straight from the horses mouth" if any reps are listening in. Keep in mind some of our USA Big Three auto makers have cars assembled in Mexico and Canada while there are Japanese imports being assembled in the USA by American workers. Makes it kind of hard to see that thin gray line that separates place of origin these days. Personally, I prefer American made but I'd like to hear both sides of the story before stirring up a big moral debate. This could be a very sensitive subject so whadayasay we keep it friendly and see where this discussion goes from here. I will step down from my soap box for now.

Dan

Things are more like today than they''ve ever been before. --Spiro T. Agnew

Philsweep - Posted - 04/12/2009:  21:16:44

correct, the reso's that are so often recomended on this website are beard goldtone made in the orient and wechter scheerhorn also made in the orient. there are so many reputable and great builders here in the US lets look at those people first.
Phil

will wanderin - Posted - 04/12/2009:  22:04:56

how about let's think globally not just nationally? This whole world's in trouble brother, not just America! There is serious **** going down these days. If the human race is to survive we gotta start unifying, not creating even more bounderies. At the end of the day I respect anybody who goes into work everyday and makes a quality product that people use, be they from China, Korea, or from the U S of A! You ever shop at Wal-Mart?

Slideman1939 - Posted - 04/13/2009:  07:39:45

In ALL areas of marketing (anything for sale) there is always a combination of price and quality--no matter what country manufactured it---and a certain price range that attracts more buyers.One can have an american luthier handbuilt reso for $1800 to $4,000. Or one can have pretty good quality in a medium price range of $500 to $750 because of foreign made at a lower cost. Or one can have a student beginner reso (usually foreign made) for $175 to $350. Many users want a reso higher up than a student beginner but don't have the will or ability to spend over $800. The demand, and sales, and popular price range appears to be for a "good" instrument in the $500--to--$750 price range.So that's what sells--the popularity of goods in that price range NO MATTER WHAT THE COUNTRY OF ORIGIN. If an American luthier could make the quality of the Beard Gold Tone Import AND sell it in that price range (they can't) then we would all buy American.If supporting local american manufacturers only, is the objective then WHY do people justify shopping at WalMart and Sam's Club where the majority of goods sold are Chinese import ??? Popular retail price range, in a global economy, leads people to shop Wal Mart for price while moaning about the american corner store that recently went out of business. One can't have it both ways, and in the end lower retail price for 'pretty good' quality is the winner. (no matter where it was made).Twenty years ago the foreign instruments (good copies) came from Japan.Nowdays it's China and South Korea as newcomers.Nothing new about this except the ****ries of origin have shifted slightly.What percent of American CARS contain what % of american steel ?? (Checked your brake drums and brake rotors lately ???)

Mule - Posted - 04/13/2009:  20:23:28

I'm guilty of buying all kinds of guitars built all over as well and some foreign made products are better than USA made, and then it goes the other way as well........

But my only comment is that perhaps that someday, if we continue to make our purchase decisions purely for the cost savings, we too, will eventually be making a smaller paycheck, because "what goes around, comes around". If the jobs all go overseas, that lessons the demand for our own labor, thus making more people competing for fewer good paying jobs. So, I'd like to think that if we invest in our own communities, it will pay us back.