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Thanks for sharing !

You seem very well informed. Can’t believe some of the trolls that are out there.

Thanks just my opinion Bob😃

My music room is our Florida room and I currently have half the room for my guitars. The wife has the other half, I just need her to give up enough of her space for the set. I’ll be jammin.

I watched the video thinking you would play the drums?

Replicas are ok as long as they don't have the originals Logo. I'm sure Martin, Gibson and Fender are not ok with replicas with their logos on it. It's forgery and a violation of copyright law. I don't have anything against Asian Guitars. I own a Recording King ROS 626 which is modeled after Martin 12 fret OOO and a Recording King RK 75 elite Banjo modeled after A Gibson Master tone, A Sire Larry Carlton H7 335 type and a PRS SE standard. All fine instruments but with their own logos.

Great tip on checking the neck angle. Unles a guitar has a bolt-on neck, a shallow angle can be expensive to correct! I have a bunch of Chinese Epiphone and Gretsch guitars. Most are excellent right out of the box. I have one Gretsch that may need some fret leveling--I'm in the process of evaluating it. I got killer deals on the Gretschs that I have. I really like 'em. Someone may have strung yours over the bar in order to lower string tension, or to reduce the break angle over the bridge in an effort to get it to stay in tune better. Cheers!

Great video, Bob. Yes, I have quite a few Asian imports...15 or so. How about your collection? Since you are still drumming, I'm not, any chance of you speaking about your electric Kit? Do you still own a acoustic Drum Kit? Just parted with my Kit from 1979-Gretsch. Almost cried-lol. Hope to see you again soon.

Purists will be disgusted with you liking a Chinese Guitar! Prepare to hear from them. lol I'm with you myself.

Its ok to have a version but when they put the Martin name or Gibson name thats going to far. Burn your guitars !!!

I’m fine with guitars made in Asia/China, they seem to play okay. We have a few around the house. Maybe it would work better, if you were to learn & use the correct terminology for the status of these guitars (you do attempt to). If the company name of an established builder appears on the headstock of an Asian or otherwise, rip-off, it is not a copy, it is a counterfeit. Just like your counterfeit with Martin on the headstock. You don’t use the term, so that’s either where your lack of understanding the correct terminology’s comes into play or your inability to accept what you have; a counterfeit/s. The Aria may be a rip-off, or colloquially a copy, erroneously a replica. All these Asian guitars may play nice, better or worse than the original company’s examples, but unless they are maid by their respective company or under licence, they are at best, rip-off copies or in most cases these days; counterfeits. Just say it; I play a counterfeit/s. It’s good therapy for you. Say it; I play a counterfeit Martin and I’m proud of it. Every time you pick it up to play, say to yourself, or the audience around you; Welcome everyone, tonight I’ll be playing a counterfeit guitar and I’m proud. Embrace it Man! Then after a few months, years, whatever it may be, you may ask yourself; why do I need (I’ll say want) a counterfeit Martin of Gibson, et al. Test your inner strength for separation anxiety, unlock the inner emotions preventing you from sanding the inapplicable Names & Marks off them. If you still feel your connection with the (now technically just a rip-off Martin) is every bit what you need in this world, well now you don’t have to explain it to anyone. You can just get back to playing them. Don’t challenge your audiences views, if you don’t completely understand you own; why do you need/want the makers mark on your guitar?

And he can be a bull shitter....Yamaha's can be great....some can be turds....he makes it sound like everyone is the cat's meow. If it's Chinese made, be skeptical....there are good and bad. Don't be fooled by guitars that sound good. Look them over closely.

Really liking your videos Bob. Sometimes people forget that many of the big name guitar brands build most of their guitars in China. Being made in China does not automatically equate to poor quality. It is as variable there as anywhere else on the planet. You just have to find the right makers and dealers and you should be pretty much ok. Yamaha makes most of their guitars in China. Guild, Ibanez, Epiphone, Sigma, all made in China. By the way, not sure if I mentioned it before but Bromo Guitars based in Indonesia are definitely worth checking out.

The fact is that the Chinese have been making fine instruments as long ago as 2000 years they have been making guitars since at least the 1920s many of them are fine arch top guitars. It might be that maybe they know something about instrument making. Add in CAD and CNC manufacturing its fairly difficult to make a boat anchor with an action a mile away from the fret board.

Many years ago, I went into a small music store to buy some guitar strings. While completing the paper and pen bill of sale, the salesperson asked if I was interested in trying out one of the recently introduced Ibanez acoustic guitars. I agreed, tried one of them, and quickly, I knew it wasn't for me. Before returning the guitar across the counter, I noticed a large Yairi banner, and I asked him if the store was an authorized Yairi dealer, which he confirmed, but he said they didn't stock many because of the cost; additionally, he said they had one of the dreadnought models in the back, and it was their policy not to have the Yairis hanging with all the other guitars. He offered to bring it out and tune it so I could try it out. The tone on that guitar was just gorgeous, and before bonding with it I returned it, thanking the salesperson. He asked if there was anything wrong with the Yairi. I replied: "No, I just can't afford a $1200 guitar right now." I have known about Alvarez guitars being the main tier of the St. Louis Music Company, which also imports Yairi, so I asked about seeing one of the Alvarez guitars which would not be as expensive as the Yairi. He took an Alvarez AD80 out of the lineup for me, tuned it, and let me play it. That guitar is not only visually stunning, it has marvelous tone, plus fit and finish. The next day, I returned to the store after my work day and bought that AD80, purely on its merits. It never occurred to me to check the label for country of origin until I got home with the guitar. It's made in China. I have never regretted buying it. It has a tone that is very, very close to the tone of a Martin. I borrowed Martins, Gibsons, Gretsches, and Guilds from school mates during my college years in the late 60s, so I have the references in my memory. I have purchased at least two "high end" US made acoustic guitars, and I have come to the conclusion that one should buy guitars based on construction, acoustic and tonal qualities and their suitability to the type of music you intend to play on them, instead of basing yourself exclusively on the headstock trademark.

Try an Eastman sold wood Take my word

I like the Lava Lamps in the background. I remember when they came out to. I'm 72. A Guitar Player named Junior Brown who makes Guitars from all kinds of oddities including old Car Bumpers! He plays the hell out of them too! Bob Seeger once had a Drummer in The Bob Seeger System who had Drums made of Aluminum trash Cans! lol. Anything can be made playable it's just a question of who wants one.

I have my eyes on Hsienmo guitars just not sure of quality and resale value

I have waisted thousands of dollars on all the big name guitars and banjo's over past 60 years or so . If you get a good playing guitar that fits your hands keep it and don't waist your money. If the name bothers you play it in the dark. The last Martin I owned was a D-35 I paid little over $1,300 for it used with the Martin hard case, sold it for $850 that was over 20 years ago. at a pawn shop near fort Bragg NC

great video. Back in the early 70's at age 23 i took lessons from Gary Chester famous studio session drummer, etc. He owned a beautiful 5 pcs Ludwig set and they were tuned like nobody's business. I eventually owned a music shop and he came down one day to work with the student drummers and I had him sit down at a inexpensive 5pcs. Kit for beginners. He retuned them and sat down and played a few solos for us all. Close your eyes and they sounded like his own Ludwig Kit. Now, they were what they were a cheap Kit-back then maybe several hundred dollars however get a Pro behind them and A) they sounded great-because of HIM, B) no one could tell the difference except Gary. I retired from drumming in 1999 @ age 51 and began teaching myself guitar in 2013. 18 guitars later (mostly Budget guitars) I'm very much enjoying it... not a soul knows they are not $1,000 guitars (or even $500) and for what I do they sound terrific. I get it for those musicians who get a nauseating feeling when playing a Budget guitar v. an expensive Fender or Gibson. Whatever floats your boat. For the average non-professional guitarist who noodles around the house, campfire, family gatherings, churches, etc., these guitars are wonderful and they don't break the bank.

China , our new overlords. Get your flags !

I owned a sigma once. Piece of junk. I had to replace the tuners the top cracked and it wouldn't stay tuned. Other than that it sucked.

You are so correct in many ways. There are many different tools for the job.

Love the shirt! 😎👍🎸

On Dave's World of Fun Stuff, he always says there are no rules, just guidelines. 💎

Enjoy your channel Bob. Keep 'em comin'! 🌀

Love the t-shirt 😂

Bro i got a chinese classical in 2010 claims it has ivory tuning pegs. Bs?

I used to follow JP tirelessly but got frustrated by something I couldn't really pin point at the time. Then it dawned on me that he can be a bit disingenuous when reviewing some guitars. He is talented but his reviews seem sketchy.

Agree that talent is overrated - however another important indicator of success is the amount of dedication to getting every single facet of performance perfect. On one of his videos where he talked about his childhood, he recounted how he played a tape recorder at half speed thousands of times over a two week period until he figured out how a performer played a 2 second lick. That type of dedication is quite rare. Yes, you need a lucky break or two, but putting in an incomprehensible number of hours of hard practice is the difference between JP and the rest of us normal guys.

Don't sleep on the Martin Factory in Navajo. The Mahogany guitars are going to be shifted down to Mexico. That is the story.

What’s the word on Zager guitars?

just another dope trying to get looser utube jerks to listen to nothing ,,,,,while trying to be some slob on youtube trying to get in on the moron grab

Yes it's right place right time, who you know, etc... But on the point of "I see some people coming up and I can play better than them". I would say hold on there. Take a guitar player like a pop star like Taylor Swift or Ed Sheeran... They are at core singer-songwriters not great guitar players. The utility of the instrument to them is to play rhythm in time and support their vocal and going back to the 1960s you've had this category of musician that's singing and playing at the same time, often just an acoustic and vocal and they might have some nice intros and solo here and there, but the playing supporting their vocal is rather simple... So sure you could play better than them, but could you write a collection of songs as good as they have done, sing in a unique style like they are doing and build that brand they have built? There's so much more to making it as an artist using the guitar as part of your toolset than just being a great technical guitar player. It's right place right time, but if the total package isn't there to sell, that right-place right time will have the people who could change their lives passing over them. The business of music is simple, it's about a group of people who don't make music making as much money as they possibly can off those who do make music. If they since there's a market for an artist product they will buy.

I had a Samick classical guitar that I bought for $200 it was unbelievable unfortunately my daughter knocked it over and snapped the headstock and because it was cheap I didn’t bother to get it fixed…Have regretted it ever since

EPIPHONE BY GIBSON IS MY FAVORITE .

i taught my self to play guitar in 1963 i have given away over 50 guitars played over 8000 nursing home gigs with a 10 piece band had a gal ask me why i had so many guitars i said guitars are like women i always want the one the other guy is playing

Great vid! Hope to be as wise as you one day 🙏🏻

Bob, I like where you're coming from and I subscribed! I was a sheet metal mechanic for many, many years. I also made my living playing and singing in pubs and restaurants for around 7 years. My thoughts on this topic- In order to really A/B a guitar, it should be done in person. That said, to do so, on-line, requires a good set of head phones and a knowledge of what a good guitar should sound like. How many of the folks listening to JP's comparisons fit this criteria? I don't know. There is no doubt that JP is an outstanding player. But even players have their biases. From many of his comments, I don't believe JP is a fan of Martin. I must also note that he is being sponsored by both Alverez and Recording King, so that might play into his positive reviews of those instruments a bit. I am somewhat cynical, so bear that in mind. I have bought a Boucher OM, which JP has endorsed, so I don't discount his opinions on guitars, I am just a bit skeptical of on-line endorsements, when money changes hands.

Hello, I have owned hundreds of guitars over the years, it's just a money racket, I have played the Martin D-100 and still say that in my opinion the older D-18 was the best of all the Martins. I had a friend who was a well known guitar picker that has now passed on he could make most any guitar sound great. If you like the neck on a guitar and it fits your hands that is the guitar for you. Thanks for good video.

D45, D50, what's the point of a $ 12-50K guitar that doesn't get played, home or stage. Slash's LP wasn't a Gibson. EVH's Frankenstrat wasn't a Fender.. Sooner or later one has to play the guitar, that's when the fraud is exposed. I read too many online claiming the most expensive guitars they have feel better & therefore are more playable & sound better. End of the day, when the set up is the same, the specs for measurements are the same, a $ 100 Chinese guitar plays as good as any Custom Shop guitar does. And even if the pickups aren't on the same level, the 3rd party pickup manufacturers will make you what the professionals drop in to replace the stock issued name brand pickups are for relative junk, for about $ 300. A truly accomplished musician has no more difficulty playing & making music with any guitar. Trust me, I handed over a $ 25 preowned Squier to another, he was playing Ratt Rock riffs for those hits. He played the same one's with his Fender Strat & the same sounds came out of the amplifier with either guitar. If a big brand wants to give any of us guitars to promote that product & pay us, would be a fool not to take the endorsement contract. I've seen too many success stories of someone that built their reputations with the pawn shop guitar or a partscaster that had no business making those hits for music. But they were making that music, didn't matter where or what night. I just recall reading EVH's Franenstrat cost as a patchwork of miscellaneous parts about what a Squier Affinity MSRP's for. No doubt in my head, EVH, alive today, could play & do that with a GLarry and it would play no better or worse than even his EVH guitars. I get that one guitar will look a lot nicer than the other, maybe be a little tighter for build tolerances. But at the end of the day there won't be any difference with the performance of the artist's music. I have Squier & Epiphone guitars, I also have sub $ 100 Chinese guitars. They basically sound, feel & play the same as one another, makes no difference that one was twice the price. The strings are the same brand, polyurethane is polyurethane.

I tried watching JP, but to me his personalty and his push is just not for me, but thank you for this video

Is there a reason why you don’t give the name of the place or places you purchase these guitars from.

Bob, first time viewer to your channel. What I’m about to say is my opinion based on my experience and observation period. JP Cormier is truly the last person on You-Tube I would even think of endorsing. Been following his channel for about 3 years hoping he’ll stop exaggerating and giving incorrect information to the Guitar world. He does everything in his power to get manufacturers to send him free instruments for his endorsement. Most of the manufacturers are inexpensive guitars the public has never heard of with the exception of maybe Boucher or Alvarez. He’s always expressing his disdain for higher quality Guitars that obviously blow the pants off of the ones he gets free. I certainly don’t feel he has the factual product knowledge on most guitars being sold in the world today. You notice he rarely shows any guitars from the top three manufacturers like Gibson, Taylor or Martin and they sell great instruments that won’t break the bank, probably because they won’t endorse him or give him a signature model. JP is a fine guitarist, but that’s where it all stops. There are so many great guitars on the market now, it’s truly remarkable. I just don’t think he’s honest and transparent in his knowledge and what he promotes. I encourage everyone to research and play as many guitars as possible, so they can make an educated decision best for them. Sorry for the long rant, but I couldn’t disagree with you more.

If you find a vintage FG series Yamaha from the 1980s that has been well cared for, you have found gold! I recently compared my FG 350D (1982) to a brand new Alvarez, and while the Alvarez looks impressive, with all the right stats; solid spruce top, bone saddle and nut, it sounded like a toy, when compared side by side to the Yamaha. When I looked closely at the Alvarez, I discovered the small type: Made in China. At the same time, in larger type it says: Designed in the USA. Which is confusing, because the Alvarez brand is marketed as a Japanese made guitar. Fortunately since it was brand new, I was able to return it. I don’t know why there are so many favorable reviews on RUclips about Alvarez guitars. Oh, I forgot to mention, my Alvarez arrived with serious fret buzz, which says something about their quality control. Maybe in the past, they made great guitars in Japan. But not today!

Another great video Bob. I have followed JP for quite some time now. I saw the Alvarez/Martin video. There are a lot of people who "think" they can easily tell one guitar from another but put them in a blind test and it soon becomes apparent that most of what the think they know is down to the marketing machine. There are loads of great guitars out there being passed by because they don't have the right name on the headstock. And food? Oh yeah! Breakfast...whats next. That's me all day long 😂

Ever play an Eastman? They are made in China but very nice. Sometimes you can get them used for really good deals.

I had an opportunity to spend a few hours playing a bunch of Martins, but kept coming back to a Yamaha RS9 R, in a similar price range but without the Martin heritage but the build, feel and tone was amazing so that’s the one I chose. I’ve been following the Hsienmo guitars also.

Self taught guitarist now since 2013 after playing drums for 35 years or so. Im a budget guitar buyer since I play in and not out. Acoustics, acoustic electrics, and electrics. And although I'm sure Clapton wouldn't be tickled pink to be playing my Yamaha or Sigma acoustic, or Firefly or IYV electric... Id say no one would know the difference, if listening to him, if it were a IYV, Fender, or a Martin. I do understand that the musician playing the guitar certainly knows the difference and must be happy and comfortable with the instrument. I have 18 guitars and have invested roughly $3,200. Most of them needed some TLC when I got them, as most expensive guitars do too, and I can do that and am a happy clam. Thoroughly enjoy your videos Bob...keep up the good work...

Stop talking!