People, I've finely figured out why I love watching these guys so much. When I was in a band -- many decades ago -- there was no one promoting bands in the small town area I lived in. Thus, I and the bass player would do what we called a "gig run" to keep us in gigs when the work was getting thin. We'd jump in our beat-up old chevy van, and would hit every bar within a hundred miles. To keep ourselves entertained, we would talk about every subject we could think of having to do with music. Needless to say, by the time we got home, we were both drunk.
I really enjoy these videos. I'm a former novice player who hasn't picked up an instrument in years, but remain interested in all things guitar related. You guys are great!
I was searching for a Tele and wanted to get a U.S.A. made one but I ended up with a made in Mexico. The Vintera modded 50's Tele had everything I wanted felt better and sounded the best. Made in Mexico doesn't really bother me because my wife was also made in Mexico.
Today, the whole Mexico vs USA is totally on par. For decades, people swore the Mexico line was great, I contested, handed my MIA Strat over for a few songs on the set, we'd be shopping MIA by the weekend. Now, it's literally the same as the previous America line, the smarter thing to do? Buy as many Players as possible at low dollar, then hold em'. Not gonna be popular online if ya do this, but in a out 10yrs, it'll be worth double if they discontinue it, and I'm not sure the American line can take the hit much longer.
There's no reason that Gibson and others can't build a great guitar in the US for $1k. Godin has been building great guitars in Canada for way less money. My favorite acoustic guitar is my Seagull Entourage that I paid under $300 for brand new. The guitar was built in Canada with Canadian wood. Canadian labor doesn't really cost less than American labor, so if Seagull can give me a great guitar for $300, then Gibson damned well aught to be able to for $1k.
Kiesel builds fantastic guitars in the USA for great prices. I now have 4 completely custom made guitars (granted, they were definitely more than $2k, but that’s a matter of customization) made in the US, and they’re among my best guitars. And I agree completely about Godin. My Godin (Stadium ‘59) is actually assembled in the US, and it ran me $1000 CAD in late 2019. It’s the second best neck I’ve had (the best was also a Godin). Not $1k cheap, but you can hop in to some fantastic guitars for $1300 or so.
Came to post this same thing. Seagull is hand made in La Patrie Quebec, and they stand up against guitars 5x the price. New S6 is still only 500-600 bucks, which is ludicrous.
Really depends on how the insides of Gibson are working. If they have unionized workers, they can’t reduce much of the price. They also may have parents that rely on hand-made/finished parts that automation would make invalid
@@sirlost94 Gibson closed their unionized shop in Kalamazoo in 1985, they opened a new non-union shop in Nashville, which is where they build instruments today.
I had to spend £500 on my Gibson Les Paul in order to make it play and intonate as well as my 1983 Yamaha SG1000. Let’s be honest. Americans have this “USA is best idea.” But turn on an old episode of British live music show “The Tube” which ran from 1983-1987 and featured touring artists of the day. You see endless Yamaha SG’s, Ibanez Artists, Ibanez Roadstars, Schecter & Squier JV Strats & Tele’s, Washburn Woodstock acoustics. Loads of pro bands played Japanese guitars back in the day. It’s only really the resurgence of Fender and arrival of PRS that kept American made instruments alive.
Quality guitars are made everywhere like Godin in Canada and Ibanez in japan, Huber in Germany etc. No doubt that a USA built guitar is up there with the best, but there's loads of others just as good and very often for less money. USA does not automatically equal better especially if you're comparing 2 guitars of the same price. Also Baxter and Jon, you have an international audience on this channel (great channel BTW) who may not have that reverence for USA built products that Americans have, and nothing wrong with that let me add, its good to support local businesses wherever you are.
I am a big fan of the tribute series from Gibson. I have a Les Paul and a Flying V tribute from that series, built as well as the more expensive guitars they make, feels great, a fraction of the price, and you mainly lose binding and gloss lacquer. But the satin feels amazing in your hand.
I think Fender does a good job of hitting every price point between their made in Mexico and made in USA lines. Gibson, not so much. It kills me when I see guys in Facebook groups saying things like “I only paid $375 for my Tele in 1974”. Dude $375 was a lot of money in 1974
What gets me is that Fender’s American Professional II line (and all of its predecessors) and the Gibson Les Paul Standard are still the equivalent today of what they cost in 50s. Gibson and Fender do this on purpose. We are so fortunate today that we have choices ranging from insanely expensive (by anyone’s standard) all the down to less expensive than the actual prices Fenders and Gibsons sold for in the 50s. Of course, those lowest priced guitars won’t be American made and won’t have Fender or Gibson (and maybe not even Squier or Epiphone) on the headstock, but you can definitely find a playable guitar for that 50s price if that is the price range you can afford.
Back when Fender first introduced the Highway 1 series, I bought 2 of the Strats and one Tele and paid $450 for each! They were, and still are, excellent guitars. Same thing with the "15" series by Martin when they first came out. I bought a OO-15 for $550, brand new, with the Martin case. Beautiful little guitar that sounded amazing, but like a fool, I sold it to a buddy who played acoustic more than me for $400. So, can the American makers bring out good inexpensive guitars? Sure can. But just like Martin's "15" series, once they get popular, they turn into a cash cow.
I remember when you could get a Gibson Les Paul studio for around 800 bucks new at Guitar Center like 11-12 years ago. Then those went up in price to like 1200-1300 and a new 800-900 Les Paul, the Tribute, came out around 2015-2016. Now the Tributes are at the 1200-1300 price point and Studios are around 1500-1600 bucks, and high end Epiphones can be anywhere between 700-1000.
Played a dreadnought in my local guitar shop and honestly it was pretty good! The finish is a bit anemic on the top but the addition of the sound hole on the top shoulder is great. I’d still rather buy an Eastman at the price as I’m getting more guitar for my money.
With some mods my Fender Performers are fantastic instruments, in their case they really save cost on the metal hardware which needs tossed straight away (E.G. the control plate resembles tin foil coated plastic) and replaced with Callaham, Barden similar and tuners swapped for schallers. Frets seem good quality though. The core Guitar in the performer range feels far better built to me than the high end MIM I've had (I've had 3 of the newer Deluxe Nashvilles and only one of them could hold a candle to the Performer or the old special I used to own).
First acoustic I bought myself is a Takamine EG541C. $499 in the early 90's, still dig that guitar. Great action, sounds good, that's all I need. It is an acoustic/electric, but I never use the output so I wouldn't try to stack it against other acoustic/electric guitars
Depends. Am I holding and playing the guitars? Or just listening to them? There is a substantial difference in feel between my SE Custom 24 and my Core Cu24.
I have one of the Eppie DR500's that Jonathan is talking about, all solid wood, plays and sounds great. I bought it when my J45 was in for repair, sounds great through the rig, I use it to gig now. I had to go to Sourwater and look. As of 01:00 on 9/26 they have 4+ new G45's, 4+ new G200 EC's and they are out of the other 2. The 45 is 1199 and 200 is 1999, so it wasn't just the cheap ones out. I also have a GS Mini from a very early production batch, signed by Bob himself. With some age now it sounds amazing! Not looking at it you would not know it was a Mini being played!! I paid $400, and got a free ukulele with it. LOLOL Thanks, JMHO --gary
I was looking for a Strat last year and couldn't find a USA model I liked - I bought a Mexican Fender for the first time in my life and was surprised at how good it is and how much I liked it. It doesn't matter to me anymore where a guitar is built, just how well.
I think the fundamental question is what are we paying for when we're paying for Made in America? Is the labor of higher quality? Are the materials always different? I wonder what the pay difference is for workers in a Mexican factory (or Korean or Filipino one). When it comes to acoustics, I think we're often faced more directly with differences in materials and build quality, but when it comes to electrics...aren't tone pots tone pots? Just some scattered thoughts, but my sense is we're paying for the label and, rightly, for some increased labor costs, the latter which is not a bad thing. We always want our labor value maxed out but don't want to pay others what they thing they are worth, so always a challenge there.
There are so many great guitars made outside of the USA. But there’s also something like market value. I bought my J-45 for €1600 only 8 years ago. I remember this Eastman guitar that sounded killer and it was a lot cheaper too (€1200). So I was in doubt, but I bought the J-45, partly because it was and still is an icon in the industry. Eastman doesn’t make icons. There are no heroes of mine who played Eastman guitars. So I bought the J-45 because I wanted to buy a dream and not ‘just’ a good guitar. But if I would want to sell it now (I won’t, this is purely hypothetically speaking), I could sell it for €1700! A new J-45 today in Europe would cost me €2333. If I would’ve chosen the Eastman that day, it would be worth €700/800 now. I’m saving for a Martin 000-28 now. To me that’s a crazy amount of money. But I’m not dead yet and I think it’s a pretty save bet to think that I won’t be losing money over it if I keep it for just a decade.
@@mariodriessen9740 I get it- I really do, but I guess I do not enjoy this as a hobby by justifying it as an investment. There's value in buying things, but I don't really sell things- it's not a market to me in which I'm changing things out every once in a while when I get tired of it or whatever. My new Strat is...my new Strat and it's value has no dollar amount to me. I understand that's not how everyone views it and I'm not encouraging anyone else to view it my way, just saying how I see it. And no, it's not because I'm wealthy. It took me about a year to save up for the Vintera :) Best of luck on the Martin- great guitar!
@@Amish_Trivedi : Thanks! Actually, I think we’re not that different when it comes to that. I never bought a guitar that I didn’t intend to use and keep. I don’t think I ever sold a guitar at all. It’s more about the feeling of having an expensive instrument that is well played and loved by many of our heroes, so there are no excuses for playing or sounding bad. There’s nothing to hide. You’re in the big league. But I also know quite a few people for whom the value in money is indeed very important. And I think this could be an important factor in wanting to own an iconic American made guitar. For me personally, the fact that it has to be an American made instrument on itself is not important to me. Most Gretsch guitars in the top segment are made in Japan. And they’re better than most of the vintage Gretsches I’ve played. Well, the custom shop Gretsch guitars are all American, aren’t they? Aaaaah…, guitars. 😊
I have a Michael Kelly acoustic. They were the first to do the soundboards and I love it. I played it back-to-back with the Epiphone master build and a Gibson and I bought the Michael Kelly instead. Where it's built has nothing to do with quality. It's the builder and the materials.
Makes me happy to see positive comments about Seagull guitars, because I only have one guitar, and it’s a 2019 Seagull S6 Original. Really great guitar!
Agan good work. The question is shouldn't gibson take epiphones north to Canada? Stay sway from Mexico . This would prevent a need for cheeper gibsons and alow for higher priced epiphone
I assumed LTD starting doing US builds as a double bonus - they can ask a bit more than their other offshored models (if they so choose) and they don't have to deal with customs/tariffs/taxntrade stuff. There are also several luthiers in US and Canada that have really started becoming visible that are hitting price points about where Kiesel/Carvin starts which is also barely getting into a G&L custom order (unsure if they have a legit custom shop, looking at the site). But if you poke around you can buy hand crafted stuff for 1500-2500 and maybe even less if they have stuff already laying around that you'll take instead of a full custom order. Some smaller builders are happy with making a couple instruments a month for a couple grand each. Damn I heart the internet.
There is always pursuit for a better designed and built guitar because everyone thinks a next generation guitar will make them better players. Same with golf clubs! Some times the nextgen helps, but IMO most of the time it doesn't. Speaking for myself a decent well made acoustic guitar ranging $500+ is all I need and I feel all that most people need. Anything more is icing on the cake. Does that stop me from buying a more expensive guitar? Nope! I simply like nice guitars because I appreciate the craftmanship and thought that went into it, but my definition of nice doesnt necessarily equate to expensive or particular brand. I do thrive on seeing guitar manufactures push the limits and introduce new and improved designs and products. I dont care much for manufactures who copy others and market like its a new design they came up with. In this case, the side hole in the bout or elsewhere on the soundboard has been around for years; McPherson, Ovation, and many more, and I do feel that design is a worthy modification but for Gibson to do this now on their acoustics seems weird and I think they should have been more original. Taylor recently did the cutaway hole and that was unique although it also had been done by some small luthier makers before. The Martin SC-13ce body is a good idea but the design of the neck bolted to the body is ugly and I imagine could feel awkward to a players, so IMO Martin also missed the mark on that design. I'm not a Martin or Gibson hater but these days I do feel Taylor sets a high bar all around. Taylor is very future thinking in every aspect of their business and product. The Martin SC-13CE and Gibson Generation collection likely are decent guitars but seem to be a poor attempt to keep pace with competition.
I just bought the Gibson G-Writer over the weekend. I love it so far. This is my first Gibson. I wanted a J-45 but picked this up to try it out and as there was not a J-45 in stock, this is the one I got. I was fully planning to pay the 2800 or so for the J-45 but this guitar with the LR Baggs Bronze pickup sounds amazing to me. I’m not a professional by any means. I play at church on Sundays. I played a couple Martins and a couple Taylors. To me the Gibson was the guitar.
The guitars fender is making in Mexico are some fabulous guitars! I've got two charvels and two EVH guitars that were made in Mexico and if I didn't know it was made in Mexico and someone told me they were made in the USA I would believe it.......Edit: BUT I will say that import guitars, no matter where they were made, were imported to be a cheaper alternative to the manufacturers USA line so people with less money to spend could have a guitar at a fraction of the cost but now that import guitars are just as much or even more in some cases what's the point in having an import line? Plus if the imports cost as much or more than their USA models then what happens to the folks that can't afford either?
@@kevinmac9442 Totally Agree! At $1000 or above I'm saving a little longer and buying a USA model. The American Professional series start around $1499 so an import at $1049 makes no sense to me. A lot of people will argue that it doesn't matter where it's made but to me it does for so many reasons. Yes, Squire is now topping out around the $499 price point and their I believe it's called the classic model but not sure but it's a great guitar but when Squire is in the $499 range who's in the $299 that's making quality guitars? I no I'm getting older but when I started playing I started on a Harmony strat copy that I believe my parents bought at Sears for $199 and it came with a practice amp and honestly that guitar was a really good guitar at that price.
@@srh361 "At $1000 or above I'm saving a little longer and buying a USA model." Makes you wonder... Was that Fender's engineered marketing plan all along?
@@josephhein9497 Great point!! There's definitely a marketing reason behind it, it's still a business after all. I will say that the quality of the guitars ( at least the ones I have) coming out of Mexico is top notch. I don't buy guitars to turn around and sell but I do think about resale value when I purchase gear, so say the Mexican guitar gets to the point it's better than the USA model the USA model will hold it's value while the Mexican import will not.
I got the chance of trying al four models at the store I work and they are OK, not too bad, not too good, just ok, but I guess keeping with the price point. I also recently got myself a custom shop J45 like the one you mention in the vid, it's absolutely incredible, there's no putting it down and makes every other acoustic in the shop except one or two, sound dull...
The first Martin DX series were made in the US, you could get a new DXM for under $500, and it was decent sounding. I guess time and bean counting change.
A good guitar is a good guitar. My main guitars are a D28, a MIJ White Flacon, an SG Standard, and a tele I put together myself with parts from everywhere. They all feel good, look good, and sound good.
My main guitars are a Gibson Les Paul '50s Tribute with updated (Bare Kunkle Bootcamp True Grit) pickups and a FGN Iliad (T-style). I've had really great experiences with both.
Good morning from Colorado. I love the American made line. But, cant afford 2k up front. Ive been buying mint used pieces online, reverb and other stores. Just finished a lake placid blue strat with custom 69 pickups. Its amazing.
Talking about automation for these models... would this be new for the Montana plant? Maybe this series is just there to return the cost of the new equipment on the production line.
I played the new Generation Series G45 at Guitar Center on Saturday. First impressions...Light weight, sound hole volume was a plus, good sustain, but it sounded very bright to me, brighter than I expected or liked. Walnut back and sides obviously play a role here. Played well, action was good, but to me it just didn't have that Gibson tone I was expecting. Maybe next visit I'll feel differently.
Something you guys gotta try out. Last year I got into a Martin 000-15M the "affordable MIA Martin" it's just a stripped down all mahogany 000. And I gotta tell you, its an AMAZING acoustic. Doesn't have all of the fancy cosmetic features of their more expensive guitars but it sounds and plays leaps and bounds better than their Mexican built guitars that are in the same budget range. That being said, I also played a couple taylor 114 214s and for the price, you are absolutely right you will not get a better all around acoustic for that money, but you might get one just as good. Martin's 15 Range is great if you like the all mahogany guitars. Understand that that isn't everyone's cup of tea though. I personally love the sound and look of a solid Mahogany acoustic. I'm really excited to get my hands on this new Gibson range as well.
I just purchased an Academy 12e from Casino Guitars and also have a GS Mini plus. These guitars are great instruments. I own 3 Gibsons (Hummingbird, B25, and J45) and 3 Martins (CEO 7, D-41 and HD-28). For me the playability of the Taylors are unmatched. The Academy 12e is really good instrument regardless of the price. Dealing with the folks at Casino Guitars was a great bonus.
I think the key with import guitars (or guitars from anywhere) is it has to come from somewhere with a guitar culture. Where people in the factory have played and can appreciate the craft. That's why the made in USA guitars have the reputation they do. That's why a lot of the MiJ guitars are honestly, IMO, right on par with the USA stuff (Ibanez, Gretsch etc make KILLER guitars over there. The fender MiJ stuff is incredible too). That's why the made in Mexico stuff is as good as it is too. And why Korea has been rapidly becoming one of the better eastern manufacturers too.
I mentioned in your comments before about how much I like my GS Mini. A few months ago, I wasn't even aware that they existed (yes, head under a rock and playing mostly electric). Tried one out at a shop and was thoroughly impressed, expecting the price tag to be significantly higher than what it is. I was surprised that it was not made in Taylors US factory, and that price. Caused an impulse buy.
I have the J45 studio walnut back & sides & love it. Got no real issues, Made in USA for guitars have more a prestige isn’t necessarily a bad thing. But you would run the risk of getting a worse instrument as it’s essentially a budget instrument with USA additional charges. Being British nearly all guitars are imports one way or another & if the better guitar is made somewhere else & cheaper then I probably would get that.
Thanks Baxter, just looked up the GS Mini and see the Koa version, SO nice looking! And with your comments, and the great reviews, I think I need to buy one. Thanks for contributing to my G.A.S. hahaha
I own one of the Koa GS Minis. It is an amazing guitar. Aesthetically the wood grain will vary greatly from one guitar to the next. I always enjoy looking at them anytime I go into a Taylor dealer. I always look at them and think that one looks nicer than mine. Then I get home and realize my looks just as good (if not better) and sounds awesome, too. The more expensive GS Mini Koa Plus wasn’t available when I got mine, but you might want to consider those, too.
@@charlesbolton8471 Did a quick search, saw the plus, going to look more in to them when I'm off work. Last thing I need is yet another guitar, but since I don't have an acoustic, I probably should. That's me talking myself into picking one up haha Thanks for the heads up. Since I don't even really need an acoustic, the non-plus is tempting, but the plus comes with a better (soft) case for not much more, which is also tempting. Hmmm haha
I love how Gibson keeps solving problems that didn't exist when it comes to guitars. It was so hard before to drop my pick into the sound hole on my acoustic. Now I can just drop it right in the side!
These discussions of MIA guitars vs Others, remind me of the car industry of days gone by. For years Americans held onto the belief that their locally made cars were the best. They largely ignored the quality and reliability of Japanese cars and the overall performance of European cars. Look what's on the roads today. And I'm sure the vast majority of people would agree that many of those cars are extremely reliable and drive very well. Sure support your local industries, but not with closed eyes to the detriment of yourself.
MORE BS! for one American cars WERE and still ARE THE BEST! but the japanese payed off american officials to sell cars here by the boatloads for next to nothing just so they could line their pockets with betrayal cash.. unlike the fees and tariffs American manufacturers had to pay to export cars to their countries, and that whole reliability BS, is just that, BULL! plenty of hondas in garages back then, what make failed the most? yes it was JAPANESE! that reliability crap was propaganda to get you to runout and betray your own country and buy a japanese car under the guise they were more "reliable", BS! I have a 95 ford escort still running strong today, 34 MPG, I've done squat to it, 395,000 on the clock, you cannot say that about ANY honda, they'd require a new motor, tranny, all sorts of other odds and ends.. you bought into the bull, that era was the start of the selling out of America and IT WORKED and is still underway... muppets all across the country were betraying their nation and buying everything foreign, when the real deal is the game was rigged, the japanese got to export cars here for next to nothing, while the USA couldn't afford export fee's, now slave labor is coming into the picture and you people are still betraying your country, that's OK cuz you're country is going to betray you soon enough.. lol, "japanese steel is better than American"!!!!! lofl, if that's true then why do they get their ore from the USA? why did our leadership GIVE them all our major steel production plants? this country is in shambles and will be a complete third world nation here real quick cuz of idiots such as yourself spreading misinformation and downright lies, the communist party has you so brainwashed and you have no idea.. you have NO IDEA what's going on around you nor what's been going on around you, all you know is to repeat something some other moron said to make yourself sound semi intelligent, and all the other morons believe every word you say... and here we are...
I just got a Taylor GS Mini Mahogany. Oh my god what a great guitar. I’ve also got a couple MIM Fenders and am really happy with them. Affordable enough to have a Strat and a Tele and do some little mods to them. I’ve got an Ibanez Artcore as well which I think is made in China and it also plays nicely.
I've got the first generation g45 studio I really enjoy it .at first it was really bright but has mellowed out nicely . the build quality is really good the body is not as deep as my martin d16rgt but it's very comfortable
I’ve become a made in America person, and Chinese are last on my list, but I have an old Masterbuilt Epiphone acoustic and I would never get rid of it. It’s my only acoustic now. The sound is amazing, I’d put it up against 5K+ guitars any day of the week.
I've played and lusted after some really high end guitars, but right now my two most expensive ones are my Martin 000-15M and my Gibson Les Paul Special. Both are pretty recent builds. The Gibson was made just after the most recent transition. Both are US made and retail for about 1350-ish. They are GREAT guitars. I literally don't lust after higher end guitars because I'm so happy with them. Everyone that plays them and has much more expensive guitars says they are great. Could I spend 4-5 grand and have some custom shop Gibson that blows it out of the water? I mean, maybe. But I don't think it's worth it to find out.
I own a couple Rickenbackers. One bass and one guitar both fairly new. The quality control person was asleep when my bass came across the bench. But now I have a "one off". I hope anyway. :)
Gibson should never build a guitar with the Gibson name on it that's not built in the USA. They are the one major company that builds every guitar in the USA, none are built to profit off cheap labor. I think we can all agree that the M2 was a mistep but the Tributes are great, you get all the feel and tone without the cosmetic upgrades that are so expensive to produce. I think this generation series is built in a similar way. Last year I bought a new Les Paul Special Tribute with P-90s for $999 and it's fantastic. It has a light satin nitro finish and no binding. Having a high gloss nitro finish and binding add a lot to the price and make for a very nice looking guitar but they're also the kind of things that you can change to make a more affordable guitar without affecting how well the guitar plays and sounds.
I absolutely agree - the Tributes are the best value in Gibson’s lineup today! Hopefully these Generation acoustics are more like the Tributes and less like the M2s and S series guitars.
I had a Les Paul tribute for awhile until I got a 60s Les Paul...its was a great guitar and value, mine even had some decent birds eye maple on the top.
Gibson is not the only company to build in the US Kiesel, Suhr both do all builds here. And they far better than Gibson, in QC and playability and in design . Gibson and Fender both are producing 50s and 60s guitars with real any truly modern design improvements.
@@dennisapplegate7553 I wouldn't consider Suhr or Keisel to be one of the big brands yet. Maybe someday, they're both growing. And they're not better than Gibson. They're good guitars but very different guitars. That's comparing apples to oranges.
@@ChrisEck13 if you believe they arent better designed and have better QC and are made from superior materials then you haven't played them . You owe it to your self to check them out they are astounding. I've owned Gibson since the mid 60s ES 335,355 69 goldtop ,61 single cut melody maker 62 double cut melody maker, and a 56 goldtop .Sold them all except the 56 .Fit finish playability and design are all superior to what Gibsons doing.
I’m a union worker 34 years now so for me I prefer waiting a bit to save and then buy American 🇺🇸. Nothing wrong with the Mexican guitars either, it’s just me. Those new acoustics via Gibson look and sound fantastic too for the money. ( Alamo Music had a great video ).
A lot of overseas made guitars are either just as good as American made and even better guitar makers like the Cort facilities who make guitars for other brands and their own brand have proven this for a long time..the days of your guitar needs to be American made for quality are long gone
I agree with you about Cort. In 2007, I bought a new Parkwood PW340FM made in the Cort factory in Korea. This guitar is non cutaway, jumbo acoustic guitar with no electronics. It is all solid wood with a Sitka spruce top and flame maple back, and sides. It is absolutely beautiful in appearance and sound. It was definitely not the guitar I intended to buy when I went to store that day. I had been saving for months to buy a American made acoustic. I really wanted a Gibson J-185, but it was too far out of my price range so I had been looking at American made Martins for a few weeks. I had also looked at Epiphone and Guild jumbos, but they were both laminate back and sides and sounded and looked no where near as nice as the Gibsons. I had never owned an all solid wood acoustic and that was really important to me. So I had decided to not get a jumbo, and instead buy a Martin. The day of the purchase I went into the store, and took my chosen Martin off the wall. I sat down to play it to confirm my decision when a jumbo on the opposite wall caught my attention. I hung the Martin back up, and went to look at it. The price was much less than anything American made I had been looking at, and it was $200 more expensive than the Epiphone and $150 more than the Guild. It looked and sounded better than either of those by a substantial margin. I’m not going to say that it sounds better than a Gibson, but it sounds great. In my opinion the fact that it is less ornate makes look a lot better, and it does feel just as good if not better. It was an easy decision to make as to which guitar was going home with me that day. If all that wasn’t enough when I went to pay for it I found out it was on sale for less than the price of the Epiphone. It is one of the best gear purchases I’ve ever made.
@@charlesbolton8471 absolutely I have two guitars made in Cort Indonesia 2019 Jackson Adrian Smith SDX and Gretsch Rancher Falcon Jumbo Acoustic with Fishman electronics $550.00 for the Jackson and $729.00 for the Gretsch I bought in 2020 both are flawless the craftsmanship is superb on both guitars
I’m a new guitarist, I own one Fender electric guitar. I’m looking at buying my first acoustic guitar. I would look at guitars in the $699 range, but I’m not even considering a guitar in the $999 range. If that means I get a Mexican made unit instead of an USA unit so be it. FWIW my Fender was Hecho en Mexico.
I think some of my MIM Fender's are just as good or better than a few of my American ones. If it's sort up properly they play just as well and I am happy with the pick ups. I wish I could afford to get another Strat in the Player Plus series because the noiseless pickups are amazing. I can only speak though of my experiences with Fender.
Gibson acoustics have caught my eye. These Generation series guitars (and some others in their lineup) are MIA and all solid construction, for a reasonable price… The sound port could be neat too. Unfortunately I’ve never seen a Gibson acoustic in-person that wasn’t over $3000. My local stores don’t carry them, and Guitar Center always has the same expensive Gibson acoustics… I may end up driving to Nashville to get my hands on one! As for the “cheaply made in USA” thing, they can definitely go wrong with that - remember the Gibson S series? Horrible guitars. I find Gibson’s faded models to be pretty cheap-feeling, too. These acoustics look legit though - solid wood construction, made in Bozeman, Montana… I’m sure they’ll have thin finishes, but that’s my preference for acoustics. Super psyched for these!
My ES335 was stolen (along with a few others) a couple months ago. I had the guitar for several years, I bought it after making the worst gear selling decision of my life after selling my ES345. It wasn't insured and I couldn't afford another 335. I need a semihollow, so I picked up an Eastman 386 and it's REALLY impressive. Sub-$1000, really well made, lacquer finish, hard case. I had to replace the pickups and some of the electronics (using a 0.047 tone cap for a semihollow?? I don't use those on the brightest Strats). In all honesty I could have spent $200 more on the next level up and wouldn't have had to change anything, but for some reason the headstock on the models above this line use what is IMO on second to the Parker Fly in regards of the ugliest headstock in the world (looks like an ice cream cone; like the Ibanez Artcore and many of the 70s Japanese copies). Normally appearances is last in my list of priorities, but the headstock is the one thing that's always in my line of a sight. The Epi Masterbilt series were phenomenal. I worked repairing guitars for over a decade(now amps). When those first came out I was talking to the guy that owned the shop and told him the specs: solid wood, bone nut/saddle, dovetail neck joint (unlike these gentlemen, I'm not a fan of bolted acoustic necks) and built with hot hide glue. He didn't believe me, he though for sure I had misread the specs. We just had someone come in with some $700-800 acoustic that was damaged; nothing major, but we had to tell him that his only real option was to buy a new guitar. Many of the affordable acoustics (this may have changed, I don't know) are built using epoxy as the adhesive. It's strong and sets in minutes, instead of days like glue, allowing them to build more at a faster rate. They're non-serviceable. I would definitely rather have a better guitar built overseas than a mediocre MIA model. Those Gibson acoustics immediately made me think "mehh."
I’ve always wondered if a shop would take entry level guitars marketed towards beginners and put a killer set up on them for say around 100 more to cover the tech’s labor.
@@keithbarrett3515 Well , my thought is many players give up before even building callous on their finger tips due to a poorly set up guitar with a back or forward bowed neck and sky high action . I don’t mean a fret level just a nice set of 9s lower the action and flatten out the neck a little . Probably a lot of beginners and their parents wouldn’t understand the value in that service . I remember part of learning was pain in building finger strength and callous . It was just a sacrifice to be made if you really wanted to learn bad enough . Most of the people who started playing when give up in a month or so . I’ve never been more than a hobbyist player , but it’s always been my therapy the only time my head isn’t constantly racing and worrying is when I have a guitar in my hands .
I tried a Reverend Sensei jr and I believe they are made overseas but set up in the US before they go out. I am going to buy one of those as soon as I have the money and I can justify it in my head. (OK I can always justify it in my head let’s not kid each other) have you guys ever considered carrying Reverend? For $899 it was a really sweet guitar and the bass is something I’ve never used before and I liked it. I realize this is somewhat off-topic but I was thinking of good but reasonably priced guitars.
you gotta have you vintage and vintage reissues made in USA but we need to have some diversity as well. Special runs with special features and so on.. I love the idea of vintage made in America even though I'm Canadian EH!! Lol but there is some seriously good value in some of the guitars made outside of the US. So as always I say you need one of each or several of each
Since I only have my friendly old Washburn, I'll have to address this subject with Electrics. Out of the 100+ guitars I've owned, 5 really stand out, 4 of them were American Gibson and Fender vintage guitars, but 1, and probably tied for the best is my Eastman SB59/V If not the best, it runs a close second behind my 71 ES335 TD w/ Walnut finish that I regret being gone. I do want a nice Super Jumbo Gibson to go with my 6'6" frame! Keep making my mornings entertaining! Peace, Keith in Debtsville Va
It's crazy how far Epiphone has came I play high-end Epiphone Les Paul customs usually in the $1,000 range one of my favorites is my 2011 Lespaul prophecy GX.and u can find those for 800 sometimes. Those guitars are great as I have USA made Gibson LPs. And honestly my high end Epiphones hold up against
ha, Crafted In America Peavey Predator, bought new in '95 as a set with a gig bag, strap, cord, etc. $249. This was the black 'turbo' model with the best switching system a hss S type had ever seen. Birdseye maple fb is sweet, too. Needs a five way,,,shops getting back. Gotta fix this. Won't stay at the neck pup, other wise, I Love this guitar. 'can't touch this' :)
We should all buy what we can from the people around us. USA guitars for us and Mexican guitars for people in Mexico. I don’t like shipping crap around the world (if I can help it) so I buy from home. Often used, but sometimes I save and buy the new Gibson or the like. I bought a new Gibson last year on sale and sold it for more than I paid. So…
We should all buy what we want, while we still can, before the people around us who think they know more about what we should and shouldn't buy than we do finally gain control of our buying habits. I fundamentally don't care about where a guitar is made. What I care about is whether it lets me get the sound in my head to the ears of an audience, or not. If it does that, it's a fantastic guitar. If it doesn't, it's a paper-weight with strings attached. I play in front of people twice a week and I don't care what the value of the tools I use to do that is to other people on the used market. I'd be just as likely to sell other elements of my "signal chain," like my fingers and the hands they're attached to, as the guitars I use.
Nop, guys I’ve just compared a 2k Gibson L00 with a local brand, Portuguese Artimusica, at 350€ and the Gibson finishing was completely crap. Both guitars sounded good, they were not exactly the same model but they were both playable. They were both new and the Gibson was already all scratched in the back and I don’t understand why because it was hanging from the neck! Start looking at other options.
my current thought process is to buy Gibson if I will resell it at some point, if not just go buy whatever feels good. Its sad to see folks trying to sell their ibanez, fenders, for the same valuation as a Gibson.
Supposedly labor and material cost is why Taylor make some of their guitars in Mexico. I wonder what the wage difference is between two comparable positions in the US and Mexico is? How are materials cheaper in Mexico?
A great guitar is a great guitar no matter where it's made
Absolutely agree
CORT makes most of them anyway.
Japanese Yamaha anyday.
@@stevewilliams846 I prefer Indonesia Mexico korean made guitars over Japanese made guitars
People, I've finely figured out why I love watching these guys so much. When I was in a band -- many decades ago -- there was no one promoting bands in the small town area I lived in. Thus, I and the bass player would do what we called a "gig run" to keep us in gigs when the work was getting thin. We'd jump in our beat-up old chevy van, and would hit every bar within a hundred miles. To keep ourselves entertained, we would talk about every subject we could think of having to do with music. Needless to say, by the time we got home, we were both drunk.
Man that was maybe the best wish for what we could do! I truly love that story! Love it:)
I buy American for the same reasons I choose to spend more by buying from local businesses vs on-line stores.
reagen and nixon sure didn't feel that way , capitalism is what imports goods/labor and exports jobs ..
@@what1864 you’re confused.
I really enjoy these videos. I'm a former novice player who hasn't picked up an instrument in years, but remain interested in all things guitar related. You guys are great!
I was searching for a Tele and wanted to get a U.S.A. made one but I ended up with a made in Mexico. The Vintera modded 50's Tele had everything I wanted felt better and sounded the best. Made in Mexico doesn't really bother me because my wife was also made in Mexico.
Today, the whole Mexico vs USA is totally on par. For decades, people swore the Mexico line was great, I contested, handed my MIA Strat over for a few songs on the set, we'd be shopping MIA by the weekend. Now, it's literally the same as the previous America line, the smarter thing to do? Buy as many Players as possible at low dollar, then hold em'. Not gonna be popular online if ya do this, but in a out 10yrs, it'll be worth double if they discontinue it, and I'm not sure the American line can take the hit much longer.
There's no reason that Gibson and others can't build a great guitar in the US for $1k. Godin has been building great guitars in Canada for way less money. My favorite acoustic guitar is my Seagull Entourage that I paid under $300 for brand new. The guitar was built in Canada with Canadian wood. Canadian labor doesn't really cost less than American labor, so if Seagull can give me a great guitar for $300, then Gibson damned well aught to be able to for $1k.
You read my mind and saved me some typing. Couldn't agree more !
Kiesel builds fantastic guitars in the USA for great prices. I now have 4 completely custom made guitars (granted, they were definitely more than $2k, but that’s a matter of customization) made in the US, and they’re among my best guitars.
And I agree completely about Godin.
My Godin (Stadium ‘59) is actually assembled in the US, and it ran me $1000 CAD in late 2019. It’s the second best neck I’ve had (the best was also a Godin).
Not $1k cheap, but you can hop in to some fantastic guitars for $1300 or so.
Came to post this same thing. Seagull is hand made in La Patrie Quebec, and they stand up against guitars 5x the price. New S6 is still only 500-600 bucks, which is ludicrous.
Really depends on how the insides of Gibson are working. If they have unionized workers, they can’t reduce much of the price. They also may have parents that rely on hand-made/finished parts that automation would make invalid
@@sirlost94 Gibson closed their unionized shop in Kalamazoo in 1985, they opened a new non-union shop in Nashville, which is where they build instruments today.
I had to spend £500 on my Gibson Les Paul in order to make it play and intonate as well as my 1983 Yamaha SG1000. Let’s be honest. Americans have this “USA is best idea.” But turn on an old episode of British live music show “The Tube” which ran from 1983-1987 and featured touring artists of the day. You see endless Yamaha SG’s, Ibanez Artists, Ibanez Roadstars, Schecter & Squier JV Strats & Tele’s, Washburn Woodstock acoustics. Loads of pro bands played Japanese guitars back in the day. It’s only really the resurgence of Fender and arrival of PRS that kept American made instruments alive.
Quality guitars are made everywhere like Godin in Canada and Ibanez in japan, Huber in Germany etc. No doubt that a USA built guitar is up there with the best, but there's loads of others just as good and very often for less money. USA does not automatically equal better especially if you're comparing 2 guitars of the same price. Also Baxter and Jon, you have an international audience on this channel (great channel BTW) who may not have that reverence for USA built products that Americans have, and nothing wrong with that let me add, its good to support local businesses wherever you are.
Very well said.
That Jason Isbell signature custom tele is pretty much a CS guitar just MIM to be more affordable. They are great.
Love your videos guys.. I’ve been a guitar nerd since I was a kid and still learn something every time I come here!
Does anyone remember the Gibson SG Faded? That guitar turned me off for Gibson’s for a long time. I still have scars on my hand from the sharp frets
I am a big fan of the tribute series from Gibson. I have a Les Paul and a Flying V tribute from that series, built as well as the more expensive guitars they make, feels great, a fraction of the price, and you mainly lose binding and gloss lacquer. But the satin feels amazing in your hand.
My LP Tribute is the best player I have, it took over from my 97 LP & 06 ESP EC.
I think Fender does a good job of hitting every price point between their made in Mexico and made in USA lines. Gibson, not so much. It kills me when I see guys in Facebook groups saying things like “I only paid $375 for my Tele in 1974”. Dude $375 was a lot of money in 1974
About 2300 bucks.
What gets me is that Fender’s American Professional II line (and all of its predecessors) and the Gibson Les Paul Standard are still the equivalent today of what they cost in 50s. Gibson and Fender do this on purpose.
We are so fortunate today that we have choices ranging from insanely expensive (by anyone’s standard) all the down to less expensive than the actual prices Fenders and Gibsons sold for in the 50s. Of course, those lowest priced guitars won’t be American made and won’t have Fender or Gibson (and maybe not even Squier or Epiphone) on the headstock, but you can definitely find a playable guitar for that 50s price if that is the price range you can afford.
@@charlesbolton8471 Amen to that!!
@@charlesbolton8471 oh, absolutely. $200 will buy you a hell of a guitar these days
Jonathan, you nailed it. I just got a MIM road worn Tele and it’s a fantastic guitar.
I’m pulling the trigger on a road worn 50s tele man!!!!!! Can’t freaking wait bro 😎 rock on!!
The Baja series and now the Vinteras are some of the best Fender has been building. Vinteras hold their own with American Professionals.
Sometimes it’s better to get the top of the line Toyota, than the cheapest Lamborghini.
Back when Fender first introduced the Highway 1 series, I bought 2 of the Strats and one Tele and paid $450 for each! They were, and still are, excellent guitars. Same thing with the "15" series by Martin when they first came out. I bought a OO-15 for $550, brand new, with the Martin case. Beautiful little guitar that sounded amazing, but like a fool, I sold it to a buddy who played acoustic more than me for $400. So, can the American makers bring out good inexpensive guitars? Sure can. But just like Martin's "15" series, once they get popular, they turn into a cash cow.
Yes and now selling on the used market $1,000
I remember when you could get a Gibson Les Paul studio for around 800 bucks new at Guitar Center like 11-12 years ago. Then those went up in price to like 1200-1300 and a new 800-900 Les Paul, the Tribute, came out around 2015-2016. Now the Tributes are at the 1200-1300 price point and Studios are around 1500-1600 bucks, and high end Epiphones can be anywhere between 700-1000.
So seriously asking. You guys like the sativas, indicas , or like myself prefer a good indica dominant hybrid strain 😆!!!!
70/30 sativa for me, lucid but need the motivational side 👌😂
Played a dreadnought in my local guitar shop and honestly it was pretty good! The finish is a bit anemic on the top but the addition of the sound hole on the top shoulder is great.
I’d still rather buy an Eastman at the price as I’m getting more guitar for my money.
With some mods my Fender Performers are fantastic instruments, in their case they really save cost on the metal hardware which needs tossed straight away (E.G. the control plate resembles tin foil coated plastic) and replaced with Callaham, Barden similar and tuners swapped for schallers. Frets seem good quality though. The core Guitar in the performer range feels far better built to me than the high end MIM I've had (I've had 3 of the newer Deluxe Nashvilles and only one of them could hold a candle to the Performer or the old special I used to own).
Yep, I said elsewhere that prices for MIM Fenders are getting out of hand considering it's still a gamble with what you get QC wise.
It’s a shame that a $1200+ guitar needs to have cheap parts replaced out of the box - glad you enjoy your Performer though! MIM QC can be hit or miss
First acoustic I bought myself is a Takamine EG541C. $499 in the early 90's, still dig that guitar. Great action, sounds good, that's all I need. It is an acoustic/electric, but I never use the output so I wouldn't try to stack it against other acoustic/electric guitars
GS Mini Koa are awesome too. I don't know what kind of voodoo Taylor uses but its crazy how good they sound.
I hope the Gibson's are good and hold up over time, I too am a fan and owner of Epiphone Masterbuilt acoustics!
In a blindfold comparison, how many American made guitars would win out over their much cheaper foreign made counterparts?
Depends.
Am I holding and playing the guitars? Or just listening to them?
There is a substantial difference in feel between my SE Custom 24 and my Core Cu24.
I have one of the Eppie DR500's that Jonathan is talking about, all solid wood, plays and sounds great. I bought it when my J45 was in for repair, sounds great through the rig, I use it to gig now. I had to go to Sourwater and look. As of 01:00 on 9/26 they have 4+ new G45's, 4+ new G200 EC's and they are out of the other 2. The 45 is 1199 and 200 is 1999, so it wasn't just the cheap ones out. I also have a GS Mini from a very early production batch, signed by Bob himself. With some age now it sounds amazing! Not looking at it you would not know it was a Mini being played!! I paid $400, and got a free ukulele with it. LOLOL Thanks, JMHO --gary
I was looking for a Strat last year and couldn't find a USA model I liked - I bought a Mexican Fender for the first time in my life and was surprised at how good it is and how much I liked it. It doesn't matter to me anymore where a guitar is built, just how well.
When you’re the first guy to comment and you don’t have anything witty to say… Oh, well. Good morning, everybody!
Love that mike!
It's early, you get a pass
I think the fundamental question is what are we paying for when we're paying for Made in America? Is the labor of higher quality? Are the materials always different? I wonder what the pay difference is for workers in a Mexican factory (or Korean or Filipino one). When it comes to acoustics, I think we're often faced more directly with differences in materials and build quality, but when it comes to electrics...aren't tone pots tone pots? Just some scattered thoughts, but my sense is we're paying for the label and, rightly, for some increased labor costs, the latter which is not a bad thing. We always want our labor value maxed out but don't want to pay others what they thing they are worth, so always a challenge there.
There are so many great guitars made outside of the USA. But there’s also something like market value. I bought my J-45 for €1600 only 8 years ago. I remember this Eastman guitar that sounded killer and it was a lot cheaper too (€1200). So I was in doubt, but I bought the J-45, partly because it was and still is an icon in the industry. Eastman doesn’t make icons. There are no heroes of mine who played Eastman guitars. So I bought the J-45 because I wanted to buy a dream and not ‘just’ a good guitar.
But if I would want to sell it now (I won’t, this is purely hypothetically speaking), I could sell it for €1700! A new J-45 today in Europe would cost me €2333. If I would’ve chosen the Eastman that day, it would be worth €700/800 now.
I’m saving for a Martin 000-28 now. To me that’s a crazy amount of money. But I’m not dead yet and I think it’s a pretty save bet to think that I won’t be losing money over it if I keep it for just a decade.
@@mariodriessen9740 I get it- I really do, but I guess I do not enjoy this as a hobby by justifying it as an investment. There's value in buying things, but I don't really sell things- it's not a market to me in which I'm changing things out every once in a while when I get tired of it or whatever. My new Strat is...my new Strat and it's value has no dollar amount to me. I understand that's not how everyone views it and I'm not encouraging anyone else to view it my way, just saying how I see it. And no, it's not because I'm wealthy. It took me about a year to save up for the Vintera :)
Best of luck on the Martin- great guitar!
@@Amish_Trivedi : Thanks! Actually, I think we’re not that different when it comes to that. I never bought a guitar that I didn’t intend to use and keep. I don’t think I ever sold a guitar at all.
It’s more about the feeling of having an expensive instrument that is well played and loved by many of our heroes, so there are no excuses for playing or sounding bad. There’s nothing to hide. You’re in the big league.
But I also know quite a few people for whom the value in money is indeed very important. And I think this could be an important factor in wanting to own an iconic American made guitar.
For me personally, the fact that it has to be an American made instrument on itself is not important to me. Most Gretsch guitars in the top segment are made in Japan. And they’re better than most of the vintage Gretsches I’ve played.
Well, the custom shop Gretsch guitars are all American, aren’t they?
Aaaaah…, guitars. 😊
I have a Michael Kelly acoustic. They were the first to do the soundboards and I love it. I played it back-to-back with the Epiphone master build and a Gibson and I bought the Michael Kelly instead. Where it's built has nothing to do with quality. It's the builder and the materials.
Looks lovingly over at my Epiphone Masterbilt that lives in my office when it got an unexpected shoutout! I bought it used and it sounds unreal!!!
I have 6 Seagull accoustic guitars made in Canada. None cost me more than $500 and these play and sound as fine as anything.
Makes me happy to see positive comments about Seagull guitars, because I only have one guitar, and it’s a 2019 Seagull S6 Original. Really great guitar!
Played the grand pacific body a few weeks ago. It sounds amazing in person
Agan good work. The question is shouldn't gibson take epiphones north to Canada? Stay sway from Mexico . This would prevent a need for cheeper gibsons and alow for higher priced epiphone
I assumed LTD starting doing US builds as a double bonus - they can ask a bit more than their other offshored models (if they so choose) and they don't have to deal with customs/tariffs/taxntrade stuff.
There are also several luthiers in US and Canada that have really started becoming visible that are hitting price points about where Kiesel/Carvin starts which is also barely getting into a G&L custom order (unsure if they have a legit custom shop, looking at the site). But if you poke around you can buy hand crafted stuff for 1500-2500 and maybe even less if they have stuff already laying around that you'll take instead of a full custom order. Some smaller builders are happy with making a couple instruments a month for a couple grand each.
Damn I heart the internet.
There is always pursuit for a better designed and built guitar because everyone thinks a next generation guitar will make them better players. Same with golf clubs! Some times the nextgen helps, but IMO most of the time it doesn't. Speaking for myself a decent well made acoustic guitar ranging $500+ is all I need and I feel all that most people need. Anything more is icing on the cake. Does that stop me from buying a more expensive guitar? Nope! I simply like nice guitars because I appreciate the craftmanship and thought that went into it, but my definition of nice doesnt necessarily equate to expensive or particular brand. I do thrive on seeing guitar manufactures push the limits and introduce new and improved designs and products. I dont care much for manufactures who copy others and market like its a new design they came up with. In this case, the side hole in the bout or elsewhere on the soundboard has been around for years; McPherson, Ovation, and many more, and I do feel that design is a worthy modification but for Gibson to do this now on their acoustics seems weird and I think they should have been more original. Taylor recently did the cutaway hole and that was unique although it also had been done by some small luthier makers before. The Martin SC-13ce body is a good idea but the design of the neck bolted to the body is ugly and I imagine could feel awkward to a players, so IMO Martin also missed the mark on that design. I'm not a Martin or Gibson hater but these days I do feel Taylor sets a high bar all around. Taylor is very future thinking in every aspect of their business and product. The Martin SC-13CE and Gibson Generation collection likely are decent guitars but seem to be a poor attempt to keep pace with competition.
I just bought the Gibson G-Writer over the weekend. I love it so far. This is my first Gibson. I wanted a J-45 but picked this up to try it out and as there was not a J-45 in stock, this is the one I got. I was fully planning to pay the 2800 or so for the J-45 but this guitar with the LR Baggs Bronze pickup sounds amazing to me. I’m not a professional by any means. I play at church on Sundays. I played a couple Martins and a couple Taylors. To me the Gibson was the guitar.
The guitars fender is making in Mexico are some fabulous guitars! I've got two charvels and two EVH guitars that were made in Mexico and if I didn't know it was made in Mexico and someone told me they were made in the USA I would believe it.......Edit: BUT I will say that import guitars, no matter where they were made, were imported to be a cheaper alternative to the manufacturers USA line so people with less money to spend could have a guitar at a fraction of the cost but now that import guitars are just as much or even more in some cases what's the point in having an import line? Plus if the imports cost as much or more than their USA models then what happens to the folks that can't afford either?
@@kevinmac9442 Totally Agree! At $1000 or above I'm saving a little longer and buying a USA model. The American Professional series start around $1499 so an import at $1049 makes no sense to me. A lot of people will argue that it doesn't matter where it's made but to me it does for so many reasons. Yes, Squire is now topping out around the $499 price point and their I believe it's called the classic model but not sure but it's a great guitar but when Squire is in the $499 range who's in the $299 that's making quality guitars? I no I'm getting older but when I started playing I started on a Harmony strat copy that I believe my parents bought at Sears for $199 and it came with a practice amp and honestly that guitar was a really good guitar at that price.
@@srh361 "At $1000 or above I'm saving a little longer and buying a USA model." Makes you wonder... Was that Fender's engineered marketing plan all along?
@@josephhein9497 Great point!! There's definitely a marketing reason behind it, it's still a business after all. I will say that the quality of the guitars ( at least the ones I have) coming out of Mexico is top notch. I don't buy guitars to turn around and sell but I do think about resale value when I purchase gear, so say the Mexican guitar gets to the point it's better than the USA model the USA model will hold it's value while the Mexican import will not.
I got the chance of trying al four models at the store I work and they are OK, not too bad, not too good, just ok, but I guess keeping with the price point. I also recently got myself a custom shop J45 like the one you mention in the vid, it's absolutely incredible, there's no putting it down and makes every other acoustic in the shop except one or two, sound dull...
The first Martin DX series were made in the US, you could get a new DXM for under $500, and it was decent sounding. I guess time and bean counting change.
Epiphone 1959. Perfect example like JJN of high end imports being better than low end US. Same with Zach Myers PRS, MIM Fender (sometimes), etc.
A good guitar is a good guitar. My main guitars are a D28, a MIJ White Flacon, an SG Standard, and a tele I put together myself with parts from everywhere. They all feel good, look good, and sound good.
Fender Globetrotter, necks and electronics from China/overseas, Bodies and nitro paint from Mexico, USA assembled and QC?
Thanks for the great videos. Thanks!
My main guitars are a Gibson Les Paul '50s Tribute with updated (Bare Kunkle Bootcamp True Grit) pickups and a FGN Iliad (T-style). I've had really great experiences with both.
I love my Epi Masterbilt Deluxe archtop f-hole...it was a pretty short run...round hole and f-hole guitars sound different.
Good morning from Colorado. I love the American made line. But, cant afford 2k up front. Ive been buying mint used pieces online, reverb and other stores. Just finished a lake placid blue strat with custom 69 pickups. Its amazing.
Great find there and great approach!
Lots of options out there now. Maybe more than ever, it’s a cool time to be a guitar enthusiast:)
Yes I agree but there's also lots of garbage.
@@IamMedicine just means trying more guitars before I buy one. Heck, that ain’t so bad :)
Talking about automation for these models... would this be new for the Montana plant? Maybe this series is just there to return the cost of the new equipment on the production line.
I played the new Generation Series G45 at Guitar Center on Saturday. First impressions...Light weight, sound hole volume was a plus, good sustain, but it sounded very bright to me, brighter than I expected or liked. Walnut back and sides obviously play a role here. Played well, action was good, but to me it just didn't have that Gibson tone I was expecting. Maybe next visit I'll feel differently.
Something you guys gotta try out. Last year I got into a Martin 000-15M the "affordable MIA Martin" it's just a stripped down all mahogany 000. And I gotta tell you, its an AMAZING acoustic. Doesn't have all of the fancy cosmetic features of their more expensive guitars but it sounds and plays leaps and bounds better than their Mexican built guitars that are in the same budget range. That being said, I also played a couple taylor 114 214s and for the price, you are absolutely right you will not get a better all around acoustic for that money, but you might get one just as good. Martin's 15 Range is great if you like the all mahogany guitars. Understand that that isn't everyone's cup of tea though. I personally love the sound and look of a solid Mahogany acoustic. I'm really excited to get my hands on this new Gibson range as well.
I just purchased an Academy 12e from Casino Guitars and also have a GS Mini plus. These guitars are great instruments. I own 3 Gibsons (Hummingbird, B25, and J45) and 3 Martins (CEO 7, D-41 and HD-28). For me the playability of the Taylors are unmatched. The Academy 12e is really good instrument regardless of the price. Dealing with the folks at Casino Guitars was a great bonus.
I think the key with import guitars (or guitars from anywhere) is it has to come from somewhere with a guitar culture. Where people in the factory have played and can appreciate the craft. That's why the made in USA guitars have the reputation they do. That's why a lot of the MiJ guitars are honestly, IMO, right on par with the USA stuff (Ibanez, Gretsch etc make KILLER guitars over there. The fender MiJ stuff is incredible too). That's why the made in Mexico stuff is as good as it is too. And why Korea has been rapidly becoming one of the better eastern manufacturers too.
What about Recording King guitars?
I don't care where it is made as long as it feels good and plays well.
I mentioned in your comments before about how much I like my GS Mini. A few months ago, I wasn't even aware that they existed (yes, head under a rock and playing mostly electric). Tried one out at a shop and was thoroughly impressed, expecting the price tag to be significantly higher than what it is. I was surprised that it was not made in Taylors US factory, and that price. Caused an impulse buy.
you guys have a great channel
Thanks a ton! That means a lot:)
I have the J45 studio walnut back & sides & love it. Got no real issues, Made in USA for guitars have more a prestige isn’t necessarily a bad thing. But you would run the risk of getting a worse instrument as it’s essentially a budget instrument with USA additional charges.
Being British nearly all guitars are imports one way or another & if the better guitar is made somewhere else & cheaper then I probably would get that.
A few years back I bought the WM 45 for well under 1000 dollars with a nice Gibson hard case , not a bad guitar
I played an Epiphone Masterbuilt in a guitar shop and it was awesome
Thanks Baxter, just looked up the GS Mini and see the Koa version, SO nice looking! And with your comments, and the great reviews, I think I need to buy one. Thanks for contributing to my G.A.S. hahaha
I own one of the Koa GS Minis. It is an amazing guitar. Aesthetically the wood grain will vary greatly from one guitar to the next. I always enjoy looking at them anytime I go into a Taylor dealer. I always look at them and think that one looks nicer than mine. Then I get home and realize my looks just as good (if not better) and sounds awesome, too.
The more expensive GS Mini Koa Plus wasn’t available when I got mine, but you might want to consider those, too.
@@charlesbolton8471 Did a quick search, saw the plus, going to look more in to them when I'm off work. Last thing I need is yet another guitar, but since I don't have an acoustic, I probably should. That's me talking myself into picking one up haha
Thanks for the heads up. Since I don't even really need an acoustic, the non-plus is tempting, but the plus comes with a better (soft) case for not much more, which is also tempting. Hmmm haha
⚓️ Thanks Casino 😎 I have two entry level Yamahas, both
I love how Gibson keeps solving problems that didn't exist when it comes to guitars. It was so hard before to drop my pick into the sound hole on my acoustic. Now I can just drop it right in the side!
These discussions of MIA guitars vs Others, remind me of the car industry of days gone by.
For years Americans held onto the belief that their locally made cars were the best. They largely ignored the quality and reliability of Japanese cars and the overall performance of European cars. Look what's on the roads today. And I'm sure the vast majority of people would agree that many of those cars are extremely reliable and drive very well.
Sure support your local industries, but not with closed eyes to the detriment of yourself.
MORE BS! for one American cars WERE and still ARE THE BEST! but the japanese payed off american officials to sell cars here by the boatloads for next to nothing just so they could line their pockets with betrayal cash.. unlike the fees and tariffs American manufacturers had to pay to export cars to their countries, and that whole reliability BS, is just that, BULL! plenty of hondas in garages back then, what make failed the most? yes it was JAPANESE! that reliability crap was propaganda to get you to runout and betray your own country and buy a japanese car under the guise they were more "reliable", BS!
I have a 95 ford escort still running strong today, 34 MPG, I've done squat to it, 395,000 on the clock, you cannot say that about ANY honda, they'd require a new motor, tranny, all sorts of other odds and ends.. you bought into the bull, that era was the start of the selling out of America and IT WORKED and is still underway...
muppets all across the country were betraying their nation and buying everything foreign, when the real deal is the game was rigged, the japanese got to export cars here for next to nothing, while the USA couldn't afford export fee's, now slave labor is coming into the picture and you people are still betraying your country, that's OK cuz you're country is going to betray you soon enough..
lol, "japanese steel is better than American"!!!!! lofl, if that's true then why do they get their ore from the USA? why did our leadership GIVE them all our major steel production plants?
this country is in shambles and will be a complete third world nation here real quick cuz of idiots such as yourself spreading misinformation and downright lies, the communist party has you so brainwashed and you have no idea.. you have NO IDEA what's going on around you nor what's been going on around you, all you know is to repeat something some other moron said to make yourself sound semi intelligent, and all the other morons believe every word you say... and here we are...
@@deandee8082 your on crack.lol.
I know dozens of cabinet makers that would jump in a heartbeat to work for a guitar company.
I was watching an older video and they used to have James hosting with Baxter. What happened to him?
Early 80s Japanese fender or brand new American professional?
I just got a Taylor GS Mini Mahogany. Oh my god what a great guitar.
I’ve also got a couple MIM Fenders and am really happy with them. Affordable enough to have a Strat and a Tele and do some little mods to them.
I’ve got an Ibanez Artcore as well which I think is made in China and it also plays nicely.
I've got the first generation g45 studio I really enjoy it .at first it was really bright but has mellowed out nicely . the build quality is really good the body is not as deep as my martin d16rgt but it's very comfortable
I’ve become a made in America person, and Chinese are last on my list, but I have an old Masterbuilt Epiphone acoustic and I would never get rid of it. It’s my only acoustic now. The sound is amazing, I’d put it up against 5K+ guitars any day of the week.
I've played and lusted after some really high end guitars, but right now my two most expensive ones are my Martin 000-15M and my Gibson Les Paul Special. Both are pretty recent builds. The Gibson was made just after the most recent transition. Both are US made and retail for about 1350-ish. They are GREAT guitars. I literally don't lust after higher end guitars because I'm so happy with them. Everyone that plays them and has much more expensive guitars says they are great. Could I spend 4-5 grand and have some custom shop Gibson that blows it out of the water? I mean, maybe. But I don't think it's worth it to find out.
Law of diminishing returns my friend haha
I've got a Japanese D28 copy made in the 70s.....£8 at a jumble sale!! Plays like a dream!
I own a couple Rickenbackers. One bass and one guitar both fairly new. The quality control person was asleep when my bass came across the bench. But now I have a "one off". I hope anyway. :)
Gibson should never build a guitar with the Gibson name on it that's not built in the USA. They are the one major company that builds every guitar in the USA, none are built to profit off cheap labor.
I think we can all agree that the M2 was a mistep but the Tributes are great, you get all the feel and tone without the cosmetic upgrades that are so expensive to produce. I think this generation series is built in a similar way. Last year I bought a new Les Paul Special Tribute with P-90s for $999 and it's fantastic. It has a light satin nitro finish and no binding. Having a high gloss nitro finish and binding add a lot to the price and make for a very nice looking guitar but they're also the kind of things that you can change to make a more affordable guitar without affecting how well the guitar plays and sounds.
I absolutely agree - the Tributes are the best value in Gibson’s lineup today! Hopefully these Generation acoustics are more like the Tributes and less like the M2s and S series guitars.
I had a Les Paul tribute for awhile until I got a 60s Les Paul...its was a great guitar and value, mine even had some decent birds eye maple on the top.
Gibson is not the only company to build in the US Kiesel, Suhr both do all builds here. And they far better than Gibson, in QC and playability and in design . Gibson and Fender both are producing 50s and 60s guitars with real any truly modern design improvements.
@@dennisapplegate7553 I wouldn't consider Suhr or Keisel to be one of the big brands yet. Maybe someday, they're both growing. And they're not better than Gibson. They're good guitars but very different guitars. That's comparing apples to oranges.
@@ChrisEck13 if you believe they arent better designed and have better QC and are made from superior materials then you haven't played them . You owe it to your self to check them out they are astounding. I've owned Gibson since the mid 60s ES 335,355 69 goldtop ,61 single cut melody maker 62 double cut melody maker, and a 56 goldtop .Sold them all except the 56 .Fit finish playability and design are all superior to what Gibsons doing.
I bought a G-45 and it's absolutely fantastic. There is nothing lost at this price point and made in the USA.
I’m a union worker 34 years now so for me I prefer waiting a bit to save and then buy American 🇺🇸.
Nothing wrong with the Mexican guitars either, it’s just me.
Those new acoustics via Gibson look and sound fantastic too for the money. ( Alamo Music had a great video ).
Greetings from Nashville north Louisville Ky.
No movie commentary? I’m gonna have to find another channel.
A lot of overseas made guitars are either just as good as American made and even better guitar makers like the Cort facilities who make guitars for other brands and their own brand have proven this for a long time..the days of your guitar needs to be American made for quality are long gone
Professional quality craftsmanship is everywhere now has been for a long time all 4 corners of the world
I agree with you about Cort. In 2007, I bought a new Parkwood PW340FM made in the Cort factory in Korea. This guitar is non cutaway, jumbo acoustic guitar with no electronics. It is all solid wood with a Sitka spruce top and flame maple back, and sides. It is absolutely beautiful in appearance and sound.
It was definitely not the guitar I intended to buy when I went to store that day. I had been saving for months to buy a American made acoustic. I really wanted a Gibson J-185, but it was too far out of my price range so I had been looking at American made Martins for a few weeks. I had also looked at Epiphone and Guild jumbos, but they were both laminate back and sides and sounded and looked no where near as nice as the Gibsons. I had never owned an all solid wood acoustic and that was really important to me. So I had decided to not get a jumbo, and instead buy a Martin. The day of the purchase I went into the store, and took my chosen Martin off the wall. I sat down to play it to confirm my decision when a jumbo on the opposite wall caught my attention. I hung the Martin back up, and went to look at it. The price was much less than anything American made I had been looking at, and it was $200 more expensive than the Epiphone and $150 more than the Guild. It looked and sounded better than either of those by a substantial margin. I’m not going to say that it sounds better than a Gibson, but it sounds great. In my opinion the fact that it is less ornate makes look a lot better, and it does feel just as good if not better.
It was an easy decision to make as to which guitar was going home with me that day. If all that wasn’t enough when I went to pay for it I found out it was on sale for less than the price of the Epiphone. It is one of the best gear purchases I’ve ever made.
@@charlesbolton8471 absolutely I have two guitars made in Cort Indonesia 2019 Jackson Adrian Smith SDX and Gretsch Rancher Falcon Jumbo Acoustic with Fishman electronics $550.00 for the Jackson and $729.00 for the Gretsch I bought in 2020 both are flawless the craftsmanship is superb on both guitars
Man i have been playing a 200$ cort electric guitar and still plays amazing after 3 years. Plays better than the squires i have tried!!
foreshadowing new guitar line up available from Casino Guitars Gibson MIM coming next summer ????
The Fender USA Highway one was a great guitar. These Gibson Acoustics?
I’m a new guitarist, I own one Fender electric guitar. I’m looking at buying my first acoustic guitar. I would look at guitars in the $699 range, but I’m not even considering a guitar in the $999 range. If that means I get a Mexican made unit instead of an USA unit so be it. FWIW my Fender was Hecho en Mexico.
I think some of my MIM Fender's are just as good or better than a few of my American ones. If it's sort up properly they play just as well and I am happy with the pick ups. I wish I could afford to get another Strat in the Player Plus series because the noiseless pickups are amazing. I can only speak though of my experiences with Fender.
I have two Dangelicos and a Guild T Bird. Made in Korea .Superb
I think its about time someone put a pick shaker hole in an acoustic 🤔
Gibson acoustics have caught my eye. These Generation series guitars (and some others in their lineup) are MIA and all solid construction, for a reasonable price… The sound port could be neat too. Unfortunately I’ve never seen a Gibson acoustic in-person that wasn’t over $3000. My local stores don’t carry them, and Guitar Center always has the same expensive Gibson acoustics… I may end up driving to Nashville to get my hands on one!
As for the “cheaply made in USA” thing, they can definitely go wrong with that - remember the Gibson S series? Horrible guitars. I find Gibson’s faded models to be pretty cheap-feeling, too. These acoustics look legit though - solid wood construction, made in Bozeman, Montana… I’m sure they’ll have thin finishes, but that’s my preference for acoustics. Super psyched for these!
Alvarez Yari made in Japan try it out. Money well spent my friends!
My ES335 was stolen (along with a few others) a couple months ago. I had the guitar for several years, I bought it after making the worst gear selling decision of my life after selling my ES345. It wasn't insured and I couldn't afford another 335. I need a semihollow, so I picked up an Eastman 386 and it's REALLY impressive. Sub-$1000, really well made, lacquer finish, hard case. I had to replace the pickups and some of the electronics (using a 0.047 tone cap for a semihollow?? I don't use those on the brightest Strats).
In all honesty I could have spent $200 more on the next level up and wouldn't have had to change anything, but for some reason the headstock on the models above this line use what is IMO on second to the Parker Fly in regards of the ugliest headstock in the world (looks like an ice cream cone; like the Ibanez Artcore and many of the 70s Japanese copies). Normally appearances is last in my list of priorities, but the headstock is the one thing that's always in my line of a sight.
The Epi Masterbilt series were phenomenal. I worked repairing guitars for over a decade(now amps). When those first came out I was talking to the guy that owned the shop and told him the specs: solid wood, bone nut/saddle, dovetail neck joint (unlike these gentlemen, I'm not a fan of bolted acoustic necks) and built with hot hide glue. He didn't believe me, he though for sure I had misread the specs. We just had someone come in with some $700-800 acoustic that was damaged; nothing major, but we had to tell him that his only real option was to buy a new guitar. Many of the affordable acoustics (this may have changed, I don't know) are built using epoxy as the adhesive. It's strong and sets in minutes, instead of days like glue, allowing them to build more at a faster rate. They're non-serviceable.
I would definitely rather have a better guitar built overseas than a mediocre MIA model. Those Gibson acoustics immediately made me think "mehh."
I’ve always wondered if a shop would take entry level guitars marketed towards beginners and put a killer set up on them for say around 100 more to cover the tech’s labor.
ruclips.net/video/BVghnUtyuHE/видео.html
These guys use to, don't think they're around anymore in this capacity
@@keithbarrett3515 Well , my thought is many players give up before even building callous on their finger tips due to a poorly set up guitar with a back or forward bowed neck and sky high action . I don’t mean a fret level just a nice set of 9s lower the action and flatten out the neck a little . Probably a lot of beginners and their parents wouldn’t understand the value in that service . I remember part of learning was pain in building finger strength and callous . It was just a sacrifice to be made if you really wanted to learn bad enough . Most of the people who started playing when give up in a month or so . I’ve never been more than a hobbyist player , but it’s always been my therapy the only time my head isn’t constantly racing and worrying is when I have a guitar in my hands .
I tried a Reverend Sensei jr and I believe they are made overseas but set up in the US before they go out. I am going to buy one of those as soon as I have the money and I can justify it in my head. (OK I can always justify it in my head let’s not kid each other) have you guys ever considered carrying Reverend?
For $899 it was a really sweet guitar and the bass is something I’ve never used before and I liked it. I realize this is somewhat off-topic but I was thinking of good but reasonably priced guitars.
I am an old guy and a buy America guy if at all possible. I have not found a foreign acoustic that beats my Taylor 814ce deluxe.
you gotta have you vintage and vintage reissues made in USA but we need to have some diversity as well. Special runs with special features and so on.. I love the idea of vintage made in America even though I'm Canadian EH!! Lol but there is some seriously good value in some of the guitars made outside of the US. So as always I say you need one of each or several of each
hey, great idea on the oversize JJN guitar! here's hoping somebody heard it
Since I only have my friendly old Washburn, I'll have to address this subject with Electrics. Out of the 100+ guitars I've owned, 5 really stand out, 4 of them were American Gibson and Fender vintage guitars, but 1, and probably tied for the best is my Eastman SB59/V
If not the best, it runs a close second behind my 71 ES335 TD w/ Walnut finish that I regret being gone. I do want a nice Super Jumbo Gibson to go with my 6'6" frame! Keep making my mornings entertaining!
Peace, Keith in Debtsville Va
It's crazy how far Epiphone has came I play high-end Epiphone Les Paul customs usually in the $1,000 range one of my favorites is my 2011 Lespaul prophecy GX.and u can find those for 800 sometimes. Those guitars are great as I have USA made Gibson LPs. And honestly my high end Epiphones hold up against
ha, Crafted In America Peavey Predator, bought new in '95 as a set with a gig bag, strap, cord, etc. $249.
This was the black 'turbo' model with the best switching system a hss S type had ever seen.
Birdseye maple fb is sweet, too.
Needs a five way,,,shops getting back. Gotta fix this.
Won't stay at the neck pup, other wise, I Love this guitar.
'can't touch this' :)
Larrivee has always made very nice entry level, moderately priced guitars.
We should all buy what we can from the people around us. USA guitars for us and Mexican guitars for people in Mexico. I don’t like shipping crap around the world (if I can help it) so I buy from home. Often used, but sometimes I save and buy the new Gibson or the like. I bought a new Gibson last year on sale and sold it for more than I paid. So…
We should all buy what we want, while we still can, before the people around us who think they know more about what we should and shouldn't buy than we do finally gain control of our buying habits.
I fundamentally don't care about where a guitar is made. What I care about is whether it lets me get the sound in my head to the ears of an audience, or not. If it does that, it's a fantastic guitar. If it doesn't, it's a paper-weight with strings attached.
I play in front of people twice a week and I don't care what the value of the tools I use to do that is to other people on the used market. I'd be just as likely to sell other elements of my "signal chain," like my fingers and the hands they're attached to, as the guitars I use.
Nop, guys I’ve just compared a 2k Gibson L00 with a local brand, Portuguese Artimusica, at 350€ and the Gibson finishing was completely crap. Both guitars sounded good, they were not exactly the same model but they were both playable. They were both new and the Gibson was already all scratched in the back and I don’t understand why because it was hanging from the neck! Start looking at other options.
my current thought process is to buy Gibson if I will resell it at some point, if not just go buy whatever feels good. Its sad to see folks trying to sell their ibanez, fenders, for the same valuation as a Gibson.
Supposedly labor and material cost is why Taylor make some of their guitars in Mexico. I wonder what the wage difference is between two comparable positions in the US and Mexico is? How are materials cheaper in Mexico?
I'd like to play one of those Gibsons just to see how they sound. I'm not not gonna fanboy out and just buy one because they are there though