I did a google search for "light green Stratocaster" and got a website with some really nice looking strats brand new for around $270. They even have Made in USA on the neck. Then I go on to read that the guitars are made in China. Another case of "Buyer Beware"

Hey welcome to the forum Treblot.
I figure as long as there's a demand for cheap knock-offs from China they'll keep making them. People complain about the poor standards of their manufacturing, their disregard for consumer safety (recent tainted milk cases), their grossly inhuman labor practices (child slaves included) - but everybody still would rather buy a Chinese product for $1 than pay more for a locally made one.

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"...Compared to the flowers and the birds and the trees, I am an Apeman."

Amen. Time for manufacturers to put their country of origin prominently on the package. That's just another way to vote your mind by how you use your wallet.

Not to complain or anything but your poll doesn't match the topic. If you don't like Chinese knock off guitars, and most of us don't, why would you include MIM's in your poll but not the fakes? The MIM guitars are high quality, genuine Fender instruments and some of them are as good as or even better than their American counterparts.

I buy American Products:
1. Historically, America has made superior products with the exception of Germany and in some cases Italy, Japan and Switzerland.
2. To support American workers.
3. American products hold their value.

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-Kirk

GUITARS
'12 Sonoran Acoustic - black (dated 10/31/12)
'13 Standard Strat
AMP
Vox ac4c1-bl
PEDALS
Compressor
Big Muff
Vox Stomplab 1G
Carbon Copy Delay

I did know the poll doesn't match the topic, but to save time I included the poll. I am a beginner and wrestled with the idea of a less expensive MIM or an American made Strat which of course cost more. I asked around in the guitar shops and others who play Strats, and the one answer that I heard the most was better pickups on the American made Strats. I narrowed it down to a $500 used American made or a used MIM for $350, both in good shape. I chose the MIM for price and being a beginner, not sure if I want to invest too much at first. Also, I plan to reward myself with a very nice strat if I can learn to play it. Or should I put top notch pickups in the MIM?

To limit your choices based on country of origin does good to only one group of people, and its never the buyer.

The simple fact is that japanese manufacture saved fender in the 80's. After an American conglomerate had run it into the ground. Chinese guitars really dont seem that bad, when you consider their not built by people that understand guitars. I'll bet within 5/10 years their rivaling customshop quality and have far surpassed American productionline standards. I've recently been up close to one, a very suprising instrument.




Whats any of this got to do with Mexico?

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No no and no

Yeah, Chinese rip-offs are just that, rip-offs. Not all guitars made in China suck though, I played a Guild GAD acoustic the other day (Bookmatched Sitka spruce, AAAA flame maple back and sides, ebony fretboard, MOP inlays, made in China)and I thought it was one of the best guitars I've ever played.

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I traded my car in for a microphone.

Personally, I try not to buy ANYTHING made in China as I have been there a couple times and have visited their "sweat shops"—one of which was a china manufacturer. They had rooms full of 10 to 15 year old kids with air brushes in their hands, each spraying one color of one part of a piece of china. No ventilation, no masks, and a cloud of fumes hovering overhead.

Not to mention they are Communist and are building a huge military machine from our Wallmart and other Chinese outlet stores dollars. I try to buy USA made and Japanese made everything. It is very hard.

So Chinese guitars? I have seen about 5 now. Look nice but crooked nuts, bad fret leveling, etc. I took one guys "Gibson" Les paul and worked it over for about a day, and when I was done (Oh the wiring! Eh Gads!) it was almost as nice as some USA Les Pauls. Details details details......The fine tuning made it very playable. BUT when it was all said and done IT WAS A CHINESE COPY!!!

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Xhefri's Guitars
www.xhefriguitars.com

Xhefri

Not to belittle your conscience concerning sweatshops, but without em those people will starve. A double edged sword that one mate. Most of us still wear Nike and Levi's dont we? Their no less guilty.

I read a book years back (I was around 12/13 so 25 years ago) called the book of lists. China at that time had a army of 1.2M soldiers around 1977 ish when the book was written. They dont need anyones money to build a huge war machine they've already got a big one. Probably the biggest.

Dunno for sure, their not fond of disclosing figures.

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No no and no

Well, as far as these sub-$300 guitars go, a couple of those websites pop up around here from time to time. Please know that these are NOT Fender guitars...American or otherwise. In this case we are pretty much talking about "fraud" here...those are just some pretty junky knock-offs make to look like Fenders (although I do honestly have to wonder about the quality).

Now I can't say anything bad about Chinese made guitars as a whole...I've had two CIC Squiers and -for the price- they have been really great instruments. In fact my '08 Squier Standard is a very wonderful and lovely instrument with good craftsmanship and decent attention to detail...a really great guitar for the $200 I payed for her new (in fact I just used her at practice yesterday!). I can't knock "country of origin" here. Are some of those cheap China knock offs crappy guitars? Yes. Are all of them...particularly when they come from a company such as Fender/Squier? No...certainly not. Some of those are in fact a real steal.

I'm sorry if this offends anyone's sensibilities here but personally I strongly believe that "buy American" is a very seriously outdated concept based on nothing but nationalistic pride....particularly when it comes to guitars. I won't make a response to that poll up there because personally I would rather have an Mexican made instrument than an American made one...the MIM's are great instruments at half the price (or less) of an American. Are American instruments a little better? Yea...maybe. Are they $500 better? No...not even close in my book. If anything I recently played a brand new American Standard at Guitar Center with a couple of the new MIM's...the "feel" was quite comparable and if anything I thought the MIM's actually sounded -better-...they really had more of that "traditional" Strat tone.

I do agree with Nick that by judging an instrument by it's country of origin really only screws the buyer. I have one of those mid 80's MIJ Squier Strats and the workmanship on that instrument is top notch! It's as good, if not better than most American Strats I've played over the years...the folks at the FujiGen plant really got it right back in the 80's. In other words, if you refuse to buy something like a guitar based on your perception of where it was made, you're only cheating yourself.

I also have to firmly agree with Nick here in regards to the "sweatshop" issue. A lot of people gripe about those so-called sweatshops but most never stop to consider that this is really a perspective thing. A person who otherwise may loose their home or even starve is often quite grateful to have a job in one of those sweatshops. Ya see we Americans have a very bad habit of trying to hold the rest of the world to "our standards" but we never stop to consider that perhaps some of our standards are way too high. Some folks here in the US just seem to think they can't live without a $400,000 home, 2 new cars in the driveway every 4 years and a 60" flat panel hanging in the living room. Personally my wife and I are on the other end of that...we're just happy when the two beaters we have in the driveway actually run, and I'm just tickled with the 27" RCA we have in the living room...it's just so much nicer than the old 19"! I've stood in breadlines so I -appreciate- just having decent food on the table. A great many people...particularly those who have never "done without" never seem to have any perspective on these issues at all.


Anyways, just my $.02 worth as always.
Jim

Niki so come on give us the rundown on the Chines Les Paul. I dont know if that one is yours but months ago when I put up the Chinese site you said it was tempting.lol

How is the quality of the wood and electronics, also playing comfort. I have no interest in buying one but like me you are a straight talker and say what is on your mind. What interest me is that they can push this out for $300 and still turn a profit on a guitar they are charging 10x less for than the real thing. I know we get over priced big time but would just like to know how big of a new on they are ripping us.lol

Straycat.

It's a friends. I leveled the frets and set it up. It plays great, sounds great, comfortable to wear.

My only real issue with the guitar is the way the neck wood responds to the trussrod. It's a little bit frustrating trying to get accurate relief into it. You get it right, then the neck keeps on reacting over days. So your always making minimal adjustments.

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No no and no

I have to side with jeffo 46,I have several MIC Eppys and they are of surprisingly good quality in sound,finish and craftmanship I also have a crafted in China Fender/Squire Stratacoustic that's a great little guitar for the price.Other than the action being a tad too high above the 10th fret (which was an easy fix)it now has Strat-like low action and when amped has a fantastic tone.I have a MIM Tele,an MIM L/H Strat and an MIM Jimmy Vaughn Strat and they are all exceptional guitars,they would have stayed in the store if they weren't.BTW the Jimmy Vaughn Strat is the closest I have found in sound and feel to my 65 Strat other than of course other L series Strats.

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'65 Strat,65 Mustang,65 Jaguar,4 more Strats,3 vintage Vox guitars,5 Vox amps,'69 Bassman with a '68 2-15 Bassman cab,36 guitars total-15asst'd amps total,2 vintage '60s Hammond organs & a myriad of effects-with a few rare vintage ones.

With the shape our global economy is in coupled by our disgraceful paychecks, way too many out of work, wiped out medical benefits and pension plans, etc, not to mention the fact that when creditors such as utility companies want more, we're forced to give it to them, I for one am sick of getting the short end of the stick. If a non-American made guitar fulfills my requirements for hundreds less than an American made one, I don't care if it was made on Mars, I have absolutely no compunctions about buying it. Case in point: My #1 Strat is MIM and I couldn't be happier with it, price or performance wise.

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You dig?