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Re: [Spridgets] Chinese Manufacturers

To: derf <derf247@gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [Spridgets] Chinese Manufacturers
From: Kirk Hargreaves <khargreaves2@gmail.com>
Date: Sat, 17 Jul 2010 14:41:10 -0700
Derf,


Interesting info.  . thanks for sending.

Just to mention. .   Japanese guitars are indeed a different thing.  During
the 70's on into the early 80's they built some of the best guitars out
there.  . and many of the guitars built during that era are still sought
after today.

In terms of the woods used, the feel and  playability. .  . I hold the
quality of a Burny or a Tokai as well as a Yamaha from the early 80's as a
better guitar than their American counter parts such as Gibson and Fender.

New guitars made in Japan are also highly respected (Steve Vai plays a
Japanese electric as well as several other famous guitar players).

Japanese guitars from the 70's such as the Electra's are still sought after
as vintage instruments of high quality.

Fender turned to Japan for the manufacture of their guitars just after the
Fender employees bought back the name of the company, circa 1980..  They
only got the name "Fender" and as such they left the tooling in Fullerton
Ca.

It was said that when the Fender execs got to Japan and played the Japanese
type Fender Strats that one of the guys nearly came to tears over the
quality they found as well as the feel and playability.  The Fender guys
also worried that they would never be able to build a Fender in America to
the same standard.  Personally,  I am not too certain that Fender America in
Corona Ca. has ever risen to the same feel and playability as found in an
early 1980's Japanese guitars..  . such guitars as the Tokai "Springy Sound"
Stratocaster copy.

Your Yamaha may be the same model that was played by Carlos Santana during
his early days?

If you can send a pic of it, I would love to see it.

Thanks,

Kirk

On Sat, Jul 17, 2010 at 1:48 PM, derf <derf247@gmail.com> wrote:

> The Chinese can and do make excellent stuff.  They will build you a
> Space Shuttle if you have enough money.
> The problem is the Importers.  The Importers go to China and ask for
> stuff made to their specs.  They import the stuff and sell it.  If
> they asked for better stuff, they would get better stuff, but, it
> would cost more.
> The Chinese aren't importing this stuff.  Harbor Freight isn't a
> Chinese company.  They are a privately held American company.  Someone
> at Harbor Freight asks for and gets exactly what they want from the
> Chinese.  To me it defies the laws of economics that they can sell a
> jack or some other tool for less than it would cost to buy the steel
> to make the tool.
>
>
> I have an old Yamaha guitar that is one of those guitars.  Before I
> got it a guy gigged with it for a living for almost a decade.  My
> friend got it and his daughter sat on it and cracked the neck.  I
> traded for it, fixed it, and still have it.  Everyone who knows
> guitars and plays it has something to say about how nice it plays.  It
> wasn't the most expensive and has certainly had a lot of use but it is
> just one of those sweet sounding, sweet playing guitars, even years
> after I glued the neck back together.
>
> Before China started making junk for export Japan was doing it.  Now
> Japan makes high quality stuff.  China CAN make high quality stuff,
> but someone has to order and pay for it.
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