Quote:
Originally Posted by GoPappy
Apples and oranges. The guitars he's talking about aren't hand-crafted one at a time by a single luthier. They are factory made and assembled in Asia to hit a low price point because Asian factory labor is much cheaper than USA factory labor. I don't think anybody is claiming that American luthiers are better or more talented. We're talking factory workers and wage rates.
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This is of course true but opens a duality of topics. I own a Japanese acoustic guitar that was crafted by a singular luthier. I'd be comfortable in saying it's a level of precision blended with a palpable soul that is better (for me) than anything (boutique or not) on the planet. That discussion however for another day and thread.
The focal point of the responses here on this topic is the proffered phrase
"SEs are Asian, so they're cheap. It's not a U.S. guitar, but it should be fine" which brings up a different topic altogether. First and foremost the idea of that post is (and specific to the PRS guitars in discussion) somewhat silly and wholly uninformed at best. However, and from a more interesting perspective, it certainly does raise the question(s) as to what exactly is going on that allows Asian Factory workers to produce such a high-quality instrument at such a crazy cost of entry.
The questions that come to my mind are 1) Are the factory, and factory workers overseen by PRS reps from the States? 2) If so how much are they involved in the ultimate QC outcome? 3) Or, in the alternative are the CNC (I use that term lightly and whatever current description of the automation process is appropriate) nature of our current world just so good as to allow for such great products at such reasonable prices?
In the end, however, the SEs and the Specials are amazing instruments that are undeniably inexpensive but by any measuring stick, not cheap.