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Originally Posted by HHP

I think the quality of the imports is a good thing as it has raised the bar for the low cost guitar market and provides a useable instrument for well under what a domestic builder could do.

Getting to a level of 70% of "great guitar" is pretty easy and formulaic and lends itself to low cost, high volume production. It's getting that last 30% of "great guitar" is where the costs and the artistry comes in.

On an ultimate scale, I have not found the imports to be all that attractive as I have not found their sound very appealing but I do not deny they offer a better experience for players on a budget or just starting out. The domestic builders have responded with some great less expensive guitars in recent years but they will simply never get down into the sub-$500 in any meaningful way due to their inherent cost structures.

I agree. There are great differences between products of the top tier American luthiers and the rest of the world with some excetions.