[funkStrat_97]

Originally Posted by lespaul59

So I was only checking the AS Strat out beause it was half the price.

Just out of curiosity; how much was the Deluxe selling for? At GC, the Deluxe was around $1,500 vs. about $750 - 800 for the Special. The Standard was a about $1,000. (how about that, I hijacked my own thread).

[gtrdave]

Originally Posted by thesteve

I agree with you on the woods. I do think that electronics is something where the import instruments have already been able to greatly close the gap. While some import manufacturers are sticking with OEM parts or using lower end major-manufacturer pickups (the Duncan Designed series, for example) others have put USA-level pickups (Dimarzio, Seymour Duncan, EMG) while producing a lower priced instrument.

Now, will they be able to do it and hit a $400 price point? Probably not...most of the guitars I've seen featuring USA pickups have been in the $600-$700 range.

It's not just the pickups, though. The pots, switches and even the quality (and gauge) of the wiring are all of lesser quality on the cheaper instruments.
Buying a cheap guitar and sticking Duncans or DiMarzios in it does not instantly make a made in USA killer, but hype and internet mythology would have us believe this.
Granted, a lot of cheaper instruments are much better quality today than what was available many years ago and it's not fair to say that because a guitar is 'made in China' or where ever that it's instantly going to be junk.
It's also not fair to think that because an instrument is 'made in America' that it's an overpriced pig that costs what it does because of the name on the headstock.

There's a lot to be said for the long-term playability and reliability of a guitar, too, and that has to be factored into the price.
The example that I've probably mentioned before...I got a 1982 Gibson Les Paul brand new in 1982 and have owned it for nearly 30 years. It cost $600 which was a lot of cash for a guitar in '82.
In the nearly 30 years and thousands of rehearsals and studio/stage gigs it has required 1 refret ($175) and 1 new volume pot ($5). I also installed new pickups a while back, but that was based on personal preference and not a failure of the OEM pickups.
The point of this being that I got a professional-level guitar in 1982 and can open the case today, nearly 30 years later, and still pull out a guitar that delivers the goods every single time. And not that it matters to me, but the value of said guitar has more than doubled. It will always be a Gibson Les Paul Standard.

All of that makes that original expensive 'investment' well worth the cost, imho.

[thesteve]

Originally Posted by gtrdave

It's not just the pickups, though. The pots, switches and even the quality (and gauge) of the wiring are all of lesser quality on the cheaper instruments.
Buying a cheap guitar and sticking Duncans or DiMarzios in it does not instantly make a made in USA killer, but hype and internet mythology would have us believe this.

I agree with this. I was just looking at the biggest cost differential. Moving from the tiny pots that so many imports use to a quality set of pots and replacing the switches and wiring with higher grade pieces are all things that could probably be done with a minimal price increase.

[gtrdave]

Originally Posted by thesteve

I agree with this. I was just looking at the biggest cost differential. Moving from the tiny pots that so many imports use to a quality set of pots and replacing the switches and wiring with higher grade pieces are all things that could probably be done with a minimal price increase.

Yes, but to the manufacturer/parent company that minimal cost gets spread across 10,000+ instruments, plus it may mean dealing with a new distributor/supplier and require redrilling the bodies to accommodate the new pot shafts and increased solder use, different soldering methods, etc...
It all means a change that turns the minimal cost into sticking the product into a higher price-point and probably means less profit, which seems to be the main factor in our current greedy-shareholder-driven society.

[thesteve]

Originally Posted by gtrdave

Yes, but to the manufacturer/parent company that minimal cost gets spread across 10,000+ instruments, plus it may mean dealing with a new distributor/supplier and require redrilling the bodies to accommodate the new pot shafts and increased solder use, different soldering methods, etc...
It all means a change that turns the minimal cost into sticking the product into a higher price-point and probably means less profit, which seems to be the main factor in our current greedy-shareholder-driven society.

Seriously...

All of the things you mentioned I can't imagine hurting profits that much or not being covered by a $25-$50 bump in consumer cost. Unfortunately, as you mentioned, it comes down to profits. If the cost per instrument is going to go up $25, then the cost to the consumer is going to go up $100.

[gtrdave]

Originally Posted by thesteve

Seriously...

All of the things you mentioned I can't imagine hurting profits that much or not being covered by a $25-$50 bump in consumer cost. Unfortunately, as you mentioned, it comes down to profits. If the cost per instrument is going to go up $25, then the cost to the consumer is going to go up $100.

Exactly.