The MIJ Gretsch's are very good quality, but they should be for a guitar starting at $3,000USD. The Indo and Chinese models have a lot of issues. How they manage to get past the factory 'QC' tells you a lot.
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Anyone here play a Gretsch?
- Thread starter Ghostwolf
- Start date
The MIJ Gretsch's are very good quality, but they should be for a guitar starting at $3,000USD. The Indo and Chinese models have a lot of issues. How they manage to get past the factory 'QC' tells you a lot.
You do realize that many of the the same firms selling "knock offs" are building commercially under contract for larger firms. It's common knowledge (from people who live there) that most of the foreign factories have "back door" operations.
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A while back, we got a shipment of P-Basses that had EB Music Man QC cards with Chinese characters, but EB claims that ALL MM's are exclusively USA built.
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Cort Indonesia is a huge OEM builder, but you won't find a Cort factory on a map of China because Cort subcontracts with Chinese OEM builder Zunyi Shenqu Musical Instruments. Cort mentions they build in China on their official website:
www.cortguitars.com
About Cort Guitars
Cort Guitars has over 60 years of passion, production knowledge and experience, and we are constantly striving to create the best guitars in the world.
www.cortguitars.com
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The largest Chinese OEM builder is Zunyi Shenqu Musical Instrument:
panjiva.com
Read this:
www.chinadaily.com.cn
Now, if you take the time to sift through bills of lading, you will see that Zunyi Shenqu ships to a lot of USA guitar companies including Washburn, Ibanez /Hoshino, P.T Cort, and curiously, World Musical Instruments (WMI) Korea who builds for Shecter and Wylde Audio.
I've owned guitars made in China, a 1987 Squire from Korea a Schecter from Korea and a Indonesian Jackson....most of us have, but TBTH, when you start to look really closely, it appears that most are being built by Zunyi Shenqu and just shipped to the other factories.
The price point is an indication of where the guitar is made. A Japan made Gretsch, for example, start around $2,900.00USD.
At this price point, it's on par with a 2021 Gibson 50's Standard Gold Top. Mine cost $2,908.35USD out-the-door including California sales tax.
With such a clandestine 'shell game' as to where these things are actually produced, you are better off buying a Gretch USA model.
I'll stick with buying Gibson USA or older USA models from Fender, etc.
Zunyi Shenqu Musical Instrument, MANUFACTURE CO. LTD. RUIXIN INDUSTRIAL PARK ANCHANG TOWN ZHENGAN COUNTRY ZUNYI CITY | Supplier Report — Panjiva
Zunyi Shenqu Musical Instrument at MANUFACTURE CO. LTD. RUIXIN INDUSTRIAL PARK ANCHANG TOWN ZHENGAN COUNTRY ZUNYI CITY. Find their customers, contact information, and details on 85 shipments.
Read this:
Music for world, no strings attached
Zheng'an, a small county in Guizhou province of Southwest China, is the world's largest guitar manufacturing center from where locals export the instrument globally.
www.chinadaily.com.cn
Now, if you take the time to sift through bills of lading, you will see that Zunyi Shenqu ships to a lot of USA guitar companies including Washburn, Ibanez /Hoshino, P.T Cort, and curiously, World Musical Instruments (WMI) Korea who builds for Shecter and Wylde Audio.
I've owned guitars made in China, a 1987 Squire from Korea a Schecter from Korea and a Indonesian Jackson....most of us have, but TBTH, when you start to look really closely, it appears that most are being built by Zunyi Shenqu and just shipped to the other factories.
The price point is an indication of where the guitar is made. A Japan made Gretsch, for example, start around $2,900.00USD.
At this price point, it's on par with a 2021 Gibson 50's Standard Gold Top. Mine cost $2,908.35USD out-the-door including California sales tax.
With such a clandestine 'shell game' as to where these things are actually produced, you are better off buying a Gretch USA model.
I'll stick with buying Gibson USA or older USA models from Fender, etc.
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chilipeppermaniac
Ambassador of Decibels
Yes I know this.
When it comes to counterfeit and any knowledge I have on the subject, I remember watching a TV show once maybe 20 years ago where they showed how bad or good fake jobs can be.
The one bad one made me laugh forever. It was of a Mercedes. It was one model in the front half of the car and another completely different model in the back. Not hard to spot that as a fake.
Keep the price point in mind. You can buy a $160.00 Chibson that looks like a Chibson.
Or, you can buy a $600.00 Chibson with nibs, correct font, correct knob placement/spacing, a 17° headstock, 5/16" brass truss rod nut and Grease pencil markings in the cavities that even an expert can have a tough time telling from an original.
SIx String Chef
Ambassador of Taste
Yeah, that sounds just about right.
chilipeppermaniac
Ambassador of Decibels
The largest Chinese OEM builder is Zunyi Shenqu Musical Instrument:
Zunyi Shenqu Musical Instrument, MANUFACTURE CO. LTD. RUIXIN INDUSTRIAL PARK ANCHANG TOWN ZHENGAN COUNTRY ZUNYI CITY | Supplier Report — Panjiva
Zunyi Shenqu Musical Instrument at MANUFACTURE CO. LTD. RUIXIN INDUSTRIAL PARK ANCHANG TOWN ZHENGAN COUNTRY ZUNYI CITY. Find their customers, contact information, and details on 85 shipments.
Read this:
Music for world, no strings attached
Zheng'an, a small county in Guizhou province of Southwest China, is the world's largest guitar manufacturing center from where locals export the instrument globally.
Now, if you take the time to sift through bills of lading, you will see that Zunyi Shenqu ships to a lot of USA guitar companies including Washburn, Ibanez /Hoshino, P.T Cort, and curiously, World Musical Instruments (WMI) Korea who builds for Shecter and Wylde Audio.
I've owned guitars made in China, a 1987 Squire from Korea a Schecter from Korea and a Indonesian Jackson....most of us have, but TBTH, when you start to look really closely, it appears that most are being built by Zunyi Shenqu and just shipped to the other factories.
The price point is an indication of where the guitar is made. A Japan made Gretsch, for example, start around $2,900.00USD.
View attachment 84852
At this price point, it's on par with a 2021 Gibson 50's Standard Gold Top. Mine cost $2,908.35USD out-the-door including California sales tax.
With such a clandestine 'shell game' as to where these things are actually produced, you are better off buying a Gretch USA model.
I'll stick with buying Gibson USA or older USA models from Fender, etc.
My 2nd Tele ever is a replacement for the first that had issues. ( YES both were Chinese made Squier Classic Vibe Tele's.) These were some of the early ones when the prices were about $279 for my CV 50's and $299 for the Thinlines and 60's Customs.
On my first one, the electronics cut out and the control plate was mis drilled where the screws attach to the body cavity. The one screw was centered but the other only caught the "edge" of the cavity ledge so it stripped out and failed to hold.
My warranty replacement one is a nice Tele for a nice price back in 2012.
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The logo is like the brown M&M's....if you can't get the simple things right, don't even ask about wood curing, neck angle, or fret and bridge placement
Typical Gretsch issues.
In all honesty, the Gretsch line has been a significant factor in my decision to leave, even before other opportunities presented themselves.
Eventually, one has to find a way to at least be "OK" with being part of the Chinese guitar supply chain. That still kinda bothers me, but business is business and cheap guitars sell. That's a fact.
Gretsch is the most labor intensive, problematic, poorly crafted guitars I've ever worked with. Only the Japan-built models have consistent quality.
Gretsch models require extensive fret end work, for which I'm not given extra inspection time, which causes your daily production numbers to drop, which gets you a discussion with the "Numbers Guy."
The necks are banana shaped and many headstocks "snap-off" during the extreme truss rod adjustments required to get them into their spec of .008" at the 8th. Many headstocks are broken off in shipping and in some, the truss rod itself breaks before you can straighten the neck.
Gretsch still requires hand-filled warranty card and "OK Card," which again requires more bench time.
Some Gretsch models require one or more strings be loosened and lifted out of the nut to remove the cover in order to access the truss rod adjustment, resulting in more time.
Many models require removing the pickguard in order to adjust the pickup height, which, when all of these operations are added up, is more than you can "legitimately" do in the 6 minutes alotted.
Now, on a Chinese or Indonesian Fender, I can access truss rod without removing a cover, the necks never have extreme bows, fret ends are nicely rounded, pickups are easily adjusted and no hand-filled warranty paperwork.
Eventually, one has to find a way to at least be "OK" with being part of the Chinese guitar supply chain. That still kinda bothers me, but business is business and cheap guitars sell. That's a fact.
Gretsch is the most labor intensive, problematic, poorly crafted guitars I've ever worked with. Only the Japan-built models have consistent quality.
Gretsch models require extensive fret end work, for which I'm not given extra inspection time, which causes your daily production numbers to drop, which gets you a discussion with the "Numbers Guy."
The necks are banana shaped and many headstocks "snap-off" during the extreme truss rod adjustments required to get them into their spec of .008" at the 8th. Many headstocks are broken off in shipping and in some, the truss rod itself breaks before you can straighten the neck.
Gretsch still requires hand-filled warranty card and "OK Card," which again requires more bench time.
Some Gretsch models require one or more strings be loosened and lifted out of the nut to remove the cover in order to access the truss rod adjustment, resulting in more time.
Many models require removing the pickguard in order to adjust the pickup height, which, when all of these operations are added up, is more than you can "legitimately" do in the 6 minutes alotted.
Now, on a Chinese or Indonesian Fender, I can access truss rod without removing a cover, the necks never have extreme bows, fret ends are nicely rounded, pickups are easily adjusted and no hand-filled warranty paperwork.
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That model is known internally as the "White Elephant."
That’s interesting information, but it doesn’t change the fact that I enjoy playing them.
As well you should. Fairly decent list of some pretty big names have played that guitar over the years.
I'd wager they are not playing a China or Indonesian model. I won't even get into the significant changes the artist models have compared to the production guitars.
Anyways, I don't find them asthetically or sonically pleasing, as a player, so thats quite likely why i never gave them a second look.
They are very "odd feeling" and bulky to me, like wearing a leather glove, 3 sizes too large, and trying to pick up a coin.
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