Rasmus Guitars - Suhr "Affordable" Line

[Nightbat]

I guess I just dont understand corporations... they just dont care about the USA workers, theyd rather save $14 a guitar to have em made in China.

It's called "Maximizing profit"

they don't save $14
they just transfer it from the workfloor to the upper managment and stockholders

"Ivory Tower" stuff, it's beyond this lower class idiot to understand

[FloydRose4Prez]

I "suhr" don't like that logo...Looks like the Lyon logo. Same font. Screams "crap". At least some of 'em are Floyded...

[Robert Burns]

Still, the best deal can be had on a "Used" Suhr!... just keep checking
out "The Gear Page", or Harmony Central" for a $3500.00 Suhr that is
in mint condition for $1700.00! There, you just got a bargain! :idea:

[85 San Dimas]

Y'know, Ed Yoon IS right about one thing......$999 is not cheap.

Mr. Yoon, good luck. I've been away from the crack pipe too long to go with all this. I don't want to see Suhr fail, but maybe that's what needs to happen because if this is your collective best idea.............maybe try finding a way to build a high-quality strat killer for $1500 (not boutique-just better). Can't? Try harder or Suhr the company dies as a viable builder.

The guitar world has no want or need for a 2010 1K MIC Strat copy when a modern used Fender USA Strat sells for about 7 hundred. The only people who want them are dealers suffering under FMIC's oppressive buy-in policies and want to give Fender the finger. And when these sit on their walls for 6 months and you go back to sell the second batch you won't even be able to get them on the phone. They aren't Suhrs, They aren't close. They're Chinese copies.

truly don't understand dislike for Chinese production?

I'm no bleeding heart liberal, but you pay these people 17 cents an hour (a 99+% labor decrease) and only cut the cost to us by 60%-70%. (Yeah, yeah, cost of wood and solder). That based on the guitars being EQUALS to the US version, and they won't be...if nothing else you guys will make SURE they aren't as good.

That means we're getting "ripped off" because dollar for dollar we are getting LESS AND AND AND AND supporting a country who is a military competitor.

The problem ISN'T the consumer. The problem is that is a time of deflationary pressure on discretionary spending items you guys have no answer and no strategy.

Faced with the choice the customers will buy the used Fender. Why? Name? Sure, but also they can "sell it" and get their money out of it should the want or need ever arise. Good luck, truly, I don't want Suhr to fail, but if this is the answer Suhr came up with then IMHO you guys have already given up.

And I'm reading the news that way. Hope I'm wrong, but why buy that guitar? To do what? Prove a point to who? Get market share from whom? That's dealers talking. Dealers only buy guitars from you, they're YOUR consumer. If we don't buy them they won't either. I don't hate them, I just don't need or want them and who does?

[Flatpicker]

Y'know, Ed Yoon IS right about one thing......$999 is not cheap.

Mr. Yoon, good luck. I've been away from the crack pipe too long to go with all this. I don't want to see Suhr fail, but maybe that's what needs to happen because if this is your collective best idea.............maybe try finding a way to build a high-quality strat killer for $1500 (not boutique-just better). Can't? Try harder or Suhr the company dies as a viable builder.

The guitar world has no want or need for a 2010 1K MIC Strat copy when a modern used Fender USA Strat sells for about 7 hundred. The only people who want them are dealers suffering under FMIC's oppressive buy-in policies and want to give Fender the finger. And when these sit on their walls for 6 months and you go back to sell the second batch you won't even be able to get them on the phone. They aren't Suhrs, They aren't close. They're Chinese copies.

truly don't understand dislike for Chinese production?

I'm no bleeding heart liberal, but you pay these people 17 cents an hour (a 99+% labor decrease) and only cut the cost to us by 60%-70%. (Yeah, yeah, cost of wood and solder). That based on the guitars being EQUALS to the US version, and they won't be...if nothing else you guys will make SURE they aren't as good.

That means we're getting "ripped off" because dollar for dollar we are getting LESS AND AND AND AND supporting a country who is a military competitor.

The problem ISN'T the consumer. The problem is that is a time of deflationary pressure on discretionary spending items you guys have no answer and no strategy.

Faced with the choice the customers will buy the used Fender. Why? Name? Sure, but also they can "sell it" and get their money out of it should the want or need ever arise. Good luck, truly, I don't want Suhr to fail, but if this is the answer Suhr came up with then IMHO you guys have already given up.

And I'm reading the news that way. Hope I'm wrong, but why buy that guitar? To do what? Prove a point to who? Get market share from whom? That's dealers talking. Dealers only buy guitars from you, they're YOUR consumer. If we don't buy them they won't either. I don't hate them, I just don't need or want them and who does?

Well said.

[quiksilver]

Wow, what a load of BS. Suhr puts up a “Rasmus” site that blathers on about USA-made pickups, Japanese-made bridges and German-made fret wires – fret wires??? Are you serious??? – but can’t pin the country of origin down any more than a continent? Obviously, they know that moving production to China will anger many of their customers, and their site tries to hide it. Misleading people with the site is bad enough. Yoon’s efforts to sugar-coat it are worse.

First Yoon tells us that China’s economy is growing and this will become the century of China. Yup, you may be right, thanks to American companies like you sending our jobs there. But don’t try to tell us you’re doing us a favor. You can make more profit off the backs of the Chinese workers than you can by paying Americans a decent wage, so you’re screwing the American worker to maximize your profit, plain and simple.

You’re going to provide photos and videos to prove how great your Chinese factory is? WTF? Well, I expect those will look just great, since everything will be screened by the Chinese government before it ever gets to you, then screened again by you before it ever gets to us. Save the propaganda, please.

And the suggestion that the volume will be so low we shouldn’t worry about it makes no sense at all. Obviously, Suhr, through its Chinese factory, will be trying to crank out as many as possible to maximize profit.

All of this makes me sick. I have been seriously in the market for a Suhr for about a year now. In fact, I tried to buy one (I sent the money to the dealer, but he sold it to someone else). But reading this really puts a sour taste in my mouth about Suhr. I think I will take a closer look at Carvin.

[lerxstcat]

I think you'll see those prices come down pretty fast when they can't sell them for shit. Don't get me wrong, I have had a couple of fairly nice Chinese-made guitars, but they were nothing like a Suhr range. They were Squier Strats, and really nice - for a $100 guitar!

Now if they got them into the $500 range they might have a real seller on their hands. At least they have a 24-fret Floyded model, I don't think you can get a "real" Suhr with 24 frets, can you?

I think Rasmus is a poor name choice too! Family rootname or not, it sounds ghetto!

[lerxstcat]

All of this makes me sick. I have been seriously in the market for a Suhr for about a year now. In fact, I tried to buy one (I sent the money to the dealer, but he sold it to someone else). But reading this really puts a sour taste in my mouth about Suhr. I think I will take a closer look at Carvin.

Just don't buy a Carvin Cobalt acoustic guitar. Yep, made in China! AFAIK, though, all the electrics and amps are still made in USA. And the AC Series acoustic-electrics are still USA-made too.

[Nightbat]

Why buy a bolt on strat shaped MIC Shur guitar (that's too ashamed to put it's real name on the headstock) for $1k

When I can get a same construction MIJ Jackson (says so on the headstock) for $300 less?

How bloody much better can the Rashurmus be?

about that "Government screened factory" comment
I bet it is, Foreign company announces visit -> Factory sends home the childlabourers for that date ->
delegation leaves -> time to whip the kiddos again

[BenoA]

When I can get a same construction Jackson (says so on the headstock) for $300 less?

Would not have said it better!

Godin, Charvel, Fender to name a few make decent guitars (made in USA or Canada) for same price or even cheaper than those Rasmus upcoming offering.

But back to that 300$ Jackson. I could not afford a custom made Kelly with fixed bridge. But I bought one of those cheapo JS model. Put 2 US made pickups in it and a good set of tuners. I'm around 525$ canadian and got a guitar I'm having fun with it and have no worries banging everywhere or leaving all alone on the stage.

And it says Jackson on the headstock!!!

[Chad]

Most of this has already been said, but...

1. The Rasmus name just plain sucks. When I read it, I think of a silly name my grandpa used to give to a person who was acting idiotic, "Rastas".

2. Aside from the name itself, the font/logo design is bad. I think of the old cartoon Thundercats when I see it.

3. I'll agree with everybody that it is lame how they clearly spelled out the parts origin for frets and so forth, but for construction they just say "Asia" instead of coming out and saying China.

4. $1K street price for a made in China guitar is an absolute joke. Maybe in 50 years things will be different and China will have a good reputation for quality, fair treatment of workers, etc., but NOT NOW.

5. As others have said, why not just buy a competing product that is less expensive and spend some bucks on a top rate fret leveling/Plek job and upgrade a few parts (like electronics) if needed. As a bonus, you could have a guitar with a name on the headstock that makes you proud.

6. Whoever designed the Rasmus website should be fired. That left-right navigation is just plain irritating and stupid. A good example of being different just to be different and resulting in FAIL.

I read the entire thread on the Suhr forum. Quite interesting. Some support these guitars, but there are also some rather upset folks.

[BenoA]

6. Whoever designed the Rasmus website should be fired. That left-right navigation is just plain irritating and stupid. A good example of being different just to be different and resulting in FAIL.

Forgot about this one!!! But yes, fire the web designer!!!

[RacerX]

Wow, what a load of BS. Suhr puts up a “Rasmus” site that blathers on about USA-made pickups, Japanese-made bridges and German-made fret wires – fret wires??? Are you serious??? – but can’t pin the country of origin down any more than a continent? Obviously, they know that moving production to China will anger many of their customers, and their site tries to hide it. Misleading people with the site is bad enough. Yoon’s efforts to sugar-coat it are worse.

First Yoon tells us that China’s economy is growing and this will become the century of China. Yup, you may be right, thanks to American companies like you sending our jobs there. But don’t try to tell us you’re doing us a favor. You can make more profit off the backs of the Chinese workers than you can by paying Americans a decent wage, so you’re screwing the American worker to maximize your profit, plain and simple.

You’re going to provide photos and videos to prove how great your Chinese factory is? WTF? Well, I expect those will look just great, since everything will be screened by the Chinese government before it ever gets to you, then screened again by you before it ever gets to us. Save the propaganda, please.

And the suggestion that the volume will be so low we shouldn’t worry about it makes no sense at all. Obviously, Suhr, through its Chinese factory, will be trying to crank out as many as possible to maximize profit.

All of this makes me sick.

Excellent post, I agree 100 % !

[Endrik]

I wouldn't put down the Chinese workers. They do make a lot of crap because they are underpaid, work long hours, live in shitholes and don't have any passion in it. But if they are well trained and work in reasonable conditions then they make great stuff... their porcelain and silk paintings are superb.
Lately 'Ndrangheta mobsters have brought Chinese labor to South Europe and are trained by local tailors to do Armani, Versace etc. copies. And experts say that often that stuff is as good as the originals.
I don't know if the conditions are going to be good in the guitar factory but one thing is sure, I will never buy a guitar named "Rasmus". Most Rasmuses I know are wussy dirtbags.

[quiksilver]

Just don't buy a Carvin Cobalt acoustic guitar. Yep, made in China! AFAIK, though, all the electrics and amps are still made in USA. And the AC Series acoustic-electrics are still USA-made too.

Nah, I wouldn't do that. I have one acoustic (Taylor) and that's enough. I only GAS for electrics.

I actually had the chance to visit Carvin's factory in California once, which was really cool. Maybe it's time to finally get one.