Is Korea comming of age?

[guitarforceone]

Re: Is Korea comming of age?

Originally posted by MSGfan:
Korea has been producing some great solid body electrics as of late! I own a Dean`79 series ML and Hamer Archtop that I changed some of the hardware on both and changed the pickups to Duncans and they scream!! [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">I, too, own a couple of '79 Series ML's, in addition to my USA Deans. The Korean Deans are very good quality, and very affordable. Heck, the stock pickups don't sound half bad, either. Just an FYI here...the Korean Deans are not made by Samick. They were in the mid-90's during the "Tropical" era, but not any more. For some reason, we have not been able to get Elliot or Dean to say who exactly is making them, but they have said it is not Samick. FWIW.
Dana <~~~

[slayer]

Re: Is Korea comming of age?

The first Hamer Korean guitars called Hamer "Slammer Series" are a major best buy from the early to mid-90s, thye are of moderate quality for a low price now used, I have owned 3 2 Eclipses and 1 Special HB. Sure they aren`t as good as the USA Hamers, but for the little dough, they are a best buy. jack.

[straycat]

Re: Is Korea comming of age?

I had an 89 korean fender squier strat plywood body that actually had reasonable tonal quality,but the maple/maple neck was outstanding.Thick lacquer, rolled edges, meidum frets and a soft "c" shaped back.I put this neck on a mexican fender poplar body 3 HS-3 dimarzio pickups man what a great parts-o-caster.Had to do major work on the neck pocket to make it fit but well worth the time and effort.

[Greg Crowe]

Re: Is Korea comming of age?

The absolute best import guitars I have ever played are 1989-93 Charvel/Jackson Japanese guitars. Those guitars are every bit the equal to the USA guitars. I have a couple early 90's Japanese Fender HM Strats that are pretty darn good, nowhere near the quality of the C/J's but pretty darn good.

I always thought the Japanese Ibanez stuff from the 70's and early 80's was complete garbage. I've never played one I thought was any good. The first Ibanez I ever liked was when they started making the RG series guitars at a DIFFERENT Japanese plant.

The 80's Kramer Focus guitar were fairly decent but had horrible pickups.

Korea: I think Korea is where Japan was in 1986-87. Japan was starting to put out some serious quality. The new Korean Dean's are awesome! The Kramer Baretta's are pretty damn nice after a complete setup. I have one(of 3) I'd put up against any USA Jackson Soloist in terms of playability. The Schecter's and some of the ESP's look pretty darn nice too. All those top line Schecters, ESP's and Dean's are made in the same Korean plant.

[Black Mariah]

Re: Is Korea comming of age?

I've got a '79 Iceman you need to try out. [img]graemlins/headbang.gif[/img]

[Jim Shine]

Re: Is Korea comming of age?

I had a early 90's Soloist Standard a while back. It definately was equal to the standard production USA Jackson stuff of the same time. If I liked recessed tremolos and scooped out neck heels, I would be looking for a few of those guitars as they definately were a quality instrument. I remember when they came out I was shocked that they were indeed an import.

[Back For More]

Re: Is Korea comming of age?

You guys can have this same conversation in 5 years in regards to China. A few big names are starting to move their Korean ops to China. Next year Dean imports will be made in China - so we'll see how those 79's improve/decline.

[buzzsaww]

Re: Is Korea comming of age?

oh man i wish i could remember what make it was. i played a guitar in a shop two days ago. was really pleased with it. i turned it over expecting to see made in korea and was really surprised to see made in china! i "think" it may have been a schecter C-1 elite.

Originally posted by Back For More:
You guys can have this same conversation in 5 years in regards to China. A few big names are starting to move their Korean ops to China. Next year Dean imports will be made in China - so we'll see how those 79's improve/decline.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">

[lerxstcat]

Re: Is Korea comming of age?

I was surprised by the Chinese Squier Affinity guitars of 1997-98. Solid wood, 22 frets, decent necks, sounded pretty good even with crappy hardware and electronics. Compared to what was out for entry level in 1972 when I began, these guitars are giggable without being embarrassed, though obviously you don't want to be gigging with that level gear. I also have a cheap Essex 7-string from China; nothing to write home about, but it plays well enough, says in tune if I don't use the vintage trem, and sounds pretty good too. It's good enough for me to dabble, since I'm only mildly interested in 7-string. It was a $99 Ebay score and worth that. It's a bit nicer than the lowest-line Ibanez 7-string and may have been made in the same place, since they're Chinese too.
Mine has direct-mounted pickups and a photo-flame red sunburst on alder body, and having owned the Ibanez for a few months, the Essex is a bit better.

Since I remember the days of TRULY BAD starter guitars, I'm tickled pink today at how nice even the cheapos are. If you have a friend who has some of the old el cheapos for nostalgia's sake, play some of THOSE cheeselogs and you'll know what I mean. Sure you get what you pay for, but on the low end lines you get more for your money today than ever before.

[buzzsaww]

Re: Is Korea comming of age?

preach it lerx! two snaps in a circle! i remember those days too. i had one of those truly bad starter guitars.

[slayer]

Re: Is Korea comming of age?

I started off on a Harmony Strat nockoff and it was the most terrible thing I have ever played-yuck!! Jack.

[pro-fusion]

Re: Is Korea comming of age?

Yeah, me three!! I may cringe now every time I play an LTD, but it would have been just fine for me when I was 15 and didn't know what the hell I was doing anyway...not that I necessarily do now! [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

I started on a Memphis Les Paul copy that, while not horrible, had serious tuning stability issues, was probably made of plywood, and had a fret job that was greatly inferior to what you find on even the cheapest of today's Samicks.

[Jimi D]

Re: Is Korea comming of age?

Originally posted by Flatpicker:
I can't see how there would be much of a manufacturing difference any longer as CNC machines are doing all the the work.
It's the finishing details that seem to be the difference.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">The so-called "finishing details" IS the work! You can teach a chimp how to cut our a guitar shape with a bandsaw - the CNC machines just cut; and you don't need a luthier to just cut the wood... Why you buy a USA PRS or Jackson instead of a Korean Epiphone has to do with the quality of the work (and workers) who sand, fret and finish your guitar, and with the quality of the hardware (cheap Korean hardware is still cheap and still sucks...).

That being said, I have a Chinese OLP MM4 (Music Man Silhouette copy) that cost me about $30 (bought it as part of a starter pack with my Line6 GuitarPort, and the upcharge from a GuitarPort alone was $30) and it's a fine guitar - stays in tune, sounds okay, plays okay... I leave it lying around for my kids to bang away on and they think it's great. I would have loved to have a guitar this good when I was 16... My 2 cents

[2Loud2Old]

Re: Is Korea comming of age?

Now I've noticed Dillion, a Korean knock-off manufacturer, has a new "budget" line....

...made in Vietnam!

So... I suppose in a few years, all the real crappy guitars will be made in Afghanistan??? [img]images/icons/shocked.gif[/img]

[Accept2]

Re: Is Korea comming of age?

Originally posted by 2Loud2Old:

So... I suppose in a few years, all the real crappy guitars will be made in Afghanistan??? [img]images/icons/shocked.gif[/img]

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">The only thing that should be made in Afghanistan in a few years are half life readings.....