Made In The U.S.A.

 

Sitting here waiting for last nights dinner to leave, I was reading this article about a new guitar.

I admit I’m a gear head and am fascinated by the luthiers who take pieces of wood and make musical instruments. How someone can take a tree and turn it into a guitar or violin or piano is fascinating. The parts and pieces that are carved, sanded, drilled and polished into a tool used by composers to create tunes we can all hum along with (because no one remembers the words without the sheet music).

There are master craft professionals whose practice and experiences have become recognizable names. A violin constructed by Stradivarius is coveted for it’s perceived quality and sound and can be sold for millions. Antonius Stradivarius wasn’t the first fiddle maker or the last. He didn’t have any special woods or tools that made his creations better than others but everyone remembers the name Stradivarius.

The same is with other instruments like Steinway pianos, Ludwig drums, Sennheiser electronics and Johannes Scherzer trumpets. The names Martin, Gibson, Fender, and Guild have been the most recognizable guitar brands through the years.  Through construction quality, manufacturing quantities, availability or advertising these names on the headstock have been the heritage of the guitar industry in America.

Like the brand of Ford, Chevrolet, Heinz, Levi, Craftsman, and Coleman they have become synonymous with quality, fine workmanship and constructed in the U.S. of the A. Employees took pride in working for these companies.

There was still demand for Volvo autos, Rolex watches, Howard Miller clocks, Château Mouton Rothschild wine and Yves Saint Laurent fashions whose expertise could not be matched in America.

Made in the U.S.A. became a patriotic chant, a form of nationalism during the 70’s. With an economy that was repressing, small oriental models with good gas mileage were replacing large cars from Detroit, manufacturing was shifted overseas due to lower labor cost and America started to enjoy the new technology and cheaper prices coming from abroad.

Today no one knows where all the parts and pieces of anything we purchase are made. In our deposable society it has become the custom to throw away the old one and buy a new model. It has become acceptable to settle for lack of quality and workmanship for lower prices.

Now back to my reading.

There was this article about a ‘new’ parlor guitar presented under a fairly recent brand but one with a good reputation for quality and innovation.

 A little background history of the guitar industry in America.

When the colonists arrived at these shores, the indigenous people did not have any guitars. The immigrants brought the idea of strings plucked on a box from the fatherlands. The slaves created the banjo and the Spanish brought the basic design for the guitarra with variations of lutes and harps from other European areas.

Most of the aforementioned guitar brands started making mandolins. Small and easy to carry the mandolin became popular with many types of music.

The ‘parlor’ guitar was a small guitar that could be played in ‘the parlor’ by the ladies entertaining the family and friends. The small ‘parlor’ went out of style as people requested larger and louder guitars.

Every guitar brand has several sizes with names like D-45, J-200, F-512, and O, OO, and OOO models. Like cars have Mustangs and Corvettes, guitars have 000E Black Walnut Ambertone and J-185 EC Modern Rosewood with prices to match.

With everyone being stranded at home, guitars have become more popular. Unfortunately guitars, like cars, need to be ‘test driven’ before purchase. Each has a feel, a sound, attention to detail each player is looking for but must be experienced to get the endorphins churning. A guitar is built by hand and played by hand.

The article in question was about the PRS SE P20E. To translate that is a Paul Reed Smith (brand) Signature Electronic Tonare Parlor 2020 model.

James Rotondi wrote this article for ‘Acoustic Guitar’ February 2021 magazine. He is a guitarist, writer and performer who also writes. “Roto” as he is called, noted the quality, touch and sound of a smaller guitar. He wasn’t as impressed by the electronics but these are supposed to be quiet guitars not fit for AC/DC. His overall review was positive except for one thing.

“Perhaps the only buzzkill on this otherwise charming and solidly built guitar is the decidedly un-vintage machine imprint on the back of the PRS headstock which reads: “Built by Cor-Tek Musical Instrument Co, LTD, China. Under exclusive license for PRS Guitars.” Cor-Tek, for those unaware, is the official name of the Cort guitar company, with plants in Seoul, South Korea, China, and Indonesia. Now, clearly it would be difficult, if not impossible, to produce a similar guitar in the U.S. for the $579 street price that the SE P20E offers—though going with laminated mahogany back and sides, rather than solid wood, must also help keep the price affordable.”

The PRS SE P20E was ‘made in China’. The reasonable street price is $579 and without electronics around $500. The Paul Reed Smith organization (founded in 1985) is noted for their extreme ‘quality inspection’ before shipping. Then again all guitar manufactures say that.

The Paul Reed Smith mission statement: “Guitar building is an ongoing process of discovery. We are devoted to the guitar's rich heritage while committed to new technologies that will enrich our products with uncompromised tone, playability and beauty. Our success depends on our ability to listen, implement positive change and continually refine our craft.

Believing this, we strive to build the best guitars and guitar products possible and to serve our employees, customers, suppliers and community with distinction.”

The best reviews are by players who have purchased and use the guitar. From what I’ve read and heard, PRS is close to the best.

So why should it matter if the PRS SE P20E is constructed in China or U.S.A.? If the person(s) gluing the wood selection together, inserting the frets, cutting the inlays or applying the finish following exact detailed instructions and overseen by experienced qualified inspectors before release, is named Hank or Wáng does it make a difference? If Wáng worked at Stevensville, Maryland at the Paul Reed Smith construction facility would it make a difference in the quality of the guitar?

If one does the homework, each guitar style and model has specs of size, frets, wood, bracing, strings…. There are plenty of opinions and reviews on makes and models, some good and some not so much.

I’ve been privilege enough to play a variety of guitars through the years. Some came home and some had to be given back. Some are what are now called ‘Vintage’ or ‘Platinum’ guitars that carry steep prices. I found preferences that sway my purchasing or even browsing. A Gibson neck is too wide for me but is fine playing cowboy chords. A Guild has a flat sound to my ear but is known as the King of the acoustic 12-string. Every brand has a reputation and every player has a personal preference.

Every year there are new models. Some are experiments to see if the brand can expand its share of the market. Some are retro remakes to get the audience that either missed them the first time or couldn’t afford them when they first came out. Some are just cosmetic changes and some are in depth replicas with meticulous care to detail.

Some of my guitars have been almost impossible to play but they filled a need at the time and were a learning exercise. Some of my guitars were excellent but my taste changed. Some were bought in music stores and others pawn shops. Some were spur of the moment purchases and some were hours (years) of research for the best instrument for the buck. Some guitars were a few hundred dollars and some much more.

Now I always get any guitar I purchase a set-up check by luthiers or retail guitar techs. The best guitars are perfect straight out of the box while others might need a tweak or two to adjust from traveling bumps and bounces. Before I put the plastic down I want a seal of approval, not only from the manufacturer but the seller.

Some of my collections are name brands; some are unfamiliar brands with similar histories and quality standards. Some were not the top of the line but same specs except for type of lacquer or the name on the headstock.

I’ve never been one who covets the Stradivarius but understand the heritage of history and the discussion of how good the old pre-war guitars were. The same is true for automobiles. Is the ‘new’ Mustang comparable to the ’66 Mustang?

Smaller guitars are becoming popular again so more ‘parlor’ guitars are on the market. They are good guitars for the coach or campfire, easy to play, travel well and are affordable. I already have a parlor guitar (along with a mini, travel, junior) so I’m not in the market, but enjoyed reading the review.