Made in China? Yeah, so?

Several months ago, my brother-in-law, a successful private entrepreneur and civil engineer, asked me which brand of acoustic guitar is better: Martin or Taylor. I had told him: honestly, I don’t know. As a person struggling to make ends meet only with music, I couldn’t afford to purchase either, so I’ve never really researched the subject, not even with a cursory glance. I should point out that my brother-in-law is not really into music, not even as a casual hobbyist. Frequently, he is so consumed with his work that he doesn’t find enough time to spend with his family or for his other interests. At the time, I thought that he was asking out of sheer curiosity or just trying to find a common subject for conversation since he didn’t mention this anymore.

However, recently I went to babysit my three-year-old niece, and in one of the rooms, I stumbled across an expensive-looking acoustic guitar case lying on the floor. I’ve thought: so, he chose yet another hobby, after all. Of course, the curiosity had the best of me, so I’ve opened the case. And there it was: lying inside was a brand new Taylor acoustic guitar. I’m not an expert on expensive guitar brands, but I do know that there isn’t such a thing as an affordable Taylor, at least not by my standards. Looking at it, I’ve thought about my recently purchased Tanglewood Evolution acoustic guitar, one of the most comfortable ones I’ve had over the years. It had cost me about 300$ with the discount. I’ve taken another glance at my brother-in-law’s Taylor, not even taking note of the model, and then I’ve quietly closed down the lid. (A few days later, I went to Taylor’s website, and remembering the distinctive decorative pattern on the neck of the guitar, I found out that this particular model is actually in the top tier of the company’s products.)

We live in times that are a dream come true for buyers in many ways. The market is huge, and there is the right price for everyone. The days when the label “Made in China” meant poor craftsmanship are long gone. Today, the products of the world’s most respected companies are regularly manufactured there. The same is true for musical instruments and equipment. And while the production process has been brought to perfection due to the ever-improving modern technology, it is a bit naive to think there isn’t any catch behind an affordable price. One of those is certainly the quality of raw materials and the smoothness of the final touch in the mass production environment. But even so, this doesn’t necessarily mean that such a product is not worth considering and is not suitable for any more serious, even professional use.

Even in this day and age, with all the obvious benefits of mass production, you’ll often come across those who consider themselves connoisseurs and experts, and who would at least dismissively frown at everything made in China as a bad joke. In music, this is especially true when talking about guitars. Like I’ve said before, I’m by no means an expert on expensive instruments due to my own limited experience with them. I understand that there must be a significant difference between the usage of the finest materials, rigorous quality control, and the touch of the craftsman in person. But is this difference so huge in terms of the sheer usability? I think not. I’ve read somewhere that some world-renowned guitarist had said that the key difference between affordable and expensive instruments lies in the comfort of use. It’s a pity that only a select few can indulge in this luxury, often those for whom music is not a life’s calling but a whim of a weekend. But at the end of the day, I must quote my mother, who often says: “It’s not the instrument, but the person behind it that matters”.