I got a cool tour at the largest guitar manufacturer in the world.

Folkcafe

Folkcafe

Well-known member
For those who have not been following the "guitar in Korea" thread I have just returned from Korea. While there I got a chance for the adventure of a lifetime. I went on a guitar quest which included a factory tour at Samick. This company produces more than half the guitars made in the world. As you can imagine I was completely blown away.

I have put together a lengthy web article on my web page but thought it to long to copy here. If you are interested in the details of my trip check it out at http://www.folkcafe.com and at the guitar in korea thread.

Thanks all.

Don Goguen
Folk Cafe Productions
 
Great article. That would be quite an interesting trip. Now you need to visit an American shop and give us a first-hand comparison of the two!

So what were some of the name brands you saw being built?

H2H
 
Folkcafe- I enjoyed reading your article. But admit it, you bought some and you became a Samick sales rep, didn't you? And wouldn't the cost of shipping a single guitar back to MA negate any fantastic saving?
 
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Also, it would be interesting to hear your thoughts on how a Samick L5 compares to a Gibson L5.
 
Hixmix

Check out my website and you'll see retail is not my thing.

I could have bought plenty but it would have been for myself. I had enough cash to buy a half dozen guitars but the wife would not allow it. We where already traveling pretty heavy with some of the stuff she bought over there. As far as cost to ship it home, your allowed 2 bags plus carry on. Special handling cost nothing extra. The airline has special check-in for this kind of thing. You just wait sometimes for it. I stood next to a cello player when I got to Boston. Took maybe 5 extra minutes after I got the rest of my luggage.

I contacted a dealer in Floriday today that has one of the models I became very interested in during my trip. Yes, I hate it. I'm going to have to buy retail.

I arranged the tour out of couriosity ( and I simply had the balls to do it). The fact that I was not a buyer became a problem initially. It was the fact that my day job is as the Studio Operations Engineer for very large audio company that finally opened the door for the red carpet treatment.

I understand where your coming from though. It's the world we live in. I just thought it would be a cool story to share with those on a couple of forums that have help me out with all my idiot questions.

Don Goguen
(I'll leave out the company tag just for you)
 
Hard2hear

From the guitar in korea post.

"Gibs, I asked about the DeArmond guitars and was told they are not made by Samick. They said they make the Squire stuff in Indonesia and I did see some acoustics with Fender on the head stock on the assembly line so Samick is making product for Fender. I also saw Washburn, Epiphone, Vantage, Aria & Aria Pro II and some others being built."

While in Korea I saw a lot of guitars with names I could not recognize. I even saw names that I thought were long out of business like Musicman.

Hixmix

You have a L5 your willing to let me try. Sorry I don't own one. I really was not in the market for a hollow body guitar. I already have a semi-hollow and really wanted to pick up a couple of solid body's but once I started to play this, it was all over. I played it through a Marshall with a 4X10 cab and I couldn't put it down.

Now I'm back at square one and still need to find a good Tele and maybe a LP copy.

Don Goguen
 
Thanks, Don...the jist of the rumor was that Samick was gonna build DeArmonds instead of Cort, which makes (made) them for Fender....and Fender was gonna re-introduce them as an addition to the Squier line....but yet another rumor was that they would be re-introduced by Guild (basically, they're Guild guitars anyhow)......which doesn't make any sense either, because Fender owns Guild.......I didn't hear this from the internet, it was from a guy at a music shop I visited last week, so he was probably talking just to hear his own voice.....lol....gibs
 
Folkway,

No, I don't have an L5 yet but it will most likely be my next major purchase.
 
And what a major purchase indeed!

I'm guessing that if I ask to borrow it the answer would be no.

Don Goguen
 
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