heroics321 said:
My store carries the Eastman string products, and they sent us one of their guitars a few months ago to demo. That thing was a sight, I couldn't believe it. Their violins are great, but the guitar was almost over-the-top. There's no shortage of decent wood-workers in the orient.
I've got a lot of friends who make high end hand built archtops. These guys charge $15,000 and up, and some of these guys are seriously spooked by the Eastmans. Not because they match the quality of the stuff my friends are doing, but because they probably get you 90% of the way there for 10% of the cost. That's some spooky shit.
But in response to the initial question, yes, the import stuff has gotten much better recently. The explosion of CNC machines in factories has meant that you can make a more sophisticated design for less money, and with greater precision. CNC machines are fuckall expensive, BUT once you have it you can work it a lot more hours a week than even the most abused sweatshop employee. They are still lacking in the quality of woods they use, and they generally use shit electronics, but the woodworking is much more precise. I saw a new First Act guitar today which had MUCH nicer fit and finish than some of the 50 Fenders which have become the most collectable guitars in the world. Now, obviously, it will never be worth as much as a `55 Strat, and in many respects it was still a POS, but for an entry level guitar for an 8 year old (he was cute, begging his mom for money for a gutiar cable), it was hella nice.
All that being said, there are some things with some of these guitars I'm not sure about. With a CNC machine, initial QC is easy, but you still have to do a good job of choseing stable wood. I'm not sure, and in fact would be surprised if they are doing the kind of job they should be on this. If your neck is just going to warp and twist, is it really worth buying it? It is a very real issue, if you talk to most high end importers of stuff made in Asian factories, that the internal QC over there is questionable. For instance, Grizzly (an importer of workshop machinery) has their own QC team in each of the factories that make their stuff. If the Grizzly QC team rejects a piece, the factory will frequently just take the piece and sell it under a different line. Change the cowling, and you have a different tool. (That is why there actually IS a difference between two different brands of products which are made in the same factory over there). Now, I'm not saying any of this is ALWAYS an issue, nor am I saying that it is never an issue with any American manufacturers (Gibson, ah hem), but it IS something to consider and look out for.
Over all, I think this is a great time to be a guitar player. There are a lot of very reasonably priced, and well made instruments out there, and there is a proliferation of sources for really high end stuff as well. The market is ALWAYS going to be slanted for the entry level stuff, and in that reguard there is no time I can thing of which is better than right now. The quality of the import stuff is spectacular, and most of the American manufacturers are also making great stuff these days. The only thing left is to play!
Light
"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi
She is a good bass. I would however part with it. 
