Electric guitars are now made very economically in China. The quality is still what we consider at beginner level but manufacturers are just starting to present an acceptable product. If you are looking for a guitar to last awhile, at a very affordable price, the Indonesian manufacturers such as Samick(Samick factory) and IBANEZ(Cor-Tek factory) are using higher quality cuts of wood and good, standard construction techniques. A "strat" style guitar is one of the most popular and contemporary electric guitars on the market today. Samick is currently offering one of the finest examples in their LS-10 model that sells for only $149.99.

Taiwanese guitars are rapidly becoming an easy way out for Japanese manufacturers like Jackson and Yamaha. With flashy, clean finishes and a professional look, they are generally priced too high for the quality and longevity that you get. Fender has a factory in Mexico that assembles instruments from parts made in Korea, Taiwan, and the rest of Asia. These instruments are no better than their Asian counterparts, and they are actually higher priced with a lesser warrantee. These guitars are only acceptable for beginners and maybe intermediate players.

Korean electric guitars offer the highest quality at the lowest price. Samick is the largest guitar maker in the world. They make 60 guitars per minute, 720 per hour, 1,380,000 per year, and 4000 different models under 400 different brand names. That's over half of all guitars made each year! Here are some brand names that buy their guitars from Samick: Gibson(Epiphone), Washburn, Aria Pro, Rogue, Silvertone, Abeline, Boston, Mitchell, and many more. Cor-Tek is another Korean factory that produces guitars for : Fender, Ibanez, Hamer, Cort and Hohner. Godin/Lasido, a Canadian company, manufactures many different brand names as well as manufacturing bodies and necks for many U.S. manufacturers. They have nice fretwork, a unique sound, comfortable playability, and interesting design. They are priced slightly higher than a similar instrument made in Korea with not much more quality to offer.

Japanese guitars are some of the finest electric's made today. Most of the Japanese workers, such as Ibanez' luthiers, are musicians and take great pride in their work. The guitars are consistently built to high standards and are usually 'lemon-free'! The fretwork is some of the best in the world, while the hardware is very intelligently designed. We also see some of the choicest cuts of Asian and North American wood used in these instruments which enhances their tone, feel, sustain, value, and beauty.

American-made guitars display the best ideas using the newest and best technologies. However, the quality at times is inconsistent. U.S. Electric's have the potential to sound and play the best, but one must find the genuine article. Many U.S. manufacturers hide behind the "U.S. Made" label using legal loopholes while most of the guitar is made cheaply in 3rd world countries. But a true U.S. made guitar benefits from the best woods, factories, luthiers, and machinery. One such as G&L, Leo Fender's legacy company, in which the guitar is made to the exact standards, in the exact factory, that the classic 50's and 60's instruments were made. A G&L Legacy or ASAT models are excellent examples of such an instrument.