Korean Guitars? They are Better than You think

That's right, you heard me. I saw you smirking when you read the title. I am here to tell you that Korean guitars have come a long way since their shoddy debut. Please bear with me. The time when Korean guitars were synonyms for cheap, bad quality axes is officially gone. Admittedly, quality control left a lot to be desired in the early days of the Korean guitar industry. Unskilled labor and a penchant for quick profits often meant sub-par guitars for the consumer. However, the Korean guitar industry has been growing by leaps and bounds in terms of both size and quality since the past ten years, alongside the rapid economic growth of South Korea.

Korean guitars today

So how do Korean guitars stack up today? Are Korean guitars worth a try? Absolutely.

You may already know that big names in the industry like Fender, Ibanez, Parkwood, Schecter, G&L and PRS outsource some of their production to Korea. Now consider this fact. Do you think these companies, with a loyal fan base of demanding customers and multi-million dollars investments, would jeopardize their reputation by producing substandard quality guitars for the sake of saving a few bucks? In fact, in the last few years, brands like Avalon, known for their superb quality, have started contracting Cort, one of the largest (Korean) guitar maker in the world, to produce more affordable guitars for them. As a result, Avalon more then doubled their income fron the previous year since entrusting Cort with some of their production.

The Great Secret of Korean Guitars

I love Korean guitars. They give you, in general, what I like to call the "double whammy". With them, you often get both price and quality, which, at the end of the day, is what I believe we are all looking for. Let's face it, few of us can happily afford to spend thousands on a Fender Stratocaster or Gibson LesPaul, especially when starting out. If you are in the market for a nicely made and great sounding guitar but don't want to break the bank getting one, then I strongly suggest you consider the Korean offerings.

There are plenty of great Korean guitar companies, unfortunately few of them are readily available outside of Korea. You are still left with some choice though with the likes of Cort, Samick made guitars, Korean PRS, Korean Epiphones, etc. Famous guitar players like Hiram Bullock, Neil Zaza and heavy funky bassist T.M. Stevens are already trusting Korean guitars and basses with their names, having their own signature models with Cort. I could go on and on trying to convince you of the qualities of Korean made guitars but why not go out and try for yourself ? You might be surprised at what a bargain these guitars can be and how far they have come in terms of quality.

About the author: Mathieu Deprez is a guitar enthusiast and the proud owner of a beautiful sunburst Dame T300. If you enjoyed this article and wish to know more about Korean guitars, please visit http://koreanguitars.blogspot.com