Well... I would like to add an update to keep the thread alive. This thread was started a couple of months after I received my first 'original' guitar which is my Baker#55. To qualify -- these 'original' guitars I own are the cream of the crop that the USA has to offer so I am not talking about run of the mill mass produced USA made guitars.
As of today I am enjoying my four 'original' USA made guitars and I would like to convey the difference in feeling in owning four killer sounding guitars that will cream 95% of all guitars out there of their associated type versus owning more than a dozen mediocre japanese and USA guitars.
1) These guitars seem to be evolving over time and are worth keeping. Parang they get get to sound better with age. I think a lot of people who own locally made guitars outgrow them and actually move back to a USA made Gibson, Fender or PRS later on when they have the cash.
2) The more you try out the other lesser guitars, the more you realize what makes each of the good sounding USA made guitars special.
3) Initially, I never really thought they looked good in pictures but when they actually arrive they look even better and feel heftier -- it does not feel like plywood. Compared to a great majority of locally made guitars that look good in pictures but actually look cheap when put up against Baker and Suhr. Local guitars do not impart a hefty feel parang kahoy silang pinilit na maging gitara. They lack the vibe.
4) They are genuinely a learning experience and example of the best guitars that America can produce and really shows how far off and inferior local guitars are. Of course, the flipside of the coin is that the prices are far off but you end up with the feeling that you get what you pay for.
5) You realize na 90% of locally made guitars -- ang gumawa ay walang tenga.
6) Despite their lifetime warranties to the original owner, amazingly walang problema with them e.g. they stay in tune, their necks do not warp, the hardware attachment points are solid, their workmanship does not fall apart, the finish ages and changes beautifully, the only maintenance you need is changing strings. I am surprised walang issues since they first arrived in Manila. Local guitars may mga issues that crop up over time.
7) The four guitars never fail to surprise you every time you play... No kidding. I do the rotation thing. And each imparts something that the others cannot but they are all so fun to play. I am not saying this because I own the guitars personally but because its hard for you to form a preferrence. In the past when I had more than a dozen guitars, I had one or two preferrences. A super great majority of local guitars sound dead.
WOW factor because the brands are not as known and when it creams other Gibson USA or Fender USA guitars it makes the other owners feel insufficient about their ability to hear tone... heh heh LOL. Eh kung itapat ang local copy ng Fender and Gibson, polite and mga USA owners pero at the back they know you cannot afford.
9) Customer Support... Very knowledgeable ang mga luthier sa USA and mayroon personal touch. They are not grumpy or mayabang. Always humble and open minded sila but firm on what works and what does not.
10) And finally the most hedious thing... it makes you crave for more. I thought that it would solve GAS but apparently it does NOT because now I have access to more cream of the crop guitars which finally opens the doors to various combinations in wood, hardware, body shape, electronics and aesthetics. My experience with locally made stuff was it was exciting at first because it was so customized and unique but later on it feels like a frankenstein dahil walang experience of hindsight and secondary ang tonal consideration to looks and specifications. Ang masakit is kung makakuha ka ng cheaper na stock na gitara that beats your custom and it takes a nose dive in value when you place it in the classifieds.
