Factory made guitars Vs Handmade Guitars?

Question

Im finding it difficult to find out which makes of guitars are handmade or factory made today.

Also, does anyone have any opinions on the matter of which type of guitar is better, handmade or factory made?

I would really appreciate your help!!

Thanks=]

Answer 1

Handmades are typically better, although some factory built ones aren't bad sounding either.

Answer 2

All the brands sold in stores are made in factories.  If you want a handmade guitar, you'll have to contact some random other person.

Answer 3

There is a growing problem in the U.S. today with instruments...all types of instruments (strings, woodwinds, brass) are being mass produced in factories.

DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT buy "mass produced" instruments.  The materials used are cheap, and they are not given special attention as to tuning, condition, etc.  Most of these are produced to make money, not because the factory cares about making decent instruments.

If there is a choice between handmade customized and factory, I would definitely go with handmade.

I am NOT saying that all factory made musical instruments are bad, some are ok...it depends on the factory.  Also, if you are a beginner, it would benefit your budget to buy an instrument that is less customized and not extremely expensive.

Look into Gibson, Fender, and Yamaha.  Yamaha mass produces instruments to an extent, but they make decent beginner instruments in almost every category.  Do some online research and check out string websites to look for handmade vs. factory guitars.  Certain factories will mass produce part of the instrument, such as the body, but do handmade touches such as finishing carving out the back, or shaping the neck, or placing the sound board in the correct place, etc.

Instruments never touched by human hands from beginning of the manufacturing process to the end are the ones to be wary of.  Call companies or makers that you are interested in, ask about the instrument, how it's made, if you can go and test the instrument or have it sent to you.

And of course never never never buy an instrument without trying it out first.  Many musicians do this and regret it instantly.  Test the tuning, the feel of it, the brightness or darkness of sound, how easily it plays and responds, and get reviews on it.

Answer 4

I have played many factory made acoustics and many hand made acoustics and in general the hand made are better.  But many of the better factory made guitars still have many hand made steps so it's not all that clear cut.  Take a tour of the Martin factory some day and you'll see that for all the guitars they produce still and all each one spends individual time at a bunch of different craftpersons' work stations for some of the fine work.  While they use CNC machines for the bulk of the work on the neck, for example, the braces are still hand-fitted.

In addition to single person shops there are small shops that have more than one employee but still produce hand made guitars.  These are companies like Santa Cruz and Collings and their guitars are sensational.  Their entire annual output is a few hundred instruments.

Then there are the one-man operations like Kevin Ryan, Jim Olson, and Jeff Traugott who produce fantastic guitars (with prices to match).

So how do you tell which is which?  All of the mainstream popular brands like Fender, Gibson, Martin, Taylor, Ibanez, Yamaha are factory-made (although as I said, there may be some hand made steps along the way).  A rule of thumb is that the cheaper the guitar, the more likely it was made in a factory.  Handmade acoustics start around $2000 - $3000 (the lesser known luthiers charge less) and go up from there.

There are of course, exceptions.  Martin's D-100 model, which had a list price of $100,000, was certainly hand made within the Martin factory in Nazareth, PA.

Answer 5

Handmade guitars are most generally better. Most guitars are factory made. Handmade guitars are extremely expensive. If a guitar is handmade they will tell you it's HANDMADE. The builder will be sure it's in the description of the instrument. If it doesn't say it's handmade then it isn't. But factory made guitars are excellent instruments. Consider Gibson, Fender, Ibanez, Schecter, Guild, C.F. Martin, Gretsch and Jackson. All are "factory" built guitars that are awesome instruments. Of course most of these companies have a Custom Shop and offer hand crafted instruments. But it's all about personal preference.