| In the late 70's, the pressure of corporations to | | | | quality procedures they had been using for years |
| show a profit to their shareholders caused the big | | | | now included more paperwork to prove that they |
| guitar manufacturers to go overseas to places | | | | were complying with these "new" quality |
| like Japan, China, Taiwan and Korea to lower their | | | | standards invented by consultants that convinced |
| manufacturing costs. Initially, guitar players felt | | | | companies that this would save American |
| betrayed by the companies they had supported | | | | manufacturing. Unfortunately, more paperwork |
| for years. Imagine the high quality guitars they | | | | also means higher costs that the average |
| had grown to love now carried little stickers that | | | | musician wasn't willing to pay. All of these costs |
| said things like Made in Japan and Made in China. | | | | were being passed directly onto the consumers. |
| The stigma of low quality and "cheap junk" was | | | | What most people failed to realize is that these |
| now attached to their favorite musical | | | | companies that were making instruments |
| instruments. Sales slowed and new American | | | | overseas were trained by the American |
| guitar companies were opening up to compete | | | | manufacturers how to make high quality |
| with marquis nameplates. Would Jimi Hendrix have | | | | instruments to the standards that they had been |
| played a Stratocaster that was made overseas? | | | | using all along. They taught them how to make |
| Would it have made a difference in the way he | | | | high end marquis instruments with foreign |
| sounded? I would imagine that if he played a cigar | | | | efficiency. The downside of this system for the |
| box he would be an inspiration to guitar players all | | | | American manufacturers is that these foreign |
| over the world. | | | | companies took this knowledge and the extra |
| In the 90's, more corporate pressure and declining | | | | manufacturing capacity and started to create |
| quality had all manufacturers, not jus in the music | | | | their own lines of high quality instruments. |
| industry, adopting new quality procedures that | | | | Engineers from these foreign companies are not |
| included buzzwords like "Sigma Six" and "ISO | | | | constrained by the old notions of how things are |
| 9000". People working for large manufacturers | | | | supposed to be made and are making |
| knew that not much had changed except that the | | | | improvements in the way things used to be done. |