As someone who purchases a couple thousand dollars worth of guitar parts every month, I had questions. I almost never see parts claiming to be “made in the U.S.A.” and when I do find them, a little digging usually discovers that they don’t actually “make” the parts at all.
The parts are generally sourced from outside the country and either “assembled” here or often only packaged here. It’s often difficult to prove whether companies actually assemble them or just claim to for marketing purposes.
For instance, Fender advertises a bridge and saddles as “Made in USA”. We’ve reached out to Fender for info on where this factory is and whether we can arrange a visit. As of this writing, they have not responded. We’re not trying to pick on Fender. We believe very few guitar manufacturers source all materials locally.
A Google/AI search seems to confirm this –
- Most guitar tuners are manufactured in East Asian countries, particularly China, South Korea, and Taiwan, although some brands like Gotoh are Japanese and others like Schaller and Sperzel are German and American, respectively.
- Most guitar bridges and saddles are manufactured in countries with strong guitar production industries, particularly China, South Korea, and Indonesia, which produce a high volume of components.
- Most guitar potentiometers are manufactured in Asia, particularly Taiwan and Korea, by major brands like CTS and Alpha, which supply components to most guitar brands and manufacturers for both stock guitars and replacement parts.
- Most guitar necks are made in Asia and Mexico, particularly in specialized guitar-making hubs like Paracho, Mexico and factories in China.
- Most guitar pickups are manufactured in China due to its established electronics supply chains and efficient port access. However, high-end, hand-wound pickups are also made in other countries, including the United States (by companies like Seymour Duncan and DiMarzio) and France, while some are produced in South Korea and Indonesia.
- Most guitar bodies, especially for mass-produced and entry-level instruments, are made in countries with lower manufacturing costs, primarily China, South Korea, Indonesia, and Japan.
It is clear that an all-American made guitar would be prohibitively expsensive for all but the wealthiest of players. If imported guitars become expensive, fewer beginners will be inclined to pickup the instrument and our field will decline.
Computer and AI generated music will become more popular and guitar music may eventually fade into history along with the Lute, Oud, Lituus, Sambuca, Ophicleide, Mayuri, Pena, Yazh & the Lyre. Never heard of any of those? Well, just imagine 100 years from now, maybe nobody will have heard of the guitar!