Expert: Jason Fryer - 10/15/2009

Question
Hello, I am looking to buy a new electric guitar a Schecter. There is a question I need to ask ,why does online stores like Musicians Friend ,Zzounds, Guitar Center offer heavy discounts,are the products offered by them authentic? And is it advisable to buy it online?

Answer
Hey Razor, it depends on the model you're looking at. Some are made in china, Indonesia etc... Some are made in the USA. The ones made here cost more to make & are hand made by skilled & seasoned luthiers. The ones made overseas are likely made by automated processes mostly on machine. That's not to say that the quality is not as high, but their definitely cheaper to make & the one made here are also probably made using select aged woods that are worth substantially more than woods used for their lower line of products. Again, that doesn't necessarily mean that the instrument will be of lower quality. I picked up an Epiphone Emperor Regent a couple of months ago & haven't played my Gibsons since. In fact I just sold my Les Paul so I could get a new Fender '57 Tweed amp. So, that's where your difference in price is probably coming from. If you send me the exact models you've been looking at, I can verify for you. Hope that helps, if you need anything else, just drop me a line.
Peace - J.