Thoughts on Chinese les Paul from a 51 year old

[TexasProgresive]

1. The Chinese are following the Japanese model

When Japan was rebuilding their industry after the war they began mass producing a lot of junk for sale in the U.S. Made in Japan was the punch line of a lot of jokes. Then they began manufacturing quality items. One interesting thing about guitars; they sent observers (spies) to shows and stores who photographed instruments. Guitars were built based on the photos. They didn't really know what the guitar truss rod covers were. Some had stickers that looked like a cover and others had covers over solid wood.

I'm surprised that the quality of the body and neck of this Chinese Les Paul is so high with the hardware being so-so. If something has to be poor quality that's the way to go. Pickups and pots are replaceable. Were the machine heads any good or did you scrap them as well?