Re: Cheap Chinese Merchandise
At the risk of turning this into a political issue, how many of us shop for anything--from dishes to drum kits, from bicycles to bongo drums, by price?
The truth is, the reason we get "cheap crappy Chinese merchandise" is we want cheap merchandise period. Chinese employees are paid literally pennies an hour for work days of 14 hours or more. Full disclosure: At my job, I see aisle after aisle of items made in China...frankly, that's one of the reasons my employer can boast of its "always" low prices.
I still try to purchase U. S.-made products whenever I can, but most American brands of drums and--for that matter--most other musical instruments are no longer made in the U. S. because our work force is much more highly paid than their offshore counterparts.
And even an American brand name is no guarantee it came from an American factory...my beloved LPs and CPs were built in Thailand because that country is close to the sources of the Siam Oak used in the shells and the water-buffalo skins that make up the drumheads. And the labor to produce a competitively-priced pair of bongos or set of congas is much less than it is in the U. S.
I have played Chinese-made drums, and they sound comparable to inexpensive American drumkits...the hardware leaves a bit to be desired, but if you buy by price, they'll do...
If we are sincere about avoiding cheap Chinese merchandise, not only will we have to play the drums to hear them, but also check the drums themselves to see where they were made--and then put our money where our mouths are...
keep the beat goin' ... Don't keep it to yourself!
Charlie
"If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away." --Henry David Thoreau, "Walden," 1854
"There's a lot to be said for Time Honored tradition and value." --In memory of Frank "fiacovaz" Iacovazzi
"Maybe your drums can be beat, but you can't."--Jack Keck
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