Also in the case of the Sheraton II, the neck specs were down graded (away from the five-piece neck). Most Korean made hollowbody Epis show beautiful wood grain.

Tops & backs in particular haven't looked much like maple, with almost none of grain pattern one would expect to see. The Chinese made instruments I've observed have generally had an appearance of using downgraded wood (lately getting a little better). The only models I can speak to are the hollow & semi-hollow Epis from Korea & China. Sure enough, I upgraded the bridhe, nut and most other parts the 'bean counters' gave me, but the guitar is well made, solid, plays well, and will outlast me. This has all changed because the Chinese factories are now up to speed and any problem you see in your new MIC Epi is likely to be caused by the EPI 'bean counters' who decide how much can be paid for the tuners, pickups, and bridges. To answer your question, I would say that a MIK Epi from perhaps 1990 to maybe 2001 was definitely a better guitar tham a MIC Epi from perhaps pre-2002. Just like Japan they have to get their production lines and skills up to standard. Times changed and Korea became the new Japan with the same early quality control problems, and now (since maybe 2001) China is becoming the new Japan. Nowadays 'Made in Japan' means top quality and most of us would walk barefoot over broken glass to get a 'Made in Japan' Epi. That was partly true because back then Japan had become industrialised after the war and it took them some time to get their production lines, supply chains, and people skills up to a level matching the US or Europe. By giving away my age, I can say that when I was a kid, the expression 'Made in Japan' meant that whether it was a kid's toy, a radio, or a car, the item was poorly made and would break down and fail. My belief is that the supposed superiority of MIK is mostly 'urban myth'. Good stuff though, at least I am finally getting opinions on this. overseas, but I never understood why some people think that their MIK Epi's are somehow superior.

I just didn't understand the whole deal about how the Korea ones were better.

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