# Duesenberg Guitars?



## GouldyGuitar (Jun 6, 2020)

Anybody Duesy owners out there? They really intrigue me. I love the look and the features of them. 
Really cool unique designs and sounds!

I mainly play a les paul and a PRS McCarty 594 so I'd be interested to hear the differences you
guys hear and feel between the guitars Duesenberg is making, compared to something I'm familliar
with! 

Cheers everyone 
John


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## silvertonebetty (Jan 4, 2015)

They German made and they interest me also .I know the biggest problem I can see is the odd shape pickups. Some of them use p90s and a humbucker configuration. Also the duesenberg term will fit on a lespaul .


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## leftysg (Mar 29, 2008)

Any Tom Bukovac Homeskoolin fans might be interested in the Session Man Deusy coming out.


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## GouldyGuitar (Jun 6, 2020)

leftysg said:


> Any Tom Bukovac Homeskoolin fans might be interested in the Session Man Deusy coming out.


Huge huge fan of uncle Larry!  I love the look of that guitar as well.


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## troyhead (May 23, 2014)

silvertonebetty said:


> They German made


German-made-ish. 😉


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## keto (May 23, 2006)

troyhead said:


> German-made-ish. 😉


I was going to say. Import manufacture, maybe German assembly/setup.


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## John123 (Jul 22, 2020)

Sounds like a conspiracy theory designed by competitors or by people who haven't even played them or maybe even seen one!!


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## vadsy (Dec 2, 2010)

John123 said:


> Sounds like a conspiracy theory designed by competitors or by people who haven't even played them or maybe even seen one!!


I think you meant to say. Manufacturer that isn't overly open about the origins of his guitars


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## silvertonebetty (Jan 4, 2015)

keto said:


> I was going to say. Import manufacture, maybe German assembly/setup.


I want to say they are built in Korea I have a strong feeling I read that but the company is in Germany . It’s like how fender owned guild acoustics were “crafted in China , but finished in the USA “


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## John123 (Jul 22, 2020)

vadsy said:


> I think you meant to say. Manufacturer that isn't overly open about the origins of his guitars


Maybe they aren't that open about the manufacture of their guitars. I haven't had the opportunity to visit their "plant" in Germany, but can say that they do make an awesome guitar, regardless of where it is actually made!!


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## isoneedacoffee (Oct 31, 2014)

I don;t have the guitar but I have a Duesy tremolo (diamond deluxe). I love it. Highly adjustable, gorgeous, and very smooth. Also far easier to restring than a bigsby!


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## GouldyGuitar (Jun 6, 2020)

I've heard some things from Pete Honore (Danish Pete) on YouTube about Duesenberg and how he's been to the factory in Germany! I trust his opinion


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## Larry (Sep 3, 2016)

Duesenberg Guitars are Craftsmanship at it's Best !
Build Quality & Sound, 2nd to No One.


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## b-nads (Apr 9, 2010)

I really got interested in them after seeing Jason Isbell last summer. I tried a few after - very nice instruments - Uncle Larry just confirms the need for one ;-)


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## Jimmy_D (Jul 4, 2009)

When I see Duesenberg I see Korean guitars made to spec with some custom hardware, best Epi I ever had was Korean...


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## Larrivee (Nov 16, 2014)

b-nads said:


> I really got interested in them after seeing Jason Isbell last summer. I tried a few after - very nice instruments - Uncle Larry just confirms the need for one ;-)


Where did you see Jason Isbell last summer, you lucky dog? I had June tickets for him in Toronto but Covid pushed it off till this June. And maybe till next June.


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## b-nads (Apr 9, 2010)

Sorry - summer before. I've lost track of days...and weeks...and months...
;-)


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## 2manyGuitars (Jul 6, 2009)

John123 said:


> Maybe they aren't that open about the manufacture of their guitars. I haven't had the opportunity to visit their "plant" in Germany, but can say that they do make an awesome guitar, regardless of where it is actually made!!


But I can’t disregard “where it is actually made”. If a company expects me to pay 4 or 5 thousand dollars for a guitar, I expect them to be up front about where and how they are made.


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## RJP110 (Sep 15, 2020)

It may be internet lore, but I've read quite a few times they are made in the same factory that makes reverend guitars in Korea. The finishing touches are then done in Germany.


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## troyhead (May 23, 2014)

John123 said:


> Sounds like a conspiracy theory designed by competitors or by people who haven't even played them or maybe even seen one!!


Seen and played! Very nice guitars, I think. The tremolo and tuners are fantastic design! And the guitars seemed very nice to me. But I still don’t know where they are made.

As an analogy, a Volkswagen made in Mexico and the same model that rolls off the line in Wolfsburg can be very hard to tell apart. Would you care if you had one or the other though? The market seems to think so, as the German-made ones tend to have a higher resale value. No matter what, both are German engineered and are likely far superior to a Dodge or Chevy. 😉

It’s more difficult with the Duesenbergs, as it doesn’t seem overly clear where they come from. I suspect those that own them probably choose to believe they have something hand-crafted by German artisans (and no doubt, some German artisan laid hands on the instrument at some point), and I would probably choose to believe the same if I bought one. But it seems an easy “conspiracy” to debunk that would only benefit them by making their instruments more appealing — so why don’t they?


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## DavidP (Mar 7, 2006)

RJP110 said:


> It may be internet lore, but I've read quite a few times they are made in the same factory that makes reverend guitars in Korea. The finishing touches are then done in Germany.


+1...


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## DrumBob (Aug 17, 2014)

troyhead said:


> German-made-ish. 😉


That's right. The parts are made in Korea and the guitars are supposedly assembled and finished in Germany, but if you buy Duesenberg's BS, they're 100% German-made. Not so. They're very secretive about it, but it's common knowledge that they're not being truthful. They are nice guitars, but IMO, are overpriced, over hyped and not what they're cracked up to be.

In my role as a journalist, I once challenged the head of Duesenberg USA to tell the truth and spill the beans about the guitars. He got very defensive and angry and invited me to come to their facility in California to see how they do things. I never took him up on it.

Here's how I see Duesenberg: The Company takes possession and makes use of the name of a defunct classic luxury car in order to promote overpriced Korean guitars, trying to give off the impression that they are 100% made in Europe. Not so, and for that reason, I will not buy one, even though I like the way they look and have played them. The Paloma model is very nice and reminiscent of the kitschy Italian guitars of the 60's. It just runs against my grain to support a dishonest company that lacks transparency in their marketing.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

I've seen and played a few. They look amazing, sound like most other guitars, seem a bit more pricey than they should be, but if you like the styling a lot I suppose it's worth it.


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## 2manyGuitars (Jul 6, 2009)

DrumBob said:


> Here's how I see Duesenberg: The Company takes possession and makes use of the name of a defunct classic luxury car in order to promote overpriced Korean guitars, trying to give off the impression that they are 100% made in Europe. Not so, and for that reason, I will not buy one, even though I like the way they look and have played them. The Paloma model is very nice and reminiscent of the kitschy Italian guitars of the 60's. It just runs against my grain to support a dishonest company that lacks transparency in their marketing.


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## John123 (Jul 22, 2020)

In answer to the original question, they compare very favorably to an LP or PRS. Just like most other guitars, they make a great addition and definitely will compliment what you currently have. I have a Fullerton TV, which seems to be an amalgamation of the guitars that I grew up wanting!! The combination of a Gretsch, LP with the scale length of a Fender and quality build of any custom shop guitar. It is definitely a guitar that you should try. As far as where it's built; who cares!! I remember when Fender started building guitars in Japan; we all laughed. Then they came out with the Squires and we laughed harder, but today, these guitars are being praised as rivaling the US made originals!! The same goes for Gretsch; we all want the Japanese versions now!!


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## Okay Player (May 24, 2020)

troyhead said:


> Seen and played! Very nice guitars, I think. The tremolo and tuners are fantastic design! And the guitars seemed very nice to me. But I still don’t know where they are made.
> 
> As an analogy, a Volkswagen made in Mexico and the same model that rolls off the line in Wolfsburg can be very hard to tell apart. Would you care if you had one or the other though? The market seems to think so, as the German-made ones tend to have a higher resale value. No matter what, both are German engineered and are likely far superior to a Dodge or Chevy. 😉
> 
> It’s more difficult with the Duesenbergs, as it doesn’t seem overly clear where they come from. I suspect those that own them probably choose to believe they have something hand-crafted by German artisans (and no doubt, some German artisan laid hands on the instrument at some point), and I would probably choose to believe the same if I bought one. But it seems an easy “conspiracy” to debunk that would only benefit them by making their instruments more appealing — so why don’t they?


The German built VWs have higher resale because the quality of them was substantially better. The poor quality of the Mexican mk3 and 4's did such damage to their reputation that when they introduced the mk5 Rabbit they only sold German built versions and did it essentially at a loss to try to recoup their image of building reliable vehicles. I've been out of the VW game for quite some time now hut in the early 2000s it was a very open secret that the Mexican built cars used inferior materials and had very poor QC.

It's worth noting that Toyota occasionally does overrun production in Mexcio. They dont have these same issues. At the end of the day QC oversight matters much more than country of manufacture.


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## 2manyGuitars (Jul 6, 2009)

John123 said:


> As far as where it's built; who cares!! I remember when Fender started building guitars in Japan; we all laughed. Then they came out with the Squires and we laughed harder, but today, these guitars are being praised as rivaling the US made originals!! The same goes for Gretsch; we all want the Japanese versions now!!


Great analogy but it doesn’t quite hold true.

Imagine if Fender was possibly making guitars in 3 or 4 different countries but wouldn’t tell you for sure and wouldn’t label their guitars. Rumour is, they’re made in China, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico, maybe even the USA. No one knows for sure and Fender ain’t talking.

You walk into the store and all of the Fenders are between 3 and 5 thousand bucks.
Now do you care?

Give me the info and let ME decide what I care about. If you’re hiding something, it kinda makes me think you might be hiding something.


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## 2manyGuitars (Jul 6, 2009)

...and for the record, I’m not anti-Duesenberg. I’d _really_ love to own one of these...










...but if they’re made in Korea (as I suspect) I’d likely pay no more than $1500 for it. Not the $4000 they currently list at.


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## troyhead (May 23, 2014)

John123 said:


> As far as where it's built; who cares!! I remember when Fender started building guitars in Japan; we all laughed. Then they came out with the Squires and we laughed harder


Indeed, your point is absolutely correct about where guitar being made not making it worse or better. When the folks at Fender saw the first Japanese Strats with the Fender logo, apparently they weren't laughing but were crying because of how good they were compared to what was being produced in the USA. But the difference in that situation was that the Japanese guitars were less expensive to build than the USA guitars, and the prices were less accordingly. I think what rubs people the wrong way about not being upfront about where the guitar is made is that it makes people feel like they aren't getting the same *perceived value*, that there is perhaps excessive markup compared to the build cost. It doesn't really have anything to do with actual value.

I'm glad you like your Duesenberg, and if you feel it's worth what it cost to get it, that's awesome! I recently bought a guitar from an obscure builder, so who knows what the "correct price" should be. Perhaps it's "worth" less than I paid, or perhaps more -- but I felt it had the features and quality I wanted and so I paid a price that I was comfortable with. I'm sure some people might think I got a deal, while others may think I paid too much. But as long as you like what you paid for, it's all good!

Back to the original question from the OP -- I like Duesenberg guitars, particularly the Starplayer TV. It sounded and felt great, and there is some great engineering put into the hardware. However, they are priced higher than I am comfortable paying.


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## John123 (Jul 22, 2020)

2manyGuitars said:


> Great analogy but it doesn’t quite hold true.
> 
> Imagine if Fender was possibly making guitars in 3 or 4 different countries but wouldn’t tell you for sure and wouldn’t label their guitars. Rumour is, they’re made in China, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico, maybe even the USA. No one knows for sure and Fender ain’t talking.
> 
> ...


Fender has a multitude of Strat models; too many for my little brain to figure out!!


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## 2manyGuitars (Jul 6, 2009)

John123 said:


> Fender has a multitude of Strat models; too many for my little brain to figure out!!


I hear ya’ brother.
But at least with Fender, all of the info is clearly laid out so that if I ever _do_ decide to figure things out, I can make an informed choice.


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## Diablo (Dec 20, 2007)

This thread reminds me of the thread from years ago about Carparelli/ Dot on shaft.


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## John123 (Jul 22, 2020)

2manyGuitars said:


> I hear ya’ brother.
> But at least with Fender, all of the info is clearly laid out so that if I ever _do_ decide to figure things out, I can make an informed choice.


You can make an even easier decision with the Duesy; buy it or not!! Just to be clear, I got my Fullerton in a trade deal. It ended up costing me half of the MSRP.


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## John123 (Jul 22, 2020)

Diablo said:


> This thread reminds me of the thread from years ago about Carparelli/ Dot on shaft.


It's pretty funny how we can go off topic so quickly!! Beginning to sound like an Ed Roman rant!!


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## vadsy (Dec 2, 2010)

John123 said:


> It's pretty funny how we can go off topic so quickly!! Beginning to sound like an Ed Roman rant!!


seems very on topic to me. the Carparelli comment makes perfect sense, they just disclosed too much and people didn't want to pay then they went out of business. they just needed a better marketing team, Duesy has that


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## John123 (Jul 22, 2020)

vadsy said:


> seems very on topic to me. the Carparelli comment makes perfect sense, they just disclosed too much and people didn't want to pay then they went out of business. they just needed a better marketing team, Duesy has that


Wasn't the original topic asking for a comparison of the Duesy to a LP and PRS McCarthy?


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## vadsy (Dec 2, 2010)

John123 said:


> Wasn't the original topic asking for a comparison of the Duesy to a LP and PRS McCarthy?


I only read thread titles.


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## SG-Rocker (Dec 30, 2007)

Good enough for Joe Walsh...






Alliance Series Joe Walsh | DUESENBERG GUITARS







www.duesenberg.de


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## Hammertone (Feb 3, 2006)

DrumBob said:


> That's right. The parts are made in Korea and the guitars are supposedly assembled and finished in Germany, but if you buy Duesenberg's BS, they're 100% German-made. Not so. They're very secretive about it, but it's common knowledge that they're not being truthful. They are nice guitars, but IMO, are overpriced, over hyped and not what they're cracked up to be.
> In my role as a journalist, I once challenged the head of Duesenberg USA to tell the truth and spill the beans about the guitars. He got very defensive and angry and invited me to come to their facility in California to see how they do things. I never took him up on it.
> Here's how I see Duesenberg: The Company takes possession and makes use of the name of a defunct classic luxury car in order to promote overpriced Korean guitars, trying to give off the impression that they are 100% made in Europe. Not so, and for that reason, I will not buy one, even though I like the way they look and have played them. The Paloma model is very nice and reminiscent of the kitschy Italian guitars of the 60's. It just runs against my grain to support a dishonest company that lacks transparency in their marketing.


Every once in awhile, Duesenberg threads pop up in various forms. It's old news. The guitars are made and painted in Korea in the same factory as Reverend - MIRR Music, IIRC. They are shipped to Germany. Various parts from Korea, Italy and so forth are installed. Then they charge big $$$ for the guitars in North America, using a few high profile endorsers and a big marketing spend. The company has been dishonest in terms of where and how the guitars are made, and has been called out on it many times. Magical thinking doesn't change any of that.

They do offer some nice features, in particular a long scale on various Gibson-like, typically shorter scale guitars. They are perfectly nice Korean guitars. I won't buy one because I think they are ugly and way overpriced. It's a free world, and consumers are free to make up their own minds how they spend their money.


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## Midnight Rider (Apr 2, 2015)

John123 said:


> In answer to the original question, they compare very favorably to an LP or PRS. Just like most other guitars, they make a great addition and definitely will compliment what you currently have. I have a Fullerton TV, which seems to be an amalgamation of the guitars that I grew up wanting!! The combination of a Gretsch, LP with the scale length of a Fender and quality build of any custom shop guitar. It is definitely a guitar that you should try. As far as where it's built; who cares!! I remember when Fender started building guitars in Japan; we all laughed. Then they came out with the Squires and we laughed harder, but today, these guitars are being praised as rivaling the US made originals!! The same goes for Gretsch; we all want the Japanese versions now!!


Agreed,.... if it feels good in the hands, plays well, has a quality build, holds the tuning and sounds good then that's all that matters to me. Don't care if it was made in Tristan da Cunha and assembled on Schmidt Island by Russian walrus people. Have played several of their models and am very interested in the Starplayer Special. These are quality guitars with a unique sonic palate. I really like the multi-tone control and that the neck is Plek processed. 

From what I have researched: Built in Germany. Parts of several sources including German, US, Italian, and Korean. Not a bad roster at all!


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## Alex (Feb 11, 2006)

I've owned a few of them and love the trems, pickups leave a bit to be desired for my tastes (always subjective). To @Hammertone comments, interesting to learn that as I had a Duesy 12 string that I thought was a good guitar but I prefer the Reverend 12 string that I now own for which it is almost half the price of the Duesy, 1/2 lb less weight and not as neck heavy and the Reverend is more resonant and "alive".


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## John123 (Jul 22, 2020)

Alex said:


> I've owned a few of them and love the trems, pickups leave a bit to be desired for my tastes (always subjective). To @Hammertone comments, interesting to learn that as I had a Duesy 12 string that I thought was a good guitar but I prefer the Reverend 12 string that I now own for which it is almost half the price of the Duesy, 1/2 lb less weight and not as neck heavy and the Reverend is more resonant and "alive".


That can be said about many guitars. I own an early '80's Ibanez Artist with Super 58's, that surpasses many LP's in all aspects, and it cost me only $350.00!!


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## silvertonebetty (Jan 4, 2015)

Diablo said:


> This thread reminds me of the thread from years ago about Carparelli/ Dot on shaft.


I had the chance to play two jazz body dot on shafts before. I actually owned one and it was a great guitar and I made a $600 profit from it lol. Actually my friend said “ that guitar had the closest neck to a 64 jazzmaster without being a jazzmaster”


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

Dogpile in 3, 2, 1


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## vadsy (Dec 2, 2010)

I once shaped a 2x4 into a shovel handle, my neighbour said it felt just like a shovel he owned back in 1959


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## allthumbs56 (Jul 24, 2006)

2manyGuitars said:


> But I can’t disregard “where it is actually made”. If a company expects me to pay 4 or 5 thousand dollars for a guitar, I expect them to be up front about where and how they are made.


I had the opportunity to play a gig with a friend's Duesey. It was an absolutely exceptional guitar and I would have been more than happy to add it to the family except for one thing - the company's purposeful deception about where the guitars are made. Let me be clear - it doesn't matter to me where it's made, but it does matter that they purposely hide the information.


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## 2manyGuitars (Jul 6, 2009)

allthumbs56 said:


> Let me be clear - it doesn't matter to me where it's made, but it does matter that they purposely hide the information.


Exactly. And I think that’s what’s in danger of getting lost in all of these threads and all of the lengthy posts (mine included).

They look great, they feel great, I’d probably love to own one. But any company that’s as willfully evasive about their product as Duesenberg won’t get a dime of my money.


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## Hammertone (Feb 3, 2006)

2manyGuitars said:


> They look great, they feel great, I’d probably love to own one. But any company that’s as willfully evasive about their product as Duesenberg won’t get a dime of my money.


Many guitar makers commit sins of omission, but these folks have taken it a bit further, and fooled the buyers who think they are buying German-made guitars. C_aveat emptor_ certainly applies here. I just think they are way overpriced for what they are - perfectly nice Korean-built guitars that have interesting hardware attached, and are wired and set up in Germany.


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