The Mysterious Overseas Guitar Factories…

So, what is the deal with all these off-brand guitars?  It’s worse than the who-owns-who with car manufacturers.

Karera, Galveston, Eagle, Un-Sung, Silverstar, Brownsville, Galaxy, New York Pro, I’m sure we could name a bunch, in fact… please do!

...at the same overseas factories...

The Galaxy/New York Pro brand insinuates on their website that the stuff is made in the Fender factory.  They have the New York Pro line and the Starfire line that seem identical to me.  Which “overseas factory”?  Is it in Japan?  Korea?  China? Sweden?  Indonesia?  The Philippines?  France?  I don’t know.  Can they not name the other manufacturers?  Does Fender not want them telling people that this stuff is made in the Squier or Fender factory at night?  Do they use cheaper or B-grade wood?  They certainly use crappy electronics.

What’s the name of the factory?  Can I call them?  Do they have a website?

I have heard that the Samick factory makes a bunch of brands that aren’t Samick.  Which brands?

So, is it a Galaxy or is it a New York Pro?

My New York Pro (an NY-9303 or NY-111?) is on their site… but it’s called a Galaxy New York Pro Star Gazer .  Is the brand Galaxy or New York Pro?  How are the Star Gazer & Starfire any different?

I wrote to them with some pretty detailed interview-style questions, but they never wrote back..  Perhaps I was a little too wordy?  Maybe I’m asking the wrong questions?  I mean, I didn’t even get an “F U” email.

From: Galaxy Guitar Products USA. <sales@galaxyguitar.com>
To: me@my.email.address
Sent: Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Subject: Your Galaxy New York Pro Guitar Question

                                                                                          

Hi Eric,

We sell many New York Pro models, please let us know what model you are inquiring about.

Visit our website for more information. Our New York pro guitars are $277.00, this includes quality triple padded gig bag, amp cord & Free shipping any where in the USA.

We are introducing our new line of Galaxy Custom guitars next month.

Thank you for visiting our website & interest in our products.

Our Best Regards,James Westbrook
Support Team
Galaxy Guitar Products USA
A division of Stargate Corporate Alliance, LLC.
Web: www.galaxyguitar.com
email: sales@galaxyguitar.com

Original Message

_____________________________________

 

Name of sender: Eric
Email of sender: me@my.email.address

————————- COMMENTS ————————-Hello, I heard that you guys also make New York Pro guitars. Is that true?

Where can I go to find information on them? I picked up a natural finish one this weekend at a second-hand store!

Rock on!

-E.

That was my original inquiry via the web & their reply. They must not have understood that I already owned one.  Maybe I didn’t even understand that.

Then I sent this:

Hello James,

Thanks for getting back to me so quickly!  I guess my questions are general ones about the brand as well as specific ones about my guitar.  Is it cool if I ask them like an interview and post the info on my blog?  I wrote a blog about my awesome recent New York Pro find here: Inspiration from Hoke·E·Geez (My new ‘New York Pro’ Strat copy)

I’d like to follow-up & maybe hope to raise awareness of your brand(s) and Galaxy Guitars in general?  If this is OK with you, I’ll have the questions below.  If not, it’s all good… no harm done, right?

On to the Q’s…

 

So, New York Pro is a brand made by Galaxy Guitar Products USA?

 

How is it related to the Starfire brand?  (Or is Starfire a line of New York Pro guitar?)

 

What’s the same/what’s different between the two lines or brands?  Do they share the same headstock shape?

 

Are there different “levels” of quality (& SRP) within the New York Pro line?

 

Is the official model name “Star Gazer” instead of just calling it a Strat Clone or Strat Copy?  Why isn’t the model name or number located anywhere on the guitar?

 

Anything behind the “New York Pro”, “Star Gazer”, or “Starfire” names?  Why’d you settle on those?

 

On some of the sites selling your guitars, I see model numbers like NY111, NY-9303, or NY9330.  What do the designations mean?  

 

(Can we get a full list of model numbers, description, colors, etc.?)

 

Do you have photos of all the available finishes/models?

 

Are there serial numbers anywhere on the guitars?  (I can’t seem to find one on mine.)

 

Where are the guitars made?  (Country, and/or can you name the factory?)

 

Can you name the other lines that come out of the same factory?  (I understand if that’s a no-no.  It always seems to be a big mystery!  I have a Galveston B.B. Stone & any information about the company online is nonexistent, same with a Batman Logo prize guitar from Six Flags.  I wish I had this opportunity to talk to their creators!)

 

What kind of electronics/hardware are in there?  Do you guys make them too?  Are they “no names”, or are they by someone we might have heard of?  (Looks like the site has Kluson tuners listed.)

 

What other lines of guitars do you make?  Do they all say “New York Pro” or “Galaxy Guitar Products” on the headstock?

 

How are these guitars so affordable?  (& what’s your suggested manufacturer’s retail price?)

 

Where can you get them online or in person?

 

Now, on to my specific guitar (I have some photos attached)…  The natural wood-grain finish caught my eye.  I’ve been told it’s a mahogany body.  Is that true?

 

Can you tell the model name/number from the photos? 

 

Is this a Star Gazer?

 

Does it have an NY#### number?

 

Any way to tell what year it was made?  (I have my guitars registered at Ax Vault & Share My Guitar, looking to fill in model names, wood types, years made, serial numbers, etc.)

 

What type of wood is used on the body/neck/fingerboard?  (The site seems to indicate a 24-3/4 rosewood fingerboard, but says it’s a hard rock 1-piece maple neck, and the stripe in the back of the neck is mahogany, right?  It calls it a bass wood body… is it basswood, or mahogany?)

 

Anything else you’d like to put out there about Galaxy Guitars, the New York Pro, Star Gazer, or Starfire names?  I’m hoping some odd-guitar/budget-guitar geeks will find this page when they’re doing research!

Thank you for your time & help, I’m very happy to have found such a great axe at such a bargain price!

Rock on!

-E.

.seitilibasid gninrael fo nuf ekam ot ynnuf ton yllaer s’tI

Which they must have found annoying, because they never answered.  I’m inquisitive.  I can’t help it.

Guitar List & Guitar Museum are trying to catalog all of the guitars.  Even Wikipedia has tried.  Harmony Central was the place to go for years.  They have pretty good attempts, but they can’t even grab them all.

I absolutely love my Galveston B.B. Stone… but can’t find squat about Galveston online.  (Come on! I mean even Cort & Hamer have websites!) I know my guitar was made in Korea, and some have the Eagle brand.  Are they all made in the same place?  Are they one-offs?  My Batman logo guitar…  I have no idea where it was made either.  Was it in a mysterious overseas factory?  Was it from bad parts?  (The nut is crooked.)  The FlipOut has a website, but they seem to be defunct, and I have no idea where it was made.

Was My New York Pro made at the same place they make Fenders or Sqiuers with inferior parts & under cover of night?  Why does everyone and their mother make Stratocaster and Les Paul copies?  Don’t get me wrong, companies like Agile make some absolutely beautiful Les Paul style axes… and I do own an Epiphone Les Paul, a generic LP copy, a Japanese Strat, & now a generic Strat copy.  I guess there’s a market for these guitars or no one would bother to make them.

What’s the deal with headstocks again?  Some rule about being able to patent/copyright the headstock shape, but not the body?

Someone needs to put together a chart… of all the brands, who makes them, and where they’re made.  Is it even possible?  Does it already exist & I’m the last person to know about it?  Why is this stuff such a secret?

Please tell me about an off brand, who-makes-who, what’s made where, or anything that you know.  A link to back it up would be incredible.

And a question no one can answer…  Why do I like weird & knockoff guitars so much?

Related articles

• Inspiration from Hoke-E-Geez (My new ‘New York Pro’ Strat copy) (aixelsyd13.wordpress.com)
• My Guitars… (aixelsyd13.wordpress.com)
• We need a detective with Batman-like skills. (aixelsyd13.wordpress.com)
• The Square Guitar | My Galveston B.B. Stone (aixelsyd13.wordpress.com)
• The Dewey Deceibel FlipOut Guitar (aixelsyd13.wordpress.com)
• Guitar Searchers – Leave some comments! ==::: (aixelsyd13.wordpress.com)
• Fender Guitars Going Public (929dave.radio.com)
• Gotta Love Guitars (charity-lynn.com)
• Me and my Martin guitar (johnknighton.com)
• Goofy Little 9V Amplifier Project… (aixelsyd13.wordpress.com)
• Tom Bingham Vinyl Record Guitar (aixelsyd13.wordpress.com)
• Epiphone Makes A Great Guitar! (tigergroves.wordpress.com)
• Wall of silence (spiffy25.wordpress.com)
• Wiring issues with custom guitars (gearslutz.com)
• Guitar Insanity – Looking for input from gear heads & guitar geeks. (aixelsyd13.wordpress.com)
• Lawsuit Guitars (www.jazzguitar.be)