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Free Market | Music
Ever Heard of EART Guitars?
Probably not. But it’s a great lesson in global economics (and music)
Unless you’re a guitar journalist or aficionado, chances are you will have never heard of Eart Guitars. Why would you? It would be like me knowing about a new make of car.
I know the likes of Peugeot, Ford, and Renault — like you might know guitar brands like Gibson and Fender — but that’s as far as my knowledge goes.
Eart Guitars (an acronym for Electroacoustic Art) was founded by school teacher Zhao Weiguo in 2003 in Qingdao, Shandong Province, China. He aimed to produce Chinese-designed and made high-quality guitars based on Western classics like the Fender Telecaster and Stratocaster.
He succeeded. I’ve played a lot of guitars over the years, but never played one as good as these for the money. And a year ago, I had never heard of them.
After having disposed of my guitar collection when I started travelling and living abroad, I wanted a new instrument. But which one?
When I started playing and gigging in the mid-1990s, guitar choice was limited. There were plenty of brands around, but in those days, you bought what was on offer in the local guitar store. Or if someone you knew was selling one.
