Yeah, I will. I hesitate to say this, but I feel if you're in the US, you should try your best to buy US-made guitars. I'm not trying to start a political debate, and I couldn't justify that price difference either. Maybe that's part of the reason I'm happy with discovering EBMM, and no longer buying new US-made PRS or Gibson. I feel for comparable guitars, your money goes further with EBMM.
If I really wanted a high-end guitar, and was facing that large of a difference in price, I'd buy the US-made model, but from the used market.
And I'd say the same thing to someone in the UK looking at the price difference between a Marshall and a Mesa Boogie. Buy the one made in your country (although in that example, the economics are backwards, so the choice should be much easier.)
Maybe someday the lawmakers will find a way to level the playing field somewhat, without resorting to tariffs that just make everything more expensive. (Although they worked well for Harley Davidson back in 1984 and the next few years.) You're not truly comparing apples to apples, but the regulations do play a part.
So....people do know that SE-Asian guitars are cheaper because they generally treat/pay their workers like/with dirt, right?
I'm not saying that American/Mexican/whatever factories are absolute joys to work in, but...there is a bit of a difference there.
The disposable nature of a lot of cheap products is just....irksome....to me. I'm about to the point that I need a new studio desk, and I'm pretty sure I'm just going to go buy parts and build it with friends rather than try to figure out which pile of fiberboard and bolts is the least junk-y.
Are modern Gibsons overpriced? Well....their QC is lacking. But, they're actually not really more expensive than 50s guitars adjusted for inflation. And the originals were all over the map too. Nothing has really changed all that much. PRSs are more/less depending on the line, but....they're really fantastically made guitars and IMHO the S2s at least are absolutely worth it, even with electronics upgrades. But, then, I'm not a collector and I'm not into ticking boxes or variety for variety's sake. Since I got my first electric (which was an Epiphone), they've all been "luxury" purchases. And, I'm more than willing to save up for what I really want.
If anything has come out of all the "wood doesn't matter" or "all guitars sound the same" videos/articles/whatever, at least for me, it's confidence that I don't
need to tick all the boxes, that I can just play whatever I like, and if I can't afford something I want, I can either wait until I can or just not worry about it and play the guitars that I already love.
Is my Gibson worth more than 5 Epiphones? To me....yes. Because I place no value on having 5 Epiphones. Or 5 Gibsons, for that matter. Is it worth more than an Epiphone and 2 grand worth of other stuff....well, that's a tougher choice. But, at least when I bought it, still yes. And now that I have it, I'm not in a rush to optimize that sunk cost. I'll just keep it as long as I enjoy it. And, fortunately, I'm in a financial situation that allows me to do that.