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The Tip is 'Before You Buy' Made in America Secrets tries to send you to internet stores that sell the Made In USA products you searched for. We try to link you directly to only Made In USA products, however sometimes this does not happen. When you click our banner / link ads the store we link you to may show you products that are imported alongside those that are Made In USA. We all know most retailers sell products that are made and come from all over the world including the USA. Therefore, our tip is look at the details before you buy the product. This is true for both brick and mortar stores and internet retailers. Any Made in America store that represents selling only Made in USA products can be believed but check them anyway. They will appreciate your help. Here is a great example of a very reputable Made in America Store. Our site is similar to a few others that I call "Indexers". These sites offer lists like an index. These indexes relate companies to the products they sell. There are a few, like this site, that provide an index of Made in America companies and their products. You can use the indexes (like I have done at times) to find a particular product and the companies that make it. Our site has many features like our buy tips that are unique and valuable. We add buying tips regularly so don't forget to check them out, as they will help you find and buy great Made In America products. Some of these sites are a good resource if you are looking for the manufacturer of a specific product. However you should first check their accuracy because some are not maintained as well as others. Some allow inaccurate and inappropriate ads, others like Made In America Secrets maintain the accuracy of their indexes and do not allow inappropriate advertisements. We continually try to improve our links and we solicit your help and ideas to make our site even better. You can contact us by email, mail, or phone and we will try our very best to respond promptly. Buying Tip Continued - Read more on Made in America Products by Collings Guitars Bill Collings moved from Ohio to Houston, Texas in the mid-1970s. More interested in guitars and engineering than in medical school, he took a job at a machine shop and began building guitars on his kitchen table with just a few hand tools. Coming from a family of engineers, Bill's experience as a craftsman and his natural curiosity equipped him to experiment and quickly improve his craft. Before long his instruments were in the hands of local talents Rick Gordon and Lyle Lovett, which led more Texas players to seek out Bill for custom guitars. After building about fifty guitars and a few banjos in Houston, he headed west to pursue lutherie in southern California. Along the way, he befriended Austin luthiers Tom Ellis and Mike Stevens. Having found like-minded instrument makers, Bill decided to stay and share space in Tom's shop. By the mid-1980s, Bill was building flattop and archtop acoustic guitars in his own small shop. His reputation for outstanding quality and meticulous attention to detail quickly spread. In 1989, he rented a 1,000-square-foot space and hired two helpers. Bill Collings That same year, George Gruhn, the acclaimed collector and purveyor of vintage fretted instruments and owner of Gruhn Guitars in Nashville, asked Bill to make 24 custom Gruhn guitars, giving the Austin luthier national exposure. In the spring of 1992, Bill moved his guitar-making operation into a 3,200-square-foot feed store he purchased on the outskirts of Austin. By this time musicians such as Pete Townshend, Joni Mitchell and Brian May were playing Collings instruments and demand continued to grow. The existing shop tripled in size and its staff increased to 50 full-time employees. By 2005, Bill broke ground for a new 27,000-square-foot shop featuring CNC technology that modernized machining processes and made parts production more consistent, accurate and safe. As the business grew and processes were refined, one thing remained the same: Bill Collings' commitment to build the finest stringed instruments available. Fueled by his fascination with the construction and design of a variety of instruments, Bill soon began crafting more than just acoustic guitars. In 1999, he introduced the first Collings mandolins, which like his guitars, quickly set new standards for the industry. In 2006 his interest in carved top instruments led him to introduce a line of electric guitars that players quickly embraced because of the instruments' exceptional craftsmanship and tone. In 2009, with a nod to the tradition of some other high-end acoustic guitar makers, Bill created a line of concert and tenor ukuleles that have been hugely popular with professional and hobbyist players alike. For the past 30 years, Collings Guitars have been the choice of musicians who seek the finest handmade instruments available. You owe it to yourself to try a Collings. |
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