gtrdave
n+1 is the correct value
The companies you mention all own those varios plants. They are owned by Fender and Gibson. They disclose them as what they are ie squier, epiphone, etc they do not try to market them as Fender or Gibson. Epiphone is marketed under the Epiphone banner, squier is marketed under the squire banner. However PRS do not own Cort nor is Cort a subsiduary of PRS, and yet PRS want to sell you a guitar that they dont even make, by a company they dont own, as A PRS. Im fully aware of how marketing works. This is completely the truth you just dont understand it for what it is. its not that i wish to buy only USA made products. i think you neet to scratch your head again. They make product in different locatiins to make more profit its never for the benefit of the buyer, dont be so gullible. what poor labour rate of pay are these people having to work so we can have these cheap products. The corporate ismfocussed on profit.
A little history lesson for you. For many years Epiphones were built in Korea NOT at Gibson-owned plants and some, the earliest Elite/Elitist models, were built in Japan, again, NOT at Gibson-owned plants. It wasn't until a few years ago that Gibson moved most Epiphone production to their own plant in China.
Next, Fender did the same thing with Squier and some Fenders, having them built in various Asian and EurAsian factories that they did not own but were contracted over time to build Squiers and Fenders for Fender corporate. They weren't building copies all those years.
These are facts vs. your opinions.
And what do you say about the S2 guitars, most of which are made with the exact same components that are used in the SE line? The only difference is that the bodies and necks are cut and finished and the instruments are assembled in Maryland. Are these copies?
And then there's Ibanez. Which ones are real and which are the copies?
Or how about ESP/LTD? By your thinking all LTD guitars are copies, but the reality is that they're not.