YouTuber and Chapman Guitars owner Rob Chapman has hit out at Donald Trump's yo-yo-ing tariffs. In a newly posted video, Chapman warns that the new 145 percent fee on Chinese imports will have a lasting and possibly devastating impact on U.S.-based firms.
“Forty-three percent of all instruments imported into America currently are from China,” Chapman explains. That includes guitar parts, from potentiometers to capacitors and screws, as well as pedals and ready-to-be-sold electric guitars.
“I think it will affect many American brands,” he states. “We’re going to see a shortage of Chinese products coming into America because people simply will not want to purchase or import them, and also big price increases if they do import that product.”
The effects have already been felt by some manufacturers. Last month, Fender’s credit rating was downgraded as a direct result of Trump's tariffs, which now pose new threats to the firm’s financial outlook. The imposed tariffs on imports from Mexico and China, two countries where it has factories, could add up to $5 million to Fender's operational costs.
Boutique amp manufacturer Morgan has also voiced its concerns about the impact tariffs will have on its business. Many U.S. brands import assembled amps and components from China and would be forced to raise their prices.
For that matter, even Trump Guitars are said to be manufactured in China and would be subject to Trump's tariffs. .
In addition, Chapman says the higher tariffs could deter some beginning players from buying new guitars, damaging a profitable and resilient part of the guitar market.
“Unfortunately [the tariffs] are going to affect the kind of consumer that are going to want the more affordable, Chinese-made guitars,” he states. “That includes beginners, something we desperately need on the market, and anyone on a budget.”
Chinese guitars don’t always equate to low-profile builds, either. Bring Me the Horizon guitarist Lee Malia has just released his first signature guitar with Jackson, which is built in China to bolster its affordability.
The long-awaited signature has already sold out its first batch, and its humble $899 price tag plays a big part in that. Compare that to Jackson’s latest American-made Soloist, the SL2DX, which retails at $2,449.
However, Trump's tariffs could make affordable guitars a rarity.
And as Malia says, “There’s no point making it if no one can buy it.”
The aim, of course, is to bolster American manufacturing and in the long term, Chapman hopes “that lots of new American companies will spring up and create their own product.”
However, NAMM CEO/President John Mlynczak has hit home the reality of the short term, believing that the tariffs could be “devastating” for manufacturers, and possibly lead to a musical instrument recession.
“The reason why we have companies that can afford to build their highest-end products in the U.S. is because they have the revenue from the mid-to-entry level products from overseas,” he notes. “Our supply chain is deeply interconnected.
Companies can afford to build their highest-end products in the US because they have the revenue from the mid-to-entry level products from overseas
NAMM CEO/President John Mlynczak
“It’s not like an instrument is solely made in China or Mexico. What happens is you have certain components that are made really well in China that are then imported for final assembly. Or you have a factory in Mexico that has a specialty in making certain components that are imported. Then they are assembled in the U.S. This happens because this work is highly specialized.
“If U.S. makers are paying more for raw materials,” he concludes, “they're paying more to compete,” which means that Trump’s hopes to boost U.S. manufacturing may backfire altogether.
Chapman, then, is left to ponder which way the pendulum will swing, ending his video by posing the question, “Is it going to revitalize American industry and push new companies to the forefront and make domestic musical instruments a big thing again, or is it a big disaster?”
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