Fair, although it's not a total myth... some guitars from elsewhere are good. I don't do well keeping my Ibanez fetish a secret, and they are almost all Japanese (one US custom) and no complaints on finish or performance. There is a very obvious difference in quality between the Japanese and Korean factory output though.

I guess I should have also added that if you had 2 US (or 2 mexican) strats, one of them might be terrible while the other is amazing. Like I said, buy based on what you like, but keep your eyes peeled for shoddy workmanship regardless of the guitar's place of birth.

Another fine example.... Gibson QA is pretty terrible - seen how much 'B' stock they have out there? US made, fairly expensive, and not great in all cases.

In a blind 'Pepsi Challenge' test with (for instance) a US strat and a Korean one, I bet you can tell which is which without too much investigating... If you can only run to the korean one though, don't torture yourself.. :D