One guess is that those that are 'half the cost' are the imported ones and those that 'are so much better' are the hand-made ones from the original G&L plant.
Just guessing... 
"It takes a lot of devotion and work, or maybe I should say play, because if you love it, that's what it amounts to. I haven't found any shortcuts, and I've been looking for a long time."
-- Chet Atkins
-- Chet Atkins
