Is a CNC machine in Korea better than a CNC machine in Japan?
How do you know that the guy working in the Korean factory produces lower quality than the guy in the US factory? Maybe the Korean builder has been in the factory for 15 years and is highly skilled, while the guy in Memphis just fell off the turnip truck, is unskilled, an alcoholic, and cross-eyed and his brother-in-law "Jeb" got him a job down at the Gibs*n factory.
The only way to tell which is a better guitar is to play them both and let your eyes, hands, and ears decide for you. I don't care what kind of rig you have, the biggest part of your sound or your tone comes from your hands. That's why amazing players like Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jimi Hendrix, etc. had such amazing tone...because they were amazing players. They could make $250 worth of gear sound like a million bucks.
By the way..."Economies of Scale" refers to the ability to produce product at a lower cost because they are produced in larger volumes and certain cost advantages such as buying in bulk can be achieved. The term has nothing to do with qualilty. Likewise, value and cost are not necessarily the same thing. Cost is merely dollars and cents. Value can mean different things to different people. For instance, I would value a $600 guitar that looks great, plays well, and sounds great more than a $3,000 guitar that has a collectible value because of its age, but plays like a piece of crap.
Just my 2 cents.