I think if you are talking about classical guitars, then country of manufacture definitely does matter. The best classical guitars are made in Spain, followed by Brazil. Japan has made some good classical guitars that are fine for everyday practice; however, most classical guitarists rely on Spanish- or Brazil-manufactured classical guitars for performances. I think for classical guitars, the quality of the acoustics of a guitar are of primary importance, and this depends heavily on the quality of woods used and the skill of the luthier. For steel string or electric guitar, the acoustics of the guitar and quality of the wood used are less important, which is why countries such as China have made inroads.

OK granted this post was rather 'trolly' and as a newby I have over-stepped my mark ?
Yeah all the arguments here are good ones. I suppose many guitarists start off learning classical and then progress
to other genres anyway, so those technical points are carried through. Looking forward to posting on this forum. It looks like a cool community :-[

I spotted an article recently. Rolling Stone has compiled a list of who they consider the top 100 guitarists of all time.
I was rather pissed off about it. My reasons:

By guitarists, one must assume this includes guitarists of all genres and guitar types:
electric, acoustic, base and classical (& any others that I may have left out). First of all, all their 'experts' who compiled the
list are knowledgeable on Rock music, and not necessarily on other Genres. I think Rolling Stone should define what they mean as
'top guitarists' as being primarily rock guitarists. I would argue that classical guitarists are the most technically correct and skilled guitarists. My reasons:
1. The history behind formal classical guitar technique is hundreds of years old.
2. Classical guitar technique has evolved to be the most efficient use of movement for guitar, both on the right hand (for plucking the strings) and the left hand (which works the fret board).
Classical guitar technique limits extraneous movement of either hand. The left hand forms a claw, with fingers spaced to be over individual frets, which then act to 'hammer on' to the frets. The technique for the right hand emphasises that each finger is reserved for a particular string, fingers are thrown back, and the thumb does not buckle. Classical guitarists also learn to 'prepare' on the right hand, with fingers being placed on the strings before being played in anticipation. These techniques emphasise an absolute minimum of extraneous movement, which results in experienced classical guitarists being able to play very fast, confidently, and with the minimum of mistakes.

Rock guitarists may be the most popular in mainstream culture, but classical guitarists are the most technically skilled, and Rolling Stone's list should acknowledge this.