Buy them, play them, collect 100s of them, totally fine. Just don't resell them to others quoting it to be original instrument, that's where it gets unethical.
ethics......I bought a Gibson Les Paul junior and the wrap tailpiece was placed so far forward that it could not be intonated. I had to re-drill the bridge stud holes and move the bridge over 1/4" backward to get enough travel on the bridge to intonate it. And Gibson charges $900 for that slab of wood with ONE pickup. Gibson can take a leap as far as I'm concerned
As far as I'm concerned, Gibson bought this on themselves. Even with the quality materials and workmanship used to build a genuine Les Paul, it would cost at most a few hundred dollars to produce a unit. Yet somehow, they can justify selling them for thousands of dollars-a markup that a drug dealer could only dream of. If they were available for $600 (representing a reasonable mark up on the cost of production plus a commission for the store), I'd buy one. Until then, I refuse to support a company engaged in ripping off the very customers that are the reason for its existence.
Couldn't have said it better myself! As of recently I'm of the opinion that a lot of the larger brands have brought this hammer down upon themselves. Not even counting Chibsons/Alibaba specials, brands like Agile, Harley Benton, and Sire are going to continue to rise in popularity until these "big league" guitar manufacturers come down from their high horse. I was shopping around the other day and even the new MIM Fender Strats are approaching $1,000!!! This is beyond absurd and while these brands do make good guitars, they certainly aren't worth anywhere near what they're asking for them now.
I abandoned plans of buying a Gibson branded Firebird, or anything else made by them when they went after Dean. If their products were of the standards they claim, cheaper "copies" of the same body shape wouldn't hurt their business at all and there would be no reason to destroy them with litigation. I think Fender is a pretty good example of this considering how many strat and tele knock offs exist using the original body and headstock shapes and they seem to be doing fine.
I have a Chibson Les Paul I use on stage because I don't want my expensive Gibson broken or stolen. All I did was change pickups. It looks great, plays great and sounds great. The flamed maple to is fabulous. Cost $300 from china. Mine says Gibson and the serial number says made in U.S. So, I can play it not worrying if anything happens to it while my $2700 Les Paul stays at home.
i agree, if their guitar is decent, i dunno why they dont just sell it as their own guitar i guess people want the name, which i find silly, it's a name, if you put any other name on the guitar it sounds the same, lol they build it the same as every other guitar it's the quality of the parts that matter most, particularly the quality of the amp and electronics in the guitar and the strings
David Shapley It’ll be okay if they would be more transparent and change their name to something original, change some things on the design. Write there: made in China, but then the company can get close-down for saying who they are. There are many rumors saying Cort and Epiphone makes Chibsons, also with Samick, but yeah. There are many advantages and disadvantages, no doubt there’s more disadvantages than advantages with this company problem.
What you are thinking is the way how Americans thinking, Chinese just wanna make money even don't care about to violation the law or some body gets hurt
I've only just found this video, and I absolutely like the approach to what's a counterfeit instrument. I bought a Chibson years ago, and was immediately quite impressed with the value for money! And the quality has only gotten better over the years... Yes - I do agree with copyright laws, and would recommend to order one without the dreaded logo & other trademark signs. Although I'd still keep the headstock shape, but that's just me - I hate the Epiphone clipped style head 😜 The Chinese do really know how to build good, if not great, instruments! And if, after a while, you want to mod it, then it's not a $1800-2000 investment you're potentially ruining, but simply adding personal value to your own instrument. And that's always good 😀
I bought a Chibson 10 years ago when nobody really heard of them. It was my first ever guitar and I still have it. It's not a bad guitar but despite changing all the hardware and replacing the pickups with Bare Knuckle it has always been quiet in comparison to most other guitars I have. That's easily corrected with amp settings of course. Obviously after 10 years of tweaks I've got it set up great, just how I like it. The action is fantastic and it's lovely to play. I wouldn't really recommend one to anyone unless they are prepared to put some time and money into improving the faults as out the box these guitars pretty much all have problems.
I sold my Gibsons and started buying Chibs since the mtfkrs crushed the firebirdX with the escavator. I bought blank items and added myself PUs, tuners, wirings and all....Now they rocks❤
I've had many gibsons and epiphones. My LP Custom was the prettiest but it just didn't play the greatest. The best one I ever had was an epiphone LP. It was amazing. So I can imagine that these Chibsons are very similar.
You are in luck decent instruments that are cheap are in abundance...if you want a decent guitar you can get one ..save a bit at a time ..150 can get you a great used instrument..good luck
Purchased my '59 Chibson LP 4 years ago and have not regretted it since. Frets wore down quickly. Electronics were crap and upgraded. ProTone Nashville LP bridge installed as well. Guitar Center could not tell the difference. Well worth the money and would buy another.
@E Ho what the fuck is that kind of argument? Using a fake guitar can make you less of an honest consumer perhaps, but it makes you less of a musician? Get the fuck out of here
It's worth it just for the one piece no-scarf joint neck. Great price for a base guitar to upgrade and rewire, &c into something special. And the one-piece neck is what makes it a first pick for me. Thank you for making these videos. People ask me all the time what first guitar should they get for their kid and I can now answer them! I myself could have REALLY used something like what you're offering when I first started! Thanks again.
The thing is, you can contact a seller and get a completely custom made guitar. I got a left-handed flametop blueberry burst SG, with my own design on the headstock, one of a kind... it doesn't need to be a "counterfeit Gibson".
Go to Aliexpess (it's like Chinese Ebay), find guitars on there, and start firing off questions to sellers, start with something easy, like "Is this available in different colours?", or go straight to "Can you make custom guitars?", try find one who's good at English, most of them will do it. I can use photoshop, so I send pictures of exactly what I want. Nothing about your question can be perceived as suspicious, it's not illegal, it's not a blackmarket site or anything like that.
I really don't understand all the negative comments. It is what it is. The oversea market has been coping brand guitars for years. I purchased my Chibson Custom Shop Black Beauty, Sept. this year (369.00), and except for the tuners, and strings, I have left it as is. I've been playing guitar for 50 plus years. Those of you that did'nt grow up playing Gibson/ Fender/ Gretsch as I did may find it hard to understand how much better the copies can be, then the originals in the good old days of Rock'n Roll. Depending on the factory that makes them, each factory as in the U.S. has quality control some less then best. I paid more using a USA broker. Bascily what I recieved was a a great guitar with a Gibson headstock. My rants over
Jim Pasquale I own a Gibson Les Paul Studio, the faded finish series. Brand new they go for almost 700 dlls, not sure I feel comfortable spending over 2 grand on a Les Paul Custom, especially since I play as a hobby only. Are you happy with your Chibson? I'd like a glossy finish with binding, and no I wouldn't sell it as if it were a real Gibson. I could always swap out the pickups, tuners and hardware too to upgrade it. Also, where can I find them?
Very happy with my 2017 model guitar. I highly recommend these guitars for both playability and price. "You get what you pay for, is the old saying, However in my case I got more then I paid for,with very little adjustments. My pickups are not marked epiphones as some of the earlier models, mine have no marking but sound similar to gibson humbuckers and updated wiring. Solid mahogany body, with a cap. Mario, There are several brokers that offer these guitars through veriest sources. I used eBay after checking out the seller/broker. Contact me and I will go into detail. J/p
I have a couple and love them. It's legal to buy from China, but NOT legal to resell in the US. You can also order them with your own brand name from many sellers.
how did it go? is it good enough for the price or would you recommend buying something else instead (this, based on how it feels/plays, i know the elctronics are trash). thanks.
oreofudgeman it was a hand made 59 replica from a luthier before Gibson was making these reissues. So it’s like the equivalent of a Collins today not really the same as a chibson
Don't be ashamed about what you use don't listen to someone with expensive gear. Just because your gear is expensive dosn't mean you are a god at guitar
You can order them with ANY logo you want, and ANY headstock shape you want. Same applies to the serial number. And, US customs is hip to all of this, food for thought.
You are correct. I have two Chinese guitars and both times they asked what logo I wanted. Both times I said I did not care but I live in China and wanted guitars to play that I would not need to ship later. The workmanship is good. the woods are nice and they are an incredible bargain. A little setup is needed but it always is.
They might be "Hip to all this" but they still let them in. So, what's your point? Besides, I'm an authorized chinese made Gibson dealer. I get a ship-load of them in, at a much lower cost that a single "Chibson" costs, and then I still jack the price up and make a killing. Ethics are whatever a business man can live with! MONEY.... We all HAVE to have it to survive, and the more that yo have, the better quality of life. No? So... whatevs, Yo! People do what they've got to do. Only those who are willing to make a change, and realize that American quality will never be what it once was (Because once again... money, quality of life, what you can get away with, etc.) and the fact that you cannot reverse the effects of immigrant-damage, the OLD ways of American quality are dead. Unless... you go into business to lose your ass. I sleep just fine, my customers get more than what they pay for, and I can look myself in the mirror just fine when I'm on vacation with my family in Europe, Prague, or the Caribbean. Ethics.... decide what they are, and then adjust them according to your desired life-style! This is the NEW USA! Politicians never go to prison, so why should I give a shit about breaking the law?
Efren Castaneda Excellent comment, it's like you don't need name brand drugs but generic to get well. I have two Austin guitars that are Les Paul copies and the ESP John Sykes Edwards that plays and sounds just as good. And on top of that I hear people complain about an actual made in America Les Paul saying that one sounds better than the other when all of them are supposed to sound great.
Efren Castaneda you need skill to Sound good, not a $10.000 guitar. Thats what Most musicians dont understand about music. They think a high priced guitar Sounds better than a cheap one but thats not always True. It's about the way you play it and the amp you're using
Riiight. Well that is partially true but sometimes higher quality items are just bullshit. Gimmicky and overpriced. I got a Nike Lunarepic Low Flyknit 2 (which is considered medium/high end) and it destroyed my right knee's meniscus. Why ? those soles absorb the shock in an uneven fashion due to their beautiful design and it sends shocks at an odd angle to my knee. A more solid sole from a cheaper running shoe would've saved my knee. I'm not doubting the quality of Nike's product but the standardized manufacturing and design process means the product will fit the majority but not everyone. Sometimes a cheaper guitar might suit you better.
I play cheap shit guitars through a cheap pedal on an old bass amp and they sound great it's all about set up skill and having a good ear I have mine set up to play metallica and they're spot on
Yeah, I hate counterfeits too. But Gibson helped to do this to themselves. Like, if this guitar plays reasonably well with a couple of bux and a little tweaking, where does the extra $2200 that Gibson charges come in ?!? Gibson has been overcharging themselves out of the market for a while now.. Look around at local and national groups and what they are playing. I have a luthier friend with a shop in Merritt Island, Fl. that will build the guitar of your dreams to your exact specs for the price of an average Les.. IMHO.
Build quality solid maple tops not veneers expensive pickups tuners bridge tailpiece electronics pots inspections quality control and part of it is labor cost it’s a whole Batch of things that set the two guitar apart
Rick Mayo - [where does the extra $2200 that Gibson charges come in ?!?] It comes from running a factory, heating, cooling, equipment, insurance, employees. If they were making any money they wouldn't be in bankruptcy. Too bad our government has no interest in stopping illegal black market imports only for spending trillions on illegal wars in the interest of Israel. US taxpayers are even subsidizing shipping cost thru USPS. It costs the Chinese much less for the portion of shipping NY to Chicago then it does for someone shipping a guitar NY to Chicago.
You're missing the point, Rick Mayo, that mainly being...if Gibson wants to charge $40,000 for their guitars...THEY EARNED THE RIGHT TO! You don't want to buy them...hey, if NO ONE wants to buy them...that's Gibson's indigestion...not yours. BUT, if CHIBSON jumps in, makes a guitar for $250 and it sounds good...then you've got to ask yourself WHY ARE THEY stamping 'Gibson' on the heads?! I mean, they couldn't take 10-seconds to come up with 'Dragon', 'Starbite', or whatever cute name they want on it? Intentionally stamping Gibson (and, worse yet, Gibson (Les Paul)) means ONLY one thing...they are trying to make profits (larger profits) from Gibson's reputation as a world-class instrument company...and profiteering from another company's name or logo by stamping it on your products is called FRAUD within the U.S., so why give Chibson a pass because they are on another continent? Why can't they stamp another name on the guitar? Just reeks of 'identity theft' to me, personally...
these guitars are great for beginners that dont have a lot of money to sink into gear. Also good for project guitars if you want a challenge to upgrade and make them decent guitars for an affordable price. Doesnt matter if it says gibson, esp, ibanez whatever, a good deal is a good deal.
I want to thank you for posting this. I've been considering several of these because I want to play around with making a "relic" guitar and would much rather screw up something cheap. Just something for fun. That being said, I think there are no ethics in foreign companies blatantly ripping off another company. Although, my first guitar was a Harmony Les Paul, bought in the US in the 80's, and I'm pretty sure it wasn't licensed either. Regardless, your video is a really good look at what these types of guitars are. Thank you sir!
Great review. I have 3 coming, all from different places in China. I plan to try an unboxing. One aspect I think I can contribute, I was LAPD for a long time, and I know how crimes are pursued, and why no one will ever be prosecuted just buying one. If you try to sell it as a Gibson to someone just to make a buck, there may be some enforcement, but it’s also hard to prosecute. Prosecutors don’t pursue crimes without a good possibility of getting a conviction. With imports, I crime against property has to have certain conditions met, or corpus. Counterfeiting, smuggling, trademark violations, all require specific intent as opposed to general intent. With general intent, merely engaging in an act meets the corpus.
the ethics in this instance is quite clear:It's stolen material. That being said, could this be an Honorable homage to Gibson and it's technology? That changes the scenario a bit in my opinion. Not a bad sounding guitar especially at $170.00 bucks.
And, a better neck less prone to breaking! Gibsons are NOT worth the money they charge and IF you know how to setup, fret, wire, &c, you can do BETTER than Gibson does for a fraction of the cost.
and add CTS 525k pots with +-10% tolerance and K90y-9 PIO Caps and 50s wiring and it will sound better then standard equipped Gibson Les Paul. If someone is looking for quality USA made pickups GFS vintage 59 or GFS Crunchy Pat sound amazing. Check out youtube reviews. $25-30 each.
I bought one in 2012, new nut, SD hot rodded set, and some set up. It was killer, it had some minor cosmetic things but not big deal, these guitars are nice for projects, and being a left hand player, it was nice to build to my own specs. I paid 185 bucks.
you can tweak the frets, add new pickups and machines... take it apart and violate it in ways you'd never dream of doing to a real Gibson. a great learning tool that just might push you in the direction of becoming a luither or repair person. people said bad things about Korean guitars, and now Korean prs is a very nice playing guitar. love your honest insightful videos... keep them coming.
Fender doesn't have a problem slapping the word Professional series on their guitars and then selling them for $1,900+ tax. So I don't have a problem, with buying any guitar wherever it's made. However I usually just wait till April when every kid who thought guitar would be easy and got one for Christmas and now wants a new bike and sells them for cheap on Kijiji. All I can say is thanks for eating the depreciation value. New guitars now matter what they sell for go for 50% to 65% of what you paid for them new. The guitar industry is Hype and Bullshit.
I was 40 when I bought my last new car in an attempt to 'keep up with the Jones'...however, I figured this out about the guitar business back in 1974... As for 'doesn't matter...just buy junior's lost guitar interest in April...'...well, since junior was given a 'flatteringly identical CHIBSON Gibson' that is now hanging in the pawn shop for $1,400...I now have to go through 15-hours of INSTRUMENT-BY-INSTRUMENT deep inspections, because now, you can't go by 'stamped name brand', but you have to inspect those Grovers, the knob symmetry, the fret ends...yep, and MAYBE you catch the flaw, and maybe you don't. Sorry...but when I buy a 3-year old MUSTANG, at least I don't have to worry about it REALLY BEING a 'mustang-labeled' CHISTANG....I know who makes parts for it, I know (generally) what to expect from it, and I know what it will resell for if taken care of. The problem with piracy and counterfeiting runs deep...and it ALWAYS ends up biting the little guy, in the end. If you don't see it yet, then just give it time...
@@skeetersaurus6249 You said it......Bottom line is that a thing is right or it isn't. The funny thing is that almost all of these guys who pretend not to inderstand that and buy the knockoffs will absolutly be seriously offended at any suggestion that they have stolen value from those who have invested years in the reputation and debelopment of a brand as well as those who spent what it took to buy the real article and now find their investment devalued by the imitations. Posers, fakes, sidewalk commandos, and wanmabe's have NEVER had the respectibility they have pretended to.
Rebel Recluse Right you are buddy! I see higher end Gibson Les Paul standards,traditionals, etc.on my local craigslist all the time often going for 1.5k.or less.Most of the time the seller posts that it was hardly ever played. Why buy a brand new Les Paul standard for -on average 3k when you can get a practically new one for half that on CL- from a seller who thought the were going to learn how to play. So much for Gibson's "holding their value".....Maybe in 40 years when it becomes vintage. Have you priced a brand new Les Paul standard lately?
@@JamesAllenJr A buddy of mine had some Korean strat knockoff. The local guitar shop gave him some small amount for it as a trade-in on another guitar, and then the bastards stuck a Fender neck on it and hung it up for sale with a Fender price on it.
MaxxxwellC: I'm a NYCer now living in Hong Kong, which is ostensibly a part of China [legally] but still a million miles away from China in terms of [generally speaking] IP protection and respect. This whole issue of Chibsons, Chenders, Chi-RS, ChIbanez, etc...all comes down to essentially one thing - unlike in the West, where the very concept of blatant copying is discouraged, often illegal and generally frowned up, in China, blatant copying is not only allowed, it is often encouraged. Why? Because the only thing that matters in much of China is making money. How that money is made in terms of ethical conduct is often a secondary, tertiary or even non-existent consideration especially for Chinese companies that don't have large Western customers or global clientele. A simplification to be sure, but IMO/IME, generally correct. Being born and raised in the West, this whole concept of blatant copying in China irritates me no end. To my mind, there are several major problems. From a purely Chinese business/industrial development perspective, this kind of blatant copying will prevent China from ever becoming a true economic center of high quality product manufacturing a la post-war Japan and even what South Korea and Taiwan has achieved. The focus for the last 20+ years in China has been to grow their economy as fast as possible in order to lift up as many Chinese citizens as possible, with pretty much all other considerations being ignored. I don't want to rant too much here, but this is my feeling in a nutshell. If the Chinese guitar companies were to make blatant copies of legit brands BUT completely RE-BRAND them I would have far less issues. Use the LP shape. Use the Strat, Tele shape. Use PRS shapes. Use Ibanez shapes. Whatever. But absolutely USE THEIR OWN CHINESE BRANDING. This would entirely mitigate the whole obviously DECEPTIVE nature of what they are doing - the lying would stop. At the same time, if the Chinese were really going to start building top quality guitars with their own brands, who knows what could happen in the market? Suppose they create their own brand of LP style guitars that actually give Gibsons a true run for their money? Long-term, how would this be a bad thing for those Chinese companies chasing legitimate reputations and for us as consumers? Instead, they are spending all their efforts in making truly blatant copies of legit brands and now even going so far as to imprint legit Gibson, Fender, etc, serial numbers on their crap copies. If that is not 100% intentional deception and lying I don't know what is. It is exactly this kind of blatant lying and deception which frustrates me the most. Yet, I don't know who is really behaving worse - all those Chinese copiers or those fricking shill buyers of blatant copy guitars in the rest of the world who attempt to cheat the [generally] ill-informed public into believing they are actually buying legit LPs, Strats, etc...Get my meaning? The point is that unless and until the Chinese get their act together and change fundamental ways they design, market and manufacture products, they will never ever create truly meaningful, global brands such as Sony, Ibanez, Samsung, LG, HTC, etc.... They CAN do it and succeed legitimately - just look at OnePlus, Xiaomi, Huawei and Lenovo just to name a few globally legit brands in the tech sector [although there are still basic issues of trust and transparency with many of those Chinese brands like Lenovo who got caught red-handed installing malware/spyware on their laptops]. Still, those brands above are moving in the right direction. The Chinese need to ask themselves real hard questions like: why are pretty much all Japanese [and even South Korean and Taiwanese] products and companies so desirable and "trusted" on the global marketplace? How did those countries get there? After all, I don't know about you but for the time being, every time I see a MADE IN CHINA label I generally have a radically different perception than I do to MADE IN JAPAN, MADE IN KOREA or MADE IN TAIWAN labels. rant over... :D cheers and happy 2018!
It takes time my friend. Japan named a town Usa a short time after the end of WW II so they could legitimately mark made in USA on their products. It took all of the countries you mentioned a lot of time to evolve into producing quality products. You should have seen the first Honda car imported into the United States from Japan. That product just popped into my mind. I'm quite sure the Chinese Guitar market will be no different.
The one I bought a few years back is identical to the one you're holding. I dressed the frets, put in a 50's wiring kit, new pots and Gibson 57's and it rocks. Gave it to a buddy of mine who needed a guitar. He loves it. All in all I had about $600 into that guitar and I really enjoyed it. Would I like an R9, oh yeah but I don't have $4-5k just lying around. Great video BTW!
If you're a musician who is going to PLAY it, it's totally fine. It's a great guitar for doing club shows and if it gets stolen you won't be out of luck.
Great guitars from Alibaba.........I have ordered 4 so far. They are awesome for the money. Arf the big companies trying to steal your money. So far I bought a nice Dreadnought, Travel guitar, Les Paul, and a Casino. They are all awesome.
I love these as they are SO easy to find as a Lefty! They're cheap, they don't gouge you for more money for being a lefty and they sound great! Even if you get a bum one you can change out the pots & tuners cheaply but have to say, mines' been fine .
I'm building a telecaster from scratch. Its my second build. My first build costed $420 bucks including fender decal, using awesome parts, allparts neck and dimarzio twang king loaded pickguard w control plate. So on this particular build, im making huge cost adjustments. A Cheaper Neck, Pickups and Tuners just to see if there is a big difference in playability and sound. The Body is Ash $60 bucks, same as my first build,,, a Kmise China Maple Neck $30 bucks. Electronics, Bridge, Tuners, Pickups, etc all coming from China,, another. $30 bucks. Yes $30 bucks. I kid u not... And It Includes pots, pickguard, etc. So $120 Bucks total. The pickups are also Kmise. When I'm done I'll let u know how it sounds.
My ethics are that if Gibson maintained the quality of their guitars of the 60's & 70's, I would totally object to these guitars being imported with a Gibson name. But, that doesn't seem to be what has been happening. However I do wish that these Chinese companies would find their own name for marketing these guitars. A decent guitar at an affordable price is still a benefit, especially for someone trying to learn guitar. Names on the headstock don't matter.
7 лет назад+8
It doesn't matter what you feel about the ethics - it is illegal and you can't sell it. Just get one without the Gibson logo on it and you have a good value 'copy'.
sorry squiggley, its not illegal and he CAN sell it. It would however be illegal for him to try and sell it as an original.. where do you guys come from?
Sorry Daddski 1, Under U.S. code tittle 19 chapter 4 it's still a trademark violation wether origin is disclosed or not. The Gibson logo alone is where a violation is occurring. It can NOT legally be sold or even GIVEN AWAY. This would be considered trafficking.
It's quite funny when you know that the most legendary guitar of Slash (one of Gibson's biggets endorsers) was a Gibson Les Paul copy. AKA a counterfeit. 😁
Enjoy your reviews, as player and collector of 50 years, I've got many vintage USA guitars, customs and several lower end guitars. I'm gonna buy one for the hell of it. I'd say they're at least equal to an Epiphone, which have gigged with many times
I've seen some OK reviews for the "Glarry" branded instruments for entry/beginner level. It has been reviewed as "playable" after set-up. The prices are low (Lower prices than some Chinese KIT guitars) With only minor issues. One big attraction is they ship from inside US and have been responsive to customer problems for units ordered directly from their webstore.
I'm a bit surprised by some of the facts on the guitar. I appreciate the review, nice lil' guitar. The problem is that guitar not only violates trade mark law but if it is made in China and marked Made in the USA it is in violation of US Customs Regulations (my field of expertise....boring as it is) and if they ship in a bunch of them they would be destroyed, literally, and the importer fined.
You're 100% correct. This guitar does violate a range of trademark, copyright, and customs laws. The trouble is in the enforcement of those laws (enforcing them in China), and the vast majority of these guitars get shipped in with no issues. Some of them are then sold to unsuspecting buyers on the used market. It's turned into quite an issue among collectors and people who deal with used equipment.
This is my field. If the guitar is not marked, clearly, with the country of origin/assembly so that it is permanent , to the end user, it is illegal. Customs must be overwhelmed because not marking China, or nothing at all, would not be legal. LA and San Francisco customs has destroyed tons of toys from China and I've had product seized because engineers 'forgot' to have the country of origin put down. Means little but if you buy a guitar and it is checked you lose the guitar and I wouldn't expect a refund.
@@stevevaughn2040 I believe these are sold as individual sales. And therefore not worth checking the country of origin. ebay has tons of these sold from china. From individual sellers, I believe they work for the factory.
Hello there, I just bought the same guitar, it looks identical to yours but mine has an ebony fretboard with binded frets, two pieces body joint in the middle (no veneer) one piece neck without the glued-in heel. It also came with a real U.S Tune O Matic bridge. I have to say that these guitars are not as good as real Gibson, but definitely way better than $700 Epiphones. Mine was $280.00 including S/H. Thank you for your awesome reviews
This channel is very informative and actually pretty decent when it comes down to cheap gear...he shows that its all in the player...the best part...he isnt a total wanker about using cheap gear
They are basically cheap entry-level guitars. If the retail price is 170$, then the actual value of materials, parts, build quality, & administration costs make it worth much less. If they were to actually stop ripping off other company logos, then they would at least be an honest maker of cheap entry-level guitars.
Here are my thoughts on the ethics of buying a replica guitar: Gibson and other guitar manufactures spent years, money, and research in order to create their products. They filed the legal work in order to protect their brand from being misused and to protect their intellectual property from being stolen from others. While companies like Ibanez and Tokai have built Les Paul models, they did not use the trademarked Gibson logo on their guitar's headstock nor did they mark the guitar as being "Made in the USA" and put a fake serial number on it. What these Chibson manufacturers are doing is illegal and they are causing the growing risk for unsuspecting consumers to purchase fake Gibsons from second hand sellers. If these Chinese manufacturers want to sell Les Paul inspired models, then go for it however they can't be slapping the Gibson logo on it, marking it as being made in the USA, and putting a fake serial number. None of those logos are true and no matter how many upgrades you put on your Chibson, it will never be a Gibson. I work at a law office that specializes in consumer protection and what these Chibson manufacturers are doing is highly illegal and anyone who tries to sell these to public are violating many basic consumer laws.
If it's done for your own amusement then in my opinion there is no harm done as long as you never resell the guitar. An even better thing to do is to buy the guitar without the company name on it. You can get any name you want put on it or just have the headstock blank. I have several chibsons and I really like them. Never really had to do a lot of work on them to get them up to Snuff. In fact I've had to do more work on Used Guitars I have bought then on the chibsons
My dad fell victim to a pawnshop Gibson Les Paul Custom Zakk Wylde model a few years back that was a Chibson upon further review ( long story short, the serial numbers didnt register with Gibson while on the phone with their reps and other glaring issues were pointed out). But the thing that pisses me off to no end is WHY these are allowed to be sold at all? They violate every possible copyright law imaginable but they continue to be made and sold. Why doesn't the Federal Trade Commission tear them to pieces?
Great review. Much appreciate your objectivity and NO hate on replicas. I call them replicas. Slash played one on AFD album. He didn't have real Gibson. He had replica when he was broke.
You all are judging the guitar in completely wrong way. For $170 your expectations should be getting mohogony wood, well designed dimensions of guitar and one piece neck and awesome aesthetic finish. That's it!!!! WHY Simply. SD pickups by themselves cost $200. WTF some of you expect for the price tag. You will be upgrading electronics anyway. You upgrade to 50s wiring with 525k CTS pots and new K40-9y PIO caps and lets say GFS vintage 59 pickup in neck and crunchy pat in bridge and you have better then Gibson stock guitar with guitar cost under $500. Gibson QA is not great these days anyway. You're gambling on it with excessive price tag.
Sebastian Sefyu There are plenty of sub-$500, hell, even sub-$300 guitars, that are of a much better build-quality, than 99% of the counterfeits out there. In other words, there is absolutely NO reason to buy counterfeit guitars (or anything else, for that matter)...other than to be a poseur.
Replicas! Slash played one on most epic and famous album called Appetite for Destruction. So one of the most famous albums was created on counterfeit. Kinda ironic aint it
Sebastian Sefyu The real irony is, Gibson actually made a replica of it. So, technically, they themselves are "counterfeiters". ;) Seriously, though, there is a HUGE difference between "replicas" and conventional counterfeits. The main one being, replicas aren't mass-produced, for the sole intention of defrauding people.
I bought a Chibson LP guitar made to my spec. Cost in total 270euro. The guitar is amazing. Well after a fret dress and rounded of the fret edge binding. I even had them make one piece body and neck with flamed maple binding. Not the usual plastic. I play this guitar all the time. I have Gibson guitars but i play this chinese clone more. Am i crazy or something ?
I thinks that's because you've built guitar after you own specs. Mine cost me $420. Same single piece body and neck, bone nut, and a solid, real mapple top (+$120). Yes, I had to dress frets myself. This is my favorite guitar now, others being Hamers (USA) Californian elite'90 and Chaparral Custom'86.
Well actually i have two Chibsons the other also has full flame maple top and nitro sprayed. This one cost me 500 euro, but it looks and plays stunning. They both look to be same sort of mahogany they use, but this one is noticeably heavier. I think i will sell my real LP as i have an old Greco super real that i play more than the Gibbo. And spend money on different pickups. I have a Gibson SG that is a keeper for sure !!
love your honesty, and it reflects in your ability to play...it aint the ax, its the guy who wields it!....and I often check in on your site to get reviews. thanx, and I jam to many of your tracks!
I bought a 59 Bloomfield copy. Great looking . I totally changed the nut, the pots and put 100 dollar pups in her. The 50s wiring harness makes this thing a Gibson for about 700 bucks. It screams
Nope. I've owned a few MIM/MIA Strats, and the bodies/necks are different. MIM bodies usually have a "swimming-pool" routed under the pickguard, while the US models are routed for each, individual pickup. The necks are different too.
Dennis Thompson I got myself a MIM Roadhouse Deluxe 2017, and it's beautifully set-up. I actually chose it over an American Pro/Standard, as it felt better, had two point vibrato and locking. I don't regret not buying the MIA. I put on 10's and intonated, and it plays great. Also, my neck radius is the same as Eric Johnson's; I for get what that is.
They may be better now, but my Mexican Fender Jazz that I bought in the 90s for $350 is a piece of Junk. I played on it for years thinking Fender basses were just crap until I got to play a real one. I've replaced both pickups and done extensive experimental mods to it. The neck has been warped from day one which I originally thought was just a bad set up and the nature of these necks. A Luther friend of mine tried every he could to fix it. The truss rod is maxed out and won't turn any further. Like I said, the Mexico Fenders may have improved in quality over the years, but in the 90s and early 2000s, they were trash buckets.
I bought one a year ago and I love it. I couldn't afford a real one so this is as close as I can get to one. They are made at the epiphone plant there so Gibson doesn't seem to mind so why should anybody else. Great guitar for the money.
I've got a Devlin Les Paul copy. Gave $500.00 for it new. Had it 9 years now and that guitar plays flawlessly and amazing tone. Plays like a dream. I'd put it up against most any Gibson with confidence.
Dude are you like slow or something of course your $500 guitar is better than a 170 dollar chibson I mean wtf man but I'll tell you what a grote less Paul for 200$ will blow your 500$ Devlin out of the water for sure
@@Warpathjak LOL... Ahh, you're real cute BOY. For one thing, I never heard of Grote Guitars at the time I bought my Devlin. And I bought my guitar from a local music shop that was an authorized Devlin dealer. So I was able to take the guitar home and try it for up to 30 days. And if not satisfied, I could return it to the store, no questions asked. Can't really do that with many online guitar brands like Grote, Firefly, Harley Benton, ect... And as far as the Grote guitar blowing Devlin out of the water, I seriously don't think so. Might be as good as Devlin, but by no means blowing it out of the water. Besides, all these Les Paul knock offs are basically made from the same factory, just different brand names are put on them. So one is no better than the other. They're all the same as far as quality. Learn how to spell Les Paul by the way. Not "less Paul". Show a little respect.
That was a talk text for one so my phone miss spelled it but also let me tell you how wrong you are again chibson grote and Harley Benton are not made in the same place actually why don't you look up Max's review of the grote lp and actually listen he literally says if you want a big step up in quality over chibson to get a grote I rest my case I have played a Devlin lp copy it is not as good sorry grote is one step under a wolf Devlin is barely better than a chibson for double the price try again
@@Warpathjak Well again, I never heard of Grote. Otherwise I might have checked them out. There's a million LP knock offs out there and most are pretty good quality. I just happen to come across the Devlin at a local music store. I thought the price was fair and I went for it. So don't judge. That was way back in 2009. There's been a million knock offs that I've discovered since then. So whether it be Grote, Devlin, or any other knock off, you cannot convince me your Grote is more superior than mine. There's just no way. When you get down to it, it's just a matter of preference.
@@Warpathjak You just came off as being arrogant and a smart ass in the first reply. And I really didn't see the need for any of that b.s. You like Grote, I like Devlin. That should be end of story.
The only thing about all of this that is disturbing to me is labeling it "Made in USA" when it isn't . The term assures quality for me when purchasing things. Now that's out the window . .
The hospital gear in the USA hospitals is mostly made in Finland, Germany, Switzerland because the USA is 25 years behind the times, spent too much time on Wars instead now they have to buy everything from overseas.
Max what about putting cheap electronics, nut and pickups in a Gibson and doing a comparison? I have always wonder, if the wood and construction do really play much of a role... Your channel is awesome, keep it up!
I have a thing against buying a non-Gibson with the Gibson name in it but I bought a Lefty Les Paul-style 'Sawtooth' guitar (probably made on the same factory) that cost me $250 including setup. Action is low, build quality is decent and the tone is equal to an Epiphone I own that costs 4 times as much. If I was a beginner low on cash, I would pull the trigger on a Chibson style guitar without even thinking about it. They're actually a good value for your money.
The greatest potential of these Chinese companies is that they will also make custom alterations to these guitars for dirt cheap. Why do people keep using them to get Chibsons when you could just as easily have the custom guitar of your dreams with your own name on the head stock? That's what I did. ; )
Oh, I just made a similar comment. Yip, me too. I got an SG with blue and purple burst with my own design on the headstock, total one of a kind... I'll be getting more too.
Find a guitar that's close, then send the seller a message, just say "Can I get this in a different colour?", or whatever. Message a few sellers, find one that can communicate in English well. I can use photoshop, so I mock up exactly what I want and send a picture. Check feedback.
The tones didn't sound so great to me. Maybe it was my headphones. The clean sounded muddy to me, the overdrive sounded fine. It would have been nice to A B the sound check with a real Gibson or even Epiphone to see if there was a sound difference that was notable.
Ethically, I couldn't bring myself to buy one. To me, they are crossing the line by putting Gibson on the headstock. Put literally anything else on the headstock and keep everything else about the guitar the same and I'd be fine with buying one. But I'll go with an Epiphone when/if I buy a cheaper Les Paul due to that.
My first guitar was a Memphis so there has been copy guitars for a long time and we all know they are not that good but it's a starter and what matters is music helps develope you as a good person and that's GOOD. ROCK ON GOD BLESS.
To your points in the last minute of this video: I spent 22 years in the violin business. Never did I rely on a label to tell me what the violin was. I ran into (more than I can count) many instruments that were not what the label said. What it boiled down to is that the instrument tells you what it is. So is it a Les Paul? For $170 the seller is saying "No", and I have no problem with that. There has to be a basic understanding of instruments before one buys an instrument, else you're on your own. So how do the violin guys do it? Well, it's experience (same as guitars). I had someone that was looking to sell a Testore violin. Thing was, I had seen a couple of Testores; I knew the violin was old, but it was not a Testore. With some information elsewhere it was determined that it was a 1600's Dutch instrument. Now you may be saying "This has nothing to do with the guitar I'm looking at!" Ah, but it does. If a purchase seems to be too good to be true, then it is. I had a lady that proudly turned in her Stradivarius, and had put the down payment on her new Cadillac. Lady, this is a $10 German copy. It's horrible to be in that situation. So - if someone is selling a really really cheap Les Paul is it a Les Paul? Nope - but as this video is saying, you may be buying a pretty good inexpensive Les Paul copy - albeit one that needs some modifications. The violin guys don't rely on labels. Don't you rely on "labels" either - if a price is too good to be true, than it is not as advertised.
Using a design past its patent protection date is OK..... Using another's TM logo is just wrong ! I would never buy one, for the sake of the original TM brand, and for the sake of all the future pawnshop suckers that will overpay for these fakes. Plus, I just don't like fake news, fake people, and fake guitars. If it was labelled PoppyTop , FlubberDub, Woody, or anything else like a copy should be, maybe. But never, because it is labelled Gibson.
I just ordered one of these, only it as advertised as not being branded on the headstock (option to add). Which is perfect imo. Great value for my dollar, without the scumminess of the blatant copy (at least as much of it)
OK I purchased in 2013, a Goldtop R7 from my local mom and Pop store ,,its a legit Gibson with the papers on it ,, I love it ,, but ,, I had to get the POS Kluson tuners off and put the Grover deluxe tuners on it ( I just change them again after 15 years ) and I had to have the intonation set up on it ... This after getting it from the factory !! Straight from the factory they sent my guitar out into the world to be purchased .,, the Quality Control at Gibson bites fresh ass,,,,but ,,,, I will only buy a Gibson ,, I dont want the “Chibson” , I will know and that is all that matters ,,, but I will say I loved the texture of that Sunburst he was holding , that was awesome ,,,
You couldn’t even buy a guitar case for an American made Les Paul for what you paid for this guitar. I bought my Gibson Les Paul in 1978 and I spent over $100.00 just for the case - back then! That would equal more than $170.00 in 2018 dollars. So in essence, I paid more for the Les Paul case than you paid for that guitar. In 1978 dollars, you would have paid just a little over $100.00 for that entire guitar, considering inflation. It sounded really good. I can’t tell how the action is, but you seemed to maneuver over the fretboard smoothly and I didn’t detect any weird buzzing or twang. Looks like another good find. Thanks for the video. Your videos are very informative and practical. I really enjoy them a lot.
I've been interested in getting one of these guitars but as most of the sellers state you can pay alittle more to customise the appearance such as headstock, logo, finish etc. So I would get one and just give them the specs I want changed so it ceases being in violation of both CITES and trademark law. Still getting a cheap and reasonably made guitar but now its legal.
i like that you actually give that guitar a fair shake. most people on here just bad mouth them on principal, like they own shares in the company or something. but i suppose its all down to obsessive brand loyalty. though i 100% agree that they shouldnt put trademark branding on it. for the shape though i dont think gibson has a case anymore because everyone makes that shape, and have been for 20 to 40 years. and if you know how trademark law works [at least here in the us] the company that holds the mark needs to be actively defending [sueing] against any other companies who make a product that even slightly copies the trademark design. witch gibson has not been doing until recently. as well as the old PRS v. Gibson case. so the argument against that is usually "just because other companies have been doing it, it doesnt make it right". sure, but gibson has never done all that great of protecting their trademark. us trade mark is a lot like the old saying "if you dont use it, you lose it." just change "use" to "defend" and another thing i see these chibsons a lot like piracy. and it was found in europe that piracy isnt stealing because the people downloading these files [songs, movies, video games and other software] wouldnt have bought the files anyway therefore the companies selling said files arent losing sales or physical product. im sure that i probably worded that a little wrong but you can google it, theres a whole study that explains it in detail.
I'm buying one and swaping my seymore Duncan pickups which sound amazing on my cheap epiphone and I'm replacing the bridge and sound knobs and tuning keys which I already have.
Great video , one of the best guitar demos... because you actually talked about the guitar and showed details instead of playing for 10 minutes like some do. In regards to buying one , some things to think about. If you ever sale it , you have to tell the buyer it's a counterfeit , some probably wouldn't , but...they should. If you're buying it just so you can say you own a Gibson...that's dumb coz you know it's not. It sort of makes you wonder why we're so stuck in wanting a brand name only. Now I've read some comments about Epiphone. I have a dot , and it plays and sounds good . I wanted a Gibson , but the dot is fine for me. I was thinking of buying a China made Trini Lopez guitar....but if Epiphone made one , I'd buy the epi. Although I do have a problem with the ripping off of another companies product , so in the end I probably won't buy one .
6 лет назад
Check local thrift stores and pawn shops before buying on line. One pawn shop here has roughly 20 LP knockoffs hanging starting at $70.00 up to $200.00.
1:16 I am sorry, but thats not Vintage Sunburst. Btw, they used the serial number of a real les paul that was manufactured at th 17th of january 2000 in Nashville USA. Interesting.
The best Les Paul Customs are currently being made by Fujigen. Shipped to your door for $1200 from overseas. It's a copy, but says FGN on the headstock. Will outplay a Gibson several times it's price. Still pricie, but within reason.
I have 2 "chibsons". Both are dg 335s one gold and one pelham blue. I had them shipped over without the electrics in them and without anything on the guitar classing itself as an official Gibson. I've had both of them fully set up with Seymour duncan pick ups and they both sound and play great. I do not condone the guitars nor am I advocating the sale of them but having them without anything Gibson on them they are good enough guitars. If i could afford Gibson's I would but like anything else you're paying for the name.
![I.N "HALLUCINATION" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/n5B5q1Hwt_U/mqdefault.jpg)
Buy them, play them, collect 100s of them, totally fine. Just don't resell them to others quoting it to be original instrument, that's where it gets unethical.
but i really want a strat so...
Agreed 100%
Its illegal to resell counterfit products
Where can you purchase one. I have always wanted one to just hang in my room.
@@draper102994 ...Ali express seems a good place to start
ethics......I bought a Gibson Les Paul junior and the wrap tailpiece was placed so far forward that it could not be intonated. I had to re-drill the bridge stud holes and move the bridge over 1/4" backward to get enough travel on the bridge to intonate it. And Gibson charges $900 for that slab of wood with ONE pickup. Gibson can take a leap as far as I'm concerned
As far as I'm concerned, Gibson bought this on themselves. Even with the quality materials and workmanship used to build a genuine Les Paul, it would cost at most a few hundred dollars to produce a unit. Yet somehow, they can justify selling them for thousands of dollars-a markup that a drug dealer could only dream of.
If they were available for $600 (representing a reasonable mark up on the cost of production plus a commission for the store), I'd buy one. Until then, I refuse to support a company engaged in ripping off the very customers that are the reason for its existence.
Couldn't have said it better myself! As of recently I'm of the opinion that a lot of the larger brands have brought this hammer down upon themselves. Not even counting Chibsons/Alibaba specials, brands like Agile, Harley Benton, and Sire are going to continue to rise in popularity until these "big league" guitar manufacturers come down from their high horse.
I was shopping around the other day and even the new MIM Fender Strats are approaching $1,000!!! This is beyond absurd and while these brands do make good guitars, they certainly aren't worth anywhere near what they're asking for them now.
I abandoned plans of buying a Gibson branded Firebird, or anything else made by them when they went after Dean. If their products were of the standards they claim, cheaper "copies" of the same body shape wouldn't hurt their business at all and there would be no reason to destroy them with litigation. I think Fender is a pretty good example of this considering how many strat and tele knock offs exist using the original body and headstock shapes and they seem to be doing fine.
I have a Chibson Les Paul I use on stage because I don't want my expensive Gibson broken or stolen.
All I did was change pickups. It looks great, plays great and sounds great.
The flamed maple to is fabulous.
Cost $300 from china.
Mine says Gibson and the serial number says made in U.S.
So, I can play it not worrying if anything happens to it while my $2700 Les Paul stays at home.
They just need to take the Gibson name off and proudly display Chibson.
i agree, if their guitar is decent, i dunno why they dont just sell it as their own guitar i guess people want the name, which i find silly, it's a name, if you put any other name on the guitar it sounds the same, lol they build it the same as every other guitar it's the quality of the parts that matter most, particularly the quality of the amp and electronics in the guitar and the strings
David Shapley Agree with you
David Shapley It’ll be okay if they would be more transparent and change their name to something original, change some things on the design. Write there: made in China, but then the company can get close-down for saying who they are. There are many rumors saying Cort and Epiphone makes Chibsons, also with Samick, but yeah. There are many advantages and disadvantages, no doubt there’s more disadvantages than advantages with this company problem.
I would TOTALLY buy a guitar marked CHIBSON!! \,,/
What you are thinking is the way how Americans thinking, Chinese just wanna make money even don't care about to violation the law or some body gets hurt
Chibson Les Paul, endorsed by the guitarist of Guns n "Rices"
@Know One lol I got an even better one -- "Gongs" n Roses
Weapon and flower
Ha!
Chinese democracy 😂😂😂
Did you know Slash recorded with a replica?
I've only just found this video, and I absolutely like the approach to what's a counterfeit instrument.
I bought a Chibson years ago, and was immediately quite impressed with the value for money! And the quality has only gotten better over the years...
Yes - I do agree with copyright laws, and would recommend to order one without the dreaded logo & other trademark signs. Although I'd still keep the headstock shape, but that's just me - I hate the Epiphone clipped style head 😜
The Chinese do really know how to build good, if not great, instruments!
And if, after a while, you want to mod it, then it's not a $1800-2000 investment you're potentially ruining, but simply adding personal value to your own instrument. And that's always good 😀
I bought a Chibson 10 years ago when nobody really heard of them. It was my first ever guitar and I still have it. It's not a bad guitar but despite changing all the hardware and replacing the pickups with Bare Knuckle it has always been quiet in comparison to most other guitars I have. That's easily corrected with amp settings of course. Obviously after 10 years of tweaks I've got it set up great, just how I like it. The action is fantastic and it's lovely to play. I wouldn't really recommend one to anyone unless they are prepared to put some time and money into improving the faults as out the box these guitars pretty much all have problems.
I sold my Gibsons and started buying Chibs since the mtfkrs crushed the firebirdX with the escavator. I bought blank items and added myself PUs, tuners, wirings and all....Now they rocks❤
I've had many gibsons and epiphones. My LP Custom was the prettiest but it just didn't play the greatest. The best one I ever had was an epiphone LP. It was amazing. So I can imagine that these Chibsons are very similar.
You and your videos are way better than many jokers out there who makes fun of music. You sir have a class. You should have 1m subscribers.
Thank you!
I absolutely second that. Very classy, articulate and informative.
That's, unfortunately, why he doesn't have as many subs. One more from me though! :)
I have feeling you are a Jason Becker fan
i like steve terreberry lol
wish i had the money to buy even a fake gibson les paul...😔😔😔
save 10 dollars a day and in a year you'll have one
@@littlewing62 i just earn 6 dollars a day.... hehehe so yeah.... its just a dreAm
apir!
You are in luck decent instruments that are cheap are in abundance...if you want a decent guitar you can get one ..save a bit at a time ..150 can get you a great used instrument..good luck
Save one dollar a day for ten years 😂
Purchased my '59 Chibson LP 4 years ago and have not regretted it since. Frets wore down quickly. Electronics were crap and upgraded. ProTone Nashville LP bridge installed as well. Guitar Center could not tell the difference. Well worth the money and would buy another.
Chaz Padalino using a fake guitar makes u less of a musician
@E Ho what the fuck is that kind of argument? Using a fake guitar can make you less of an honest consumer perhaps, but it makes you less of a musician? Get the fuck out of here
@@user-zn3wm7pb3w Slash's first Les Paul was a fake and it said Gibson. Google it and you'll find the story. I think it is here on RUclips as well.
How do I find one
@@user-zn3wm7pb3w does not
Gibson should buy this company to increase quality level :D
BAHAHAHAHAHA!!! I bet this company doesn't crush their guitars with construction equipment!!
Lmfao "we can not beat their quality" hahaahaha
Yeah...too bad Gibson's quality is shit currently
@@mistymountainasmr4047 been shit for years but they are still charging rip off high prices.
I hate to laugh but......🤣🤣🤣🤣
It's worth it just for the one piece no-scarf joint neck. Great price for a base guitar to upgrade and rewire, &c into something special. And the one-piece neck is what makes it a first pick for me. Thank you for making these videos. People ask me all the time what first guitar should they get for their kid and I can now answer them! I myself could have REALLY used something like what you're offering when I first started! Thanks again.
The thing is, you can contact a seller and get a completely custom made guitar. I got a left-handed flametop blueberry burst SG, with my own design on the headstock, one of a kind... it doesn't need to be a "counterfeit Gibson".
An Electric Heart Which seller, on which website?
An Electric Heart I'm a lefty and I'd love something like you mention. I realize now that my question is very suspicious.
Go to Aliexpess (it's like Chinese Ebay), find guitars on there, and start firing off questions to sellers, start with something easy, like "Is this available in different colours?", or go straight to "Can you make custom guitars?", try find one who's good at English, most of them will do it. I can use photoshop, so I send pictures of exactly what I want. Nothing about your question can be perceived as suspicious, it's not illegal, it's not a blackmarket site or anything like that.
They are good, aren't they? I really like so many options for us lefties:)
An Electric Heart Why not just be a bro and tell us the name of the seller that made your awesome custom guitar? Is that really too much to ask?
I really don't understand all the negative comments. It is what it is. The oversea market has been coping brand guitars for years. I purchased my Chibson Custom Shop Black Beauty, Sept. this year (369.00), and except for the tuners, and strings, I have left it as is. I've been playing guitar for 50 plus years. Those of you that did'nt grow up playing Gibson/ Fender/ Gretsch as I did may find it hard to understand how much better the copies can be, then the originals in the good old days of Rock'n Roll. Depending on the factory that makes them, each factory as in the U.S. has quality control some less then best. I paid more using a USA broker. Bascily what I recieved was a a great guitar with a Gibson headstock. My rants over
Jim Pasquale I own a Gibson Les Paul Studio, the faded finish series. Brand new they go for almost 700 dlls, not sure I feel comfortable spending over 2 grand on a Les Paul Custom, especially since I play as a hobby only. Are you happy with your Chibson? I'd like a glossy finish with binding, and no I wouldn't sell it as if it were a real Gibson. I could always swap out the pickups, tuners and hardware too to upgrade it. Also, where can I find them?
Very happy with my 2017 model guitar. I highly recommend these guitars for both playability and price. "You get what you pay for, is the old saying, However in my case I got more then I paid for,with very little adjustments. My pickups are not marked epiphones as some of the earlier models, mine have no marking but sound similar to gibson humbuckers and updated wiring. Solid mahogany body, with a cap.
Mario,
There are several brokers that offer these guitars through veriest sources. I used eBay after checking out the seller/broker. Contact me and I will go into detail.
J/p
aliexpress
I'm an old-timer, and I can vouch that Jim is telling you the truth.
Nice guitar keep rocking
I've got no problem getting one. I've got one on order. Just don't try to resell it.
just because you ordered it doesn't mean its no problem,write back when you have it in your hand.
Dan Pritchett Where did you order from? I'm gonna get me a gold top and don't give a configured fuck what anyone says.
Don't sell it? thats the best part
I have a couple and love them. It's legal to buy from China, but NOT legal to resell in the US. You can also order them with your own brand name from many sellers.
how did it go? is it good enough for the price or would you recommend buying something else instead (this, based on how it feels/plays, i know the elctronics are trash). thanks.
It's no different than my wife buying a $100 Louis Vouttin knock off purse. All the money probably goes back to human trafficking anyway.
@@queentribute3144 I think he was making a joke.
If that's so, why not cut out the middle man and just buy a human for $100?
@@queentribute3144 Coming from knockoff Queen lmfao
@@queentribute3144 You kinda suck dude.
@@queentribute3144 this chibson is miles closer to Gibson than your band is to queen tho
I am convinced that if a rock star made an album secretly using chibson guitars nobody would know.
Mr Bojangle his ego would keep him from doing so
I know one of the guys in my chemical romance had a chibson he replaced the pick ups with a pair of Seymour Duncans.
Have you ever listened to appetite for destruction?
Slash made that whole record with s counterfeit Gibson. Deadass.
oreofudgeman it was a hand made 59 replica from a luthier before Gibson was making these reissues. So it’s like the equivalent of a Collins today not really the same as a chibson
Don't be ashamed about what you use don't listen to someone with expensive gear. Just because your gear is expensive dosn't mean you are a god at guitar
You can order them with ANY logo you want, and ANY headstock shape you want. Same applies to the serial number. And, US customs is hip to all of this, food for thought.
w13rdguy where? Have a link?
You are correct. I have two Chinese guitars and both times they asked what logo I wanted. Both times I said I did not care but I live in China and wanted guitars to play that I would not need to ship later. The workmanship is good. the woods are nice and they are an incredible bargain. A little setup is needed but it always is.
CJinAsia
Did you need to level the frets? Any fret buzz? or do they play ok out from the box with simple adjustments?
They might be "Hip to all this" but they still let them in. So, what's your point? Besides, I'm an authorized chinese made Gibson dealer. I get a ship-load of them in, at a much lower cost that a single "Chibson" costs, and then I still jack the price up and make a killing. Ethics are whatever a business man can live with! MONEY.... We all HAVE to have it to survive, and the more that yo have, the better quality of life. No? So... whatevs, Yo! People do what they've got to do. Only those who are willing to make a change, and realize that American quality will never be what it once was (Because once again... money, quality of life, what you can get away with, etc.) and the fact that you cannot reverse the effects of immigrant-damage, the OLD ways of American quality are dead. Unless... you go into business to lose your ass. I sleep just fine, my customers get more than what they pay for, and I can look myself in the mirror just fine when I'm on vacation with my family in Europe, Prague, or the Caribbean. Ethics.... decide what they are, and then adjust them according to your desired life-style! This is the NEW USA! Politicians never go to prison, so why should I give a shit about breaking the law?
Can someone please tell me where to buy this??
You don't need a high priced guitar to sound good. Just like you don't need running shoes too run, but they fucking help.
Efren Castaneda Excellent comment, it's like you don't need name brand drugs but generic to get well. I have two Austin guitars that are Les Paul copies and the ESP John Sykes Edwards that plays and sounds just as good. And on top of that I hear people complain about an actual made in America Les Paul saying that one sounds better than the other when all of them are supposed to sound great.
Efren Castaneda you need skill to Sound good, not a $10.000 guitar. Thats what Most musicians dont understand about music. They think a high priced guitar Sounds better than a cheap one but thats not always True. It's about the way you play it and the amp you're using
Riiight. Well that is partially true but sometimes higher quality items are just bullshit. Gimmicky and overpriced.
I got a Nike Lunarepic Low Flyknit 2 (which is considered medium/high end) and it destroyed my right knee's meniscus. Why ? those soles absorb the shock in an uneven fashion due to their beautiful design and it sends shocks at an odd angle to my knee. A more solid sole from a cheaper running shoe would've saved my knee.
I'm not doubting the quality of Nike's product but the standardized manufacturing and design process means the product will fit the majority but not everyone.
Sometimes a cheaper guitar might suit you better.
I play cheap shit guitars through a cheap pedal on an old bass amp and they sound great it's all about set up skill and having a good ear I have mine set up to play metallica and they're spot on
You can buy copies of nikes and have some shoes at least, just like chibsons, cheap alternative just to have some fun...
Yeah, I hate counterfeits too. But Gibson helped to do this to themselves. Like, if this guitar plays reasonably well with a couple of bux and a little tweaking, where does the extra $2200 that Gibson charges come in ?!? Gibson has been overcharging themselves out of the market for a while now.. Look around at local and national groups and what they are playing. I have a luthier friend with a shop in Merritt Island, Fl. that will build the guitar of your dreams to your exact specs for the price of an average Les.. IMHO.
Rick Mayo cause of brand
Build quality solid maple tops not veneers expensive pickups tuners bridge tailpiece electronics pots inspections quality control and part of it is labor cost it’s a whole Batch of things that set the two guitar apart
To be honest, SGs, Vs and Explorers are much more fairly priced.
Rick Mayo - [where does the extra $2200 that Gibson charges come in ?!?] It comes from running a factory, heating, cooling, equipment, insurance, employees. If they were making any money they wouldn't be in bankruptcy. Too bad our government has no interest in stopping illegal black market imports only for spending trillions on illegal wars in the interest of Israel. US taxpayers are even subsidizing shipping cost thru USPS. It costs the Chinese much less for the portion of shipping NY to Chicago then it does for someone shipping a guitar NY to Chicago.
You're missing the point, Rick Mayo, that mainly being...if Gibson wants to charge $40,000 for their guitars...THEY EARNED THE RIGHT TO! You don't want to buy them...hey, if NO ONE wants to buy them...that's Gibson's indigestion...not yours. BUT, if CHIBSON jumps in, makes a guitar for $250 and it sounds good...then you've got to ask yourself WHY ARE THEY stamping 'Gibson' on the heads?! I mean, they couldn't take 10-seconds to come up with 'Dragon', 'Starbite', or whatever cute name they want on it? Intentionally stamping Gibson (and, worse yet, Gibson (Les Paul)) means ONLY one thing...they are trying to make profits (larger profits) from Gibson's reputation as a world-class instrument company...and profiteering from another company's name or logo by stamping it on your products is called FRAUD within the U.S., so why give Chibson a pass because they are on another continent? Why can't they stamp another name on the guitar? Just reeks of 'identity theft' to me, personally...
these guitars are great for beginners that dont have a lot of money to sink into gear. Also good for project guitars if you want a challenge to upgrade and make them decent guitars for an affordable price. Doesnt matter if it says gibson, esp, ibanez whatever, a good deal is a good deal.
I want to thank you for posting this. I've been considering several of these because I want to play around with making a "relic" guitar and would much rather screw up something cheap. Just something for fun. That being said, I think there are no ethics in foreign companies blatantly ripping off another company. Although, my first guitar was a Harmony Les Paul, bought in the US in the 80's, and I'm pretty sure it wasn't licensed either. Regardless, your video is a really good look at what these types of guitars are. Thank you sir!
Great review. I have 3 coming, all from different places in China. I plan to try an unboxing. One aspect I think I can contribute, I was LAPD for a long time, and I know how crimes are pursued, and why no one will ever be prosecuted just buying one. If you try to sell it as a Gibson to someone just to make a buck, there may be some enforcement, but it’s also hard to prosecute. Prosecutors don’t pursue crimes without a good possibility of getting a conviction. With imports, I crime against property has to have certain conditions met, or corpus. Counterfeiting, smuggling, trademark violations, all require specific intent as opposed to general intent. With general intent, merely engaging in an act meets the corpus.
the ethics in this instance is quite clear:It's stolen material. That being said, could this be an Honorable homage to Gibson and it's technology? That changes the scenario a bit in my opinion. Not a bad sounding guitar especially at $170.00 bucks.
for another $100 you can put real Gibson pickups in it and it would probably sound a lot better
Guitarist 24 ikr
And, a better neck less prone to breaking! Gibsons are NOT worth the money they charge and IF you know how to setup, fret, wire, &c, you can do BETTER than Gibson does for a fraction of the cost.
and add CTS 525k pots with +-10% tolerance and K90y-9 PIO Caps and 50s wiring and it will sound better then standard equipped Gibson Les Paul. If someone is looking for quality USA made pickups GFS vintage 59 or GFS Crunchy Pat sound amazing. Check out youtube reviews. $25-30 each.
Guitar fetish is awesome!!!
These are the videos that need to be made.
I bought one in 2012, new nut, SD hot rodded set, and some set up. It was killer, it had some minor cosmetic things but not big deal, these guitars are nice for projects, and being a left hand player, it was nice to build to my own specs.
I paid 185 bucks.
you can tweak the frets, add new pickups and machines... take it apart and violate it in ways you'd never dream of doing to a real Gibson. a great learning tool that just might push you in the direction of becoming a luither or repair person. people said bad things about Korean guitars, and now Korean prs is a very nice playing guitar. love your honest insightful videos... keep them coming.
Fender doesn't have a problem slapping the word Professional series on their guitars and then selling them for $1,900+ tax. So I don't have a problem, with buying any guitar wherever it's made. However I usually just wait till April when every kid who thought guitar would be easy and got one for Christmas and now wants a new bike and sells them for cheap on Kijiji. All I can say is thanks for eating the depreciation value. New guitars now matter what they sell for go for 50% to 65% of what you paid for them new. The guitar industry is Hype and Bullshit.
Sounds just like car sales, huh?
I was 40 when I bought my last new car in an attempt to 'keep up with the Jones'...however, I figured this out about the guitar business back in 1974...
As for 'doesn't matter...just buy junior's lost guitar interest in April...'...well, since junior was given a 'flatteringly identical CHIBSON Gibson' that is now hanging in the pawn shop for $1,400...I now have to go through 15-hours of INSTRUMENT-BY-INSTRUMENT deep inspections, because now, you can't go by 'stamped name brand', but you have to inspect those Grovers, the knob symmetry, the fret ends...yep, and MAYBE you catch the flaw, and maybe you don't. Sorry...but when I buy a 3-year old MUSTANG, at least I don't have to worry about it REALLY BEING a 'mustang-labeled' CHISTANG....I know who makes parts for it, I know (generally) what to expect from it, and I know what it will resell for if taken care of. The problem with piracy and counterfeiting runs deep...and it ALWAYS ends up biting the little guy, in the end. If you don't see it yet, then just give it time...
@@skeetersaurus6249
You said it......Bottom line is that a thing is right or it isn't.
The funny thing is that almost all of these guys who pretend not to inderstand that and buy the knockoffs will absolutly be seriously offended at any suggestion that they have stolen value from those who have invested years in the reputation and debelopment of a brand as well as those who spent what it took to buy the real article and now find their investment devalued by the imitations.
Posers, fakes, sidewalk commandos, and wanmabe's have NEVER had the respectibility they have pretended to.
Rebel Recluse Right you are buddy! I see higher end Gibson Les Paul standards,traditionals, etc.on my local craigslist all the time often going for 1.5k.or less.Most of the time the seller posts that it was hardly ever played. Why buy a brand new Les Paul standard for -on average 3k when you can get a practically new one for half that on CL- from a seller who thought the were going to learn how to play. So much for Gibson's "holding their value".....Maybe in 40 years when it becomes vintage. Have you priced a brand new Les Paul standard lately?
@@JamesAllenJr A buddy of mine had some Korean strat knockoff. The local guitar shop gave him some small amount for it as a trade-in on another guitar, and then the bastards stuck a Fender neck on it and hung it up for sale with a Fender price on it.
Good review, very to the point, and not just tested with 1 guitar tone. Gibson over prices a lot of their guitars so I don't feel bad for them
MaxxxwellC: I'm a NYCer now living in Hong Kong, which is ostensibly a part of China [legally] but still a million miles away from China in terms of [generally speaking] IP protection and respect. This whole issue of Chibsons, Chenders, Chi-RS, ChIbanez, etc...all comes down to essentially one thing - unlike in the West, where the very concept of blatant copying is discouraged, often illegal and generally frowned up, in China, blatant copying is not only allowed, it is often encouraged. Why? Because the only thing that matters in much of China is making money. How that money is made in terms of ethical conduct is often a secondary, tertiary or even non-existent consideration especially for Chinese companies that don't have large Western customers or global clientele.
A simplification to be sure, but IMO/IME, generally correct.
Being born and raised in the West, this whole concept of blatant copying in China irritates me no end. To my mind, there are several major problems.
From a purely Chinese business/industrial development perspective, this kind of blatant copying will prevent China from ever becoming a true economic center of high quality product manufacturing a la post-war Japan and even what South Korea and Taiwan has achieved. The focus for the last 20+ years in China has been to grow their economy as fast as possible in order to lift up as many Chinese citizens as possible, with pretty much all other considerations being ignored.
I don't want to rant too much here, but this is my feeling in a nutshell.
If the Chinese guitar companies were to make blatant copies of legit brands BUT completely RE-BRAND them I would have far less issues. Use the LP shape. Use the Strat, Tele shape. Use PRS shapes. Use Ibanez shapes. Whatever. But absolutely USE THEIR OWN CHINESE BRANDING.
This would entirely mitigate the whole obviously DECEPTIVE nature of what they are doing - the lying would stop. At the same time, if the Chinese were really going to start building top quality guitars with their own brands, who knows what could happen in the market? Suppose they create their own brand of LP style guitars that actually give Gibsons a true run for their money? Long-term, how would this be a bad thing for those Chinese companies chasing legitimate reputations and for us as consumers?
Instead, they are spending all their efforts in making truly blatant copies of legit brands and now even going so far as to imprint legit Gibson, Fender, etc, serial numbers on their crap copies. If that is not 100% intentional deception and lying I don't know what is.
It is exactly this kind of blatant lying and deception which frustrates me the most.
Yet, I don't know who is really behaving worse - all those Chinese copiers or those fricking shill buyers of blatant copy guitars in the rest of the world who attempt to cheat the [generally] ill-informed public into believing they are actually buying legit LPs, Strats, etc...Get my meaning?
The point is that unless and until the Chinese get their act together and change fundamental ways they design, market and manufacture products, they will never ever create truly meaningful, global brands such as Sony, Ibanez, Samsung, LG, HTC, etc....
They CAN do it and succeed legitimately - just look at OnePlus, Xiaomi, Huawei and Lenovo just to name a few globally legit brands in the tech sector [although there are still basic issues of trust and transparency with many of those Chinese brands like Lenovo who got caught red-handed installing malware/spyware on their laptops]. Still, those brands above are moving in the right direction.
The Chinese need to ask themselves real hard questions like: why are pretty much all Japanese [and even South Korean and Taiwanese] products and companies so desirable and "trusted" on the global marketplace? How did those countries get there?
After all, I don't know about you but for the time being, every time I see a MADE IN CHINA label I generally have a radically different perception than I do to MADE IN JAPAN, MADE IN KOREA or MADE IN TAIWAN labels.
rant over... :D
cheers and happy 2018!
May 1, 2018, Gibson filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
It takes time my friend. Japan named a town Usa a short time after the end of WW II so they could legitimately mark made in USA on their products. It took all of the countries you mentioned a lot of time to evolve into producing quality products. You should have seen the first Honda car imported into the United States from Japan. That product just popped into my mind. I'm quite sure the Chinese Guitar market will be no different.
The one I bought a few years back is identical to the one you're holding. I dressed the frets, put in a 50's wiring kit, new pots and Gibson 57's and it rocks. Gave it to a buddy of mine who needed a guitar. He loves it. All in all I had about $600 into that guitar and I really enjoyed it. Would I like an R9, oh yeah but I don't have $4-5k just lying around. Great video BTW!
If you're a musician who is going to PLAY it, it's totally fine. It's a great guitar for doing club shows and if it gets stolen you won't be out of luck.
I am awaiting delivery of an Ace Frehley signature Les Paul. I couldn't pass it up so I hope it's decent.
Nice!
Yeah update pls
Your review is surely outstanding! Wow! Thank you for this!
Great guitars from Alibaba.........I have ordered 4 so far. They are awesome for the money. Arf the big companies trying to steal your money. So far I bought a nice Dreadnought, Travel guitar, Les Paul, and a Casino. They are all awesome.
I love these as they are SO easy to find as a Lefty! They're cheap, they don't gouge you for more money for being a lefty and they sound great! Even if you get a bum one you can change out the pots & tuners cheaply but have to say, mines' been fine .
@benmiller3998 😳 Wow, that's a first I've heard of.! Can't be too common.
I'm building a telecaster from scratch. Its my second build. My first build costed $420 bucks including fender decal, using awesome parts, allparts neck and dimarzio twang king loaded pickguard w control plate. So on this particular build, im making huge cost adjustments. A Cheaper Neck, Pickups and Tuners just to see if there is a big difference in playability and sound. The Body is Ash $60 bucks, same as my first build,,, a Kmise China Maple Neck $30 bucks. Electronics, Bridge, Tuners, Pickups, etc all coming from China,, another. $30 bucks. Yes $30 bucks. I kid u not... And It Includes pots, pickguard, etc. So $120 Bucks total. The pickups are also Kmise. When I'm done I'll let u know how it sounds.
My ethics are that if Gibson maintained the quality of their guitars of the 60's & 70's, I would totally object to these guitars being imported with a Gibson name. But, that doesn't seem to be what has been happening. However I do wish that these Chinese companies would find their own name for marketing these guitars. A decent guitar at an affordable price is still a benefit, especially for someone trying to learn guitar. Names on the headstock don't matter.
It doesn't matter what you feel about the ethics - it is illegal and you can't sell it. Just get one without the Gibson logo on it and you have a good value 'copy'.
sorry squiggley, its not illegal and he CAN sell it. It would however be illegal for him to try and sell it as an original.. where do you guys come from?
Sorry Daddski 1, Under U.S. code tittle 19 chapter 4 it's still a trademark violation wether origin is disclosed or not. The Gibson logo alone is where a violation is occurring. It can NOT legally be sold or even GIVEN AWAY. This would be considered trafficking.
Get a Gibson tattoo. Cut off your arm are go to jail. Copyright lol!
It's quite funny when you know that the most legendary guitar of Slash (one of Gibson's biggets endorsers) was a Gibson Les Paul copy. AKA a counterfeit. 😁
Enjoy your reviews, as player and collector of 50 years, I've got many vintage USA guitars, customs and several lower end guitars. I'm gonna buy one for the hell of it. I'd say they're at least equal to an Epiphone, which have gigged with many times
I've seen some OK reviews for the "Glarry" branded instruments for entry/beginner level. It has been reviewed as "playable" after set-up. The prices are low (Lower prices than some Chinese KIT guitars) With only minor issues. One big attraction is they ship from inside US and have been responsive to customer problems for units ordered directly from their webstore.
Glad I accidentally found your channel, have been trying to see whats out there in different guitars ,your awesome!!!
I'm a bit surprised by some of the facts on the guitar. I appreciate the review, nice lil' guitar. The problem is that guitar not only violates trade mark law but if it is made in China and marked Made in the USA it is in violation of US Customs Regulations (my field of expertise....boring as it is) and if they ship in a bunch of them they would be destroyed, literally, and the importer fined.
You're 100% correct. This guitar does violate a range of trademark, copyright, and customs laws. The trouble is in the enforcement of those laws (enforcing them in China), and the vast majority of these guitars get shipped in with no issues. Some of them are then sold to unsuspecting buyers on the used market. It's turned into quite an issue among collectors and people who deal with used equipment.
This is my field. If the guitar is not marked, clearly, with the country of origin/assembly so that it is permanent , to the end user, it is illegal. Customs must be overwhelmed because not marking China, or nothing at all, would not be legal. LA and San Francisco customs has destroyed tons of toys from China and I've had product seized because engineers 'forgot' to have the country of origin put down. Means little but if you buy a guitar and it is checked you lose the guitar and I wouldn't expect a refund.
@@stevevaughn2040 I believe these are sold as individual sales. And therefore not worth checking the country of origin. ebay has tons of these sold from china. From individual sellers, I believe they work for the factory.
Wow the serial number says it was made in Nashville. Do they have Nashville in China?
Guitar Lust Euphoria it's kinda like how there is a town in Japan called "Usa".
No, it's to fool people into believing that it was made in the Gibson factory in Nashville.
No the truth is they legit named a area that so they can legally say it was made in Nashville lol no joke
yes just south of Beijing
Hello there, I just bought the same guitar, it looks identical to yours but mine has an ebony fretboard with binded frets, two pieces body joint in the middle (no veneer) one piece neck without the glued-in heel. It also came with a real U.S Tune O Matic bridge. I have to say that these guitars are not as good as real Gibson, but definitely way better than $700 Epiphones. Mine was $280.00 including S/H. Thank you for your awesome reviews
This channel is very informative and actually pretty decent when it comes down to cheap gear...he shows that its all in the player...the best part...he isnt a total wanker about using cheap gear
They are basically cheap entry-level guitars. If the retail price is 170$, then the actual value of materials, parts, build quality, & administration costs make it worth much less. If they were to actually stop ripping off other company logos, then they would at least be an honest maker of cheap entry-level guitars.
Being an honest maker of entry level guitars has no meaning in this case. They are made in China under China's laws, and they are no way entry level.
Who gives a flying f!
Here are my thoughts on the ethics of buying a replica guitar:
Gibson and other guitar manufactures spent years, money, and research in order to create their products. They filed the legal work in order to protect their brand from being misused and to protect their intellectual property from being stolen from others. While companies like Ibanez and Tokai have built Les Paul models, they did not use the trademarked Gibson logo on their guitar's headstock nor did they mark the guitar as being "Made in the USA" and put a fake serial number on it. What these Chibson manufacturers are doing is illegal and they are causing the growing risk for unsuspecting consumers to purchase fake Gibsons from second hand sellers. If these Chinese manufacturers want to sell Les Paul inspired models, then go for it however they can't be slapping the Gibson logo on it, marking it as being made in the USA, and putting a fake serial number. None of those logos are true and no matter how many upgrades you put on your Chibson, it will never be a Gibson. I work at a law office that specializes in consumer protection and what these Chibson manufacturers are doing is highly illegal and anyone who tries to sell these to public are violating many basic consumer laws.
I have a Chibson and I love it.
Can u please tell me where u bought it? Thank you in advance!
SHAZOM yeah I've heard some reasonable reviews of them,only a couple of bad ones
Where did you buy it?
If it's done for your own amusement then in my opinion there is no harm done as long as you never resell the guitar. An even better thing to do is to buy the guitar without the company name on it. You can get any name you want put on it or just have the headstock blank. I have several chibsons and I really like them. Never really had to do a lot of work on them to get them up to Snuff. In fact I've had to do more work on Used Guitars I have bought then on the chibsons
My dad fell victim to a pawnshop Gibson Les Paul Custom Zakk Wylde model a few years back that was a Chibson upon further review ( long story short, the serial numbers didnt register with Gibson while on the phone with their reps and other glaring issues were pointed out).
But the thing that pisses me off to no end is WHY these are allowed to be sold at all? They violate every possible copyright law imaginable but they continue to be made and sold. Why doesn't the Federal Trade Commission tear them to pieces?
Hi Max, I’m a new subscriber to the channel- really love the format and the playing. Keep the vids coming!
Thanks H B! Will do.
Great review. Much appreciate your objectivity and NO hate on replicas. I call them replicas. Slash played one on AFD album. He didn't have real Gibson. He had replica when he was broke.
These aren't "replicas". They're counterfeits. BIG difference (in quality, not necessarily legality)!
You all are judging the guitar in completely wrong way. For $170 your expectations should be getting mohogony wood, well designed dimensions of guitar and one piece neck and awesome aesthetic finish. That's it!!!! WHY Simply. SD pickups by themselves cost $200. WTF some of you expect for the price tag. You will be upgrading electronics anyway. You upgrade to 50s wiring with 525k CTS pots and new K40-9y PIO caps and lets say GFS vintage 59 pickup in neck and crunchy pat in bridge and you have better then Gibson stock guitar with guitar cost under $500. Gibson QA is not great these days anyway. You're gambling on it with excessive price tag.
Sebastian Sefyu There are plenty of sub-$500, hell, even sub-$300 guitars, that are of a much better build-quality, than 99% of the counterfeits out there.
In other words, there is absolutely NO reason to buy counterfeit guitars (or anything else, for that matter)...other than to be a poseur.
Replicas! Slash played one on most epic and famous album called Appetite for Destruction. So one of the most famous albums was created on counterfeit. Kinda ironic aint it
Sebastian Sefyu The real irony is, Gibson actually made a replica of it. So, technically, they themselves are "counterfeiters". ;)
Seriously, though, there is a HUGE difference between "replicas" and conventional counterfeits. The main one being, replicas aren't mass-produced, for the sole intention of defrauding people.
I bought a Chibson LP guitar made to my spec. Cost in total 270euro. The guitar is amazing. Well after a fret dress and rounded of the fret edge binding. I even had them make one piece body and neck with flamed maple binding. Not the usual plastic. I play this guitar all the time. I have Gibson guitars but i play this chinese clone more. Am i crazy or something ?
I thinks that's because you've built guitar after you own specs. Mine cost me $420. Same single piece body and neck, bone nut, and a solid, real mapple top (+$120). Yes, I had to dress frets myself. This is my favorite guitar now, others being Hamers (USA) Californian elite'90 and Chaparral Custom'86.
Well actually i have two Chibsons the other also has full flame maple top and nitro sprayed. This one cost me 500 euro, but it looks and plays stunning. They both look to be same sort of mahogany they use, but this one is noticeably heavier. I think i will sell my real LP as i have an old Greco super real that i play more than the Gibbo. And spend money on different pickups. I have a Gibson SG that is a keeper for sure !!
Don't know, go to see a doctor
Malcolm Hardwick is it possible to get a custom shop "BC Rich warlock"?
Eh I think ur smarter than some fools that think all USA products are the best
love your honesty, and it reflects in your ability to play...it aint the ax, its the guy who wields it!....and I often check in on your site to get reviews. thanx, and I jam to many of your tracks!
I bought a 59 Bloomfield copy. Great looking . I totally changed the nut, the pots and put 100 dollar pups in her. The 50s wiring harness makes this thing a Gibson for about 700 bucks. It screams
*Chibson Epiphony*
I just got meself a phony Fender for 900$. Apparently it's made in Mexico :p
The only difference between that and a USA model is the assembly labor is Mexican. All the parts are the same as the USA model.
Nope. I've owned a few MIM/MIA Strats, and the bodies/necks are different. MIM bodies usually have a "swimming-pool" routed under the pickguard, while the US models are routed for each, individual pickup. The necks are different too.
Dennis Thompson I got myself a MIM Roadhouse Deluxe 2017, and it's beautifully set-up. I actually chose it over an American Pro/Standard, as it felt better, had two point vibrato and locking. I don't regret not buying the MIA. I put on 10's and intonated, and it plays great. Also, my neck radius is the same as Eric Johnson's; I for get what that is.
The tex mex Fenders arn't phony..some demand high dollar..same as japan made ones..
They may be better now, but my Mexican Fender Jazz that I bought in the 90s for $350 is a piece of Junk. I played on it for years thinking Fender basses were just crap until I got to play a real one. I've replaced both pickups and done extensive experimental mods to it. The neck has been warped from day one which I originally thought was just a bad set up and the nature of these necks. A Luther friend of mine tried every he could to fix it. The truss rod is maxed out and won't turn any further.
Like I said, the Mexico Fenders may have improved in quality over the years, but in the 90s and early 2000s, they were trash buckets.
I bought one a year ago and I love it. I couldn't afford a real one so this is as close as I can get to one. They are made at the epiphone plant there so Gibson doesn't seem to mind so why should anybody else. Great guitar for the money.
I love it.
They should've just made their own brand name cause if it plays good why not right and they could've sold it for twice as much.
I've got a Devlin Les Paul copy. Gave $500.00 for it new. Had it 9 years now and that guitar plays flawlessly and amazing tone. Plays like a dream. I'd put it up against most any Gibson with confidence.
Dude are you like slow or something of course your $500 guitar is better than a 170 dollar chibson I mean wtf man but I'll tell you what a grote less Paul for 200$ will blow your 500$ Devlin out of the water for sure
@@Warpathjak LOL... Ahh, you're real cute BOY. For one thing, I never heard of Grote Guitars at the time I bought my Devlin. And I bought my guitar from a local music shop that was an authorized Devlin dealer. So I was able to take the guitar home and try it for up to 30 days. And if not satisfied, I could return it to the store, no questions asked. Can't really do that with many online guitar brands like Grote, Firefly, Harley Benton, ect...
And as far as the Grote guitar blowing Devlin out of the water, I seriously don't think so. Might be as good as Devlin, but by no means blowing it out of the water. Besides, all these Les Paul knock offs are basically made from the same factory, just different brand names are put on them. So one is no better than the other. They're all the same as far as quality. Learn how to spell Les Paul by the way. Not "less Paul". Show a little respect.
That was a talk text for one so my phone miss spelled it but also let me tell you how wrong you are again chibson grote and Harley Benton are not made in the same place actually why don't you look up Max's review of the grote lp and actually listen he literally says if you want a big step up in quality over chibson to get a grote I rest my case I have played a Devlin lp copy it is not as good sorry grote is one step under a wolf Devlin is barely better than a chibson for double the price try again
@@Warpathjak Well again, I never heard of Grote. Otherwise I might have checked them out. There's a million LP knock offs out there and most are pretty good quality. I just happen to come across the Devlin at a local music store. I thought the price was fair and I went for it. So don't judge. That was way back in 2009. There's been a million knock offs that I've discovered since then. So whether it be Grote, Devlin, or any other knock off, you cannot convince me your Grote is more superior than mine. There's just no way. When you get down to it, it's just a matter of preference.
@@Warpathjak You just came off as being arrogant and a smart ass in the first reply. And I really didn't see the need for any of that b.s. You like Grote, I like Devlin. That should be end of story.
I have a Real Gibson and a chibson.. the chibson was made in the epiphone factory and a great sounding guitar.
Had one it had epiphone pickups
The only thing about all of this that is disturbing to me is labeling it "Made in USA" when it isn't . The term assures quality for me when purchasing things. Now that's out the window . .
The hospital gear in the USA hospitals is mostly made in Finland, Germany, Switzerland because the USA is 25 years behind the times, spent too much time on Wars instead now they have to buy everything from overseas.
Hey Max how about some Ric"s "Chicenbackers" ? Love the channel Ive just discovered it it here in Australia.
Don't support the counterfeiters . . Buy a Rondo Agile if you want a cheap LP . .
Some of Agiles are great!
Agreed, I own several. Excellent value for the money, about the same as a Chibson, without pretense of being something they're not.
Max what about putting cheap electronics, nut and pickups in a Gibson and doing a comparison? I have always wonder, if the wood and construction do really play much of a role... Your channel is awesome, keep it up!
I have a thing against buying a non-Gibson with the Gibson name in it but I bought a Lefty Les Paul-style 'Sawtooth' guitar (probably made on the same factory) that cost me $250 including setup. Action is low, build quality is decent and the tone is equal to an Epiphone I own that costs 4 times as much. If I was a beginner low on cash, I would pull the trigger on a Chibson style guitar without even thinking about it. They're actually a good value for your money.
If you’re gonna buy a $170 guitar, just get a Harley Benton ten times the quality for the same price
Or a Firefly, 10x better than an HB.
Some people just need to scratch the Gibson itch with Chibsons.
The greatest potential of these Chinese companies is that they will also make custom alterations to these guitars for dirt cheap. Why do people keep using them to get Chibsons when you could just as easily have the custom guitar of your dreams with your own name on the head stock? That's what I did. ; )
Oh, I just made a similar comment. Yip, me too. I got an SG with blue and purple burst with my own design on the headstock, total one of a kind... I'll be getting more too.
what site or store do you get these from?
From Aliexpress, (incase you haven't heard of it) it's basically Chinese Ebay.
which seller? ive looked at guitars on there but havent found a custom shop yet
Find a guitar that's close, then send the seller a message, just say "Can I get this in a different colour?", or whatever. Message a few sellers, find one that can communicate in English well. I can use photoshop, so I mock up exactly what I want and send a picture. Check feedback.
Preacher curls and arpeggios
The tones didn't sound so great to me. Maybe it was my headphones. The clean sounded muddy to me, the overdrive sounded fine. It would have been nice to A B the sound check with a real Gibson or even Epiphone to see if there was a sound difference that was notable.
best camera shots ov playing guitar i've ever seen keep up the great work .... your playing is awesome
the guitarist in Guns and Noodles just landed a sponsorship deal with them.
Ethically, I couldn't bring myself to buy one. To me, they are crossing the line by putting Gibson on the headstock. Put literally anything else on the headstock and keep everything else about the guitar the same and I'd be fine with buying one. But I'll go with an Epiphone when/if I buy a cheaper Les Paul due to that.
How do I get those arms though?
Heavy guitars!
Hard work
Appearance and tone sound Amazing! Great video, Max. 💯
This video will go down in history as the most epic thumbnail in RUclips history
If I could find one, even though its not a real gibson I would buy one. but would prefer it did not say gibson on it.
This shit sounds more like a Les Paul than my Gibson Studio.
YEP.IN THE HANDS OF A GOOD PLAYER ANYTHING SOUNDS GOOD.
Hey, I see that Lee Jackson Metaltronix back there ;)
My first guitar was a Memphis so there has been copy guitars for a long time and we all know they are not that good but it's a starter and what matters is music helps develope you as a good person and that's GOOD. ROCK ON GOD BLESS.
To your points in the last minute of this video: I spent 22 years in the violin business. Never did I rely on a label to tell me what the violin was. I ran into (more than I can count) many instruments that were not what the label said. What it boiled down to is that the instrument tells you what it is. So is it a Les Paul? For $170 the seller is saying "No", and I have no problem with that. There has to be a basic understanding of instruments before one buys an instrument, else you're on your own.
So how do the violin guys do it? Well, it's experience (same as guitars). I had someone that was looking to sell a Testore violin. Thing was, I had seen a couple of Testores; I knew the violin was old, but it was not a Testore. With some information elsewhere it was determined that it was a 1600's Dutch instrument.
Now you may be saying "This has nothing to do with the guitar I'm looking at!" Ah, but it does. If a purchase seems to be too good to be true, then it is. I had a lady that proudly turned in her Stradivarius, and had put the down payment on her new Cadillac. Lady, this is a $10 German copy. It's horrible to be in that situation. So - if someone is selling a really really cheap Les Paul is it a Les Paul? Nope - but as this video is saying, you may be buying a pretty good inexpensive Les Paul copy - albeit one that needs some modifications.
The violin guys don't rely on labels. Don't you rely on "labels" either - if a price is too good to be true, than it is not as advertised.
Be able to get a real Gibson for that price soon! lol
can't wait
What do you mean?
Joaquin U how low if you had to guess?
The company is going downhill that's why
semiLivedj FICTION No you wont.
this dude looks like DANZIG
Its his brother Sven
Mark Farrell Philx mates with a pretty girl, ta da.......
-5 from your A grade
or a buff cisco ramon
Danzig after anger management courses and medication
Using a design past its patent protection date is OK.....
Using another's TM logo is just wrong !
I would never buy one, for the sake of the original TM brand, and for the sake of all the future pawnshop suckers that will overpay for these fakes.
Plus, I just don't like fake news, fake people, and fake guitars.
If it was labelled PoppyTop , FlubberDub, Woody, or anything else like a copy should be, maybe. But never, because it is labelled Gibson.
I just ordered one of these, only it as advertised as not being branded on the headstock (option to add). Which is perfect imo. Great value for my dollar, without the scumminess of the blatant copy (at least as much of it)
OK I purchased in 2013, a Goldtop R7 from my local mom and Pop store ,,its a legit Gibson with the papers on it ,, I love it ,, but ,, I had to get the POS Kluson tuners off and put the Grover deluxe tuners on it ( I just change them again after 15 years ) and I had to have the intonation set up on it ... This after getting it from the factory !! Straight from the factory they sent my guitar out into the world to be purchased .,, the Quality Control at Gibson bites fresh ass,,,,but ,,,, I will only buy a Gibson ,, I dont want the “Chibson” , I will know and that is all that matters ,,, but I will say I loved the texture of that Sunburst he was holding , that was awesome ,,,
I can't stop looking to those biceps. #nohomo
I'll try to flex more.
MaxxxwellC what’s your ethnicity? You look either Native American or Mexican?
Really? I'm English / Scottish / Irish, etc.
@@GuitarMAXMusic You're Welsh ! I can tell by your biceps :)
You couldn’t even buy a guitar case for an American made Les Paul for what you paid for this guitar. I bought my Gibson Les Paul in 1978 and I spent over $100.00 just for the case - back then! That would equal more than $170.00 in 2018 dollars. So in essence, I paid more for the Les Paul case than you paid for that guitar. In 1978 dollars, you would have paid just a little over $100.00 for that entire guitar, considering inflation.
It sounded really good. I can’t tell how the action is, but you seemed to maneuver over the fretboard smoothly and I didn’t detect any weird buzzing or twang. Looks like another good find. Thanks for the video. Your videos are very informative and practical. I really enjoy them a lot.
I've been interested in getting one of these guitars but as most of the sellers state you can pay alittle more to customise the appearance such as headstock, logo, finish etc. So I would get one and just give them the specs I want changed so it ceases being in violation of both CITES and trademark law. Still getting a cheap and reasonably made guitar but now its legal.
i like that you actually give that guitar a fair shake. most people on here just bad mouth them on principal, like they own shares in the company or something. but i suppose its all down to obsessive brand loyalty. though i 100% agree that they shouldnt put trademark branding on it. for the shape though i dont think gibson has a case anymore because everyone makes that shape, and have been for 20 to 40 years. and if you know how trademark law works [at least here in the us] the company that holds the mark needs to be actively defending [sueing] against any other companies who make a product that even slightly copies the trademark design. witch gibson has not been doing until recently. as well as the old PRS v. Gibson case.
so the argument against that is usually "just because other companies have been doing it, it doesnt make it right". sure, but gibson has never done all that great of protecting their trademark. us trade mark is a lot like the old saying "if you dont use it, you lose it." just change "use" to "defend"
and another thing i see these chibsons a lot like piracy. and it was found in europe that piracy isnt stealing because the people downloading these files [songs, movies, video games and other software] wouldnt have bought the files anyway therefore the companies selling said files arent losing sales or physical product. im sure that i probably worded that a little wrong but you can google it, theres a whole study that explains it in detail.
I'm buying one and swaping my seymore Duncan pickups which sound amazing on my cheap epiphone and I'm replacing the bridge and sound knobs and tuning keys which I already have.
Great video , one of the best guitar demos... because you actually talked about the guitar and showed details instead of playing for 10 minutes like some do. In regards to buying one , some things to think about. If you ever sale it , you have to tell the buyer it's a counterfeit , some probably wouldn't , but...they should. If you're buying it just so you can say you own a Gibson...that's dumb coz you know it's not. It sort of makes you wonder why we're so stuck in wanting a brand name only. Now I've read some comments about Epiphone. I have a dot , and it plays and sounds good . I wanted a Gibson , but the dot is fine for me. I was thinking of buying a China made Trini Lopez guitar....but if Epiphone made one , I'd buy the epi. Although I do have a problem with the ripping off of another companies product , so in the end I probably won't buy one .
Check local thrift stores and pawn shops before buying on line. One pawn shop here has roughly 20 LP knockoffs hanging starting at $70.00 up to $200.00.
1:16 I am sorry, but thats not Vintage Sunburst. Btw, they used the serial number of a real les paul that was manufactured at th 17th of january 2000 in Nashville USA. Interesting.
The best Les Paul Customs are currently being made by Fujigen. Shipped to your door for $1200 from overseas. It's a copy, but says FGN on the headstock. Will outplay a Gibson several times it's price. Still pricie, but within reason.
I have 2 "chibsons". Both are dg 335s one gold and one pelham blue. I had them shipped over without the electrics in them and without anything on the guitar classing itself as an official Gibson. I've had both of them fully set up with Seymour duncan pick ups and they both sound and play great. I do not condone the guitars nor am I advocating the sale of them but having them without anything Gibson on them they are good enough guitars. If i could afford Gibson's I would but like anything else you're paying for the name.