Full disclosure, I'm not a regular to your channel. But I have watched enough of your videos to be surprised by the emotional trauma displayed in this one. I watched the whole thing because it's a very current topic. Maybe I can contribute some positive feedback. There are many specific reasons for the choices I made. I blame no one for my financial status. Regardless of rationale, it borders the context in which I exist. It is what it is. I maintain my right to make the best of it, to my satisfaction and no one else's. My pleasures are simple enough. I enjoy guitars. I made my bid for the lifestyle with a candy apple red Gibson Les Paul through all the inherent ups and downs of the art and the "biz". I am now, sober and not penniless. After a cooling off period, I made some decisions. I had enough of Gibson. I would require too much time to save up for a Fender or any other cash-intensive guitar. I was ready to redefine focus and persistence, so I opted for variety, to keep things interesting. The spice of life. I put aside my few hobbies, and on a whim, I converted my UA-cam hours from reptile keeping to electric guitar. Things evolved. Shopping. Reviews. Performances. Theory. Repairs. Maintenance. DIY. Modding. Theory can wait. lol My red LP remained in storage downstairs as I was rejuvenated by the cornucopia of possibilities before me. I can see for myself what a $200 guitar is like. And I can get whatever tools I need to do some light work on it. I spent just under $150 for the pseudo stratocaster, and just under $50 for a bare bones kit of "tools" described by Phillip McKnight. Thus my initial foray into the dynamic realm of guitar tinkering proved successful. I like it. A lot. I needed a few more "tools" but I was having a fantastic time looking at what I had done! Me! I did that! Of course, I was having a good time getting some of my chops back too. It was a bit challenging, but the nerve damage was not as bad as I thought. So there I was. Working on my own guitar. Playing through a handicap. Learning "Waitin on a Friend". Understanding Keith's guitar voicings. Exploring UA-cam and eBay. Finding channels I like. Looking at lessons, scales, demos, reviews. Shopping. Guitar case. "Tool" box. Guitars all over the place. It's true. I despise profiteering. I'm spending my time and my money for my benefit. I am having a great time playing, working on, and shopping for guitars. Plural. It beats the daylights out of waiting for my piggy bank to give birth to ONE expensive guitar. Gibson, Fender, PRS, Viper, Jackson, Kiesel, Ibanez, Kramer, B.C. Rich, Gretsch, Badlands... If I save long enough to afford ONE of numerous over-budget guitars, then I can save long enough to pay a pro to do set it up right. Then I can save long enough to afford a case good enough to keep it in. But I can't afford any good pedals yet. I need to save up for a decent amp to hear how good that guitar really is worth waiting to afford. But I'll be too busy trying to sell my great guitar because I got tired of waiting for months just to hear how it sounds. People who already have a "real" guitar or twenty, and already know how to set it up, and already have an amp or several, and already have a couple of pedal boards full of effects, don't remember rent, utilities, car payments... A small basic home studio is nowhere near as awesome as ...food. Of course they still have those expenses too. Some of us don't have the luxury of prioritizing our expenses. It's more of an either/or thing. Speaking for myself, I was hyper-delighted to take a $500 budget, and be current on the whole ball of wax. A modded guitar in my hands, with a side of fries. You might be right, that there's nothing like a genuine Gibson or Fender. I just think your emotions would have a much easier time of it if you allowed me the express joy of having everything that makes me happy without waiting just so that you'll be happy about the way I live my life. Now maybe I did let go of my self restraint a little bit. Iam sorry for that because I do want to respect you and your beliefs. Nonetheless, it's also possible that your video-venting kind of took some shots at me as well. I do know for a fact that your perspectives are simply not as 100% factual as you presented. To be fair, my representations were admittedly not exactly 100% angelically inspired. But I am trying to be a better person, believe it or not. If my selfish side ruined all of what good I was hoping to achieve, well, that's on me. In any case, I did the best I could. Maybe one of us could ease up on the anglo-christan missionary bible-beating chastisement a little bit. Just sayin...
I just bought a $600 sg modern. And it's going back. Fret work is so bad it's not playable. And there's a big bleached looking spot in the ebony board. It's absolute garbage. I'm so mad. What was I thinking? It is a chibson. A Chinese fake Gibson. Chibson.
these chibson knockoffs are all about looks. In fact, this is the only area that they have improved over the years. It's all a marketing scam to get you to spend 300$, and then convince yourself to spend more upgrading everything. In the end you'll be left with an overpriced junk guitar that kind of looks like an LP from a distance. For anyone who actually plays guitar it will eventually serve as wall art
@@paulsmyth508 no, I wouldn't buy one. But, I've had a dozen or so clients over the past six to eight years who needed repairs and modifications on them. So, I've tried quite a few out, and know what they generally are, and they're largely poor quality, poorly made & unreliable instruments for actual musicians. Explaining the detail of all that would take much more time than I care to give. Besides, most of it is already out there anyway --thanks
If you aspire to own a genuine Gibson or any good quality guitar, something to love and be proud of, something to inspire your playing, save your money until you can get what you really want. A Chibson might fool some people from a distance, but YOU will know it's a pile of junk, and a turd will always be a turd no matter how much you polish it, and where's the pride of owning that?
I can speak to a little to your argument I own a number Gibson and I really enjoy them. I bought A Chibson they I heavily moded actually only thing original on it was the husk…. I replaced everything to build a Mick Ronson replicas…. My thought was I can’t afford a 6k replicas may I can build one. I should have done it to an Epiphone or LTD or something else…. Chibson just are not that good.
I don’t think it is the is Gibson argument is about copyright fakes…. and overall it’s unethical to the people who buy something thinking that is valid. Also some business using the of that brand name illegally. Gibson as a brand they invest a lot money is there name.
Gibson is one of the last major guitar brands, along with Rickenbaker, that haven't outsourced overseas. We should support that. But that's also why Gibson is perceived as being very expensive, despite having budget models. Fender even had made in China models that had the Fender logo on the headstock, not Squier. When you have cheap imports using the same trademark as US made models, it dilutes the brand.
@@johneland8225 They're actually not that for off, to be honest. Especially when you consider bolt-on and poly costs vs nitro and set neck. Custom shop models aside. American Teles and Strats go from $1250-2750. While Les Pauls And SGs go for $1500-4000. Both brands offer plenty of choices within those price ranges. My personal favorite would probably be the Faded LP standard for $2299. Accounting for inflation, that's cheaper than my LP classic I got 20 years ago lol.
Completely agree. I’ve had several of these over the years and each time its the same thing. Frets are bad and some need to be glued in and definitely leveled out amongst all 22. The pick ups are garbage, the pots and wiring are garbage, the bridge is garbage, tuners are garbage, Etc. etc. I think what happens is we spend $300 so we think we’re getting a deal and when you see all the bad craftsmanship you initially say oh whatever it was only $300 but after a while that isn’t cutting it anymore. I think I’ve kept one of all the ones I’ve ordered and even that one had to have the pick ups, electronics, nut, bridge, tuners replaced etc. At the end of the day you could have bought an Epiphone stock with decent pickups and it would play much better than any of these out of the box. The other thing is, a lot of these guys make videos after they get these, and they’re playing through software plug-ins or amp modeler’s and so anything with decent pick ups sounds pretty good but it would never sound that good playing out of a real amp. Bottom line, I guess these are OK as a sort of project if you want to learn how to do some basic wiring and switch out some hardware but they’re never going to be as good as the real thing
So with all that said I would assume the next move would be to destroy it or in the very least strip the headstock of the logo. Too many fakes out there to the point buying a used guitar isn't even on my radar.
Get an old high spec Japanese made Tokia, Greco, or Fernandez Burny Les Paul copy's there not cheap shit like that chibson and they don't have Gibson on the head stock there classic guitars in there own right
I'm generally a Gibson player, mostly LPs but I have a few others. I had a friend buy a Chibson from a local Chinese seller, who has a warehouse full of counterfeit guitars(Music M in Mississauga, Ontario). He paid to have all the electronics and pickups redone with higher end stuff, and had a luthier do a bit of work on it. He swears it would "blow away and of my Gibsons". He brought it over and it was terrible. The electronics didn't work well together and it still felt cheap. He's trying to sell it for $1200cad now. As a beater it's fine, but it's no Gibson(or Epiphone, or even a HB ffs).
I have two authentic LesPaul’s a Siverburst and a Honeyburst. I am a huge Mick Ronson Fan so I bought a Black Chibson Custom and sanded the top to a natural finish. I probably have $500 switching the Gibson Pickups, Grovers, pots and bridge etc…. It really is a cool looking guitars it stays in tune (well like a Gibson does) and i will be honest it is actually gorgeous. The vibe isn’t there at all…. I think I have around $800 in this guitar when all said and done this guitar just isn’t an $800 guitar I would have done better with and Epiphone, Harley Benton, LTD or something else. I played out with it once never again it officially a wall hanger and Ziggy Stardust practice Guitar.
I have several Chibson, some were crap out of the box, others were better! After a setup that lasted several hours, everyone plays excellently with a low side position without any buzzing and a very resonant sound! all my chibsons are worth every cent! I won't buy an Epiphone (Chibson) for three times as much🫢
You are absolutely CORRECT Mr Jake ! It is simply not worth it. You can get a used ESP LTD Eclipse (for instance) that will cost the same, will be "totally legal", will sound and play like a dream AS IS, and will look just as cool. If the game is to have something with Gibson written on it, then you can get a Gibson t-shirt or something like that. Now, 3 years ago, I bought a mint used Black Gibson Midtown Custom for dirt cheap in a deal with a shop, and this guitar has the legitimate Gibson logo on the headstock, and sounds and plays beautifully. So, if you really want a Gibson and you don't want to spend thousands, there are still ways to afford great instruments.
I was surprised how much better the Epiphone sounded through the amp. When you played the chibson I thought it sure as shit didn’t sound like my Les Paul Trad pro V through a Marshall. But it’s hard to tell through the recording and amp settings. When you plugged in the Epiphone that was more what I was expecting. That actually sounded like a Les Paul into a Marshall.
I find Chibsons hilarious and think they are needed to make Gibson stop sucking on quality on such an extreme price point. Enough said. Do better Gibson. Chibsons coming for you, 🤣
Ethics have everything to do when you even consider buying a fake. You forked out $300 worth zero because you can't even sell it. That's $300 down the drain. That $300 can go towards something real. I get it that some people can't afford some guitars but it's better to save up for one than to be -$300. Companies like ZZounds and AMS have guitars for 6-8-12-18 month zero interest payments that you don't have to have great credit to buy. One payment and it's shipped to your door. On the used market you can buy a better guitar than a fake. I have been playing for over 35 years and own quite a fantastic collection of guitars that don't collect dust because they all feel and sound great. I'm not a rich man but I'd rather spend on something, take my time, and be happy about that purchase for many years. I enjoyed watching your video, and an honest one.
You have to find the right one and spent a lot of Time and money setting it up! Personally I have a chib LP custom that after personal work I enjoy playing it as much as any other guitar I own! Is it a Gibson NO did I bought it instead of a Gibson NO! Did I found a nice template to learn to work on guitars and make a nice project that I enjoy playing it YES! So that’s the endgame of chibsons!
This is one of the best reasons to buy a Chibson. Something cheap/disposable can help you get better at setting up a guitar without worrying about damaging it. I got one and did a tiny bit of fret levelling (something I'd never done before), took my time dialing in the truss rod, nut height and bridge action and now it plays really well. The cost was less than the tax on a Gibson and if I'd bought an Epiphone and ever decided to sell it, I'd loose at least the same amount of $$ selling it used as I spent on the Chibson.
You can buy a Gibson Les Paul Classic used for $1600 to $1800. I know that’s a lot of money but that guitar will always be worth that which means you can always get your money back because you bought it right. So even though it’s a lot of money what would you enjoy more, having a Les Paul Classic or having that money in the bank?
Your advice is 100% right. I bought three of these to hang as ornaments at my lake house. After 3-4 months and having to tell friends, “of course, those aren’t authentic. You don’t display real Lesbians Pauls “. After saying that 4-5 times, I felt fake. If you want one, hit me up and I’ll send you one if mine for $200.
There are some good reviews of acoustic Chibsons in YT. I have several Epiphones, great guitars and PRS SE line is also very good. Also pawn shops are full of good guitars.
It "MAY" not be ethical????? It is literally theft of intellectual property. I would be cool with it as long as it doesn't say Gibson on it and arguably the headstock shape. As soon as it says Gibson it is theft/counterfeit. How would you feel if you went to a car lot and they were selling a 1990 Porsche 911, it was for a great price so thinking it is an amazing score you buy it. You get home and pop the hood and realize you have a VW Kit car so driving by it looks right but it doesn't perform on the same level. I believe people are selling these to ignorant people for LP money.
You can get a great chinbson for under $200 and some epi pickups and knobs for $40 plus if it wasn’t for slash and his fake Gibson Les Paul there might not be a Gibson guitar company today
@@kiillabytez wrong, Slash was gifted a custom made LP by his manager by master luthier Kris Derrig of MusicWorks in Redondo Beach, California. It likely cost more than an actual LP to custom make, and it certainly does today. You're full of all kinds of disinformation and nonsense --fool yourself
@@jamesseverin That guy is a clown, and as deluded as they get. I remember seeing a video where he was claiming the finish was nitro, and when I asked him why he thought so, he said because acetone would eat into the finish. Acetone will eat into just about any plastic or finish material out there. In the guitar building world, we use acetone to melt down ABS plastic binding shavings to create a filler for gaps in binding, of course it will eat into poly! I told him to try it with LACQUER THINNER and get back to me. Never heard back, lol. And if they do use "nitro", it'll likely be cheap crap loaded with plasticizers, and put on so thick that you lose all the benefits gained from having a real nitrocellulose finish.
hello there i hope you dont think a home made angug sg or a joan jett melody maker or a 360-12 byrds guitar that i made myself at the cabinet shop is a bad thing because they dont have fake names on them--they were fun to build i thought
My dad had one. It was a steaming pile of 💩. A druggie stole it and sold it for junk. I couldn't believe somebody bought it. It was an incredible piece of 💩
Probably attempting to compare a Chinese Chibson to a Gibson guitar is just a silly endeavour. The Chinese manufacturer labeling their product with the Gibson name is unethical. Any seller who attempts to sell a Chibson as an authentic Gibson is immoral. Any buyer who buys a Chibson, thinking that it's an authentic Gibson is a fool and ignorant of Gibson guitars. The fact is, if the Chinese Manufacturer had labelled their guitars as ABC guitars, they would have been building a brand for ABC guitars as an amazing, good quality, economically priced guitars and would likely be enjoying even higher market revenues. One has to admit, that anyone who can take a wooden log, various metal components and some electronics and turn it into a high quality budget guitar, while still making a profit, is really quite an amazing feat. Many, many thousands of guitar players are not professionals, will never perform in a bar, or a stadium and spending $100 on upgrades will make the Chibson a suitable instrument to play. Many, many thousands will never drive a Ferrari and will never own a Gibson. BTW; You can't touch an Epiphone Studio in Canada for under $1,500 dollars and there is nothing on the market for the $300 that compares to a Chinese Chibson for $300 landed into Canada. When your 13 year old says; "I want to learn to play guitar", a Chibson is an excellent choice. If the guitar isn't collecting dust in a closet 6 months later, then it might be worth thinking about upgrading your teen. I played as a teen into my early 20's, then buying a house, marriage, having kids and developing a career eroded the time spent playing. Now approaching retirement, my new Chibson (with a few upgrades) will serve me very well to refresh my skills and enjoy playing again. Playing music is also excellent for an old brain. LOL.
There was a twinge of temptation but I ultimately didn't bother; Firefly is the way to go for cheap guitars with decent quality. I do despise Gibson corporate for its lawfare practices; StewMac inferred that Gibson compelled them to give up on LP and 335 kits. The Chibsons do make buying used a potential disaster.
When you get what you pay for, you usually get more than you paid for (e.g.: Fesley or Leo Jaymz). When you pay for what you get, you usually get less than you paid for (e.g.: Fender or Gibson). It is what it is.😊
wish more videos like this... so many "chibson" fanboy channels and vids. 99% are those who never felt and played a real gibson. all enamored by the visual "artistry" of the fakes. it's sad how you watch the vids, and you can clearly watch them "convince" themselves they have a good value guitar. agreed, wasting time and money "upgrading" them doesn't make any sense.
@@kiillabytez wake up and smell the coffee... a gibson costs the same -inflation adjsuted- as they were in the 50's and 60's. sure, bitch and moan about pricing all you want, but when you're buying a gibson, you're investing in an actual musical instrument handcrafted by skilled luthiers and builders. buying a chibson is a cheap knockoff of parts put together. you're not respecting any IP or trademarks, which is fundamentally wrong. sure, i've gone down the rabbithole and tried chibson myself out of curiosity and all the hype on youtube, but utterly disappointed and embarrassed for how much the "owners" defend them. i would put epiphone quality higher. whatever floats your boat though. enjoy your knock off and go impress all your friends!
I think every one needs to be looked at by a good guitar tech. Best to find out if it's beyond help than waste stacks of money on all the gibson pickups and all that crap. The only decent fake gibson i've seen is owned by a friend of mine who has too many expensive gibsons to count lol
I build, repair, and modify electric guitars. I build electric guitars from scratch. I have admired Gibson Firebirds for a long time but I wasn’t sure I wanted to lay out the money for one or to take the time and effort to build something similar. I have handled guitars that I liked in a guitar store but gradually came to hate when I got them home. So, I decided to buy a cheap Firebird copy by another company with the idea that I would be able to identify things that I liked and disliked. This would allow me to custom build a Firebird style guitar to my own likes and needs. I bought a Firebird copy by another company on eBay for around $275. I honestly thought it would have another company’s logo on it and it did. The other company’s logo was on a sticker that was peeling off when the guitar arrived. I finished peeling the sticker off and found a Gibson logo and inlay. Something looked off about the guitar but it took me a couple of minutes to figure out the problem. The headstock was a Gibson Les Paul style headstock and inlay rather than a Firebird headstock. And, it wasn’t the Gibson Firebird X headstock. I suppose there might be some version of the Gibson Firebird out there that has the Les Paul guitar head and inlay on it but, if so, I am not familiar with it. I am not an expert so feel free to chime in if you are. So, I am left with a guitar that works fine for the purpose for which I bought it but it still bugs me. I won’t be able to sell the thing or donate it to some kid who wants to learn to play when I am done with it because it is a fake Gibson. As a guitar builder, I can do the work myself to upgrade the guitar and get it to near Gibson standards but it will never quite get there. It will certainly never play to the standards of a guitar I built myself. I have done work on Chibson guitars for some customers over the years. Again, I was able to upgrade those guitars to near Gibson standards. I will say that the standards have improved on these guitars over the years but they still don’t meet Gibson standards. Leaving the moral and legal issues aside, my general advice is to avoid Chibson guitars. Most players would be better off buying a low end or used authentic Gibson or Epiphone guitar than a fake. The authentic guitars will play better, will sound better, and will retain their value far better than a Chibson.
The fact that dirtbag studio has dirty fingers tuners etc is really irrelevant. Why? Cause both are impulsive buy for well under $500 And only one is bomb right away.
But yet too many were used to put food on the table cash for house car and medical payments. Not all people are 1 percent and have lucrative youtube paying channels
Had Chibsons they are all gone, realy bad guitars that will fall a part all by them selfes as they are not even made in the same way as Epiphones but in the way using the very same methods as in the making of cheap furniture and even as worse. Cheap furniture works and will endure for pretty long. Chibsons are display items. Chibson guitars makes an good profit I will think that all Chinese makers are in! Genuine branded affordable guitars made in China those are as good as made in Indonesia or Mexico. Well they are what they are= ruff and of unconsistent quality but there is nothing of trickering.
Epiphones are just Chibsons authorized by Gibson. There are good, bad and better overseas manufacturers of guitars of reputable names and even Gibson puts out garbage sometimes, fanboy.
@@TheGamingHoser But once that's done...it's still shit. My friend has some. On at least one of them, the bridge is in the wrong place so cannot be intonated properly.
I bought a Chibson out of curiosity. I paid half the price of an Epiphone Les Paul. The good : Some features you'd only get on a pretty expensive Gibson inc ... Light weight one piece mahogany body. Two piece solid ( not veneer) flame maple top. Nice dark fingerboard without the gigantic pores that Gibson have on their cheap(er) models. It's pretty resonant. The bad: Tuners are garbage. Pickups are garbage and squeal at high(ish) gain. If you turn down volume to zero on one pickup and put selector in middle position, you get no sound. The set up is diabolical with really bad choking around 5th fret. So....new tuners, new pickups, new wiring harness, pro set up....as much as I paid for the guitar again....getting it to about the price of a new Epiphone Les Paul. I'll keep it because it's light weight and I appreciate that having had some real boat anchor Les Paul's in the past. Would I buy another one? No. Would I buy a Gibson?...yes , if I had the money, which I don't.
@@kiillabytez Fine, if you know that 's what your getting. t's unplayable as I received it. I've bought a few Squire's for less and they played find straight out of the box. Personally I would not fiddle about with trying to get a fret level, nut cut well and action set up properly when I'd rather give it to somebody who has the tools and knows what they're doing. I know from bitter experience getting a guitar to play right isn't that straight forward. The only reason I'm keeping it is because it's light weight... I loathe boat anchor guitars and most Les Pauls are.
Mine plays great- better than my real LP. Ethics? Let's talk about the markup. Bootlickers for corporations. Oh- and yeah, buy one through MY LINK, lol
Epi RULES!!!!!! 300 bucks? A blessing!!!! There are a lot videos where you can compare Epis sound side by side a Gibson..... And there are some Epis that may sound even better than Gibsons... If they doesn't sound the SAME!!!!!!! Conclusion? You pay for a LOGO on the headstock!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That's idiotic. *** After all........ How could THE BEATLES choose wrong?
Simping to Gibson relentlessly across many videos in the hope he gets the attention of Gibson for freebies🥱 Get out, get over it and come to the reality it has nothing to do with you how people want to spend their money. It's irrelevant.
@@davewalkden7248 Of course it's unethical for the Chinese manufacturer to label their guitars as Gibsons and anyone who is fooled by a Chibson is an idiot. If the Chinese manufacturer had branded the guitar as an "ABC" guitar, they would have built a reputation as the manufacturer of a pretty nice mid quality guitar for well under $300 dollars and they would likely be earning higher revenues today.
Just to make it clear; are you saying I shouldn't buy a Chibson?
Full disclosure, I'm not a regular to your channel. But I have watched enough of your videos to be surprised by the emotional trauma displayed in this one. I watched the whole thing because it's a very current topic. Maybe I can contribute some positive feedback.
There are many specific reasons for the choices I made. I blame no one for my financial status. Regardless of rationale, it borders the context in which I exist. It is what it is. I maintain my right to make the best of it, to my satisfaction and no one else's. My pleasures are simple enough.
I enjoy guitars. I made my bid for the lifestyle with a candy apple red Gibson Les Paul through all the inherent ups and downs of the art and the "biz". I am now, sober and not penniless. After a cooling off period, I made some decisions. I had enough of Gibson. I would require too much time to save up for a Fender or any other cash-intensive guitar.
I was ready to redefine focus and persistence, so I opted for variety, to keep things interesting. The spice of life. I put aside my few hobbies, and on a whim, I converted my UA-cam hours from reptile keeping to electric guitar. Things evolved. Shopping. Reviews. Performances. Theory. Repairs. Maintenance. DIY. Modding. Theory can wait. lol
My red LP remained in storage downstairs as I was rejuvenated by the cornucopia of possibilities before me. I can see for myself what a $200 guitar is like. And I can get whatever tools I need to do some light work on it. I spent just under $150 for the pseudo stratocaster, and just under $50 for a bare bones kit of "tools" described by Phillip McKnight.
Thus my initial foray into the dynamic realm of guitar tinkering proved successful. I like it. A lot. I needed a few more "tools" but I was having a fantastic time looking at what I had done! Me! I did that! Of course, I was having a good time getting some of my chops back too. It was a bit challenging, but the nerve damage was not as bad as I thought.
So there I was. Working on my own guitar. Playing through a handicap. Learning "Waitin on a Friend". Understanding Keith's guitar voicings. Exploring UA-cam and eBay. Finding channels I like. Looking at lessons, scales, demos, reviews. Shopping. Guitar case. "Tool" box. Guitars all over the place.
It's true. I despise profiteering. I'm spending my time and my money for my benefit. I am having a great time playing, working on, and shopping for guitars. Plural. It beats the daylights out of waiting for my piggy bank to give birth to ONE expensive guitar. Gibson, Fender, PRS, Viper, Jackson, Kiesel, Ibanez, Kramer, B.C. Rich, Gretsch, Badlands...
If I save long enough to afford ONE of numerous over-budget guitars, then I can save long enough to pay a pro to do set it up right. Then I can save long enough to afford a case good enough to keep it in. But I can't afford any good pedals yet. I need to save up for a decent amp to hear how good that guitar really is worth waiting to afford.
But I'll be too busy trying to sell my great guitar because I got tired of waiting for months just to hear how it sounds. People who already have a "real" guitar or twenty, and already know how to set it up, and already have an amp or several, and already have a couple of pedal boards full of effects, don't remember rent, utilities, car payments...
A small basic home studio is nowhere near as awesome as ...food. Of course they still have those expenses too. Some of us don't have the luxury of prioritizing our expenses. It's more of an either/or thing. Speaking for myself, I was hyper-delighted to take a $500 budget, and be current on the whole ball of wax.
A modded guitar in my hands, with a side of fries. You might be right, that there's nothing like a genuine Gibson or Fender. I just think your emotions would have a much easier time of it if you allowed me the express joy of having everything that makes me happy without waiting just so that you'll be happy about the way I live my life.
Now maybe I did let go of my self restraint a little bit. Iam sorry for that because I do want to respect you and your beliefs. Nonetheless, it's also possible that your video-venting kind of took some shots at me as well. I do know for a fact that your perspectives are simply not as 100% factual as you presented.
To be fair, my representations were admittedly not exactly 100% angelically inspired. But I am trying to be a better person, believe it or not. If my selfish side ruined all of what good I was hoping to achieve, well, that's on me. In any case, I did the best I could. Maybe one of us could ease up on the anglo-christan missionary bible-beating chastisement a little bit. Just sayin...
I just got the cheapest Epiphone Les Paul in the mail and it's shit, needs repairs right out of the box
I just bought a $600 sg modern. And it's going back. Fret work is so bad it's not playable. And there's a big bleached looking spot in the ebony board. It's absolute garbage. I'm so mad. What was I thinking? It is a chibson. A Chinese fake Gibson. Chibson.
these chibson knockoffs are all about looks. In fact, this is the only area that they have improved over the years. It's all a marketing scam to get you to spend 300$, and then convince yourself to spend more upgrading everything. In the end you'll be left with an overpriced junk guitar that kind of looks like an LP from a distance. For anyone who actually plays guitar it will eventually serve as wall art
Have you ever bought one? And if so what did you not like about it?
@@paulsmyth508 no, I wouldn't buy one. But, I've had a dozen or so clients over the past six to eight years who needed repairs and modifications on them. So, I've tried quite a few out, and know what they generally are, and they're largely poor quality, poorly made & unreliable instruments for actual musicians. Explaining the detail of all that would take much more time than I care to give. Besides, most of it is already out there anyway --thanks
Thanks
If you aspire to own a genuine Gibson or any good quality guitar, something to love and be proud of, something to inspire your playing, save your money until you can get what you really want.
A Chibson might fool some people from a distance, but YOU will know it's a pile of junk, and a turd will always be a turd no matter how much you polish it, and where's the pride of owning that?
I can speak to a little to your argument I own a number Gibson and I really enjoy them. I bought A Chibson they I heavily moded actually only thing original on it was the husk…. I replaced everything to build a Mick Ronson replicas…. My thought was I can’t afford a 6k replicas may I can build one. I should have done it to an Epiphone or LTD or something else…. Chibson just are not that good.
A quick google search or two will prove that Gibson hasn't exactly been ethical either.
Lol wat
I don’t think it is the is Gibson argument is about copyright fakes…. and overall it’s unethical to the people who buy something thinking that is valid. Also some business using the of that brand name illegally. Gibson as a brand they invest a lot money is there name.
Gibson is one of the last major guitar brands, along with Rickenbaker, that haven't outsourced overseas. We should support that. But that's also why Gibson is perceived as being very expensive, despite having budget models. Fender even had made in China models that had the Fender logo on the headstock, not Squier. When you have cheap imports using the same trademark as US made models, it dilutes the brand.
@@blastofo Go shill on someone else's comments, poser.
If Gibson would lower their prices instead of thinking they are gods gift with there heads up their arses maybe more people would actually buy them.
How much should they cost in this current market?
@@trevor4533 Maybe closer to Fender, close the gap and open up more choices, I don't like Chibsons but I'm not surprised people are buying them.
@@johneland8225 They're actually not that for off, to be honest. Especially when you consider bolt-on and poly costs vs nitro and set neck.
Custom shop models aside.
American Teles and Strats go from $1250-2750.
While Les Pauls And SGs go for $1500-4000.
Both brands offer plenty of choices within those price ranges. My personal favorite would probably be the Faded LP standard for $2299. Accounting for inflation, that's cheaper than my LP classic I got 20 years ago lol.
Completely agree. I’ve had several of these over the years and each time its the same thing. Frets are bad and some need to be glued in and definitely leveled out amongst all 22. The pick ups are garbage, the pots and wiring are garbage, the bridge is garbage, tuners are garbage, Etc. etc. I think what happens is we spend $300 so we think we’re getting a deal and when you see all the bad craftsmanship you initially say oh whatever it was only $300 but after a while that isn’t cutting it anymore. I think I’ve kept one of all the ones I’ve ordered and even that one had to have the pick ups, electronics, nut, bridge, tuners replaced etc.
At the end of the day you could have bought an Epiphone stock with decent pickups and it would play much better than any of these out of the box.
The other thing is, a lot of these guys make videos after they get these, and they’re playing through software plug-ins or amp modeler’s and so anything with decent pick ups sounds pretty good but it would never sound that good playing out of a real amp.
Bottom line, I guess these are OK as a sort of project if you want to learn how to do some basic wiring and switch out some hardware but they’re never going to be as good as the real thing
So with all that said I would assume the next move would be to destroy it or in the very least strip the headstock of the logo. Too many fakes out there to the point buying a used guitar isn't even on my radar.
Get an old high spec Japanese made Tokia, Greco, or Fernandez Burny Les Paul copy's there not cheap shit like that chibson and they don't have Gibson on the head stock there classic guitars in there own right
I'm generally a Gibson player, mostly LPs but I have a few others. I had a friend buy a Chibson from a local Chinese seller, who has a warehouse full of counterfeit guitars(Music M in Mississauga, Ontario). He paid to have all the electronics and pickups redone with higher end stuff, and had a luthier do a bit of work on it. He swears it would "blow away and of my Gibsons". He brought it over and it was terrible. The electronics didn't work well together and it still felt cheap. He's trying to sell it for $1200cad now. As a beater it's fine, but it's no Gibson(or Epiphone, or even a HB ffs).
Bahahaha
I have two authentic LesPaul’s a Siverburst and a Honeyburst. I am a huge Mick Ronson Fan so I bought a Black Chibson Custom and sanded the top to a natural finish. I probably have $500 switching the Gibson Pickups, Grovers, pots and bridge etc…. It really is a cool looking guitars it stays in tune (well like a Gibson does) and i will be honest it is actually gorgeous. The vibe isn’t there at all…. I think I have around $800 in this guitar when all said and done this guitar just isn’t an $800 guitar I would have done better with and Epiphone, Harley Benton, LTD or something else. I played out with it once never again it officially a wall hanger and Ziggy Stardust practice Guitar.
I have several Chibson, some were crap out of the box, others were better! After a setup that lasted several hours, everyone plays excellently with a low side position without any buzzing and a very resonant sound! all my chibsons are worth every cent! I won't buy an Epiphone (Chibson) for three times as much🫢
You are absolutely CORRECT Mr Jake !
It is simply not worth it. You can get a used ESP LTD Eclipse (for instance) that will cost the same, will be "totally legal", will sound and play like a dream AS IS, and will look just as cool.
If the game is to have something with Gibson written on it, then you can get a Gibson t-shirt or something like that.
Now, 3 years ago, I bought a mint used Black Gibson Midtown Custom for dirt cheap in a deal with a shop, and this guitar has the legitimate Gibson logo on the headstock, and sounds and plays beautifully. So, if you really want a Gibson and you don't want to spend thousands, there are still ways to afford great instruments.
Lol....the real problem is that your skill level is so high that ANYTHING you play sounds Great! ....I'm buying a Chibson today!! Lol
I was surprised how much better the Epiphone sounded through the amp. When you played the chibson I thought it sure as shit didn’t sound like my Les Paul Trad pro V through a Marshall. But it’s hard to tell through the recording and amp settings. When you plugged in the Epiphone that was more what I was expecting. That actually sounded like a Les Paul into a Marshall.
I find Chibsons hilarious and think they are needed to make Gibson stop sucking on quality on such an extreme price point. Enough said. Do better Gibson. Chibsons coming for you, 🤣
Ethics have everything to do when you even consider buying a fake. You forked out $300
worth zero because you can't even sell it. That's $300 down the drain. That $300 can go towards
something real. I get it that some people can't afford some guitars but it's better to save up for one than to be -$300. Companies like ZZounds and AMS have guitars for 6-8-12-18 month zero interest payments that you don't have to have great credit to buy. One payment and it's shipped to
your door. On the used market you can buy a better guitar than a fake. I have been playing for over 35 years and own quite a fantastic collection of guitars that don't collect dust because they all feel and sound great. I'm not a rich man but I'd rather spend on something, take my time, and be happy
about that purchase for many years. I enjoyed watching your video, and an honest one.
Unless your going to buy me a real gibson mind your fkin buisness talking about ethixs
Unless your going to buy me a real gibson mind your fkin buisness talking about ethixs
@@michaelheller8841 yea right dude
You have to find the right one and spent a lot of Time and money setting it up! Personally I have a chib LP custom that after personal work I enjoy playing it as much as any other guitar I own! Is it a Gibson NO did I bought it instead of a Gibson NO! Did I found a nice template to learn to work on guitars and make a nice project that I enjoy playing it YES! So that’s the endgame of chibsons!
This is one of the best reasons to buy a Chibson. Something cheap/disposable can help you get better at setting up a guitar without worrying about damaging it. I got one and did a tiny bit of fret levelling (something I'd never done before), took my time dialing in the truss rod, nut height and bridge action and now it plays really well. The cost was less than the tax on a Gibson and if I'd bought an Epiphone and ever decided to sell it, I'd loose at least the same amount of $$ selling it used as I spent on the Chibson.
You could buy a 79.00 guitar and do that.
You can buy a Gibson Les Paul Classic used for $1600 to $1800. I know that’s a lot of money but that guitar will always be worth that which means you can always get your money back because you bought it right. So even though it’s a lot of money what would you enjoy more, having a Les Paul Classic or having that money in the bank?
Owning a Chibson is just false pretense.. Fake guitars for fake people who are prepared to masquerade as a Gibson player.
I go up and rock my 1970 univox LP copy, sounds and plays sweet but not a Gibson.
Your advice is 100% right. I bought three of these to hang as ornaments at my lake house. After 3-4 months and having to tell friends, “of course, those aren’t authentic. You don’t display real Lesbians Pauls “. After saying that 4-5 times, I felt fake. If you want one, hit me up and I’ll send you one if mine for $200.
@ fake? What part do you not believe?
Well said, Jake. A very interesting video. I was waiting patiently for this one.
Best wishes to you and family, John...
There are some good reviews of acoustic Chibsons in YT. I have several Epiphones, great guitars and PRS SE line is also very good. Also pawn shops are full of good guitars.
@ why aren’t they?
It "MAY" not be ethical????? It is literally theft of intellectual property. I would be cool with it as long as it doesn't say Gibson on it and arguably the headstock shape. As soon as it says Gibson it is theft/counterfeit. How would you feel if you went to a car lot and they were selling a 1990 Porsche 911, it was for a great price so thinking it is an amazing score you buy it. You get home and pop the hood and realize you have a VW Kit car so driving by it looks right but it doesn't perform on the same level. I believe people are selling these to ignorant people for LP money.
100%
You can get a great chinbson for under $200 and some epi pickups and knobs for $40 plus if it wasn’t for slash and his fake Gibson Les Paul there might not be a Gibson guitar company today
nothing you said makes any sense
It's a counterfeit.
@@kiillabytez wrong, Slash was gifted a custom made LP by his manager by master luthier Kris Derrig of MusicWorks in Redondo Beach, California. It likely cost more than an actual LP to custom make, and it certainly does today.
You're full of all kinds of disinformation and nonsense --fool yourself
@@kiillabytez think whatever nonsense you like. Makes no difference to me, junior
@@kiillabytez Slash's guitar was a top notch custom made guitar that had "Gibson" on the headstock. That is a counterfeit, per your own definition. .
Wow. I had that Crate Blue Voodoo 25 years ago.
Right on I wouldn't give a dollar for a fake Gibson . I however gave $750 for my 50s Epiphone and love it
Thats more than ive paid for 2/3 gibsons. The other was 999
I bought it new from zzound that's what they where going for last spring. I absolutely love it it's just incredible
You need to debate Fulton Street Beats.
Another chibson pusher!
@@jamesseverin That guy is a clown, and as deluded as they get. I remember seeing a video where he was claiming the finish was nitro, and when I asked him why he thought so, he said because acetone would eat into the finish. Acetone will eat into just about any plastic or finish material out there. In the guitar building world, we use acetone to melt down ABS plastic binding shavings to create a filler for gaps in binding, of course it will eat into poly! I told him to try it with LACQUER THINNER and get back to me. Never heard back, lol. And if they do use "nitro", it'll likely be cheap crap loaded with plasticizers, and put on so thick that you lose all the benefits gained from having a real nitrocellulose finish.
Ya I told him a Gibson hater buying a fake gibson is priceless. He said I'm not buying your snake oil.LOL😂😂😂
Good video. If I ever find a LP Studio like that one I would buy it instantly at that price!
The sustain on the chibson is REALLY bad...considering thats what Les Pauls are noted for.
That Gibson Studio with no paint actually suits you. It's more bad ass than a shiny new one.
hello there i hope you dont think a home made angug sg or a joan jett melody maker or a 360-12 byrds guitar that i made myself at the cabinet shop is a bad thing because they dont have fake names on them--they were fun to build i thought
that's just what authenticity smells like
My dad had one. It was a steaming pile of 💩. A druggie stole it and sold it for junk. I couldn't believe somebody bought it. It was an incredible piece of 💩
Really? Is anything 1/10th the price as good as? NO.
3:30 Lol probably epiphone parts 😅 looking at my korean made epiphones bridge pins with... slots on the top
Probably attempting to compare a Chinese Chibson to a Gibson guitar is just a silly endeavour. The Chinese manufacturer labeling their product with the Gibson name is unethical. Any seller who attempts to sell a Chibson as an authentic Gibson is immoral. Any buyer who buys a Chibson, thinking that it's an authentic Gibson is a fool and ignorant of Gibson guitars. The fact is, if the Chinese Manufacturer had labelled their guitars as ABC guitars, they would have been building a brand for ABC guitars as an amazing, good quality, economically priced guitars and would likely be enjoying even higher market revenues.
One has to admit, that anyone who can take a wooden log, various metal components and some electronics and turn it into a high quality budget guitar, while still making a profit, is really quite an amazing feat.
Many, many thousands of guitar players are not professionals, will never perform in a bar, or a stadium and spending $100 on upgrades will make the Chibson a suitable instrument to play. Many, many thousands will never drive a Ferrari and will never own a Gibson. BTW; You can't touch an Epiphone Studio in Canada for under $1,500 dollars and there is nothing on the market for the $300 that compares to a Chinese Chibson for $300 landed into Canada. When your 13 year old says; "I want to learn to play guitar", a Chibson is an excellent choice. If the guitar isn't collecting dust in a closet 6 months later, then it might be worth thinking about upgrading your teen. I played as a teen into my early 20's, then buying a house, marriage, having kids and developing a career eroded the time spent playing. Now approaching retirement, my new Chibson (with a few upgrades) will serve me very well to refresh my skills and enjoy playing again. Playing music is also excellent for an old brain. LOL.
There was a twinge of temptation but I ultimately didn't bother; Firefly is the way to go for cheap guitars with decent quality. I do despise Gibson corporate for its lawfare practices; StewMac inferred that Gibson compelled them to give up on LP and 335 kits. The Chibsons do make buying used a potential disaster.
Sounds horrible! Sorry for your experience. I bought one of those sbs guitars, what a pos.peace
God bless brother great video
"Let them eat cake", eh, Ms. Antoinette?
You get what you pay for in life. Gibson always imitated but never duplicated.
When you get what you pay for, you usually get more than you paid for (e.g.: Fesley or Leo Jaymz).
When you pay for what you get, you usually get less than you paid for (e.g.: Fender or Gibson).
It is what it is.😊
wish more videos like this... so many "chibson" fanboy channels and vids. 99% are those who never felt and played a real gibson. all enamored by the visual "artistry" of the fakes. it's sad how you watch the vids, and you can clearly watch them "convince" themselves they have a good value guitar. agreed, wasting time and money "upgrading" them doesn't make any sense.
@@kiillabytez wake up and smell the coffee... a gibson costs the same -inflation adjsuted- as they were in the 50's and 60's. sure, bitch and moan about pricing all you want, but when you're buying a gibson, you're investing in an actual musical instrument handcrafted by skilled luthiers and builders. buying a chibson is a cheap knockoff of parts put together. you're not respecting any IP or trademarks, which is fundamentally wrong. sure, i've gone down the rabbithole and tried chibson myself out of curiosity and all the hype on youtube, but utterly disappointed and embarrassed for how much the "owners" defend them. i would put epiphone quality higher. whatever floats your boat though. enjoy your knock off and go impress all your friends!
@@kiillabytez whatever floats your boat. go rock that chibby~! make the knock-off owners proud and impress your friends!
@@kiillabytez rock on, chibster! keep buying them knock-offs!
My ethics won't mind you giving it to me.
Seems like Fesley is the way to go for that look and price-point
I think every one needs to be looked at by a good guitar tech. Best to find out if it's beyond help than waste stacks of money on all the gibson pickups and all that crap.
The only decent fake gibson i've seen is owned by a friend of mine who has too many expensive gibsons to count lol
I build, repair, and modify electric guitars. I build electric guitars from scratch. I have admired Gibson Firebirds for a long time but I wasn’t sure I wanted to lay out the money for one or to take the time and effort to build something similar. I have handled guitars that I liked in a guitar store but gradually came to hate when I got them home. So, I decided to buy a cheap Firebird copy by another company with the idea that I would be able to identify things that I liked and disliked. This would allow me to custom build a Firebird style guitar to my own likes and needs.
I bought a Firebird copy by another company on eBay for around $275. I honestly thought it would have another company’s logo on it and it did. The other company’s logo was on a sticker that was peeling off when the guitar arrived. I finished peeling the sticker off and found a Gibson logo and inlay. Something looked off about the guitar but it took me a couple of minutes to figure out the problem. The headstock was a Gibson Les Paul style headstock and inlay rather than a Firebird headstock. And, it wasn’t the Gibson Firebird X headstock. I suppose there might be some version of the Gibson Firebird out there that has the Les Paul guitar head and inlay on it but, if so, I am not familiar with it. I am not an expert so feel free to chime in if you are.
So, I am left with a guitar that works fine for the purpose for which I bought it but it still bugs me. I won’t be able to sell the thing or donate it to some kid who wants to learn to play when I am done with it because it is a fake Gibson. As a guitar builder, I can do the work myself to upgrade the guitar and get it to near Gibson standards but it will never quite get there. It will certainly never play to the standards of a guitar I built myself.
I have done work on Chibson guitars for some customers over the years. Again, I was able to upgrade those guitars to near Gibson standards. I will say that the standards have improved on these guitars over the years but they still don’t meet Gibson standards.
Leaving the moral and legal issues aside, my general advice is to avoid Chibson guitars. Most players would be better off buying a low end or used authentic Gibson or Epiphone guitar than a fake. The authentic guitars will play better, will sound better, and will retain their value far better than a Chibson.
Review one guitar and throws a blanket over a sea of unknown and unplayed guitars......
….what?
@BigJakeMusic It is English.
If it's not a real Epiphone or Gibson i don't want it
Ended up getting a Chibson because of this video.
I love this video. Thank you! 3 chords and the truth
So are Gibsons,so..........
It’s about time someone put out a video telling the truth about those pieces of garbage. I really dig your flags man!
The fact that dirtbag studio has dirty fingers tuners etc is really irrelevant.
Why? Cause both are impulsive buy for well under $500
And only one is bomb right away.
But yet too many were used to put food on the table cash for house car and medical payments. Not all people are 1 percent and have lucrative youtube paying channels
Doesnt even sound like a Gibson! No, the pick ups do not sound "pretty good" 😂
"Don't read to me"
Had Chibsons they are all gone, realy bad guitars that will fall a part all by them selfes as they are not even made in the same way as Epiphones but in the way using the very same methods as in the making of cheap furniture and even as worse.
Cheap furniture works and will endure for pretty long.
Chibsons are display items.
Chibson guitars makes an good profit I will think that all Chinese makers are in!
Genuine branded affordable guitars made in China those are as good as made in Indonesia or Mexico. Well they are what they are= ruff and of unconsistent quality but there is nothing of trickering.
Epiphones are just Chibsons authorized by Gibson. There are good, bad and better overseas manufacturers of guitars of reputable names and even Gibson puts out garbage sometimes, fanboy.
Epiphone will have quality control on those... Plus they are not infringing on intellectual copyright....
@@mikethebloodthirsty Yes, you will likely need to do a more thorough solid setup on a Chibson than Epiphone. But once that's done....
@@TheGamingHoser But once that's done...it's still shit. My friend has some. On at least one of them, the bridge is in the wrong place so cannot be intonated properly.
But didn’t you drop $300 on it? I would try and maybe get your money back?
Bro, what do you expect in a knock off? 😂
Chibsons are chit!
Guess where that epiphone was made.....?
That's a Slipknot title you know lol
Very glad you made this video. Never understood it anyway. Like who are you fooling. Fake is fake.
Chibson = (Ch)eap G(ibson) = (Chibson). They should've just named it Cheapson. Cause it's cheap, son. lol
Check out Agile guitars....super nice les paul copies that are well made...
If you feel so bad about it why did YOU buy it. Do what I say not what I do.
100%
Jake didn't buy that Chibson. The factory gave it to him to review.
Duh, of course chibsons and all those import pirated guitars are cheap junk.
300 flacking dollars 😂😂😂😂
I bought a Chibson out of curiosity. I paid half the price of an Epiphone Les Paul.
The good : Some features you'd only get on a pretty expensive Gibson inc ... Light weight one piece mahogany body. Two piece solid ( not veneer) flame maple top. Nice dark fingerboard without the gigantic pores that Gibson have on their cheap(er) models. It's pretty resonant.
The bad: Tuners are garbage. Pickups are garbage and squeal at high(ish) gain. If you turn down volume to zero on one pickup and put selector in middle position, you get no sound. The set up is diabolical with really bad choking around 5th fret.
So....new tuners, new pickups, new wiring harness, pro set up....as much as I paid for the guitar again....getting it to about the price of a new Epiphone Les Paul.
I'll keep it because it's light weight and I appreciate that having had some real boat anchor Les Paul's in the past. Would I buy another one? No. Would I buy a Gibson?...yes , if I had the money, which I don't.
@@kiillabytez Fine, if you know that 's what your getting. t's unplayable as I received it. I've bought a few Squire's for less and they played find straight out of the box. Personally I would not fiddle about with trying to get a fret level, nut cut well and action set up properly when I'd rather give it to somebody who has the tools and knows what they're doing. I know from bitter experience getting a guitar to play right isn't that straight forward. The only reason I'm keeping it is because it's light weight... I loathe boat anchor guitars and most Les Pauls are.
I doubt it.
I have a chibson and after a little tlc and upgrades it plays just as good as my Gibson and my ephiohone plus top pro
Really treblie
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
dude just stop... the chibson sounded better than the epiphone....you people are crazy
Mine plays great- better than my real LP. Ethics? Let's talk about the markup. Bootlickers for corporations. Oh- and yeah, buy one through MY LINK, lol
Epi RULES!!!!!!
300 bucks? A blessing!!!! There are a lot videos where you can compare Epis sound side by side a Gibson.....
And there are some Epis that may sound even better than Gibsons... If they doesn't sound the SAME!!!!!!!
Conclusion?
You pay for a LOGO on the headstock!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That's idiotic.
***
After all........ How could THE BEATLES choose wrong?
Mother of toilet seat 😂 I love the honest review man
Simping to Gibson relentlessly across many videos in the hope he gets the attention of Gibson for freebies🥱 Get out, get over it and come to the reality it has nothing to do with you how people want to spend their money. It's irrelevant.
preach it brother !!!
Exactly. If Gibson hadn't been ripping people off with their overpriced junk for years, nobody would be buying Chibsons.
@@davewalkden7248 Of course it's unethical for the Chinese manufacturer to label their guitars as Gibsons and anyone who is fooled by a Chibson is an idiot. If the Chinese manufacturer had branded the guitar as an "ABC" guitar, they would have built a reputation as the manufacturer of a pretty nice mid quality guitar for well under $300 dollars and they would likely be earning higher revenues today.