Personally, for me, if I were to get one, KNOWING it's not a real Gibson, then I am taking the name off. But here in the U.S, most of the Chibsons coming that I heard about, they are in pretty bad shape. Now, if you want to get it for a modding project, I don't see why not. But like I said, I am taking the name off of it.
I recently disposed of a Chibson I purchased almost a decade ago. (It having major problems combined with being a fake made me choose to dispose of it so it would not be re-circulated). Anyways before it went in the trash bin, I tried to break the headstock. I dropped it multiple times, threw it across the garage, I put it on a concrete floor and stood on the neck like a skateboard bouncing my weight. It just would not break, absolutely wild.
Loved the video. I got a chibson lp a few years back from a local guy for stupid cheap, he even threw in a really nice hard case. I was curious to see how bad it could be and also I wanted it to practice some mods on. Changed the pickups for a set of tone riders, changed the tuners as they were a bit crap and changed the toggle for a switchcraft. Played ok, and gave it to my luthier as a few dead spots on the frets and the nut was rubbish. Bloody thing plays amazing now, best neck of any guitar I’ve got including high end Gibson’s. Everything you said in the video is right. Bones of many of these knock offs are actually pretty good, but you gotta spend some money to get it there… was it worth it.. hell no, but I enjoyed the journey and it did come in a very nice case 😅
@@stevejenner6838 very inspiring story mate🔥, you and video uploader are absolutely right "Bones of many of these knock offs are actually pretty good" - just change the pieces of hardware coupled with a great pro setup will transform your Chibson into something even better than the super expensive "original" if only the Chibson owner knows how to UPGRADE with the perfect specs - like tuners, pick-up, switch and especially the plastic nut to (bone nut). I wouldn't trade my $280 Chibson to any guitar below $2,000 w/o set-up. That's how good it is after the set-up.👌
@@2good2betrue3 cheers for your comment. I think you also need to have a bit of luck on your side too. There are chibsons and there are other chibsons, as they are all made in different factories to varying quality control. I could tell right away the cheapy I picked up was from one of the better builders as apart from crappy hardware and indifferent fret job, it was a decent LP, so worth putting some money into
I have a genuine cherry red Gibson SG and you can clearly see a centre join in the body. Even the grain in the wood looks different, so the two sides don't appear to be matched from the same piece of wood. It also shows a colour mismatch between the two sides caused by the mismatch in the grain. So Gibson have nothing to brag about re finish quality.
@@mit1346 I bought it online. The problem is you don't get to see it until it's delivered. I didn't return it because I still like it. It plays very nicely. I reckon next time I'm in the market for a new guitar I'll go shopping at music stores. Hey we live and learn.
Who says you need to pay someone to do a fret job? Or any work on your guitar? No one. No man or woman should be afraid to work on their guitars, and there’s no better way to learn than on a 200$ guitar. Everything you need to know you can find on UA-cam. And once you’ve done it well you got that skill forever. No guts no glory. Live by it
Bought a P90 Gibbie SG. Plekked, etc, but the neck pickup hadn't been screwed in so the strings lay on it. How could that have been tested? Bought a Chibbie Byrdland - a model no longer made by Gibson, so I could justify it that way. Just needed a fret polish and a neck oil. Plays and sounds beautiful. Chibbie was 1/6th of the cost of the Gibson. Which would I buy again? Let me think...
Holy fuckin shit I love your video. Finally someone that doesn't bore me to death with the details of ohms and shit. Straight and to the point. Immediately subscribed a minute in and I am off to binge watch everything else.
I really can’t get over the quality of content on your channel. The knowledge sharing is ace, the workmanship is ace, the humor is ace, the production and editing are ace. I can’t believe you don’t have more subscribers. Where is everyone?!?
Another drawback to consider: The alloy used in the frets of these guitars is super soft. Even after a good level/crown/polish, you will quickly see divits form from playing.
They’re soft, because they have LEAD in them. Lead is poisonous. Watch Max’s video on it from last year. I was going to buy one for my son, but I don’t want my son purposefully poisoned by China.
Good informative channel especially on fret levelling filing👍good humour made me laugh your comments😂 interesting info on this piece guitar wooden top cheers🎉❤🇬🇧
I bought a Chibson during Covid lockdown. Put some nice Dimarzio pickups in it and had a local tech run it through a touch up, much like this video, and restring. Three years later it's a great guitar and even stays in tune longer than my authentic Gibson Les Paul.
First time viewer here. You do a great job. I too restore , repair, buy , sell, and trade guitars. I have a small studio. I write songs, play, record them , and make CD’s and give them away. I’m an old codger and have had some high end guitars during my life. Some took me years to pay for. But, once I learned how to work on them , I do what you just did. Since I’m getting on in years and do not perform in public anymore. I have sold most of my name brand vintage guitars, and have bought cheap replacements for them. Since, when recording people do not know if you’re playing an expensive or a fixer upper. If you record it properly , use eq, and have the right attitude know one can tell a 57 Name brand Tele style guitar from a fixer upper. I sold 12 last year and took the money that was left from buying the replacements and bought stock. I however have never bought a guitar that has a fake logo. The ones I upgrade all have the actual brand on them . I feel out of all the guitar manufacturers or regardless of nation of origin , in this time in history, Indonesia are the best craftsman. The ones made there are much more superior than China or Korea. There is one brand in particular which I have the most of . I have to do very little work to them and actually have them to be better than the instruments they copied. I will not advertise for them , but they are sold through a distributor in Germany. Keep up the great work. If anyone is interested, my music is on UA-cam @LarryBuckBarker Original Songs. I hope all have a happy and healthy day. Cheers!!
When I l moved New Zealand I needed a cheap guitar to tide me over so I ordered one of these. I ordered no Logo and P-90's. At the time it cost me $250 US. Unfortunately came with Humbuckers and a Gibson logo. Have to say it was a very nice quality guitar. Pickups were from Epiphone Frets were respectable as far as level and no fret sprout. Biggest surprise was the body was a single piece mahogany and the cap was a solid piece of maple. I scratched some paint off in the pickup rout to confirm. It's a gold top so cant say anything for the grain. There is a small blush in the gold paint but who cares it's small. I can't say it is the guitar I pick up the most but not a fan of Les Pauls and same goes for humbuckers plus I don't like the weight. Mine weighs 9lbs 2oz. but it's a solid player I have stamped X's over the made in USA and number on the back and would love to get rid of it but am afraid to sell to some unscrupulous person who might try to rip some one off. So there she sits.
i think the best thing is no fret lips , no fret lips is a upgrade to me, but now some chibson getting better, got the lips and omatic bridge, to be honest your chibson finish looks great to me, not every chibson build from same factory , there some good and some bad , lot of chibson the finish doesn't looks right ,but this one i think is ok, in my opinion most people buy chibson mainly for the body or basic construction ,people like to modify it for your own taste, because not a real deal,is ok if you messed up ,and if you got a bad one, not a bad way to learn to fix guitar too, and have some fun on the process .
I have a Chibson Lemon Burst 1959, the beauty was shockingly good for $280. Everything is great, the only thing I don't like is sharp frets, so I took it to a Pro Luthier for full set-up, and I was really surprised that even the luthier at first glance thought it was a real Gibson and only when he inspects it, he realized it's a copy.😮Now it plays like a dream with ball end frets, low action, bone nut, the stock pickups sound great so I did not replace it. All the labor just costs $150, so overall it's worth $400 with the change to bone nut as the only upgrade, and it NEVER stays out of tune.👌 All my friends admire it and thinks it's a $5,000+ Gibson so that really put a smile on my face.🤭 Because I was NOT scammed in buying the overpriced, very expensive "original" that doesn't stay in tune especially the G-string😆 and at the same time I get the same admiration because it has the "iconic logo" without me busting the bank.🤘hahaha.😈😁 I just laugh at elitist gear snubs who are guarding their imaginary "elitist gear club", they take pride of their very expensive, bank busting $5,000 to $20,000 Gibson that doesn't stay in tune.😂Chibsons are the equalizer (with Professional Full-setup) Thanks for this video, I got to express how satisfied and happy I am with my Chibson.😅💯
@@2good2betrue3 fuckin A, I feel the same way about mine, it’s a 59 with a awesome tiger striped body, can’t remember what the finish is called, it’s a very nice axe, its beautiful and hanging on my wall so I can see her everyday, 🤣🎸🤘
@@jmangi6221 Haha, nice to hear that mate, We both have the best "Les Paul" according to "experts"- the legendary 59.🤭 probably it's the same Lemon Burst with Tiger striped👌Enjoy your guitar and be proud of it - we have the $20,000 Murphy Lab equalizer hahaha.😂 I'm gonna buy another one soon. Cheers!
@@jmangi6221 Great!😀 you choose the seller with "store" on the name followed by lots of numbers. The one with lots of positive review at AExp__ (my comments don't show up whenever I type it in full.) 👍
Just discovered your site...love it! Honest with a sense of humour. I retired about 10 years ago from teaching cabinetmaking and took up guitar. Looking at your shop makes me want another one!! ..nice workspace . Keep up the good work and thanks. (Ps..I had a similar horror story with a Harley Benton strat about 5 years ago...I got it playing fine but by then it was close to the cost of a Fender Player, plus all the hours put in.)
I bought a Chibson Greeny a few months ago and was duly surprised by the quality. The only thing it needed doing to it out of the box was a bit of fret polishing on the 3rd and 5th fret. I bought it as a project guitar and my first time doing handywork on guitars. It was slightly reliced, but still needed a lot more doing to it so I’ve been slowly sanding it and working on it. Ive changed the magnet of the pickup and will eventually replace the hardware as well. Good guitars for a bit of fun and games.
I bought a chib and did all the work to properly set it up. I did add a bone nut and a roller bridge. The bridge on mine was wonky. Now the action us super low and sounds amazing. One of my favorites of all my guitars now. Which is up against 3 real Gibsons, 3 fenders, and schecter. It plays as good as any I have. Mine, including the upgraded parts, was around $330. My 2 cents.
I have a chibson 'R9' in plain Top Honeyburst (I specificly asked for that), payed $300 in 2020. Fret nibs, period correct headstock, and also all measurements are true to the historic 59, I checked that multiple times. I changed pups, electronics, strings, tuners, bridge and knobs. And it needed a good setup and fret leveling and all the fretwork. I have a friend whith a real Gibson R9 and we both played the two guitars intens. We both find mine the better one. Mine is $700 now. (I did all the work myself) So how on earth can a Gibson be like $8000?? So all the people who cry about the 'not real', you're ok with the Gibson scam because of a 'real' decal ?? Every time I pick up that guitar, I smile. It's a great time to be a guitarplayer.
My argument would be for 700 you could get a better guitar, it wouldn't say gibson but you aren't fooling anyone who would be impressed with a gibson anyway. I can pick up a studio or an epiphone standard for 550 and 250 respectively and they will both play great.
I’m an engineer and all around tinkerer. Taught myself how to do fret work and already had soldering and electronic skills. I like taking less expensive guitars (not fraudulent copies with illegitimate brand names) and making then play well, as long as the “bones” are good a good playing instrument can be had for much less $$.
I used to sell Gibson guitars. I was very embarrassed by the junk we got from the US. I remember when my boss yelled at a hesitant buyer: "Can't you see this is a genuine American guitar? Now buy it!". But it had a crappy fret job, the nibs were crap, and we even got brand new guitars with cracks in the heel-neck joint. When our first shipment of Chinese Epiphones arrived in the late 1990's, all necks were bent/warped/twisted. We sold them at cost to unsuspecting buyers...or fools...as my boss used to call them. Gibson are pricks and boast about their poorly-made guitars. "Play Gibson. Play genuine crap". Gibson evidently stole headstock and body design of the Les Paul from O.W. Appleton. Appleton approached Gibson a decade before the Les Paul came out with his prototype that looked exactly (more or less) like today's Les Paul. Therefore, even if I wouldn't stand on-stage with a fake myself, in my view, anyone should be able to make copies but NOT put the Gibson (Shit-son) name on it.
At that point, why even care if they DO put the Gibson name on it? I mean, if the design is practically stolen to begin with... the Chibsons are copies of copies!? Maybe it does the guitar a disservice to write "Gibson" on the headstock.
@@465marko Sadly, Mr. Appleton is long dead and any challenge to Gibson in court would have probably failed as the Gibson Les Paul is sufficiently different to Appleton's design for Gibson to get away with the theft of the idea. However, I still don't think that people should misrepresent a product by putting the Gibson name on a fake guitar. But the body and headstock shape are all up for grabs as they existed long before Gibson even existed but it is not their design. It's like Musicman who they threatened to sue the company that I worked for years ago for releasing a guitar with a headstock design that had 4 and 2 machine heads. The fact that the 4 - 2 design was already around decades before Musicman made it popular didn't bother Musicman. They sent their cease and desist letter and my management crumbled.
@@Anonymous-si6py The Musicman thing is craziness to me. As an outside perspective anyway - I don't know how this stuff all works. But like, not only because the design was already around. But because something like a 4-2 headstock seems like such a broad thing to have a monopoly on - if you know what I'm trying to say? I can (almost) understand if it was exactly the same shape, exactly the same everything. Or if it was some novel invention. But then, people were doing it decades before Musicman anyway. It's nuts. For the fake guitars, I think anyone who would try to make money by passing them off as the real thing, is a POS. That's fraudulent. But selling it cheap when everyone knows it's fake - I don't really have a problem with that, tbh. I guess maybe it messes up the used market a little. Because the more fakes there are, the more people ARE going to try and sell them as real Gibsons. But also, the more buyers become cautious, having to scrutinize everything (so it'll be harder to defraud people, but it's a pain in the ass as a buyer knowing there are fakes out there). But besides that, I don't think I fully understand the hate. Unless you're Gibson lol.
I paid 500 euro for a top end Chibson has full flame maple top, nitro finish, one piece body and neck, bone nut and fret end nibs. I jut gave it a light fret level and crown. I did change out the electronics but the original stuff was actually good enough so didnt really need to be done. After 6 years couple of very fine cracks in the binding just how a Gibson woud do after time. Neck is perfect no twists and buzzy frets. All the haters were wrong.
Nice video. I bought a Chickenbacker from China and it's much better than what I hoped for. There is only one fret that rocks a drop and I was surprised at how good the mini humbuckers are. Only think I would change out is the pots because I think the volume pots are linear? Is that the right term? You turn them a bit before anything happens. Other than that is pretty nice.
Just got my bull’s-eye Zakk Wylde not everybody has 10 grand to go spend on a gutiar mine is absolutely amazing it even came with active pick ups. I had to sell my EVH Frankie a couple of months ago and bought this to have something to play for the time being well, I’m keeping it I’m not changing the thing. It sounds great plays great feels great. Measurements are right on, etc. all for under $300 and it got to me in seven days from overseas and now I’m buying the Frankie relic for 240 to hell with fender and Gibson….. for the price you can’t beat this so complain all you want for those of you who have the real Les Paul are a real fender. Go ahead and call the company up when you have a problem and see how much they help you for . for me I’m more than happy with my purchase and making a UA-cam video showing it. God bless.
I look forward to seeing your video on the Chibson you bought and like. I've thought about buying an Ace Frehley Les Paul Chibson, but afraid I'll get one that won't stay in tune. I can't justify spending thousands on a real one. There's really no money in music anymore.
I’ve never bought one one of these copies but after seeing one on scar my guitar and then on this channel,so I think imma buy one just to see what they are selling
Wylde Audio is not Chibson, a Chibson is a counterfeit trying to pass off as a Gibson. Some of Zakk's designs are quite crazy and none of them try to be what they aren't. Rock that Wylde for what it is
I got my Chibson "Old Black" LP replica about a year ago. Swapped out the electronics, leveled and polished the frets, and replaced the trem with a real Bigsby that I already had. Plays better than the Gibson LP Studio that it replaced.
I’ve bought various Chibsons, a Chender Jazz-Mastur, and a Chofner Paul McFartney bass… lot of business I have with Union Jacks since I’m from Texas, lmao..but the Union Jack looks cool AF lmao. I seem to have extraordinarily better luck than some, as I’m pleased with them all. Bought them over the past 10, 12 years. They generally need wax-potting (if humbuckers), and a general setup by my man at the single music shop we have in this remote small town, and after a little coddling, they’re perfectly fine. One Chibson advantage is you can order them in colors which don’t occur in “Gibson nature”. Some kids that came knocking cos they heard me making noises, this one fetal-stage little girl saw my neon-pink “Res Paul Custom” and literally gasped in awe. She was all, “Like, oh my gawiid, that is SO COOL”, lol. When I took my Chofner bass up there to be sorted, someone was all, “Wow, you have that; that’s a limited edition, you lucky dog”. Then when I told him it was a Chinese fake, he didn’t believe me. I was allowing him to plug it up and noodle, and he thought I was lying. That Chofner is a very good copy. I just buy one occasionally because they’re stunningly inexpensive, not because I’m a monster. Tbh, I don’t give the issue of “counterfeit” much thought. That’s a “rock & roll” attitude, I think. Rockers are supposed to be rebellious, and all that. lol. I wish good luck to anyone seeing this who may order one. Look at the store ratings; I suggest paging past any stores within DH Gate which don’t rate at least 95%. That may be one of the factors involved in the good luck I’ve been having. Cheers, and no offense to the Chibson haters; you do have a point I suppose.
I bought a Chibson Peter Frampton 3 pick up Les Paul for the equivalent of GPB 500 2nd hand. Think I am mad read on. I replaced 2 of the PUPS with Gibson pickups (not the middle) and bined the tuners and was starting to sound good. After proper set up it plays like you would not believe ! I had a 2008 legit LP tribute and sold it real quick as the neck was like a log .Sounded great but the Chibson necks are much more playable. I bought 2 more legit ones after this and they still do not match the Chibson playing wise. All up I have spent around AUD 2,000 and more than happy as this had a perfect neck and fret job so my tech did not need to touch it or the nut. I have never forgotten one gig I played all right now and during the solos I got some applause as it sounded so good. I knew that after discounting as a fake I would have a great guitar. Anyone that sees it does not argue. FYI to order a "Gibson" Peter Frampton Les Paul prepare to shell out AUD 11,799 , FYI I own a variety of guitars 😀 which includes 4 Gibsons.
I have an inspired by Gibson Epiphone Les Paul Special. Cost GBP350. Played beautifully straight from the box and you have all-on to hear the difference between it and my mates Gibson '58 special although the more modern finish is the giveaway. Bought in a UK dealer (Anderton's), the backup is there and Epi is actually owned by Gibson. Even if they are made in China, the QC is obviously miles better than the Chibson reviewed.
Great video! Learning how to do my own level/crown/polish has saved me serious amounts of money, and the tools to make it happen cost about the same as one good setup. There aren't many guitars that are unredeemable - I think I've had one that I gave up on out of about 20 setups. The one disappointing thing I've seen is that no one is able to do a good fret dress. The two best ones I've had from the factory are Harley Benton and Yamaha. Had issues with Charvel, PRS, Mooer, Fender.
How refreshing to hear someone who comes from my part of the world. And totally agree we don't want to be supporting the rip-off industry. Entertaining video. Glad to have found your channel.
I've worked on guitars for many years, way before there were "Chibson's". I have straightened necks smoothed fret ends and leveled frets, even (plecked) Gibsons time and again. What is amazing is the customer who has both and realizes after the set up that one plays as good as the other. The USA trade policies and practices are chiefly responsible for this and we will continue to see this happen until that changes. USA made guitar prices will continue to climb.
I have a "Chibson" Les Paul Junior Double Cutaway w/P90 in the bridge in the TV yellow with a fat 1950's neck profile. I bought it from the previous owner. The main reason I got it is because I love Johnny Thunders and he played an old Gibson model. It plays and sounds great however it weighs a ton...lmao
OK then. First video iv ever seen of yours. Fuckin loved it. I don't have a want to build guitars but you can bet English ass imma be watching some more. Underrated
I bought a chibson. I asked for a burgundy Les Paul custom With no Gibson markings or serial number. I asked them to put my name on the headstock and send it to me. when I got it, I change the tuning pegs and put EMG Zakk Wylde pickups in😀 it was in 2015 for AU$300. I love it 🎼🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻
I bought a AliExpress guitar and the fret work was shocking. The good thing is, it gave me the opportunity to buy the tools and teach myself to do a fret level and crown. I'm sure a proper tech would be horrified at the job especially with cheap tools I did but it actually plays now and doesn't fret out everywhere. I've since done a few fret levels and crowns on other cheap guitars I've bought as my confidence grows. I like the look of that Z file though! Think I need to invest in one of those for sure. I'm not too keen on my current fret crowning files.
I keep telling people that any guitar can be good, just as long as the foundation is decent to start with. Would be interesting to put the chibson and epiphone sude by side to compare the quality.
I allways say that they can better look for an 80ies Aria Pro, Westone or everything build by Matsumoku. The westones and aria's can be found for a friendly price and build to last.
Interesting, I've had one for a time now and been great no issues other then changing the strings to 8s when it arrived, action was good, pickups good and for 200 fun vouchers. I personally won't sell it even tho prices are going up on s/h market. Would i buy i gibson? If i had the money probably yes, but for 200 squid its a no brainer, and what id save over a gibson, get a nice amp as well
What a refreshing take on the reality of a cheap guitar, no real surprise it’s not going to be perfect. At least you can afford to fix it , break it and fool idiots, well done and brilliant delivery
It's always the same: I brought this Les Paul Chibson and it's terrible. The wiring, the bright, the pickups, the nut, the tuners. BUT I replaced all that costs of $1000. Now it plays and sounds good
I've gigged thousands of shows with my Gibson Les Paul Goldtop and I also have a white Gibson Les Paul Custom. Amazing guitars. If you want a cheap copy for the bedroom/small pub gig, buy the Epiphone version and then swop out the pickups, the nut and the tuners. Newer Epiphones have better pickups in the higher range models.
If I buy an LP again it would be a gold top. Beautiful. Incidentally, the first concert I ever went to was the Manics and James' white LP was so iconic. It seems you've got two belters.
About a year ago I bought a guitar for $250 - a gold-top LP w/P90 pickups. Not terribly different from the one in the video. ad listing didn't show the top of the headstock (that's a clue), and didn't call it a Gibson or a Les Paul. It was listed as a gold-top "LP." I love it! Plays good. Feels good. Sounds good. Looks good. I've always wanted a gold-top LP with P90s. Its not hard to tell is isn't a real Gibson, but I don't really care. I like it and I like to play it. And 50 or 75 years from now, most people won't be able to tell the difference, or be much interested in doing so. Sure, its got cheap pots and cheap wiring, but I don't care. If that stuff breaks I can easily fix it. Gibson can piss off.
Nice vid, Paul. I ordered a gold top 'Les Paul style' guitar from DHGate, naively (perhaps semi- consciously 🤫) that is wasn't a knock-off. There were no pics of the full headstock (a clue!) and I just thought, if at the very least it's a couple of nice looking bits of wood glued together, I can sort the frets, set it up, change the wiring and pickups at a later date for a couple of hundred quid and have a decent looking, playing and sounding guitar. The good old boys at Coventry Airport customs had other ideas, seizing it and ultimately destroying it. I got the money back from my credit card company as the listing did not say or say anything Gibson related. I was pissed off at the time, but actually glad it happened. There are a bunch of shop own brand guitars for a similar initial price (c. £200-250) and I can still do all the stuff I wanted, resulting in a nice guitar and a clear conscience.
I bought a used ESP Ltd WA-600 Will Adler, Green Camo from Guitar Guitar about six years ago. It cost me £399 and was made in South Korea. I call it my poor man's Les Paul though there is definitely nothing poor about it's built quality and hardware.
wow; a real file and a Dremel. I am out of my depth, but I thought it would real surgery. It's always good to learn a little something. I haven't picked up a guitar in forty yrs. Since I'm drinkking I'll keep it short: I like this guy; 'Should you buy one, absolutely not'. Why?- because you're not a mechanic. I am (and I don't like oil and grease). There isn't much I can't figure out. Buying stuff, ehh. Fixing stuff gets you into heaven.
OK, several years back, I bought a Chibson Hold Top thru DHGate. Being a life long Fender guy, I never thought I’d fork out $2500 for a real Les Paul. That said, I wanted to try something Les Paul-ish. When I got it, I spent a few hours doing a very thorough set-up, including a fret level/crown and polish, like this guy did in this video. After a couple years. I also put a set of Epiphone humbuckers, full sized pots, push/pull coil splits, etc. I bought the new electronics, thru Amazon, as a solderless kit for something like $150. And I’ve got yo say, now that guitar plays/sounds/looks amazin. I love it! In fact , I love it so much, about 6 months ago, I bought a REAL Gibson Les Paul, new from Sweetwater, for that $2500 I previously mentioned! In other words, in a round-about way, my choice to buy a Chibson LP actually lead to me buying a real Gibson guitar. Having played for over 50 years now, I’m quite certain that is something that would not have happened, without that initial purchase. 🤓🎸
Steve's comment cracks me up. I've been certain that "awe snap!' was coined long ago with a Gibson. As for this video it's my first Milehouse. I watch alot of guitar vid's your hilarious! F-all indeed. I liked.
I got one back in 2012, gutted the electronics and pickups. Replaced with high quality double humbuckers plus Gibson orange capacitors. It was a beautiful instrument and sounded great. It fooled everyone, even had people try to buy it. But you cannot sell one as it's a crime. I gave it away. But all in with case and updates it was just under 400$
My buddy who owns a recording studio and has about 200 guitars and basses on his wall loves inexpensive, not cheap guitars. He bought a Chibson Les Paul and changed the pickups, and tuners and it's his favorite guitar now. I have been in a few bands with him and never knew it wasn't a real Les Paul. It sounds killer, has a mohagony core, and was $300. I think he stole it. It's killer. Great frets and fret work, binding all around, and through a Marshall you have THE rock tone.
The instrumental track that is playing when he is doing the fret work around the 6 minute mark is freaking incredible. Very power metal-ish. Reminds me of my university band.
So a friend bought one very similar to the one in your video, not as dark red on the burst, first time i saw it, I thought it was real, the only tell is the headstock is a tiny bit thin, he wanted it as a shelf queen but eventually moved into a small unit so I bought it and just like this video it needed fret level, I put a bone nut, grover tuners on sale $90 I looked for a while and eventually scored, locking tones pro bridge and tail piece $77 because some guy didnt realise the difference between nickel and chrome vs nickel on nickel = a more golden nickel than chrome, I waited a bit longer and just recently new tonerider nickel covered Alnico 4 humbuckers $140 with cts pots, orange drops together with switchcraft toggle and jack, all on sale, aprox $60 .. Personally I hate thick gloss necks, I sand, sometimes aggressively, the necks on my guitars, there's no way I would do that to a $3000 plus dollar Gibson, which my chibson is a copy of, I chose to go this route because I work on guitars all the time, to a semi professional level, I wouldn't risk money buying one online for any amount of money because I've had people bring these ali express copy's to me, hoping I could fix them, Ive seen Rickenbacker copys made of foam and of corse the necks twist, Ive seen Gretsch copy’s with photo copied ( yes paper photos of flame tops ) that were glued to the guitar and spray painted over, thin tin foil stuck to guitar's and sprayed over with translucent paint to make it look metallic, guitars with no truss rods and some that have wires soldered in the back cavities that don’t actually go anywhere, wires that are soldered to pickups that lead nowhere, simply there for show lol 😂 The only way to buy a decent copy is if you know how to spot any and every issue a guitar can have, but unfortunately this seems to be the case with most guitar’s sold on line these days no matter what company makes them, especially overseas, more and more companies are selling inferior products with less quality control. After having said all that, I’m extremely happy with my Les Paul copy and doubt I would ever sell it, but I knew exactly what I was getting, buyer beware.
Man you did the complete overhaul. I've enjoyed the outcome of this video for comments like these. It seems the only way to get the whole picture. I have so many spares in the workshop that I think I'm going to have to do something similar. If the veneer is on top of actual maple I'll sand through and refinish like a bound studio...Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts.
Further conformation that while I would not give up my '86 Les Paul Studio for anything, I would gladly shell out $300 for a Chibson, and then bring it up to speed, rather than dumping $5-10K on a new Gibson factory model (that is chambered, prone to poor wiring (among other things), and bad finishes). To be fair, I feel pretty much the same way about Fenders today - I'll buy a Squire Tele and spend a little sweat on it, rather than thousands for an "official" one that doesn't sound or play as well.
Yeah I've owned a few Strats over the years ranging from £300 to £3000. I can't see a reason to buy anything more expensive than a Mexico guitar. Literally the same as a USA in the hands.
1st time watching, half way through the vid and already I can say I found a new channel to watch, use whatever oil you want I don't give a shit is the moment I hit subscribe
I Chibson is really just like an Epiphone. They are great guitars, especially if you put better electronics in them. I love mine, it does everything I need it to, and if something happens to it, I only paid $300 for it, so no big. I did have to do some work on it to get it to play good, but again, it's just like a value Epiphone. I really would like to put a pearly gates in her.
I'm glad he made this video. But, new nut, new tuners, and a fret sanding and polish is all you need to get a Chibson rolling proper. About 30 minutes of work. Most people who buy these know what they are getting and know how to transform them into work machines. That's all they are.
I bought a Chibson Les Paul years ago as a project/experiment. Replaced all the electrics and hardware with genuine Gibson, put some lovely Duesenbergs in it and a vintage Schaller bridge. Biggest expense was getting my repairer friend to give it a full refret with stainless. For what it cost me I could (at the time) have bought a secondhand Studio, a guitar I also have. The fake is as good as my Studio as guitars go, but of course has zero resale value apart from the hardware that could be harvested and sold on. My experience exactly mirrors this video and I agree 100% with its conclusion.
"Guitar shaped object." A young neighbor brought one over for some set up - not happening due to twisted and bowed neck along with miserable frets. Wall hanger in his case😢
Loving your style! Yay!! 👍🏼I paid £300 to get my pro 2 Strat set up along the lines of what you did here. Made a significant improvement. Do you not do any set up work? I have a 50s style black squire Strat in need of a set up. One of those guitar guitar short runs black guard Gilmour style but I’ve added hot noiseless pick ups. Needs a proper set up as action is way high. Again. Loving your videos. ❤
Cheers boss. I don't do any work on other peoples guitars actually. I remenber that series on the Guitar Guitar web site. They were a great bargain. Thanks for taking the time to comment.
Here's a tip. When you're trying out electric guitars, be sure to play them unplugged or volume off, too. Any guitar that sounds good unamplified will sound good amplified - unless the electronics are complete crap. If it doesn't sound good unamplified, the amplifier will amplify that, too.
If you want a straight away player that you don't want to touch or pay to have set up - definitely spend more to get better. But if you go into these cheap buggers with the expectations that some fiddling will be required, they can be great to learn to fiddle with, modify or even get a feel for all sorts of different bodies/necks and pick up styles to point you in the direction of other expensive models you might not normally have considered otherwise.
ive seen a few chibsons that had fret nibs and a nitro finish and epiphone dose not offer those specs. im tempted to try one out someday. the setup stuff i do to all my guitars and all my friends guitars for free witch i see costs hundreds of dollars otherwise..lol at least i enjoyed the work. im wondering how much to charge myself for a re-fret on my old strat neck? i don't dare do another level and crown. im estimating about twenty thousandths of an inch left give or take. they lasted almost 33 years.
Cool video !!!....just goes to show that if the bridge is in the right place and the neck isn't warped, then any guitar can be made to play better with a proper detailed set-up... Cheers !
I know you won't read this BUT my chibson 175 ripped out all electrics put in 57s with 50s wiring, used Gibson pots/switch and Russian paper in oil caps, bone nut and new bridge. Sound is embarrassingly good, cost was worth it so did the same thing to a Washburn J6 that too turned out really good so in all was it worth the price? Yes, over the past ten years those guitars have earned me much more than I put into them, I only wished I had done this a long time ago. Anyone reading this and thinking of doing, just do it. DOWNSIDE 175 doesn't fit a Gibson case, if that matters!
I did read it, and now I'm looking at 175's. A guitar I know very little about. I'm going to have to make one next year now. Thanks for your comment boss. Much appreciated.
I was in contact with a few guys and setup some REALLY good guitars with Damn good feedback. Had "AN" Abbey Road pukka sound engineer conntact me to sort some of his guitars out for an album he was making. 7 guitars I set up for him. He said that he had to go back and rerecord the whole album based purely upon the fact that I had done a good setup, basic setup, on those 7 guitars that before he had to EQ them all out but when I gave him his guitars, no EQ needed.All cheap guitars. Anyway, he brought me a Strat copy, sentimental value, wanted to throw loadsa money at it, I advised no, let me set it up acoustically first, then deal with the electrics. It was a cheap Sheraton Strat. Did my stuff and he said it was exactly the sound and feel he was looking for. For me, a good starting point for a cheap and well built guitar as a starter are Tanglewood guitars. Got a Strat down to 0.5mm action with no buzzing and no string trees!
It's true every guitar is it's own individual project. I've actually got a mid range Tanglewood acoustic, (£400,) which I picked from the racks locally. It's just the most comfortable, well made guitar. Comparable or a better player than any other in there at 3 times the price.
I'd gladly pay 250$ for a Gibson copy instead of giving another dime to this company. There are loads of manufacturers making better instruments at a better price.
Both Fender and Gibson have gotten too greedy and one can't rely they care about customers anymore. Besides, the innovation along with right price is to be found elsewhere.
I completely agree, just get one without branding on the headstock. Save yourself the hassle of being told your Gibson is fake, because it's not a Gibson and doesn't need to be. It's a perfectly working good looking alternative that's a fraction of the cost, it doesn't look $1000+ cheaper but it is.
You should build your own guitar, it’s not that hard. I bought authentic materials (one piece Honduras Mahogany body blank and neck, aniline dyes, nitrocellulose lacquer etc., components worth about a grand and build one from scratch. Most I did, I did with hand tools. ( Topcarve with French scraper for instance) I got the plans online, the mandatory tools from stew Mac and build my own templates. It’s based on a ES 336 but a bit smaller body size and thinner, since it’s a solid body instead of a hollow body ES-336 and it weight slightly less than my CS ‘59 Les Paul, around 3,4kg. It looks cool, sounds unbelievable and strays in tune perfectly. It was my first electric and I already have all components for an authentic ‘59 replica. 😂
A nice bit of fun to kick off my Sunday. Totally agree. A million years ago, an old band mate bought one out of curiosity. One rehearsal. New pickups. Another rehearsal. Never played it again. Curiosity killed that cat.
The biggest problem is that it's a counterfeit . If they would change to their own like Changson , Wangson , Chowson , Soyson , Dongson they'd get more respect .
Polished the frets and actually put Gibson pickups in it. It’s my favorite guitar to play. The fact that i have broken so many “laws” but im not in jail - elevates my spirit.
I know Jack about music/ instruments. Do like metal though. I am familiar with all things far east qualify manufacturing. I found this video entertaining, good fun.
"Veneer made of pants" nearly sent my coffee flying 😂 I think this is an interesting subject on two fronts. Copyright infringment and fraud are universally bad and should never be supported. If you seperate that though there is a discussion about the quality of factory made guitars period. As you say, a lot of the components are common and pretty good, and some supposedly top range guitars don't use better. Factory applied finishes can be great. Wood tends to be cheaper and more poorly finished but watch some of Crimsons tear-downs to see high end guitars with same. Leo Fender was quoted often as saying the quality of wood was less important than the construction (not my view btw). If you want a cheap LP and a lot of fun, get a half decent kit and make one. You learn a lot and can get a good instrument out of it. Equally my first electric came from a bloke making them behind Exeter bus station. It was set up terribly with a very high action but to this day it has the best single coils I've come across and after a bit of setup played great. Better than my US Fender.....
I also have a Chibson. It is custom made. It has some fret issues that have to be fixed. But to be honest, the sound is really amazing. It sounds better than my Ibanez artist, my Dean imperial FM with SD pickups, and I also like the sound of the chibson more than the sound of the 3200$ Gibson LP of my father. It just needs to be more playable. It has a non veneer top, one piece mahagony body, satin neck, fret nibs, bone nut, coil split function and as I said really nice humbuckers. The split coil sound is also great. But the knobs and the frets are crap. And unfortunally the dots on the top of the neck are not centered. Is costs 435$
I had one of these for a little bit mostly because I was bored. I thought that with the part I had lying around I'd hop it up a little bit. Turns out that my Gibson hardware didn't fit and for the money I would have to add to it I could've just bought a used Gibson Studio that will always retain its value.
can tell it's not a real gibbo, it's still got the headstock attached :P
Easily the most controversial comment so far 🤣... Pinned for giggles.
Yeah, that's original. FFS.
@@stevedocherty1816 if that really bothers you, you can easily mod it.
Personally, for me, if I were to get one, KNOWING it's not a real Gibson, then I am taking the name off. But here in the U.S, most of the Chibsons coming that I heard about, they are in pretty bad shape. Now, if you want to get it for a modding project, I don't see why not. But like I said, I am taking the name off of it.
I recently disposed of a Chibson I purchased almost a decade ago. (It having major problems combined with being a fake made me choose to dispose of it so it would not be re-circulated). Anyways before it went in the trash bin, I tried to break the headstock. I dropped it multiple times, threw it across the garage, I put it on a concrete floor and stood on the neck like a skateboard bouncing my weight. It just would not break, absolutely wild.
i have a Chibson and it's great. 8 years so far and no issues. stays in tune and howls like a beast.
Dam rights, I have a few and they are awesome play great sound great feel great, love em
Thanks for sharing, I also have a Chibson and it plays like dream. People are missing a lot. Chibson FTW!😄
Loved the video. I got a chibson lp a few years back from a local guy for stupid cheap, he even threw in a really nice hard case. I was curious to see how bad it could be and also I wanted it to practice some mods on. Changed the pickups for a set of tone riders, changed the tuners as they were a bit crap and changed the toggle for a switchcraft. Played ok, and gave it to my luthier as a few dead spots on the frets and the nut was rubbish. Bloody thing plays amazing now, best neck of any guitar I’ve got including high end Gibson’s. Everything you said in the video is right. Bones of many of these knock offs are actually pretty good, but you gotta spend some money to get it there… was it worth it.. hell no, but I enjoyed the journey and it did come in a very nice case 😅
@@stevejenner6838 very inspiring story mate🔥, you and video uploader are absolutely right "Bones of many of these knock offs are actually pretty good" - just change the pieces of hardware coupled with a great pro setup will transform your Chibson into something even better than the super expensive "original" if only the Chibson owner knows how to UPGRADE with the perfect specs - like tuners, pick-up, switch and especially the plastic nut to (bone nut). I wouldn't trade my $280 Chibson to any guitar below $2,000 w/o set-up. That's how good it is after the set-up.👌
@@2good2betrue3 cheers for your comment. I think you also need to have a bit of luck on your side too. There are chibsons and there are other chibsons, as they are all made in different factories to varying quality control. I could tell right away the cheapy I picked up was from one of the better builders as apart from crappy hardware and indifferent fret job, it was a decent LP, so worth putting some money into
I have a genuine cherry red Gibson SG and you can clearly see a centre join in the body. Even the grain in the wood looks different, so the two sides don't appear to be matched from the same piece of wood. It also shows a colour mismatch between the two sides caused by the mismatch in the grain. So Gibson have nothing to brag about re finish quality.
I've noticed that a lot on SG's. I actually prefer an SG to an LP myself. Angry beasts.
@@Milehousestudios Yeah, I prefer the SG and they're much lighter. LP too heavy. Although I criticise the finish quality I still like playing it.
So why did you buy it?
@@mit1346 I bought it online. The problem is you don't get to see it until it's delivered. I didn't return it because I still like it. It plays very nicely. I reckon next time I'm in the market for a new guitar I'll go shopping at music stores. Hey we live and learn.
Who says you need to pay someone to do a fret job? Or any work on your guitar?
No one. No man or woman should be afraid to work on their guitars, and there’s no better way to learn than on a 200$ guitar. Everything you need to know you can find on UA-cam. And once you’ve done it well you got that skill forever.
No guts no glory. Live by it
100% true that
Amen, brother!
That’s wasted time and money. Best to save for a real Gibby.
This is how I learned to level and crown frets.
Start with a cheapo and now im doing some higher end.
@@ahf5471literally the stupidest thing to do nowadays is save up for a Gibson. They are mediocre guitars for a shit ton of money
Bought a P90 Gibbie SG. Plekked, etc, but the neck pickup hadn't been screwed in so the strings lay on it. How could that have been tested? Bought a Chibbie Byrdland - a model no longer made by Gibson, so I could justify it that way. Just needed a fret polish and a neck oil. Plays and sounds beautiful. Chibbie was 1/6th of the cost of the Gibson. Which would I buy again? Let me think...
This was an excellent video... very informative & not boring.
Glad you enjoyed it! Make sure you subscribe for part 2 then boss. 😉
Holy fuckin shit I love your video. Finally someone that doesn't bore me to death with the details of ohms and shit. Straight and to the point. Immediately subscribed a minute in and I am off to binge watch everything else.
Holy shit ... My next video is all about ohms 🤣 just kidding, I'm too thick to get into that. Welcome to the family boss.
I really can’t get over the quality of content on your channel. The knowledge sharing is ace, the workmanship is ace, the humor is ace, the production and editing are ace. I can’t believe you don’t have more subscribers. Where is everyone?!?
Wow, thank you! I only started this year...Onwards and upwards. Those are very kind words. Thanks again.
Another drawback to consider: The alloy used in the frets of these guitars is super soft. Even after a good level/crown/polish, you will quickly see divits form from playing.
Yeah, those Chibson manufacturers save a ton of money specing out soft metal frets to build their guitars with.
They’re soft, because they have LEAD in them. Lead is poisonous.
Watch Max’s video on it from last year.
I was going to buy one for my son, but I don’t want my son purposefully poisoned by China.
Good informative channel especially on fret levelling filing👍good humour made me laugh your comments😂 interesting info on this piece guitar wooden top cheers🎉❤🇬🇧
Bloody good video says this Yank across the pond! Keep 'em coming, mate!
Cheers boss. Love an international comment...
I bought a Chibson during Covid lockdown. Put some nice Dimarzio pickups in it and had a local tech run it through a touch up, much like this video, and restring. Three years later it's a great guitar and even stays in tune longer than my authentic Gibson Les Paul.
Such a familiar story. I think the Chinese builders must have upped their game. Most people are happy like you. Thanks for watching boss.
First time viewer here. You do a great job. I too restore , repair, buy , sell, and trade guitars.
I have a small studio. I write songs, play, record them , and make CD’s and give them away.
I’m an old codger and have had some high end guitars during my life. Some took me years to pay for. But, once I learned how to work on them , I do what you just did.
Since I’m getting on in years and do not perform in public anymore. I have sold most of my name brand vintage guitars, and have bought cheap replacements for them. Since, when recording people do not know if you’re playing an expensive or a fixer upper. If you record it properly , use eq, and have the right attitude know one can tell a 57 Name brand Tele style guitar from a fixer upper.
I sold 12 last year and took the money that was left from buying the replacements and bought stock.
I however have never bought a guitar that has a fake logo. The ones I upgrade all have the actual brand on them .
I feel out of all the guitar manufacturers or regardless of nation of origin , in this time in history, Indonesia are the best craftsman. The ones made there are much more superior than China or Korea.
There is one brand in particular which I have the most of . I have to do very little work to them and actually have them to be better than the instruments they copied.
I will not advertise for them , but they are sold through a distributor in Germany.
Keep up the great work. If anyone is interested, my music is on UA-cam @LarryBuckBarker Original Songs. I hope all have a happy and healthy day. Cheers!!
Right , you've convinced me...I'm off to buy a Chibson.
Oh fuck....That wasn't my intention 😂
@@Milehousestudios God moves in mysterious ways...
@@plantagenant 🤣
@@plantagenant hells yea, don’t give Gibson a dime, freakin overpriced 💩 crap 💩
You should buy👌, I have one, and it's amazing ONCE fully set-up'd. You won't regret it.😉🤘
I have an LP59 copy...amazing for the price...very solid...correct weight...all I need.
When I l moved New Zealand I needed a cheap guitar to tide me over so I ordered one of these. I ordered no Logo and P-90's. At the time it cost me $250 US. Unfortunately came with Humbuckers and a Gibson logo. Have to say it was a very nice quality guitar. Pickups were from Epiphone Frets were respectable as far as level and no fret sprout. Biggest surprise was the body was a single piece mahogany and the cap was a solid piece of maple. I scratched some paint off in the pickup rout to confirm. It's a gold top so cant say anything for the grain. There is a small blush in the gold paint but who cares it's small. I can't say it is the guitar I pick up the most but not a fan of Les Pauls and same goes for humbuckers plus I don't like the weight. Mine weighs 9lbs 2oz. but it's a solid player I have stamped X's over the made in USA and number on the back and would love to get rid of it but am afraid to sell to some unscrupulous person who might try to rip some one off. So there she sits.
i think the best thing is no fret lips , no fret lips is a upgrade to me, but now some chibson getting better, got the lips and omatic bridge, to be honest your chibson finish looks great to me, not every chibson build from same factory , there some good and some bad , lot of chibson the finish doesn't looks right ,but this one i think is ok, in my opinion most people buy chibson mainly for the body or basic construction ,people like to modify it for your own taste, because not a real deal,is ok if you messed up ,and if you got a bad one, not a bad way to learn to fix guitar too, and have some fun on the process .
You sold me on this. I'm gonna have to get me one now. Nice Guitar.
It's a gamble but from what I can tell, the odds aren't bad as long as you're handy.
I have a Chibson Lemon Burst 1959, the beauty was shockingly good for $280. Everything is great, the only thing I don't like is sharp frets, so I took it to a Pro Luthier for full set-up, and I was really surprised that even the luthier at first glance thought it was a real Gibson and only when he inspects it, he realized it's a copy.😮Now it plays like a dream with ball end frets, low action, bone nut, the stock pickups sound great so I did not replace it. All the labor just costs $150, so overall it's worth $400 with the change to bone nut as the only upgrade, and it NEVER stays out of tune.👌 All my friends admire it and thinks it's a $5,000+ Gibson so that really put a smile on my face.🤭 Because I was NOT scammed in buying the overpriced, very expensive "original" that doesn't stay in tune especially the G-string😆 and at the same time I get the same admiration because it has the "iconic logo" without me busting the bank.🤘hahaha.😈😁
I just laugh at elitist gear snubs who are guarding their imaginary "elitist gear club", they take pride of their very expensive, bank busting $5,000 to $20,000 Gibson that doesn't stay in tune.😂Chibsons are the equalizer (with Professional Full-setup) Thanks for this video, I got to express how satisfied and happy I am with my Chibson.😅💯
@@2good2betrue3 fuckin A, I feel the same way about mine, it’s a 59 with a awesome tiger striped body, can’t remember what the finish is called, it’s a very nice axe, its beautiful and hanging on my wall so I can see her everyday, 🤣🎸🤘
@@jmangi6221 Haha, nice to hear that mate, We both have the best "Les Paul" according to "experts"- the legendary 59.🤭 probably it's the same Lemon Burst with Tiger striped👌Enjoy your guitar and be proud of it - we have the $20,000 Murphy Lab equalizer hahaha.😂 I'm gonna buy another one soon. Cheers!
@@2good2betrue3 I’m getting one soon too brother
If she's got a good neck, level frets and good intonation she's going to be a banger. Thanks for watching buddy.
@@jmangi6221 Great!😀 you choose the seller with "store" on the name followed by lots of numbers. The one with lots of positive review at AExp__ (my comments don't show up whenever I type it in full.) 👍
Just discovered your site...love it! Honest with a sense of humour. I retired about 10 years ago from teaching cabinetmaking and took up guitar. Looking at your shop makes me want another one!! ..nice workspace . Keep up the good work and thanks.
(Ps..I had a similar horror story with a Harley Benton strat about 5 years ago...I got it playing fine but by then it was close to the cost of a Fender Player, plus all the hours put in.)
Cheers Bob... The workshop is definitely a happy space. Thanks for the support.
not every body feels the need to sand the finish off the neck. I like it shiny and smooth.
That’s what she said.
😂
I bought a Chibson Greeny a few months ago and was duly surprised by the quality. The only thing it needed doing to it out of the box was a bit of fret polishing on the 3rd and 5th fret.
I bought it as a project guitar and my first time doing handywork on guitars. It was slightly reliced, but still needed a lot more doing to it so I’ve been slowly sanding it and working on it. Ive changed the magnet of the pickup and will eventually replace the hardware as well.
Good guitars for a bit of fun and games.
I have a Chibson LP Standard for 4 years. Replaced tuners with Gibson tulip style kluson, switched out bridge with Gibson Abr-1 bridge. Awesome!!
I bought a chib and did all the work to properly set it up. I did add a bone nut and a roller bridge. The bridge on mine was wonky. Now the action us super low and sounds amazing. One of my favorites of all my guitars now. Which is up against 3 real Gibsons, 3 fenders, and schecter. It plays as good as any I have. Mine, including the upgraded parts, was around $330. My 2 cents.
Nice work!
I had one , with active pickups , they were not very active I can tell you . Sold it to some other shmuck . Got myself a real les paul now 🤘🏻
That's the one common story that folks agree with, Ali express active humbuckers are wank.
I have a chibson 'R9' in plain Top Honeyburst (I specificly asked for that), payed $300 in 2020. Fret nibs, period correct headstock, and also all measurements are true to the historic 59, I checked that multiple times. I changed pups, electronics, strings, tuners, bridge and knobs. And it needed a good setup and fret leveling and all the fretwork. I have a friend whith a real Gibson R9 and we both played the two guitars intens. We both find mine the better one. Mine is $700 now. (I did all the work myself) So how on earth can a Gibson be like $8000?? So all the people who cry about the 'not real', you're ok with the Gibson scam because of a 'real' decal ?? Every time I pick up that guitar, I smile. It's a great time to be a guitarplayer.
My argument would be for 700 you could get a better guitar, it wouldn't say gibson but you aren't fooling anyone who would be impressed with a gibson anyway. I can pick up a studio or an epiphone standard for 550 and 250 respectively and they will both play great.
I’m an engineer and all around tinkerer. Taught myself how to do fret work and already had soldering and electronic skills. I like taking less expensive guitars (not fraudulent copies with illegitimate brand names) and making then play well, as long as the “bones” are good a good playing instrument can be had for much less $$.
Agreed, and its fun bringing a guitar back to life.
I used to sell Gibson guitars. I was very embarrassed by the junk we got from the US. I remember when my boss yelled at a hesitant buyer: "Can't you see this is a genuine American guitar? Now buy it!". But it had a crappy fret job, the nibs were crap, and we even got brand new guitars with cracks in the heel-neck joint. When our first shipment of Chinese Epiphones arrived in the late 1990's, all necks were bent/warped/twisted. We sold them at cost to unsuspecting buyers...or fools...as my boss used to call them. Gibson are pricks and boast about their poorly-made guitars. "Play Gibson. Play genuine crap". Gibson evidently stole headstock and body design of the Les Paul from O.W. Appleton. Appleton approached Gibson a decade before the Les Paul came out with his prototype that looked exactly (more or less) like today's Les Paul. Therefore, even if I wouldn't stand on-stage with a fake myself, in my view, anyone should be able to make copies but NOT put the Gibson (Shit-son) name on it.
Wow. Brutal bit is insight there. I think I prefer Shitson to Chibson 🤣
At that point, why even care if they DO put the Gibson name on it? I mean, if the design is practically stolen to begin with... the Chibsons are copies of copies!?
Maybe it does the guitar a disservice to write "Gibson" on the headstock.
@@465marko Sadly, Mr. Appleton is long dead and any challenge to Gibson in court would have probably failed as the Gibson Les Paul is sufficiently different to Appleton's design for Gibson to get away with the theft of the idea. However, I still don't think that people should misrepresent a product by putting the Gibson name on a fake guitar. But the body and headstock shape are all up for grabs as they existed long before Gibson even existed but it is not their design. It's like Musicman who they threatened to sue the company that I worked for years ago for releasing a guitar with a headstock design that had 4 and 2 machine heads. The fact that the 4 - 2 design was already around decades before Musicman made it popular didn't bother Musicman. They sent their cease and desist letter and my management crumbled.
@@Anonymous-si6py The Musicman thing is craziness to me. As an outside perspective anyway - I don't know how this stuff all works.
But like, not only because the design was already around.
But because something like a 4-2 headstock seems like such a broad thing to have a monopoly on - if you know what I'm trying to say?
I can (almost) understand if it was exactly the same shape, exactly the same everything. Or if it was some novel invention.
But then, people were doing it decades before Musicman anyway. It's nuts.
For the fake guitars, I think anyone who would try to make money by passing them off as the real thing, is a POS. That's fraudulent.
But selling it cheap when everyone knows it's fake - I don't really have a problem with that, tbh.
I guess maybe it messes up the used market a little. Because the more fakes there are, the more people ARE going to try and sell them as real Gibsons. But also, the more buyers become cautious, having to scrutinize everything (so it'll be harder to defraud people, but it's a pain in the ass as a buyer knowing there are fakes out there).
But besides that, I don't think I fully understand the hate. Unless you're Gibson lol.
I paid 500 euro for a top end Chibson has full flame maple top, nitro finish, one piece body and neck, bone nut and fret end nibs. I jut gave it a light fret level and crown. I did change out the electronics but the original stuff was actually good enough so didnt really need to be done. After 6 years couple of very fine cracks in the binding just how a Gibson woud do after time. Neck is perfect no twists and buzzy frets. All the haters were wrong.
That sounds like a belter..
Where did you get it from?
same as me. I paid 435 dollar, over 500 with tax. Same specs, same fret issues. xD
Nice video. I bought a Chickenbacker from China and it's much better than what I hoped for. There is only one fret that rocks a drop and I was surprised at how good the mini humbuckers are. Only think I would change out is the pots because I think the volume pots are linear? Is that the right term? You turn them a bit before anything happens. Other than that is pretty nice.
I've got a Chickenbacker 4003 bass. It rocks!
Just the name alone is worth the purchase. Chickenbacker 😂
Thumbs up just because I like your humor lol. I do have my own Chibson Explorer that I like, full disclosure 😎
Right on! No complaints from here. Thanks for watching boss.
Great stuff! Highly entertaining as well mate. Cheers!
Glad you enjoyed it
Just got my bull’s-eye Zakk Wylde not everybody has 10 grand to go spend on a gutiar mine is absolutely amazing it even came with active pick ups. I had to sell my EVH Frankie a couple of months ago and bought this to have something to play for the time being well, I’m keeping it I’m not changing the thing. It sounds great plays great feels great. Measurements are right on, etc. all for under $300 and it got to me in seven days from overseas and now I’m buying the Frankie relic for 240 to hell with fender and Gibson….. for the price you can’t beat this so complain all you want for those of you who have the real Les Paul are a real fender. Go ahead and call the company up when you have a problem and see how much they help you for . for me I’m more than happy with my purchase and making a UA-cam video showing it. God bless.
I look forward to seeing your video on the Chibson you bought and like.
I've thought about buying an Ace Frehley Les Paul Chibson, but afraid I'll get one that won't stay in tune.
I can't justify spending thousands on a real one. There's really no money in music anymore.
I’ve never bought one one of these copies but after seeing one on scar my guitar and then on this channel,so I think imma buy one just to see what they are selling
Wylde Audio is not Chibson, a Chibson is a counterfeit trying to pass off as a Gibson. Some of Zakk's designs are quite crazy and none of them try to be what they aren't.
Rock that Wylde for what it is
@@MuscleCarLoverI think they mean a counterfeit "bullseye" print Les Paul
@@AndrewGlitchMasterBalaschak Eh, I personally associate the Bullseye with Zakk anyway and I think a lot would
Loved the presentation of this vid. I laughed mucho 😂
Gracias mi amigo 👍
I got my Chibson "Old Black" LP replica about a year ago. Swapped out the electronics, leveled and polished the frets, and replaced the trem with a real Bigsby that I already had. Plays better than the Gibson LP Studio that it replaced.
As long as you change the logo its fine. In fact they normally will put whatever logo you want for free
I’ve bought various Chibsons, a Chender Jazz-Mastur, and a Chofner Paul McFartney bass… lot of business I have with Union Jacks since I’m from Texas, lmao..but the Union Jack looks cool AF lmao.
I seem to have extraordinarily better luck than some, as I’m pleased with them all. Bought them over the past 10, 12 years. They generally need wax-potting (if humbuckers), and a general setup by my man at the single music shop we have in this remote small town, and after a little coddling, they’re perfectly fine. One Chibson advantage is you can order them in colors which don’t occur in “Gibson nature”. Some kids that came knocking cos they heard me making noises, this one fetal-stage little girl saw my neon-pink “Res Paul Custom” and literally gasped in awe. She was all, “Like, oh my gawiid, that is SO COOL”, lol.
When I took my Chofner bass up there to be sorted, someone was all, “Wow, you have that; that’s a limited edition, you lucky dog”. Then when I told him it was a Chinese fake, he didn’t believe me. I was allowing him to plug it up and noodle, and he thought I was lying. That Chofner is a very good copy.
I just buy one occasionally because they’re stunningly inexpensive, not because I’m a monster. Tbh, I don’t give the issue of “counterfeit” much thought.
That’s a “rock & roll” attitude, I think. Rockers are supposed to be rebellious, and all that. lol. I wish good luck to anyone seeing this who may order one. Look at the store ratings; I suggest paging past any stores within DH Gate which don’t rate at least 95%. That may be one of the factors involved in the good luck I’ve been having. Cheers, and no offense to the Chibson haters; you do have a point I suppose.
I bought a Chibson Peter Frampton 3 pick up Les Paul for the equivalent of GPB 500 2nd hand. Think I am mad read on. I replaced 2 of the PUPS with Gibson pickups (not the middle) and bined the tuners and was starting to sound good. After proper set up it plays like you would not believe ! I had a 2008 legit LP tribute and sold it real quick as the neck was like a log .Sounded great but the Chibson necks are much more playable. I bought 2 more legit ones after this and they still do not match the Chibson playing wise. All up I have spent around AUD 2,000 and more than happy as this had a perfect neck and fret job so my tech did not need to touch it or the nut. I have never forgotten one gig I played all right now and during the solos I got some applause as it sounded so good. I knew that after discounting as a fake I would have a great guitar. Anyone that sees it does not argue. FYI to order a "Gibson" Peter Frampton Les Paul prepare to shell out AUD 11,799 , FYI I own a variety of guitars 😀 which includes 4 Gibsons.
Sounds like she's a belter. AUD 12 000....staggering amounts
I have an inspired by Gibson Epiphone Les Paul Special. Cost GBP350. Played beautifully straight from the box and you have all-on to hear the difference between it and my mates Gibson '58 special although the more modern finish is the giveaway. Bought in a UK dealer (Anderton's), the backup is there and Epi is actually owned by Gibson. Even if they are made in China, the QC is obviously miles better than the Chibson reviewed.
Great video! Learning how to do my own level/crown/polish has saved me serious amounts of money, and the tools to make it happen cost about the same as one good setup. There aren't many guitars that are unredeemable - I think I've had one that I gave up on out of about 20 setups.
The one disappointing thing I've seen is that no one is able to do a good fret dress. The two best ones I've had from the factory are Harley Benton and Yamaha. Had issues with Charvel, PRS, Mooer, Fender.
Happy to pass it onto you for a more proper evaluation 😉 I know you're not a fan.
How refreshing to hear someone who comes from my part of the world. And totally agree we don't want to be supporting the rip-off industry. Entertaining video. Glad to have found your channel.
You've got to love our neck of the woods... Thanks for watching boss.
I’ve got a couple of Rickenbacker fakes. After a little upgrade, they play fine. But, nothing can replace the real deal
I've worked on guitars for many years, way before there were "Chibson's". I have straightened necks smoothed fret ends and leveled frets, even (plecked) Gibsons
time and again. What is amazing is the customer who has both and realizes after the set up that one plays as good as the other. The USA trade policies and practices
are chiefly responsible for this and we will continue to see this happen until that changes. USA made guitar prices will continue to climb.
I have a "Chibson" Les Paul Junior Double Cutaway w/P90 in the bridge in the TV yellow with a fat 1950's neck profile. I bought it from the previous owner. The main reason I got it is because I love Johnny Thunders and he played an old Gibson model. It plays and sounds great however it weighs a ton...lmao
OK then. First video iv ever seen of yours. Fuckin loved it. I don't have a want to build guitars but you can bet English ass imma be watching some more. Underrated
Thanks buddy. That's very kind. Welcome to the family 😄
I bought a chibson. I asked for a burgundy Les Paul custom With no Gibson markings or serial number. I asked them to put my name on the headstock and send it to me. when I got it, I change the tuning pegs and put EMG Zakk Wylde pickups in😀 it was in 2015 for AU$300.
I love it 🎼🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻
I've got those pickups in my Epi ZW. They're really nice.
I have three. Awesome after a good setup
I bought a AliExpress guitar and the fret work was shocking. The good thing is, it gave me the opportunity to buy the tools and teach myself to do a fret level and crown. I'm sure a proper tech would be horrified at the job especially with cheap tools I did but it actually plays now and doesn't fret out everywhere. I've since done a few fret levels and crowns on other cheap guitars I've bought as my confidence grows. I like the look of that Z file though! Think I need to invest in one of those for sure. I'm not too keen on my current fret crowning files.
I keep telling people that any guitar can be good, just as long as the foundation is decent to start with.
Would be interesting to put the chibson and epiphone sude by side to compare the quality.
I've got a Zakk wylde LP from the 90's. I'll have a crack at that
@@Milehousestudios 90s epi will have an unfair advantage 😂 but would definitely be interesting!
I allways say that they can better look for an 80ies Aria Pro, Westone or everything build by Matsumoku.
The westones and aria's can be found for a friendly price and build to last.
Interesting, I've had one for a time now and been great no issues other then changing the strings to 8s when it arrived, action was good, pickups good and for 200 fun vouchers. I personally won't sell it even tho prices are going up on s/h market. Would i buy i gibson? If i had the money probably yes, but for 200 squid its a no brainer, and what id save over a gibson, get a nice amp as well
Agreed, even a pants set of humbuckers will sound lovely with a great amp. A fact so often over looked.
Its nice to have a story to tell about any guitar. Bringing a Chibson to life works for me.
I have a Chibson Les Paul custom plays excellent
What a refreshing take on the reality of a cheap guitar, no real surprise it’s not going to be perfect. At least you can afford to fix it , break it and fool idiots, well done and brilliant delivery
It's always the same: I brought this Les Paul Chibson and it's terrible. The wiring, the bright, the pickups, the nut, the tuners.
BUT I replaced all that costs of $1000.
Now it plays and sounds good
I think you get the guitar that makes you happy. Whatever you feel is all that matters
Probably the most logical answer yet. A man after my own heart. Welcome to the channel.
I've gigged thousands of shows with my Gibson Les Paul Goldtop and I also have a white Gibson Les Paul Custom. Amazing guitars. If you want a cheap copy for the bedroom/small pub gig, buy the Epiphone version and then swop out the pickups, the nut and the tuners. Newer Epiphones have better pickups in the higher range models.
If I buy an LP again it would be a gold top. Beautiful. Incidentally, the first concert I ever went to was the Manics and James' white LP was so iconic. It seems you've got two belters.
I love the way you talk 😂
About a year ago I bought a guitar for $250 - a gold-top LP w/P90 pickups. Not terribly different from the one in the video. ad listing didn't show the top of the headstock (that's a clue), and didn't call it a Gibson or a Les Paul. It was listed as a gold-top "LP." I love it! Plays good. Feels good. Sounds good. Looks good. I've always wanted a gold-top LP with P90s. Its not hard to tell is isn't a real Gibson, but I don't really care. I like it and I like to play it. And 50 or 75 years from now, most people won't be able to tell the difference, or be much interested in doing so. Sure, its got cheap pots and cheap wiring, but I don't care. If that stuff breaks I can easily fix it. Gibson can piss off.
Nice vid, Paul. I ordered a gold top 'Les Paul style' guitar from DHGate, naively (perhaps semi- consciously 🤫) that is wasn't a knock-off. There were no pics of the full headstock (a clue!) and I just thought, if at the very least it's a couple of nice looking bits of wood glued together, I can sort the frets, set it up, change the wiring and pickups at a later date for a couple of hundred quid and have a decent looking, playing and sounding guitar. The good old boys at Coventry Airport customs had other ideas, seizing it and ultimately destroying it. I got the money back from my credit card company as the listing did not say or say anything Gibson related. I was pissed off at the time, but actually glad it happened. There are a bunch of shop own brand guitars for a similar initial price (c. £200-250) and I can still do all the stuff I wanted, resulting in a nice guitar and a clear conscience.
I bought a used ESP Ltd WA-600 Will Adler, Green Camo from Guitar Guitar about six years ago. It cost me £399 and was made in South Korea. I call it my poor man's Les Paul though there is definitely nothing poor about it's built quality and hardware.
wow; a real file and a Dremel. I am out of my depth, but I thought it would real surgery. It's always good to learn a little something. I haven't picked up a guitar in forty yrs. Since I'm drinkking I'll keep it short: I like this guy; 'Should you buy one, absolutely not'. Why?- because you're not a mechanic. I am (and I don't like oil and grease). There isn't much I can't figure out. Buying stuff, ehh. Fixing stuff gets you into heaven.
Happy with mine.. headstock says Made in tne USA as if it were barge-stock for expkrt market.
Love your style man 😂 and Guitars of course new sub here, from Ireland...
Cheers boss. Much appreciated... The next builds are getting interesting.
OK, several years back, I bought a Chibson Hold Top thru DHGate. Being a life long Fender guy, I never thought I’d fork out $2500 for a real Les Paul. That said, I wanted to try something Les Paul-ish.
When I got it, I spent a few hours doing a very thorough set-up, including a fret level/crown and polish, like this guy did in this video.
After a couple years. I also put a set of Epiphone humbuckers, full sized pots, push/pull coil splits, etc. I bought the new electronics, thru Amazon, as a solderless kit for something like $150.
And I’ve got yo say, now that guitar plays/sounds/looks amazin. I love it!
In fact , I love it so much, about 6 months ago, I bought a REAL Gibson Les Paul, new from Sweetwater, for that $2500 I previously mentioned! In other words, in a round-about way, my choice to buy a Chibson LP actually lead to me buying a real Gibson guitar. Having played for over 50 years now, I’m quite certain that is something that would not have happened, without that initial purchase. 🤓🎸
That's an interesting journey. Lots of valuable lessons learned. Real Gibson humbuckers are dreamy aren't they.... I love them.
I have the same problem. 25 or so in my collection. Fun to play around with, but they are unsalable in the used market.
25 Chibsons? Blimey.
Steve's comment cracks me up. I've been certain that "awe snap!' was coined long ago with a Gibson. As for this video it's my first Milehouse. I watch alot of guitar vid's your hilarious! F-all indeed. I liked.
Glad you enjoyed it! Cheers buddy....Get in to the full builds...Final Part of the Revstar series today.
I got one back in 2012, gutted the electronics and pickups. Replaced with high quality double humbuckers plus Gibson orange capacitors. It was a beautiful instrument and sounded great. It fooled everyone, even had people try to buy it. But you cannot sell one as it's a crime. I gave it away. But all in with case and updates it was just under 400$
My buddy who owns a recording studio and has about 200 guitars and basses on his wall loves inexpensive, not cheap guitars. He bought a Chibson Les Paul and changed the pickups, and tuners and it's his favorite guitar now. I have been in a few bands with him and never knew it wasn't a real Les Paul. It sounds killer, has a mohagony core, and was $300. I think he stole it. It's killer. Great frets and fret work, binding all around, and through a Marshall you have THE rock tone.
You fall more in love with the chibson setting it up fret work new pickups
Video 2 coming up I reckon
The instrumental track that is playing when he is doing the fret work around the 6 minute mark is freaking incredible. Very power metal-ish. Reminds me of my university band.
I would definitely have come to watch...I agree, it's awesome. Thanks for watching buddy.
So a friend bought one very similar to the one in your video, not as dark red on the burst, first time i saw it, I thought it was real, the only tell is the headstock is a tiny bit thin, he wanted it as a shelf queen but eventually moved into a small unit so I bought it and just like this video it needed fret level, I put a bone nut, grover tuners on sale $90 I looked for a while and eventually scored, locking tones pro bridge and tail piece $77 because some guy didnt realise the difference between nickel and chrome vs nickel on nickel = a more golden nickel than chrome, I waited a bit longer and just recently new tonerider nickel covered Alnico 4 humbuckers $140 with cts pots, orange drops together with switchcraft toggle and jack, all on sale, aprox $60 ..
Personally I hate thick gloss necks, I sand, sometimes aggressively, the necks on my guitars, there's no way I would do that to a $3000 plus dollar Gibson, which my chibson is a copy of, I chose to go this route because I work on guitars all the time, to a semi professional level, I wouldn't risk money buying one online for any amount of money because I've had people bring these ali express copy's to me, hoping I could fix them, Ive seen Rickenbacker copys made of foam and of corse the necks twist, Ive seen Gretsch copy’s with photo copied ( yes paper photos of flame tops ) that were glued to the guitar and spray painted over, thin tin foil stuck to guitar's and sprayed over with translucent paint to make it look metallic, guitars with no truss rods and some that have wires soldered in the back cavities that don’t actually go anywhere, wires that are soldered to pickups that lead nowhere, simply there for show lol 😂
The only way to buy a decent copy is if you know how to spot any and every issue a guitar can have, but unfortunately this seems to be the case with most guitar’s sold on line these days no matter what company makes them, especially overseas, more and more companies are selling inferior products with less quality control.
After having said all that, I’m extremely happy with my Les Paul copy and doubt I would ever sell it, but I knew exactly what I was getting, buyer beware.
Man you did the complete overhaul. I've enjoyed the outcome of this video for comments like these. It seems the only way to get the whole picture. I have so many spares in the workshop that I think I'm going to have to do something similar. If the veneer is on top of actual maple I'll sand through and refinish like a bound studio...Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts.
Further conformation that while I would not give up my '86 Les Paul Studio for anything, I would gladly shell out $300 for a Chibson, and then bring it up to speed, rather than dumping $5-10K on a new Gibson factory model (that is chambered, prone to poor wiring (among other things), and bad finishes).
To be fair, I feel pretty much the same way about Fenders today - I'll buy a Squire Tele and spend a little sweat on it, rather than thousands for an "official" one that doesn't sound or play as well.
Yeah I've owned a few Strats over the years ranging from £300 to £3000. I can't see a reason to buy anything more expensive than a Mexico guitar. Literally the same as a USA in the hands.
1st time watching, half way through the vid and already I can say I found a new channel to watch, use whatever oil you want I don't give a shit is the moment I hit subscribe
😭 it's so weird when geezers get all shitty about lemon oil... Glad you found the channel brother. Welcome aboard
I Chibson is really just like an Epiphone. They are great guitars, especially if you put better electronics in them. I love mine, it does everything I need it to, and if something happens to it, I only paid $300 for it, so no big. I did have to do some work on it to get it to play good, but again, it's just like a value Epiphone. I really would like to put a pearly gates in her.
I'm glad he made this video. But, new nut, new tuners, and a fret sanding and polish is all you need to get a Chibson rolling proper. About 30 minutes of work. Most people who buy these know what they are getting and know how to transform them into work machines. That's all they are.
I bought a Chibson Les Paul years ago as a project/experiment. Replaced all the electrics and hardware with genuine Gibson, put some lovely Duesenbergs in it and a vintage Schaller bridge. Biggest expense was getting my repairer friend to give it a full refret with stainless. For what it cost me I could (at the time) have bought a secondhand Studio, a guitar I also have. The fake is as good as my Studio as guitars go, but of course has zero resale value apart from the hardware that could be harvested and sold on. My experience exactly mirrors this video and I agree 100% with its conclusion.
Thanks buddy. She sounds adorable.
ooo i hope you talk about the fret placement.. is it right for the scale length?
I'm not actually sure. There's a comparison video coming up in the future. I'll be sure to address that boss.
"Guitar shaped object." A young neighbor brought one over for some set up - not happening due to twisted and bowed neck along with miserable frets. Wall hanger in his case😢
Loving your style! Yay!! 👍🏼I paid £300 to get my pro 2 Strat set up along the lines of what you did here. Made a significant improvement. Do you not do any set up work? I have a 50s style black squire Strat in need of a set up. One of those guitar guitar short runs black guard Gilmour style but I’ve added hot noiseless pick ups. Needs a proper set up as action is way high. Again. Loving your videos. ❤
Cheers boss. I don't do any work on other peoples guitars actually. I remenber that series on the Guitar Guitar web site. They were a great bargain. Thanks for taking the time to comment.
Here's a tip. When you're trying out electric guitars, be sure to play them unplugged or volume off, too. Any guitar that sounds good unamplified will sound good amplified - unless the electronics are complete crap. If it doesn't sound good unamplified, the amplifier will amplify that, too.
Great tip for the masses. Cheers boss
If you want a straight away player that you don't want to touch or pay to have set up - definitely spend more to get better. But if you go into these cheap buggers with the expectations that some fiddling will be required, they can be great to learn to fiddle with, modify or even get a feel for all sorts of different bodies/necks and pick up styles to point you in the direction of other expensive models you might not normally have considered otherwise.
Drier than Ghandi’s flip flop 😂, brilliant. Glad I stumbled upon your channel. Subscribed. Utube is good for something!
😂 welcome to the family boss.
@@Milehousestudios 👍
ive seen a few chibsons that had fret nibs and a nitro finish and epiphone dose not offer those specs. im tempted to try one out someday. the setup stuff i do to all my guitars and all my friends guitars for free witch i see costs hundreds of dollars otherwise..lol at least i enjoyed the work. im wondering how much to charge myself for a re-fret on my old strat neck? i don't dare do another level and crown. im estimating about twenty thousandths of an inch left give or take. they lasted almost 33 years.
R.I.P. China Guitar Sceptic.
Cool video !!!....just goes to show that if the bridge is in the right place and the neck isn't warped, then any guitar can be made to play better with a proper detailed set-up... Cheers !
Amen to that
Love the big train clip
Biggest thing I realised, how it feels beats how it looks..... but I always get the pretty topped ones hahaha
I know you won't read this BUT my chibson 175 ripped out all electrics put in 57s with 50s wiring, used Gibson pots/switch and Russian paper in oil caps, bone nut and new bridge. Sound is embarrassingly good, cost was worth it so did the same thing to a Washburn J6 that too turned out really good so in all was it worth the price? Yes, over the past ten years those guitars have earned me much more than I put into them, I only wished I had done this a long time ago. Anyone reading this and thinking of doing, just do it. DOWNSIDE 175 doesn't fit a Gibson case, if that matters!
I did read it, and now I'm looking at 175's. A guitar I know very little about. I'm going to have to make one next year now. Thanks for your comment boss. Much appreciated.
I was in contact with a few guys and setup some REALLY good guitars with Damn good feedback. Had "AN" Abbey Road pukka sound engineer conntact me to sort some of his guitars out for an album he was making. 7 guitars I set up for him. He said that he had to go back and rerecord the whole album based purely upon the fact that I had done a good setup, basic setup, on those 7 guitars that before he had to EQ them all out but when I gave him his guitars, no EQ needed.All cheap guitars. Anyway, he brought me a Strat copy, sentimental value, wanted to throw loadsa money at it, I advised no, let me set it up acoustically first, then deal with the electrics. It was a cheap Sheraton Strat. Did my stuff and he said it was exactly the sound and feel he was looking for. For me, a good starting point for a cheap and well built guitar as a starter are Tanglewood guitars. Got a Strat down to 0.5mm action with no buzzing and no string trees!
It's true every guitar is it's own individual project. I've actually got a mid range Tanglewood acoustic, (£400,) which I picked from the racks locally. It's just the most comfortable, well made guitar. Comparable or a better player than any other in there at 3 times the price.
I'd gladly pay 250$ for a Gibson copy instead of giving another dime to this company. There are loads of manufacturers making better instruments at a better price.
spot on mate I agree with you 100%
Both Fender and Gibson have gotten too greedy and one can't rely they care about customers anymore.
Besides, the innovation along with right price is to be found elsewhere.
I completely agree, just get one without branding on the headstock. Save yourself the hassle of being told your Gibson is fake, because it's not a Gibson and doesn't need to be. It's a perfectly working good looking alternative that's a fraction of the cost, it doesn't look $1000+ cheaper but it is.
You should build your own guitar, it’s not that hard. I bought authentic materials (one piece Honduras Mahogany body blank and neck, aniline dyes, nitrocellulose lacquer etc., components worth about a grand and build one from scratch. Most I did, I did with hand tools. ( Topcarve with French scraper for instance) I got the plans online, the mandatory tools from stew Mac and build my own templates. It’s based on a ES 336 but a bit smaller body size and thinner, since it’s a solid body instead of a hollow body ES-336 and it weight slightly less than my CS ‘59 Les Paul, around 3,4kg. It looks cool, sounds unbelievable and strays in tune perfectly. It was my first electric and I already have all components for an authentic ‘59 replica. 😂
@@scoobydoo936 Someday I'll get into it, just for the fun of it, no matter if it plays well or not.
I saw those things on eBay and was wondering. But I’m glad I just spent $800 and got a used s
Les Paul studio in excellent condition thats real.
Awesome, nice to see your subs going off bro!
Cheers boss ..
A nice bit of fun to kick off my Sunday. Totally agree. A million years ago, an old band mate bought one out of curiosity. One rehearsal. New pickups. Another rehearsal. Never played it again. Curiosity killed that cat.
The biggest problem is that it's a counterfeit . If they would change to their own like Changson , Wangson , Chowson , Soyson , Dongson they'd get more respect .
Polished the frets and actually put Gibson pickups in it. It’s my favorite guitar to play. The fact that i have broken so many “laws” but im not in jail - elevates my spirit.
Gibson's pickups are lovely. Good choice
I know Jack about music/ instruments. Do like metal though. I am familiar with all things far east qualify manufacturing. I found this video entertaining, good fun.
Rock on!
"Veneer made of pants" nearly sent my coffee flying 😂 I think this is an interesting subject on two fronts. Copyright infringment and fraud are universally bad and should never be supported. If you seperate that though there is a discussion about the quality of factory made guitars period. As you say, a lot of the components are common and pretty good, and some supposedly top range guitars don't use better. Factory applied finishes can be great. Wood tends to be cheaper and more poorly finished but watch some of Crimsons tear-downs to see high end guitars with same. Leo Fender was quoted often as saying the quality of wood was less important than the construction (not my view btw).
If you want a cheap LP and a lot of fun, get a half decent kit and make one. You learn a lot and can get a good instrument out of it.
Equally my first electric came from a bloke making them behind Exeter bus station. It was set up terribly with a very high action but to this day it has the best single coils I've come across and after a bit of setup played great. Better than my US Fender.....
So many paths to the same destination.
I also have a Chibson. It is custom made. It has some fret issues that have to be fixed. But to be honest, the sound is really amazing. It sounds better than my Ibanez artist, my Dean imperial FM with SD pickups, and I also like the sound of the chibson more than the sound of the 3200$ Gibson LP of my father.
It just needs to be more playable.
It has a non veneer top, one piece mahagony body, satin neck, fret nibs, bone nut, coil split function and as I said really nice humbuckers. The split coil sound is also great. But the knobs and the frets are crap. And unfortunally the dots on the top of the neck are not centered.
Is costs 435$
That's a lot of guitar for the money. Will you do the fret work yourself
@@Milehousestudios No, I tried it once with another guitar and I failed. I also had cheap tools... I think I will let a pro do this work. ^^
I had one of these for a little bit mostly because I was bored. I thought that with the part I had lying around I'd hop it up a little bit. Turns out that my Gibson hardware didn't fit and for the money I would have to add to it I could've just bought a used Gibson Studio that will always retain its value.
this guy should be famous as a comedian of talk show host- he's perfectly entertaining !
Mrs Richards found that one funny 🤣...