WHY do all the negative comments say "YOU WON'T GET YOUR MONEY OUT OF IT" Listen up it's stupid simple. You do what you like to guitars to suit you! Duh. People don't upgrade guitars to sell! You find great deals buy cheap then you raise the price point for profit. That's called SMART BUSINESS. Guitarist always chase tone and sound. Guitar rock gods don't use stock guitars for the most part that's why they hire guitar techs. He built this guitar for himself and for the band he uses it in. Way to go man! Rick that beast!
Beats paying $4,000 CAD though. Update: I love this fucking thing. Not as good as a standard, but definitely as good as a studio if not better. Guitar $370 CAD, Tesla Sharks $160, professional setup $160. Get a pair of 11's and use thick picks, 1.14mm and choke up on your pick, adding a little flesh once and awhile with your down strokes and you'll get a very close tone to Slash. I've been trying to replicate his tone and style for many years now. The pots are cheap, but produce almost identical sound, the bridge and tail pieces are from epliphone and the tuners aren't the greatest but seem to hold tune for the most part.
I have the same guitar and did the same mods but didn't have to dowl my Nashville just pressed it in with jb weld, I also added jonesy blues vintage electronics cts pots, orange drop caps and vintage wire. I love that guitar. I play it more than any of my others. good job and great playing
Hey Chris, I just wanna say "thanks". I saw your first video back in around January & I'd been after finally taking the plunge & splashing out on a proper Gibson but there was no way I could afford anything higher than a used Studio model. Once I saw your video though, I thought, "Hey, I could do that" & so I did. I contacted Angela's Guitars & I asked her to make me one. I watched a lot of other videos about the pros & cons & what to avoid & I got her to make me a 'Slash AFD' Les Paul, with a one-piece mahogany body & neck, a proper maple cap (not veneer), ebony fretboard, with full binding & a bone nut. I knew I'd have to upgrade a few things (the pups, crappy switch, pots etc) but I have to say, she made me a beautiful guitar. I told her I wanted the frets to be level so the guitar would be playable out of the box & it was. It arrived last week & I'm really happy with it. I paid a bit extra for the extras but for $400, once I've put the SD Slash pups in & the rest, I'll have a great guitar forever for around $7-800. Which, compared to the $4500 + the real thing would cost, is an absolute bargain. I don't have a problem with buying a fake Gibson cos' I'm not American & the UK doesn't have any reasons to not let them through customs & I'm never gonna sell it on anyway. Thanks once again for planting the initial seed. Without your video I'd still be glued to Ebay, hoping for a bargain Studio. Cheers :)
They’re not a full flames maple cap. That alone would cost more then the entire guitar. Most manufacturers use plain maple with a maple veneer, or photo flame.
@@SilentNightBodomNight that depends on who you use for the build. 100% depends on that. Here is the famous Crimson Guitars showing you that this one, like mine, is full maple cap: ua-cam.com/video/AYk2GATHVVw/v-deo.html
My chibson just arrived it cost $245 usd to my door. It's a better version than yours. But I already ordered replacement parts. The pick ups were $209 usd alone.
Im getting this guitar off ali. I like the idea of slash's afd guitar not being a true factory gibson. So imo getting a copy of a copy and kinda making it your own seems interesting and not really knock off like you would traditionally think. Get a bond with the guitar too getting it the way you want. The one in this video looks the part good job buddy. The eye candy is tops.
Great video and audio! Best informational video on UA-cam bro. About to order one of these myself. Been playing for 25 years and never played a Gibson Les Paul!! I'm a lefty so... I pray I have the same luck you've had. Seen several on the site and vary about $50. So unsure which one to choose. Thanks for your help bro! Any extra would be cool also. Thumbs up, great playing.
Chris is right about luck, you just need to do some research and dive in. I got my lefty r9 off han yun guitar store on Aliexpress (if you search left handed guitar and click on top selling you should see it near the top of the list)
Chris Kesner Just to add a bit to the whole experience you had and some good pointers ppl already made... In general, you have to be tenacious with any Chibson seller @whereverdotcom you by your guitar :P It starts with a very long "correspon-dance" explaining what you want and what you DON'T want in your peace you are ordering. In my case after few weeks of "deciphering" answers (imagine Bletchley Park) I got from one of them, I realized that although it will cost me something around 350US$, I would probably regret the whole deal. Adding all I was going through and all I will have to go through once I get the guitar, I realized that the math comes almost equal to buying a legitimate "Chibson" in a form of an Epiphone! Is the headstock and logo worth going through all what you posted in the video? If you are in a cover band where all details have to be spot on, then yes but for me, sound is what matters thus I couldn't give a damn if I had to play an ironing board with some wires and a pickup :D as long as it sounds the way I like it :D In short, Epiphone is a suped up Chibson anyway yet with more attention to details :D so I got me self a Epiphone LP Custom Pro in black! That thing, with just a regular setup (to personal liking I mean) puts most of the real-deal Gibsons to shame brother. I had several nice peaces, nice original LP's put to a test with my Epi (same amp, same cable, same everything) and it was more than a tight squeeze for the LP's I have to be honest! A good friend of mine gave me his '79 LP Custom for testing purposes (few weeks) and I couldn't find any reason to regret not having that Gibson instead of my Epi - except to boast that I have a piece of history. The Chinese are progressing exponentially, in all aspects and we have to be honest about that - I bought several pedals from them and people tend to like the sound of "Chclones" more than the originals - "Ch" OCD, TS808/TS9, BBpreamp just to name few, sound AMAZING! Google SINVERTEK and you'll see why I am salivating each time I hear their Distortion No.5 (Updated to Drive No.5 - even better pedal). NUX Time Core is far superior to BOSS DD3 and 5 in all aspects! A Booster made by Rowin (Lef-318 I think) is a monster (if you know how to use it, that is). The only problem you'll ever have with all them mentioned pedals is the durability of the on/off switch but I change them anyway to something more durable. Disclaimer - if you get a dodgy one (hissing, buzzing or whatever) then you are screwed because although they are keen and willing to replace the faulty device based on your claim (as all manufacturers are), shipping back is a pain in the butt! Still, they cost just a "penny" compared to the big brands out there. Personally I didn't had any issues so far, they all "stack" nicely and (under condition you know how to use them) couldn't be more happier with the overall sound!
I bought this guitar and did similar upgrades and it plays great!! For under 900.00 Canadian and Iron Gerat pickups,I did the work myself,which you can do if you are patient. Thanks chris.
That's a really great job you've done on that one,I've just bought a beautiful November burst for £350 and looking forward to getting some genuine Gibson parts on mine too .Thanks for the inspiration.
Max C You realise the slashes "fake" AFD led Paul was made by a luthier in America right? So a chibson although good is not closer to slashes original than Gibson's replica
Thanks for your answer chris! gibson website don't give lots of information about that. other people told me that is something between 50s and 60s profile.
Great video Chris, I just got a chibson lefty r9 last week and it's a killer, I'm planning on a bit of an afd clone but I won't be going to the lengths you've gone to here as I wanna keep the costs down as much as possible. In the parts box are epiphone alnico pick ups and wiring loom, bone nut, blank truss rod cover, cream jack plate cover, roller bridge, epiphone tail piece, reflector knobs, strap locks and some good quality shielding paint, all up about $150. I couldn't find a decent lefty afd on Aliexpress so I took the plunge on a 59 lp and got extremely lucky.
Got Chibson Ace Frehley Custom Signature I'm working on right now replacing everything as close to the real one as I can new truss rod cover grover tuners new nut 3 dimarzio super distortions and pickup rings grover nashville bridge like you I'm leaving the tailpiece that came with it all the wiring and 500k pots new toggle switch and jack the guitar came with the plastic jack plate new gibson poker chip new knobs. Guitar itself needs some fret leveling and new set up and I just found a bought a gibson ace frehley hardshell case on reverb guy had 16 of them for sale at a pretty penny and that should do it. Good video man your guitar looks and sounds great bro. Cheers.
I did a similar project. I got the blue & silver burst Ace Frehley. Changed plastic nut to bone. Installed real Grover tuners. Replacedcrappy silver truss rod cover with true Gibson black Les Paul Custom cover. Replaced bridge with Tune-O-Matic ABR-1 bridge. Had to get adapter studs to fit properly. Switched gold speed knobs with clear ones. New wiring and high quality pots. New switch and got chrome tip. Removed poker chip. New Jack. Kept the same metal Jack plate. Changed cream pickup rings to black ones. Changed cream Chinese pickups to DiMarzio. PAF 36th Anniversary with humbucker chrome cover for neck. DiMarzio Super distortion at bridge, no cover. I opted to skip the middle pickup. I disconnected the existing pickup and just put matching humbucker cover over it. I left the existing tailpiece on it. That tailpiece is essentially the only Chinese item I didn’t remove. The truss rod only required a quarter turn. End result is a damn fine sounding Ace Frehley Les Paul. Sounds incredible. Feels amazing. My biggest pet peeve at this point is that the headstock design of Ace’s face doesn’t have silver paint on his makeup. Just white. I hope you are enjoying yours as well. Let me know what snags you may have run into. I’m curious.
@@Milestone74 I spec'd mine out to be just like the gibson version of this guitar or as close as I could get.I ran into issues with installing gibson pickup rings the pickup routing was too wonky and when I tried to use the gibson rings they wouldnt fit without showing some of the routing so I ended up using the ones that came with it. Um unless I wanted to dowl the guitar I ended up using a drop in gotoh zinc plated metric nashville bridge and ended up replacing the tailpiece with a gotoh zinc plated. The production frehleys used zinc hardware so of course I used zinc grover rotomatic tuners. No issues wiring the guitar I except I had to widen the holes for the pots and just dropped in 500k pots with orange capacitors and replaced the jack the guitar came with a cream plastic jack plate which is what you want and selector switch however I did not end up wiring in the middle pickup as I didnt have the right switch so I only wired the neck and bridge all 3 pickups are dimarzio super distortions . I added gold speed knobs that fit the larger pots just like what's on the gibsons it came with gold top hats on it. I also replaced the cavity covers with just plain black instead of the glass looking plastic ones that had Aces signature on it .The truss rod cover was a replica Ace Frehley one with the ace card and les paul written on it white on black like what's on the frehleys that I got off ebay .Where I really ran into major problems was the frets and fretboard . The frets on this guitar were crazy uneven and not level it has taken several fret levelings to get the fret board in shape. Before it would fret out in several places along the fretboard .But now it plays well with good string action about as good as a les paul studio .Also installed a bone nut .With the gibson case I found for a reasonable price I probably got about 1000 dollars worth of upgrades in a 300 dollar guitar. Was it worth it ? Yeah as the real gibsons goforth about 10 grand and I've always wanted one and for now this is as close as I can get. All the upgrades changed the weight of the guitar and made alot heavier it feels like a real gibson before it was kinda light. Would I ever buy another chibson and upgrade it again probably not they are too much work and getting them to the states is always iffy.
@@brian3344 Nice work, BB. I agree with you. I don’t see a point putting $1000 into just any Chibson. For example, I’d never spend $1000 upgrading to build a guitar that would cost $3000 new from Gibson. However, our Frehley guitars would cost $10,000. That’s a worthwhile project, to me. I spent a total of $908. I bought a Crossrock case for $119 on top of that, technically. It has blue interior which looks great with my blue guitar. Just a tip for you, if you want to change out your pickup rings, Epiphone rings will fit perfectly. Get the ones that are arched. I thought about buying a real pickup for the middle, but couldn’t justify the cost when I wasn’t going to wire it anyways. I struggled with that decision. Like you, I had to widen the holes for the new pot shafts to fit through. So I rolled up pieces of sandpaper like a cigarette and stuck them in the holes and sanded the holes a little wider. Didn’t take much. I didn’t know Ace used alloy tuners and such on the burst version. I assume you built the Budakon version? I went with chrome because that’s what’s on Ace’s blue/silver burst LP. I guess I got lucky with my fretboard. When I ordered mine, I communicated with the seller and told him exactly what I was doing. I requested that he send me the best neck, headstock and fretboard he could find. And told him I don’t care at all about the hardwear as I was going to throw all that away. Funny about the truss rod cover, mine also had the Ace of Hearts, but only said “Paul” instead of “Les Paul”. The back plate covers are certainly cheap mirror plastic, but I like the drawing and signature, so I left it. The backplate for the switch said “Gibson Hstrc” rather than “Gibson Historic”. Pretty funny. I’ve left it on for the moment, not sure if I’m going to replace it. I probably should. By the way, my daughter and I saw Ace from the front row in April. That’s what started prompted me to start this guitar spec journey after wanting this guitar for the last 15 years. I’m so happy I did it, but never again.
@@Milestone74 I need to make a couple corrections I told you zinc hardware I meant nickel I dont know what I was thinking and mine is the signature like yours with his face on the headstock. Sorry about that.
I could feel the quality of those new tuners after the changing in this video. And those are nice pickups, I feel the tone of this chibson here a little bit darker from the real les paul of the other video, but it could be the amp settings or mic settings. The real one seems to have more "bite" on the notes when you're soloing. But by the way, nice upgrades, must be very fun to play one of this live. I'm thinking of doing the same but with a chinese ES-335. Great video and playing mate!
Hey Pedro! I agree -- the Gibson has more bite to it, but I think that is more of a result of the ceramic pickups it has, vs the alnico ones in this guitar. Enjoy your ES-335!
I have a Chibson ES355 replica thats been fitted with Gibson pickups and pots its a great guitar. I've just bought a Chibson 59 Les Paul Standard replica which has a stunning genuine maple tiger top in honeyburst one piece solid mahogany body and neck and is lighter than the Gibson I had. I'm going to fit Kluson alloy tailpiece plus Kluson abr bridge with brass saddles had to get metric to imperial adaptor posts. Pickups will be Skatterbrane Yangbrane PAF double whites with SD nickel covers the pickups are hand wound in the USA by Rod Kinkaid. I might change the machine heads dont know yet. When its done it should be really good.
Great video. Thanks for playing a lot of clean tones to start with. You could have saved a little money here and there by doing some more things yourself but the end result is terrific so all ends well. Really impressive sound. Thanks for posting.
Bad ass review man, I got a ES-335 copy a couple years ago and talked my dad into getting a Les Paul deluxe replica. Also got a D-40 Martin that's badass, but you should check if it really is a veneer. Maybe pull up the pickup cover and check under there where it wouldn't be visible take a chisel or blade. My 335 is solid top but martin is a veneer
+LexDatrex Nice guitars! That's a great point! I'll check, but pretty sure it's a veneer, as the glue around the binding seems to look more like what I've heard a veneer does.
Hey dude! Nice video and very nice guitar! Want to buy a Chibson this month, may i ask you: Did you use fret file on it, or was it a good neck quality? :)
I think i'll buy one.. and upgrade it with good stuff (new bridge, pickups and pots) :) It seems not to be so much different as a good epiphone guitar, it's very cool :)
nice man. I had the same R9 LP Slash with same color. quite happy with it. I did replaced also the cheap tuners with a real Gibson pearloid tuners and made the holes bigger. Gearing up to upgrade the pickups same as yours or maybe as an option SD JB hot rodded HB pups SH-4 and 59 Model at the neck.
+Eddie Boy Sounds cool bud. I have a JB in another guitar and think the Slash pickups are nicer, but your call. The JB is also a nice pickup. Haven't tried the 59 but hear it's a nice choice for the neck.
Boy that's a lot of f@cking around to get that guitar in shape but you made some improvements for sure. A lot of cheap model guitars can be woken up with some better electronics I suppose as long as it plays and sustains good.
Slashes afd guitar is not a real Gibson, but it’s a handmade clone using better quality parts than what Gibson was using at the time. Gibson, only recently, started making Les Pauls, to the late 50’s up to ‘60 specs. The best “LP style” clones being done to today, would have to be Vashchenko guitars.
For a knock off it doesn't sound bad at all. I have a Gibson Slash Signature, that I run through a Friedman small box and BEOD. The small box nails that AFD tones and the BEOD is perfect for the UYI tones.
You are a natural, really enjoyed your review on this guitar so much so, I'm thinking of ordering one also. Only thing is, I can not find Angela's guitars on Ali-express, I hace found the same Slash AFD guitar, but with another seller. $423 NZD delivered. Nice job. Thanks.
If you study up and learn the ins and outs of setting up and teching your guitars it can be very affordable to go all out.if you rely on a tech to get it right your looking at 5 or six clams.
Watched all three videos (so this is really Part 3, right?) and gotta say, wow! Went from, this Chibson rocks to well, I spent about $1,200 in upgrades. I actually wished you had done nothing and given a review 3 years later on how the original held up. However, after understanding the types of rowdy clubs your group plays at, I get it. Hope your band gets that music contract & you can do a Hendrix, Townshend, Cobain guitar smash & send this Chibson to the final resting place of Gunga Din.
I think the bridge pick up should have the cream pick up facing the bridge but it sounded pretty good. Thanks for the honest review. Your right 1200 bills in to personalize vs a real deal that will not look the part. Peace.
+Jess Yates I like the reverse look of the zebra pickups too that you mention, but the AFD guitar has the pickups like mine, hence the choice to keep them like the original.
At the end, you get a guitar where you have to change: the tuners, the truss rod cover, the nut, the pickups, the selector, the bridge (and possible the saddle), the pots and you have to have the frets worked on. All this knowing that the wood is not really the wood (veneer is not a maple cap, the body is painted so you have know idea what is really behind). I am not sure it is worth it. You can get a LP Standard used for the same amount and you know it is the original
If you're not in a rush and keep your eyes open you can absolutely get a real Les Paul for $1,200. I got one for $800 where I "ALMOST" felt like I was stealing it when I wasn't looking for another guitar at the time. I say ALMOST because it was his asking price I didn't beat him down to that price I think he was already down on his luck. Sometimes people fall on hard times and they need money quick and even though Les Pauls aren't gold they can always be cashed in somewhere like gold can be. I think I just said Led Pauls are as good as gold lol? Well it's kind of true but it's good to know the spot price of gold if you're gonna decide to cash her in!
Thanks chris for your reply, one last question has just occured to me. I am thinking of buying new pods for my chibson, however I am wondering if I bought Gibson ones if they would improve the sound more than the pods I already have and bring out the best of the new slash pick ups I'll be buying. WHat are your thoughts on the chibson standard pods that the guitar comes with?
Hey man, I just got the same guitar and am doing similar upgrades. Wondering if you had an issue removing the old machine heads? Collars stuck in headstock
You got those awesome pickups and didn’t change out the wiring and pots? That’s like taking your Porsche to Jimbo’s gas station and filling up with the cheapest gas they have.
Very nice looking and sounding guitar.I think thought that you went overkill on it.All these guitars need from the get go are new nut and tuners that usually create the most problems....those kind of fixed bridges work just fine and if you change them you can always find a much cheaper aftermarket one.Pickups are of course a necessity to change too but you can still find cheaper equally decent aftermarket ones....My point is that if you wanna go beyond a grand on a guitar its better to get a neck and body build from some luthier custom made for you...its not worth go above 600 at best for a guitar like this.....iam glad that you enjoy it though and that what matters.To play the living shit out of it.Cheers.
Thanks -- you are totally right in many respects, though I did not like the bridge that much. This video is merely a document of the path I took with the guitar. Many other versions could have been done, as you say. Cheers!
Thanks, I love your segment, it's just a little shocking that Sam ash on 48 st here in NYC used to sell the Gibson custom for $820.00 in the early 80s, now to refurbish the Chinese one cost much more I can't get my mind around it, so I just got the Strat for $165.00 then put in some @zexcoil noiseless pickups
Chris Kesner just cause you are a fellow Canadian I was wondering if you had any issues with customs and how bad was the duty charges? Mine is at Vancouver customs presently
I bought a three humbucker Chibson LP a few years ago. I sold it pretty quickly after buying it too. The fingerboard was supposed to be ebony, but after playing it for a couple fo hours I noticed my fingers were black. It was stained black rosewood. Yeah, they look good, but they are far from the real deal. Even the one in the video ended costing as much as a real Gibson, but it's still not a real Gibson. I've got aJapanese Edwards Slash look-alike LP now made by ESP. It came standard with Seymour Duncan JBs. I got it used for 400 bucks. It is a real Gibson killer. The thing that annoys me most about these counterfeit guitars is, they are quite a good entry level guitar in their own right, so why do they persist in using the Gibson logo on them? They would probably sell more if they didn't use it. However, I know there are some unscrupulous sellers trying to pass them off as legit and selling them for legit Gibson prices. Therein lies the main issue with them.
Hey Chris, I really enjoyed your guitar playing on your UA-cam uploads, also thanks for replying to my first message but now I have 2 more last questions and I really need your help. I have also bought the chibson and my tuners keep slipping out of tune so I am going to have to buy the original Gibson deluxe nickle machine heads to replace the cheap china made ones lol. I noticed in your upload you mentioned that the holes are too small in the chibsons and that they will need to be enlarged, how did you put the tuners in? Also I am shopping around for new pick ups and I cant make my mind up as to weather I should buy slashes Seymour Duncan pickups or if I should buy a higher output Gibson humbuckers like dirty fingers. I want to sound like slash did in the studio song "give in to me" with Michael Jackson. What would you recommend that I use for my pickups or humbuckers?
+scott mcmahon Hey Scott, glad the video helped and good luck with your guitar! You need to use a reamer for the tuning holes or take it to a tech to do it for you. The Slash pickups have excellent clean and distorted tones. I've never used Dirty Fingers, but I hear they are very high output and will probably not be as sweet a tone. Or combo them -- Slash in the neck; DF in the bridge!
Hi Ronald: I've been using the guitar live for 3 years and it plays well. The one problem is the neck is starting to warp after its initial set up, whereas my Gibson, set up 5 years ago, is still perfectly straight. Otherwise, zero issues.
Hey mate, nice guitar! I’m buying one too and first thing I want to change is the plastic pickup cover because for me is the only thing that you can really see that it’s a Chib. Could you solve that problem? Thanks man!
You've got one of them with the tailpiece about 1/4 inch back too far. It doesn't line up with the pots properly. If you draw line down from the front of the tailpiece it should go down btwn the front 2 pots. I can always see this defect, but otherwise very nice. I want one.
Sorry, but there is no justification for a price of a Gibson. I can buy two bespoke luthier made les pauls, that are properly well made using materials qualitatively exceeding ones used by Gibson. I am apauled by such massive drop in quality of Gibson guitars in last fifteen years. And yes, I own a 59´ Gibson LP and bespoke LP, which cost me less than a half. I mean if you are not prepared to drop at least 3 grand for a Gibson, you are getting CNC made guitar with mother-of-toilet-seat fretboard inlays. Only thing, that separates it from chinese stuff is geographic distance, so maybe buying a 90´+ Gibson just might make you a massive moron. Not a cheap one, but moron nontheless.
On the other hand, I simply can not understand, why people cant pay 10 bucks more for a different name on a headstock. It would turn a nasty counterfeit into a pretty decent cheap epiphone/Gibson studio alternative.
I just bought a real les paul classic vintage amber that looks just like the afd paid $1100 for it I think its not worth buying the Chibsons if your planning to upgrade might as well get a real one .. I say leave the chibson as is with no upgrades other than a pro setup .. or buy a real one .. my two cents II built a 58 Les Paul Goldtop copy it took me 2 months to complete using all vintage parts bridge knobs Central lab pots tail piece Brazilian Rosewood fingerboard original nitrate inlays Honduras mahogany correct reranch gold paint patent number pickups Royalite binding nos Caps bumble bees paid $145 for the correct Plastic formula t pick guard alone ! and $250 for the set up best guitar tech in salt lake in all after doing the math I spent $ over $4800! just in parts this was 9 years ago .. its an awesome guitar and looks as close to a genuine 58 goldtop but its still a fake in hindsight I think its worth it only for the fact that it has original vintage parts which I can get my money back and probably more .. 15 years ago I bought a ton of vintage gibson knobs switches caps patent applied Grovers .. I have a whole box full of vintage Knobs from early 50s to 60s .. Beutiful guitar and you got some nice chops Always on the run sounded Ace!.
Thanks Leo! Appreciate the detail of your comment. I'm in agreement with you -- it was a lot of work for what it was worth, but I learned a lot in the process, and ultimately spending money on one's personal education is never a bad thing. Cheers!
Really good video. I am trying to do the same. Can you tell which model of tunners used for it? Which nut? Did you re-wire the guitar? Can you put some links where to buy the parts? Thanks!!!
Thanks! The tuners are Gibson tuners, as stated in the video. The parts are all shown in the video -- you can buy from Amazon, Gibson, or your local music store. The nut was a bone nut, so I kept it, and had it filed down for a better continuity with the neck. Good luck on your project.
Wow major upgrade but the guitar sounds awesome, I just ordered a Les Paul Custom Chibson too but where would I take it to get most of the upgrades done, don't want to take it to my local guitar shop because it's like I am taking business away from them ordering this clone guitar from China, would feel kind of awkward .
Thanks! I took it to two different local techs I found on line. I don't think you will have a problem taking it to the local store -- business is business. Check with them first if you are concerned.
Best review of a Chib and the upgrades I have ever seen! Thanks for making it!
Rockett5150 Thanks! My pleasure!
i got 2 chibsons & i m very happy
i didnt even change the pick ups
WHY do all the negative comments say "YOU WON'T GET YOUR MONEY OUT OF IT" Listen up it's stupid simple. You do what you like to guitars to suit you! Duh. People don't upgrade guitars to sell! You find great deals buy cheap then you raise the price point for profit. That's called SMART BUSINESS. Guitarist always chase tone and sound. Guitar rock gods don't use stock guitars for the most part that's why they hire guitar techs. He built this guitar for himself and for the band he uses it in. Way to go man! Rick that beast!
WOW! Thank you for that comment! Finally someone who gets it. Too bad we don’t have more intelligent viewers like yourself out there. All the best!
Beats paying $4,000 CAD though.
Update: I love this fucking thing. Not as good as a standard, but definitely as good as a studio if not better. Guitar $370 CAD, Tesla Sharks $160, professional setup $160. Get a pair of 11's and use thick picks, 1.14mm and choke up on your pick, adding a little flesh once and awhile with your down strokes and you'll get a very close tone to Slash. I've been trying to replicate his tone and style for many years now.
The pots are cheap, but produce almost identical sound, the bridge and tail pieces are from epliphone and the tuners aren't the greatest but seem to hold tune for the most part.
Kluson or gotoh vintage lockers
i have a chibson lp slash afd... and i am happy
That is cool to hear ! :)
These are definitely fun for projects
Your playing ability will determine how well you sound.Good playing by the way!!
This is a quality video! You've earned yourself a new subscriber! Keep making great content!
+FakeLemon Gaming Thanks for the comment friend! All the best :)
this review made me happy
Glad you enjoyed it!
I have the same guitar and did the same mods but didn't have to dowl my Nashville just pressed it in with jb weld, I also added jonesy blues vintage electronics cts pots, orange drop caps and vintage wire. I love that guitar. I play it more than any of my others. good job and great playing
It's fun to have guitar projects.
Hey Chris, I just wanna say "thanks". I saw your first video back in around January & I'd been after finally taking the plunge & splashing out on a proper Gibson but there was no way I could afford anything higher than a used Studio model. Once I saw your video though, I thought, "Hey, I could do that" & so I did. I contacted Angela's Guitars & I asked her to make me one. I watched a lot of other videos about the pros & cons & what to avoid & I got her to make me a 'Slash AFD' Les Paul, with a one-piece mahogany body & neck, a proper maple cap (not veneer), ebony fretboard, with full binding & a bone nut. I knew I'd have to upgrade a few things (the pups, crappy switch, pots etc) but I have to say, she made me a beautiful guitar. I told her I wanted the frets to be level so the guitar would be playable out of the box & it was. It arrived last week & I'm really happy with it. I paid a bit extra for the extras but for $400, once I've put the SD Slash pups in & the rest, I'll have a great guitar forever for around $7-800. Which, compared to the $4500 + the real thing would cost, is an absolute bargain. I don't have a problem with buying a fake Gibson cos' I'm not American & the UK doesn't have any reasons to not let them through customs & I'm never gonna sell it on anyway. Thanks once again for planting the initial seed. Without your video I'd still be glued to Ebay, hoping for a bargain Studio. Cheers :)
Hey Ian, thanks for writing about your experiences and glad I was able to inspire you to get your own guitar! Nice to hear it worked out for you!
Yes I am the one that moded mine to the extreme with $4,500 chibson great video
In my experience with Chibsons, the maple top is not a veneer. It’s real flamed maple. But..what does it matter? Veneer or no veneer, it’s beautiful.
They’re not a full flames maple cap. That alone would cost more then the entire guitar. Most manufacturers use plain maple with a maple veneer, or photo flame.
@@SilentNightBodomNight that depends on who you use for the build. 100% depends on that. Here is the famous Crimson Guitars showing you that this one, like mine, is full maple cap:
ua-cam.com/video/AYk2GATHVVw/v-deo.html
I ended up putting the Seymour Duncan slash set pickups in my chibson. It sounds amazing !!!
How much were the pick ups?
+DE LA TORTURE I paid $340 aus in Melbourne
I agree :)
My chibson just arrived it cost $245 usd to my door. It's a better version than yours. But I already ordered replacement parts. The pick ups were $209 usd alone.
How do you know it's a better version ?
Love the honesty I love what you did to the guitar. It does look great
Glen Maldonado Thanks friend!
Im getting this guitar off ali. I like the idea of slash's afd guitar not being a true factory gibson. So imo getting a copy of a copy and kinda making it your own seems interesting and not really knock off like you would traditionally think. Get a bond with the guitar too getting it the way you want. The one in this video looks the part good job buddy. The eye candy is tops.
the cutaway definitely looks off.. i guess that's how you spot a real Gibson and a replica
Great video and audio! Best informational video on UA-cam bro.
About to order one of these myself. Been playing for 25 years and never played a Gibson Les Paul!! I'm a lefty so...
I pray I have the same luck you've had. Seen several on the site and vary about $50. So unsure which one to choose.
Thanks for your help bro! Any extra would be cool also. Thumbs up, great playing.
Thanks Seth! Glad it helped! Read other customer reviews to try to narrow the search. Part of it is taking a risk and part of it is luck too.
Chris is right about luck, you just need to do some research and dive in. I got my lefty r9 off han yun guitar store on Aliexpress (if you search left handed guitar and click on top selling you should see it near the top of the list)
Chris Kesner Just to add a bit to the whole experience you had and some good pointers ppl already made... In general, you have to be tenacious with any Chibson seller @whereverdotcom you by your guitar :P It starts with a very long "correspon-dance" explaining what you want and what you DON'T want in your peace you are ordering. In my case after few weeks of "deciphering" answers (imagine Bletchley Park) I got from one of them, I realized that although it will cost me something around 350US$, I would probably regret the whole deal. Adding all I was going through and all I will have to go through once I get the guitar, I realized that the math comes almost equal to buying a legitimate "Chibson" in a form of an Epiphone! Is the headstock and logo worth going through all what you posted in the video? If you are in a cover band where all details have to be spot on, then yes but for me, sound is what matters thus I couldn't give a damn if I had to play an ironing board with some wires and a pickup :D as long as it sounds the way I like it :D In short, Epiphone is a suped up Chibson anyway yet with more attention to details :D so I got me self a Epiphone LP Custom Pro in black! That thing, with just a regular setup (to personal liking I mean) puts most of the real-deal Gibsons to shame brother. I had several nice peaces, nice original LP's put to a test with my Epi (same amp, same cable, same everything) and it was more than a tight squeeze for the LP's I have to be honest! A good friend of mine gave me his '79 LP Custom for testing purposes (few weeks) and I couldn't find any reason to regret not having that Gibson instead of my Epi - except to boast that I have a piece of history.
The Chinese are progressing exponentially, in all aspects and we have to be honest about that - I bought several pedals from them and people tend to like the sound of "Chclones" more than the originals - "Ch" OCD, TS808/TS9, BBpreamp just to name few, sound AMAZING! Google SINVERTEK and you'll see why I am salivating each time I hear their Distortion No.5 (Updated to Drive No.5 - even better pedal). NUX Time Core is far superior to BOSS DD3 and 5 in all aspects! A Booster made by Rowin (Lef-318 I think) is a monster (if you know how to use it, that is). The only problem you'll ever have with all them mentioned pedals is the durability of the on/off switch but I change them anyway to something more durable. Disclaimer - if you get a dodgy one (hissing, buzzing or whatever) then you are screwed because although they are keen and willing to replace the faulty device based on your claim (as all manufacturers are), shipping back is a pain in the butt! Still, they cost just a "penny" compared to the big brands out there. Personally I didn't had any issues so far, they all "stack" nicely and (under condition you know how to use them) couldn't be more happier with the overall sound!
Just grabbed a chibson- I’m very impressed
Which one did you get and where did you find a good one? there are many for sale some even of ebay but only some are any good.
I bought this guitar and did similar upgrades and it plays great!! For under 900.00 Canadian and Iron Gerat pickups,I did the work myself,which you can do if you are patient. Thanks chris.
lovely sound ..love your playing style...
Thanks so much!
That's a really great job you've done on that one,I've just bought a beautiful November burst for £350 and looking forward to getting some genuine Gibson parts on mine too .Thanks for the inspiration.
Slash himself had a 'fake' gibson les paul. So this is as close to the original AFD than the gibson one.
Max C You realise the slashes "fake" AFD led Paul was made by a luthier in America right? So a chibson although good is not closer to slashes original than Gibson's replica
Viso ツ True, but if you put gibson hardware and slash pickups on it. You can come really close to the gibson one.
yeah but the chinese one is not closer to slashes original that the gibson one which is all that im saying
Slash's afd guitar was fake but it was built by a luthier in the US so it's probably not closer
"realise the slashes "fake" AFD led Paul was made by a luthier in America"
Thanks for your answer chris! gibson website don't give lots of information about that. other people told me that is something between 50s and 60s profile.
Great video Chris, I just got a chibson lefty r9 last week and it's a killer, I'm planning on a bit of an afd clone but I won't be going to the lengths you've gone to here as I wanna keep the costs down as much as possible. In the parts box are epiphone alnico pick ups and wiring loom, bone nut, blank truss rod cover, cream jack plate cover, roller bridge, epiphone tail piece, reflector knobs, strap locks and some good quality shielding paint, all up about $150. I couldn't find a decent lefty afd on Aliexpress so I took the plunge on a 59 lp and got extremely lucky.
Great! Glad it worked out for you!
Got Chibson Ace Frehley Custom Signature I'm working on right now replacing everything as close to the real one as I can new truss rod cover grover tuners new nut 3 dimarzio super distortions and pickup rings grover nashville bridge like you I'm leaving the tailpiece that came with it all the wiring and 500k pots new toggle switch and jack the guitar came with the plastic jack plate new gibson poker chip new knobs. Guitar itself needs some fret leveling and new set up and I just found a bought a gibson ace frehley hardshell case on reverb guy had 16 of them for sale at a pretty penny and that should do it. Good video man your guitar looks and sounds great bro. Cheers.
I did a similar project. I got the blue & silver burst Ace Frehley. Changed plastic nut to bone. Installed real Grover tuners. Replacedcrappy silver truss rod cover with true Gibson black Les Paul Custom cover. Replaced bridge with Tune-O-Matic ABR-1 bridge. Had to get adapter studs to fit properly. Switched gold speed knobs with clear ones. New wiring and high quality pots. New switch and got chrome tip. Removed poker chip. New Jack. Kept the same metal Jack plate. Changed cream pickup rings to black ones. Changed cream Chinese pickups to DiMarzio. PAF 36th Anniversary with humbucker chrome cover for neck. DiMarzio Super distortion at bridge, no cover. I opted to skip the middle pickup. I disconnected the existing pickup and just put matching humbucker cover over it. I left the existing tailpiece on it. That tailpiece is essentially the only Chinese item I didn’t remove. The truss rod only required a quarter turn. End result is a damn fine sounding Ace Frehley Les Paul. Sounds incredible. Feels amazing. My biggest pet peeve at this point is that the headstock design of Ace’s face doesn’t have silver paint on his makeup. Just white. I hope you are enjoying yours as well. Let me know what snags you may have run into. I’m curious.
@@Milestone74 I spec'd mine out to be just like the gibson version of this guitar or as close as I could get.I ran into issues with installing gibson pickup rings the pickup routing was too wonky and when I tried to use the gibson rings they wouldnt fit without showing some of the routing so I ended up using the ones that came with it. Um unless I wanted to dowl the guitar I ended up using a drop in gotoh zinc plated metric nashville bridge and ended up replacing the tailpiece with a gotoh zinc plated. The production frehleys used zinc hardware so of course I used zinc grover rotomatic tuners. No issues wiring the guitar I except I had to widen the holes for the pots and just dropped in 500k pots with orange capacitors and replaced the jack the guitar came with a cream plastic jack plate which is what you want and selector switch however I did not end up wiring in the middle pickup as I didnt have the right switch so I only wired the neck and bridge all 3 pickups are dimarzio super distortions . I added gold speed knobs that fit the larger pots just like what's on the gibsons it came with gold top hats on it. I also replaced the cavity covers with just plain black instead of the glass looking plastic ones that had Aces signature on it .The truss rod cover was a replica Ace Frehley one with the ace card and les paul written on it white on black like what's on the frehleys that I got off ebay .Where I really ran into major problems was the frets and fretboard . The frets on this guitar were crazy uneven and not level it has taken several fret levelings to get the fret board in shape. Before it would fret out in several places along the fretboard .But now it plays well with good string action about as good as a les paul studio .Also installed a bone nut .With the gibson case I found for a reasonable price I probably got about 1000 dollars worth of upgrades in a 300 dollar guitar. Was it worth it ? Yeah as the real gibsons goforth about 10 grand and I've always wanted one and for now this is as close as I can get. All the upgrades changed the weight of the guitar and made alot heavier it feels like a real gibson before it was kinda light. Would I ever buy another chibson and upgrade it again probably not they are too much work and getting them to the states is always iffy.
@@brian3344 Nice work, BB. I agree with you. I don’t see a point putting $1000 into just any Chibson. For example, I’d never spend $1000 upgrading to build a guitar that would cost $3000 new from Gibson. However, our Frehley guitars would cost $10,000. That’s a worthwhile project, to me. I spent a total of $908. I bought a Crossrock case for $119 on top of that, technically. It has blue interior which looks great with my blue guitar. Just a tip for you, if you want to change out your pickup rings, Epiphone rings will fit perfectly. Get the ones that are arched. I thought about buying a real pickup for the middle, but couldn’t justify the cost when I wasn’t going to wire it anyways. I struggled with that decision. Like you, I had to widen the holes for the new pot shafts to fit through. So I rolled up pieces of sandpaper like a cigarette and stuck them in the holes and sanded the holes a little wider. Didn’t take much. I didn’t know Ace used alloy tuners and such on the burst version. I assume you built the Budakon version? I went with chrome because that’s what’s on Ace’s blue/silver burst LP. I guess I got lucky with my fretboard. When I ordered mine, I communicated with the seller and told him exactly what I was doing. I requested that he send me the best neck, headstock and fretboard he could find. And told him I don’t care at all about the hardwear as I was going to throw all that away. Funny about the truss rod cover, mine also had the Ace of Hearts, but only said “Paul” instead of “Les Paul”. The back plate covers are certainly cheap mirror plastic, but I like the drawing and signature, so I left it. The backplate for the switch said “Gibson Hstrc” rather than “Gibson Historic”. Pretty funny. I’ve left it on for the moment, not sure if I’m going to replace it. I probably should. By the way, my daughter and I saw Ace from the front row in April. That’s what started prompted me to start this guitar spec journey after wanting this guitar for the last 15 years. I’m so happy I did it, but never again.
@@Milestone74 I need to make a couple corrections I told you zinc hardware I meant nickel I dont know what I was thinking and mine is the signature like yours with his face on the headstock. Sorry about that.
I could feel the quality of those new tuners after the changing in this video. And those are nice pickups, I feel the tone of this chibson here a little bit darker from the real les paul of the other video, but it could be the amp settings or mic settings. The real one seems to have more "bite" on the notes when you're soloing. But by the way, nice upgrades, must be very fun to play one of this live. I'm thinking of doing the same but with a chinese ES-335. Great video and playing mate!
Hey Pedro! I agree -- the Gibson has more bite to it, but I think that is more of a result of the ceramic pickups it has, vs the alnico ones in this guitar. Enjoy your ES-335!
I have a Chibson ES355 replica thats been fitted with Gibson pickups and pots its a great guitar. I've just bought a Chibson 59 Les Paul Standard replica which has a stunning genuine maple tiger top in honeyburst one piece solid mahogany body and neck and is lighter than the Gibson I had. I'm going to fit Kluson alloy tailpiece plus Kluson abr bridge with brass saddles had to get metric to imperial adaptor posts. Pickups will be Skatterbrane Yangbrane PAF double whites with SD nickel covers the pickups are hand wound in the USA by Rod Kinkaid. I might change the machine heads dont know yet. When its done it should be really good.
I like what you did here. I think this axe is more personal now. The 2 of you have been through a lot together.
Haha, cheers bud! I agree.
I approve of the Maleguana at the beginning. Great playing!
Thanks!
Great video. Thanks for playing a lot of clean tones to start with. You could have saved a little money here and there by doing some more things yourself but the end result is terrific so all ends well. Really impressive sound. Thanks for posting.
Rickholly74 Cheers, and glad it helped!
I've had a gibson and got a chibson, think that says it all really
This guitar is the replica of a replica of a replica! lol
EElectric.M
Of a replica lol!!!
Lol
Like Tropic Thunder LOL
Lol yeah, Chinese replica of a Gibson replica of what was a Gibson's replica
Bad ass review man, I got a ES-335 copy a couple years ago and talked my dad into getting a Les Paul deluxe replica. Also got a D-40 Martin that's badass, but you should check if it really is a veneer. Maybe pull up the pickup cover and check under there where it wouldn't be visible take a chisel or blade. My 335 is solid top but martin is a veneer
+LexDatrex Nice guitars! That's a great point! I'll check, but pretty sure it's a veneer, as the glue around the binding seems to look more like what I've heard a veneer does.
I like my Tone Pro bridge.
Looks sweet dude and I would definitely consider purchasing one.
Hey dude! Nice video and very nice guitar! Want to buy a Chibson this month, may i ask you: Did you use fret file on it, or was it a good neck quality? :)
Hey Will! The neck is good and the frets were fine -- no work was required to them and I've been playing it for a year.
I think i'll buy one.. and upgrade it with good stuff (new bridge, pickups and pots) :)
It seems not to be so much different as a good epiphone guitar, it's very cool :)
nice man. I had the same R9 LP Slash with same color. quite happy with it. I did replaced also the cheap tuners with a real Gibson pearloid tuners and made the holes bigger. Gearing up to upgrade the pickups same as yours or maybe as an option SD JB hot rodded HB pups SH-4 and 59 Model at the neck.
+Eddie Boy Sounds cool bud. I have a JB in another guitar and think the Slash pickups are nicer, but your call. The JB is also a nice pickup. Haven't tried the 59 but hear it's a nice choice for the neck.
Boy that's a lot of f@cking around to get that guitar in shape but you made some improvements for sure. A lot of cheap model guitars can be woken up with some better electronics I suppose as long as it plays and sustains good.
Slashes afd guitar is not a real Gibson, but it’s a handmade clone using better quality parts than what Gibson was using at the time. Gibson, only recently, started making Les Pauls, to the late 50’s up to ‘60 specs. The best “LP style” clones being done to today, would have to be Vashchenko guitars.
The new pick- ups have a much brighter tone than the original set.
For a knock off it doesn't sound bad at all. I have a Gibson Slash Signature, that I run through a Friedman small box and BEOD. The small box nails that AFD tones and the BEOD is perfect for the UYI tones.
Funny, he did exactly what I suggested in the last video. Swapped out everything!
Great video! I have one on the way and was thinking of doing this same thing...ordered it two months ago and still not in the states yet.
Have you recieved it yet? I ordered one from dhgate nearly 2 weeks ago. I think the seller is musicer1983 and he said it will take 2 weeks to make
@@BossTweed69 nope I paid on 7/3/20 and EMS tracking says it's bouncing around China still..
You are a natural, really enjoyed your review on this guitar so much so, I'm thinking of ordering one also. Only thing is, I can not find Angela's guitars on Ali-express, I hace found the same Slash AFD guitar, but with another seller. $423 NZD delivered. Nice job. Thanks.
munter10 Thanks so much for your comment and best of luck!
Sounds good and looks really nice 👍
Sweet vid. Really enjoyed it.
DamnSkippy1 Cheers!
If you study up and learn the ins and outs of setting up and teching your guitars it can be very affordable to go all out.if you rely on a tech to get it right your looking at 5 or six clams.
Turned out excellent, I've gotten cream grovers,if yours are green tint they made a mistake.
Watched all three videos (so this is really Part 3, right?) and gotta say, wow! Went from, this Chibson rocks to well, I spent about $1,200 in upgrades. I actually wished you had done nothing and given a review 3 years later on how the original held up. However, after understanding the types of rowdy clubs your group plays at, I get it. Hope your band gets that music contract & you can do a Hendrix, Townshend, Cobain guitar smash & send this Chibson to the final resting place of Gunga Din.
1200 dollars in upgrades plus the cost of the guitar. Your insain just buy a real Gibson studio or maybe a used standard if you can find one👎
thanks curt I'll give it a go
If you wanted to go full boat get a Gotoh Aluminum tail piece. And a graphteck nut
Always on the run 🔥
I think the bridge pick up should have the cream pick up facing the bridge but it sounded pretty good. Thanks for the honest review. Your right 1200 bills in to personalize vs a real deal that will not look the part. Peace.
+Jess Yates I like the reverse look of the zebra pickups too that you mention, but the AFD guitar has the pickups like mine, hence the choice to keep them like the original.
+Chris Kesner Rock Forth!!!
I took the pickups out and there was a maple cap clearly visable. however a veneer was definitely put ontop
At the end, you get a guitar where you have to change: the tuners, the truss rod cover, the nut, the pickups, the selector, the bridge (and possible the saddle), the pots and you have to have the frets worked on. All this knowing that the wood is not really the wood (veneer is not a maple cap, the body is painted so you have know idea what is really behind). I am not sure it is worth it. You can get a LP Standard used for the same amount and you know it is the original
For the same amount? I don't think so...
If you're not in a rush and keep your eyes open you can absolutely get a real Les Paul for $1,200. I got one for $800 where I "ALMOST" felt like I was stealing it when I wasn't looking for another guitar at the time. I say ALMOST because it was his asking price I didn't beat him down to that price I think he was already down on his luck. Sometimes people fall on hard times and they need money quick and even though Les Pauls aren't gold they can always be cashed in somewhere like gold can be. I think I just said Led Pauls are as good as gold lol? Well it's kind of true but it's good to know the spot price of gold if you're gonna decide to cash her in!
Maybe where you live. Not here in Ausland. I'd have to pay at least three grand.
@@steveallen984 what model?
Nice work, thanks for sharing!
+Gam S Cheers!
Thanks chris for your reply, one last question has just occured to me. I am thinking of buying new pods for my chibson, however I am wondering if I bought Gibson ones if they would improve the sound more than the pods I already have and bring out the best of the new slash pick ups I'll be buying.
WHat are your thoughts on the chibson standard pods that the guitar comes with?
Hey man, I just got the same guitar and am doing similar upgrades.
Wondering if you had an issue removing the old machine heads? Collars stuck in headstock
You got those awesome pickups and didn’t change out the wiring and pots? That’s like taking your Porsche to Jimbo’s gas station and filling up with the cheapest gas they have.
Very nice looking and sounding guitar.I think thought that you went overkill on it.All these guitars need from the get go are new nut and tuners that usually create the most problems....those kind of fixed bridges work just fine and if you change them you can always find a much cheaper aftermarket one.Pickups are of course a necessity to change too but you can still find cheaper equally decent aftermarket ones....My point is that if you wanna go beyond a grand on a guitar its better to get a neck and body build from some luthier custom made for you...its not worth go above 600 at best for a guitar like this.....iam glad that you enjoy it though and that what matters.To play the living shit out of it.Cheers.
Thanks -- you are totally right in many respects, though I did not like the bridge that much. This video is merely a document of the path I took with the guitar. Many other versions could have been done, as you say. Cheers!
Epi ‘59 plus drop in Gotoh bridge and a setup will get you there, except it doesn’t say Gibson.
Please tell me the seller! This is beautiful
Just curious which website did you buy it from? I've heard it can be hit-and-miss with Chibson.
Thanks for any input.
Thanks, I love your segment, it's just a little shocking that Sam ash on 48 st here in NYC used to sell the Gibson custom for $820.00 in the early 80s, now to refurbish the Chinese one cost much more I can't get my mind around it, so I just got the Strat for $165.00 then put in some @zexcoil noiseless pickups
+Icki Madrasi Cheers friend! Sounds like you got your money's worth in the Strat. Enjoy!
Using iron gear slash pickups from the uk($120) over the slash duncans($270) will save you $150 and are just as good
Thanks for the tip. The subscribers appreciate it.
Chris Kesner just cause you are a fellow Canadian I was wondering if you had any issues with customs and how bad was the duty charges? Mine is at Vancouver customs presently
Nice job & nice playing Chris !! Subbed :)
+terrybear Thanks!
Chibson is a godsend😍😍😍.. this only shows even god thinks gibson is overpriced😅😅😅
Yeah I don't understand why they can't beat their employees and pay them $2 a day. Stupid Gibson!
I bought a three humbucker Chibson LP a few years ago. I sold it pretty quickly after buying it too. The fingerboard was supposed to be ebony, but after playing it for a couple fo hours I noticed my fingers were black. It was stained black rosewood. Yeah, they look good, but they are far from the real deal. Even the one in the video ended costing as much as a real Gibson, but it's still not a real Gibson. I've got aJapanese Edwards Slash look-alike LP now made by ESP. It came standard with Seymour Duncan JBs. I got it used for 400 bucks. It is a real Gibson killer. The thing that annoys me most about these counterfeit guitars is, they are quite a good entry level guitar in their own right, so why do they persist in using the Gibson logo on them? They would probably sell more if they didn't use it. However, I know there are some unscrupulous sellers trying to pass them off as legit and selling them for legit Gibson prices. Therein lies the main issue with them.
Hey Chris, I really enjoyed your guitar playing on your UA-cam uploads, also thanks for replying to my first message but now I have 2 more last questions and I really need your help.
I have also bought the chibson and my tuners keep slipping out of tune so I am going to have to buy the original Gibson deluxe nickle machine heads to replace the cheap china made ones lol. I noticed in your upload you mentioned that the holes are too small in the chibsons and that they will need to be enlarged, how did you put the tuners in?
Also I am shopping around for new pick ups and I cant make my mind up as to weather I should buy slashes Seymour Duncan pickups or if I should buy a higher output Gibson humbuckers like dirty fingers. I want to sound like slash did in the studio song "give in to me" with Michael Jackson.
What would you recommend that I use for my pickups or humbuckers?
+scott mcmahon Hey Scott, glad the video helped and good luck with your guitar! You need to use a reamer for the tuning holes or take it to a tech to do it for you. The Slash pickups have excellent clean and distorted tones. I've never used Dirty Fingers, but I hear they are very high output and will probably not be as sweet a tone. Or combo them -- Slash in the neck; DF in the bridge!
Sounds fantastic!
Thanks friend!
Do you have any links for these parts? Guitar looks awesome.
Awesome review!!
Rafael Matiazo Thanks!
Beautiful guitar
You didnt change the pots? Still stock pots?..planning on upgrading the pickups on my chibson to a slash pickups
Great sounding guitar but the best upgrade you could invest in is a fret level crown and polish,,,will transform the instrument overall !
George Wheelwright Its next on the list!
@@Cerotonin I am doing the opposite...:)
Hi i wanna know if after these years you have had any problems with the guitar... thanks!!
Hi Ronald: I've been using the guitar live for 3 years and it plays well. The one problem is the neck is starting to warp after its initial set up, whereas my Gibson, set up 5 years ago, is still perfectly straight. Otherwise, zero issues.
@@Cerotonin It would be great if you made an update video about this guitar!!
why didn't you just get a gotoh bridge you would have saved 200 dollars on the dowel and probably 50 dollars on bridge.
Hey, very nice sound! Any overdrive to push the amp or just the amp's effect? Nice guitar btw!
Thanks! Only the amp -- no pedals were used in the video.
I been wanting this exact guitar what did you order was it a flame maole top 59 amber color??
Your vedios are very interesting,thumbs up :D
Chirantha Dharmesena Thank you very much!
Hey mate, nice guitar! I’m buying one too and first thing I want to change is the plastic pickup cover because for me is the only thing that you can really see that it’s a Chib. Could you solve that problem? Thanks man!
You've done exactly what I was thinking about doing. The wiring ok and also long or short shaft wiring kit?
Tim Henson Cheers! I did not change the pots or wiring as they seem fine. My Gibson has the long shaft pots. Remove a pot to see.
What are some ways to avoid to buying a Chibson that has had these upgrades? The metal plates and the 2 piece neck?
How much did all the upgrading cost you? Outstanding playing also. And did the chibson come wax podded?
no, came with poopy pickups, they'll have to be wax potted manually or replaced.
You've got one of them with the tailpiece about 1/4 inch back too far. It doesn't line up with the pots properly. If you draw line down from the front of the tailpiece it should go down btwn the front 2 pots. I can always see this defect, but otherwise very nice. I want one.
Thanks for the info. Interesting point. This flaw, however, doesn't affect the feel of the instrument. Good luck in your search.
Hello Chris, thanks for the video. I am thinking buying Seymour Duncan SH-5 for Chibson. What do you think?
I haven't used them, but I've been happy with all my SD pickups!
i think u should replace the body and neck to real gibson ones.
Har har har!
Lol I agree man
Sorry, but there is no justification for a price of a Gibson. I can buy two bespoke luthier made les pauls, that are properly well made using materials qualitatively exceeding ones used by Gibson. I am apauled by such massive drop in quality of Gibson guitars in last fifteen years. And yes, I own a 59´ Gibson LP and bespoke LP, which cost me less than a half. I mean if you are not prepared to drop at least 3 grand for a Gibson, you are getting CNC made guitar with mother-of-toilet-seat fretboard inlays. Only thing, that separates it from chinese stuff is geographic distance, so maybe buying a 90´+ Gibson just might make you a massive moron. Not a cheap one, but moron nontheless.
On the other hand, I simply can not understand, why people cant pay 10 bucks more for a different name on a headstock. It would turn a nasty counterfeit into a pretty decent cheap epiphone/Gibson studio alternative.
hahhaha
Try Epiphone trim rings around the pups. Remember these are knockoffs of the Epi Les Paul rebranded as a Gibson. She sounds good though!
chuck prahl Thanks for the tip!
Yeah!! Amazing!!
That body is not cut right ! Nice Playing
Great video bro did you put long shaft pots or short shaft in here?
Thanks! The pots are short shaft -- the switch is the long shaft.
Did you change out the POTS? If so.. to what? Thx
where do you buy this guitar? i want one of them
You say chibson I say beautiful guitar
I just bought a real les paul classic vintage amber that looks just like the afd paid $1100 for it I think its not worth buying the Chibsons if your planning to upgrade might as well get a real one .. I say leave the chibson as is with no upgrades other than a pro setup .. or buy a real one .. my two cents II built a 58 Les Paul Goldtop copy it took me 2 months to complete using all vintage parts bridge knobs Central lab pots tail piece Brazilian Rosewood fingerboard original nitrate inlays Honduras mahogany correct reranch gold paint patent number pickups Royalite binding nos Caps bumble bees paid $145 for the correct Plastic formula t pick guard alone ! and $250 for the set up best guitar tech in salt lake in all after doing the math I spent $ over $4800! just in parts this was 9 years ago .. its an awesome guitar and looks as close to a genuine 58 goldtop but its still a fake in hindsight I think its worth it only for the fact that it has original vintage parts which I can get my money back and probably more .. 15 years ago I bought a ton of vintage gibson knobs switches caps patent applied Grovers .. I have a whole box full of vintage Knobs from early 50s to 60s .. Beutiful guitar and you got some nice chops Always on the run sounded Ace!.
Thanks Leo! Appreciate the detail of your comment. I'm in agreement with you -- it was a lot of work for what it was worth, but I learned a lot in the process, and ultimately spending money on one's personal education is never a bad thing. Cheers!
bet you couldn't resell it for $
1500
+dezionlion I was replying to leo
Really good video. I am trying to do the same. Can you tell which model of tunners used for it? Which nut? Did you re-wire the guitar? Can you put some links where to buy the parts?
Thanks!!!
Thanks! The tuners are Gibson tuners, as stated in the video. The parts are all shown in the video -- you can buy from Amazon, Gibson, or your local music store. The nut was a bone nut, so I kept it, and had it filed down for a better continuity with the neck. Good luck on your project.
@@Cerotonin ...and no re-wiring??😕
Wow major upgrade but the guitar sounds awesome, I just ordered a Les Paul Custom Chibson too but where would I take it to get most of the upgrades done, don't want to take it to my local guitar shop because it's like I am taking business away from them ordering this clone guitar from China, would feel kind of awkward .
Thanks! I took it to two different local techs I found on line. I don't think you will have a problem taking it to the local store -- business is business. Check with them first if you are concerned.
Hi there from the uk...Can I ask how much you paid for the chib.?
How much counting pup's? I have to look to compare them to the Pearly Gates ?