Can You Make A FAKE Gibson As Good As The Real Deal? Ali Express CHIBSON!
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- Опубліковано 6 кві 2023
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The real question is can Gibson match the build quality of a $200 Chibson
Bet you can't afford either.
@@manson9083 I blew like $800k last year on houses and other stuff so no, I couldn't afford a new Chibson at the moment. Luckily I build better guitars anyway and have supplies stocked up so I'm good. I also enjoy the benefits of not being hard pressed to tell between my wife and the family dog who has the more attractive face. Maybe realize you have videos up where I can see your situation before trying to clown people. IDK whether that wildebeest is you or your wife but I'd rather stick my dick in an electrical outlet. Thanks for playing.
😂
Yes. For $50,000 you can buy a replica of Greenie. At that price; even if the guitar wont play well, you can afford to have it setup. Gibson matches qualtiy at a rate of 1,000 to 1. So a Chibson that cost 200.00 means a Gibson would cost $200,000 to match the quality level. But it would be "authentic'
Gibson sucks.
@@manson9083 He most certainly can. He is an amazing guy. Has an excellent job. AND he has the common sense not to spend $4500.00 on a Gibson that will have finish flaws, won't stay in tune and will have substandard construction. Chibson is a far better investment for the authentic guitar player. At least with Chibson you get a guitar that stays in tune, has great resale value and was not built by a bunch of progressive liberals who are more interested in the alphabet politics than building quality instruments. But, Gibson does make a hell-uva Tshirt. 100% cotton. Logo quaranteed not to fade for at least 3 washes. That's lifestyle worthy quality. And authentic.
I spent $199 for a Gold Top about 4 years ago, did the standard fretwork and equipment swaps and its absolutely magical. Not even gonna lie. I don't give a fuck what anyone says.
you can buy a great guitar from fender , Ibanez or Epiphone that is great right out of the box, why waste money on these cheap knockoffs??? If you buy a 200 guitar and have to put another 200 in parts and 100-200 of your personal labor, it ain't a good deal ....
@@kgtrains But what is a good deal? To spent on a copy of European classical guitar made from solid wood with 1 cut 10 000 $? Fender also copied look from Bigsby, they on the other hand copied European mandolins' headstock and body look from Croatia-Hungary-Serbia but i didn't saw that anyone cares about it.
$230 + shipping ($70) = $ 300.... epi will cost you $600-$700 - And you know what you're getting, and you can sell it
Right on!!!!! This guy is a MORON.
its 99% the player not the guitar .
Gibsons are not that even great to begin with, especially for the price. They can't even stay in tune. Slash used a fake Gibson when recording Appetite for Destruction and I bet it was better than the "real" one.
Slash used a Kris Derrig Les Paul replica. He paid something like $2500 for it in 1986, that's around $7k today. That thing is about as close to a $500,000 '59 Les Paul you can get.
You can't even compare the two lol.
Couple years ago I bought two Chibson from different sellers and I gotta say after bit work they both came out way better than expected. One of them was hgh end with nitro and full flame top etc.
Yep they are even doing fret nibs now, soon you won't be able to tell real from fake, unless you look inside at the routes, truss rod nut ect, they can be just as good as an epiphone that's for sure.
Both these Chibsons have fret edge binding and that was 4 years ago !@@2dazetake
@@2dazetake and epiphones have this funny habit of being better than actual gibsons
Dude, that's just a built in ring-modulator! Please do more of these videos. Really fun
😂
I've never understood the point of a ring-modulator. Just sounds absolutely awful
But... If you are into amateur liuthering and fancy a challenge, you could have a lot of fun putting your hands on one and modding it just like you want it. And have the satisfaction of making it playable.
I swear all the guitar stores on AliExpress are the same store. They respond when you first contact them and then ghost you after you pay. Then it takes a month to ship even though they say yes it’s in stock. I ordered two from two different stores and didn’t get either one. Both were refunded after filing a complaint.
Just acquired a “Greeny” Chibson Les Paul this week. I got it as a project guitar to upgrade. It came in way better than I expected. It even has fret nibs. Playability is great. Only thing is the fretboard has NO SIDE DOTS 😂. No biggie tho. It’s a project. But it’ll be dope when it’s finished.
I bought a Greeny, it arrived with the neck snapped in two. AliExpress won’t refund, the seller won’t refund, PayPal have bailed and ‘closed’ the dispute I raised despite twice submitting extensive photos and descriptions via the PayPal app. The quality of the guitar is so bad I wouldn’t waste my time doing a neck repair. It’s now the hands of my credit card company! AliExpress are shockingly bad, probably the worst customer service I’ve ever experienced. BUYER BEWARE!
I appreciate pointing out all the tiny details that help us identify low-quality construction. I've been playing guitar over 20 years and have never looked into any of this, it's all very interesting and helpful.
I’ve been subbed to your channel a couple of years I rang the bell and this is the first notification I got through ? Is it just me I don’t know but am glad now I’ve got a lot of catching up to do .great post 👌👍
Fun watch!
I did a similar experiment a decade or so ago ($350 black Les Paul custom) and the results were identical.
Managed to sell it shortly after and my monetary losses were minimal 😂
what do you expect from a guitar that likely cost somewhere around 60 to 80$ to make. It's not magic, and these Chinese counterfeit knockoff manufacturers aren't giving anything away. It's all about maximizing profits as any business would. It's all about buying, and slapping together the cheapest quality materials to make something that's looks cosmetically reasonable over the internet ---toys for day-dreamers
Hi Levi, first video of yours I've come across and nicely produced and good to see another British voice in the guitar world online :) You're 100% correct about NOT buying these knock offs, as cute as they might look hanging on the wall, they are a ton of work to make usable. I'm a big fan of the Vintage/JHS range of guitars and have picked up some lovely fully-legit "copies" of Strats/Les Pauls over the years, some that needed a bit of work (but not much) and some that were great straight out of the box. I also love Squiers and Epiphones (especially the old Korean ones) which I've picked up for anything between £80 for Squiers to £250 for a fantastic Epiphone Lemon Burst. Right now, if I had £500-£600 to spend, I'd go straight for one of the Yamaha Revstar range as they are knocking it out of the park with build quality, sound and style. In summary then, Chibsons are a lot of stress and potentially wasted money. I see people trying to sell them on Facebook - usually being 100% honest about being a copy - but they'd struggle to get £200 for one, and most hang around for ages unsold. The Chinese make some great guitars as does Indonesia. Forget what's on the headstock, especially if it's fake as fook - get a guitar that you can play out of the box from a reputable store in your own country and enjoy a grief free experience 👍
I really enjoyed the guitar tech and how you added him explaining all the things wrong with it! Keep it up!🤘🏻
I got curious a few months ago and bought a Jimmy Page LP Chibson, for £250.
The flame maple itself looks good, but the colour and paint is a bit disappointing. There is no fret binding either. I asked them to leave "Gibson" off the headstock but they didn't, so I slashed out the "made in USA" and cut "in China" into the back of the headstock.
As for the sound, it's surprisingly really, really good. I don't think they're wax potted, but I have no issues with microphonics. There are no screws in the humbuckers themselves, and the screws on the pickup covers are only decorative. The Grover tuners are decent on mine, too, but it probably varies from guitar to guitar.
I had intended to swap all the electronics and pickups out, and replace them with Seymour Duncans, and better wiring but, to be honest, it sounds really good as it is. People are very surprised when I tell them it's a fake.
I don't think there's anything wrong with buying one as long as it's not to be used to con people. The only issue I really have is the name "Gibson" on it. If they were made without that, they would be really popular budget guitars, rather than knock offs.
It even came properly intonated.
Mine came with a truss rod (that needed a slight adjustment) but apparently this can be an issue as some won't even have one.
I love and am thankful for honest individuals like you who take the time and money to help inform others about the trappings of going the super-cheap route. Also, it seems your tech's recommendation of just getting an Epiphone and not worrying about the hassle of getting a Chibson playable was an honest and helpful tip.
Thank you so much. I think I'm going to get your book too.
You’re very welcome! Have to make the stuff you’d want to see!
@jmhatutube Epiphones are great nowadays no matter were they made them not just electric but acustic Jumbo models are honestly sounding good as Gibi's when i tried 10 years ago made in Indonesia models, so i took one for myself. It was better guitar them Ovation, Takamine etc in that shop.
*Spear* is a brand name that have some models good as you got a HQ custom guitars. I saw some dirty cheep on UK market, they are old around 10 years like NOS stock but guitars are wow. Locking tuners, 1st class wood, finish, pickups are great and you can find 'em for 200-300$. Honestly it blow out of the water Gibi, PRS, Knags, Schecter, ESP etc and x other fancy names.
This is such a great video mate. I’ve been watching your transcription stuff for ages trying to learn little bits of wisdom from you here & there- this is a welcome change of pace, love your insight
A great way to get an amazing guitar (and learn a bit about how guitars go together) is to build your own parts-caster. I've made 2 really nice instruments using Warmoth parts. Start with a Tele style guitar though ;). TheTele I put together is my current favourite guitar and was assembled in an afternoon with very few tools. Probably equally good as my Tom Anderson Tele
If you've got a neck you love, just bung in your favourite pickups. Jobs a good 'un.
A Les Paul studio in a fair condition is about 750 quids. Maybe an Epiphone, Ltd or Sire Larry Carlton L7 would be a great alternative in this price range. Thanks for the demo and the warnings. I was curious but now I'm never getting a chibson ever.
You’re clean picking at 13:20 😂😂😂
“The frets were terrrrrrible”
You bring up a good point Levi about factories and sellers. There's a lot of sellers, which all use the same or similar pictures. However there's only a couple of factories in China which all of the sellers use. Basically you order a guitar, the seller goes to the factories and enquires which one will make it for the least amount. So there's no guarantee what you're paying for is the guitar you'll actually get. But looking at the star ratings, feedback percentage and actual feedback from customers is the only way to partially guarantee what you're buying is what you'll get.
The other thing to do is contact the seller before you purchase. As you found out, some don't respond even after payment. But if they don't respond before payment it's a big red flag. The second guitar I bought, I went back and forth for 2 weeks to make sure it was as I wanted it. The seller was engaging and that guitar turned out pretty well. So I ordered a third from the seller and ended up being garbage and unplayable (they shaved the lower side of the neck to fit the neck pocked making the fretboard uneven LOL). I thought I could just change the neck but that wasn't the case. I managed to get some money back but was still out of pocket.
Also, always ask whether the guitar is in stock and can be shipped right away. If it can, then the guitar you're viewing is probably the guitar you're getting. But remember, if you ask for anything extra or changed, they generally have to make a whole new guitar and can take weeks to make. And if something goes wrong, you may have to extend the shipping time with the seller. But if the seller's engaging, then it's generally not a problem.
Most sellers allow you to add some custom options to your order. Its a good idea to remove the branding (i.e. Gibson, Fender etc). But you can also add your own serial numbers - by adding a serial number that would never correspond to what the manufacturer would use (like - 000001) you can keep it looking legit and shouldn't be confused with a trademark guitar (and helps with Border Security)
As for the quality of the parts used and the setup, well that's entirely out the door. As you found, most just hammer the frets in and call it good. Fretwork and nut work is one thing you'll need to address and if you can't do it yourself, then thats an extra cost. Prepare to do the work. Pickups are generally ordinary too, but can sometimes surprise you. I still would count on changing them.
These days there's so many better options than taking a risk buying Chibsons (or fender knockoffs), providing you're not a brand snob and can deal with different headstock shapes and names. At least with these there's warranty and many provide free returns if it's not up to par (unlike Ali-express).
I wouldn't necessarily say don't do it, but know what you're getting into and what can go wrong if you do decide to go that path. Without doubt, every single one I've bought needed work but I expected that. And at least a couple were totally unplayable and unrecoverable. I also have a few that exceeded my expectations and are perfectly playable after the work.
I really enjoyed this entire video. I never knew how importing the fake stuff worked, and seeing the process in your video was fascinating. Thanks for doing this so the rest of us do not have to!
Glad I spent £1000(!!!!) so you don't have to hahahah
@@LeviClay But the good news is that you will likely make tens of dollars back on the ad revenue from this video!
Great watch dude. I dont know if you remember my "Vintage" as in the brand Greeny LP knock off complete with out of phase PAF pickups, it was by far one of the best necks/guitars for me with beautiful lemon burst & the weight you'd expect but it still cant hold a candle next to the best guitar ive ever owned.... my genuine early 80s Gibson Explorer 2 (the guitar that got away, that makes me cry as i write this) ......So however good the LP was it wasnt a Gibson so i sold it to my brother. I wouldn't get a copy from Ali Express, my first wife bought a wedding dress from there and we'd divorced long before it turned up 😂
Love this vid, thank you for making
I have a chibson with all custom internals. Sounds amazing
Finally finished watching. Dude it actually sounds great but I’m totally with you. For 700 American bones there is no way it’s worth it but still…it’s an experience dealing with these Chinese dudes. “Friend.” Lol. And brother…I don’t think we as your fans tell you enough…you freaking are a shred machine! Killer player, killer transcriber, killer content creator. One of my favorite guitar channels hands down.
you're too kind! I really hope yours show up (I don't see why they won't!) I'd genuinely be interested in seeing pics when they do. You should email me :)
@@LeviClay just got the first of 5. Email coming!
@@weightoawesome3455 this I have to see!!
It is 1000 times better to buy another brand than getting a chibson.
I haven't seen any chibson which looks like an original Gibson. The mother pearl absence on chibsons and the logos sizes on the headstock always speak louder...
I don't understand why people think that can look like a Gibson
There's nothing worst than trying to be something you're not... There are other brands better than Gibson today ... Why would you like to be related to a brand that gives nothing and wants a lot of money for your purchase?
Look for other brands instead of getting a chibson
I have a bb king Lucille guitar..and a glarry case...😊
It's so cool..
I don't understand why anyone buys fake Gibsons when you can simply buy an Epiphone. They are very reasonably priced and very well made. Wy take the chance on some crappy stuff from Ali Express?
The more I look into it, I've realized. It's just not going to be worth me buying a budget 6. I love my Ibanez 8, absolutely smitten to be precise. It's not a prestige either or their other pricey models. It's just a good quality guitar without flaws that got through QC. I'm determined that when I finally bite the bullet on a 6 string, it will be factory premiere everything, or I'll just buy eye candy with a good body and everything can get gutted and rebuilt by professional. Thanks, Levi. 🤜 I really appreciate the detailed look at alternative avenues of purchasing. Have a great weekend brother.
The guitars look great online. It just doesn't make sense to spend that kind of money on a gamble. Really nice guitars can be had for the same amount without any of those issues, and they are legal.
Great video thanks for putting it out.
What if someone wants maybe a black Chibson LP (no awful graphics etc) changed the pickups yourself to quality used items and set it up yourself ? This way there is little dead money and in the future possibly sold obviously as a fake item for what was paid for it originally? Win win??
Where’s the win? Customs my seize and destroy it. It’s really hard selling them because people don’t want to touch them. You won’t get the cost of the parts back, and how much can you set up? Mine needed frets glued in, then a complete fret dress. You set up to do that?
I bought one in a burst and stripped it to the wood. Replaced everything. Even the Gibson logo is going. Ebay shopping was the saver. Burstbucker 1&2 pups, bone nut. Grover vintage tuners. New Aluminum stop tail piece and roller bridge. Redid the frets ends and leveled a, crowned and polished the fret. oiled the bone dry fingerboard. All the pots and switch were replaced with the Original equivilent Bourne pots, braided wire and paper and oil tone caps. Many hours of work(I;M retired, so). It came out good. Isn't painted right but I'm not going there. For a bedroom guitar or maybe a loaner to the Grandkids Meh...850.00 bucks into it.
Good video. As someone who besides nice guitars also has a great upgraded Chinese 10s (LP copy) and an Epiphone, the Epiphone QC is so good now there’s no reason to buy a copy.
I am a competent guitar tech, so in terms of the fret work, nut cut and set up that’s nothing but my time. The problem with the fakes that I see when people have brought them to me is the cheap parts, it’s going to cost to upgrade even to the point of “ok” and to get to premium the investment is just not worth it. The biggest problem which you won’t notice for a while is the wood itself. It’s not cured properly the wood is going to twist and shift and eventually the neck is going to be a roller coaster or question mark. The frets are garbage as well three or four crownings away from needing to be replaced.
There are inexpensive guitars from good factories to be had for $700 bucks, good out of the box just a set up required and ready to go. If you really want to honor another player by playing their “signature” buy a completely usable guitar for $700 then pay someone to do finish work, don’t copy but pick a theme that matches and spend a few hundred on that.
Exactly. IF you really need the headstock shape, $700 gets you into an Edwards LP style guitar with Duncans already in it. On a good day probably some older Burnys and Grecos too. The only reason why these dweebs want these dumpster fire guitars is for the name on the headstock. Plain and simple.
Maybe because I'm a new viewer, but I've been enjoying the variety of videos you've been uploading, as opposed to just the transcription videos.
The reality of Gibson is their $5000 les Paul’s play just like chibsons when they are finished building. The only thing different is Gibson has a extreme luthier’s section where they spend a lot of time setting up the guitar and frets, and they already put good pickups in them. That’s it, there are a few quality fails chibsons have however, like their routing job is sloppy and their hardware is ass, but no one is gonna see the inside and you should replace the hardware.
Levi what pedal were you using?
VG video! Great content. I've played now for over 50 yrs, and have played (like you) everything out there. Outside of the headstock there really is not a significant difference in LP custom or production models. What I can say is if you are looking to save big money on a LP style guitar, take a STRONG look at the Cool Z LP (Dignity Model) used market. The Dignity mode guitar is based on the LP Custom specs and produced at the Fujigen factory in Japan. Remember this factory made Gibson's Epiphones back in the day. The Cool Z line is no longer made (now FGN) and a vg condition will run you (with ship from Japan) under $675 USD. The Strat models are as good as any Strat I've played also (this factory made the MIJ Fenders for over a decade). Give them a try, they are spot on alternatives to many overpriced USA models.
Thanks for your video I was considering doing just that like you did and upgrading everything..like you say cheaper to just buy actual Gibson at the end of the day.
Chinese Ace Frehely model is a excellent product. I've owned the 1997 Korean model for 25 years. Just as good if not better. The Korean model has Demarzio pickups, I don't know the brand of Humbucker the Chinese use, however their hot and articulate. Clean or distorted. The neck on the Chinese is styled like the American Ace model 1959. The Epiphone is a thinner neck.
Well if you are ordering a fake gibson les paul from someone who is manufacturing them, for them to go through customs fine just ask them not to put the gibson logo on the headstock
*You should do a transcription video of your "before" solo just for chuckles.* 😄👍
I purchased a off brand guitar and all I can say it was amazing when I got it totally amazing
Your tech guy is right, better off buying a cheap Epiphone.
This was a good watch, I've been hoovering the buy-buttons on aliexpress a few times but this really made me un-hoover. Think I'd be better off with a harley benton from thomann or similar.
I shouldnt be, but i still shocked to see how many people, looking at the comments, dont seem to have a problem with buying illegal fake stuff. Its not only sad but also just very wrong. As this video proved, it makes a lot more sence to buy a legit, maybe second hand ephiphone or squire if you are on a budget.
The Gibson on the headstock is the problem, I wasn't expecting that. Nowhere in the ads for Les Pauls I've seen on Aliexpress does it say 'Gibson', but they don't show the headstock in the ads. I love Aliexpress, I've bought something most fortnights for about 5 years, and I spent $500 on a saxophone that was a great buy a couple of years ago, so I've been eyeing those Les Pauls off for a while now! I can't afford to have it destroyed though!
Sounds like a absolute nightmare to go through all that. I’d rather go for a Sire or Epiphone for that price. If you ever get the chance to play a Tokai or Greco, I’d be interested to hear your thoughts on that.
Yeah it's a real pain in the ass what you have to go through with those guys over there and you only have about a 50 percent chance of getting something playable. I'll tell you what if you buy any schecter guitar's even their lower cost one's you will be amazed how good they are.
@FranciscoHernandez-xp9yi Tokai were making arguably the best guitars at one point, so i like them. even new ones that came from China, Korea are amazing. Sire is also great. Greco is part of MIJ legend, i like old ones especially when i find em for small amounts and dirty or if they need some work, then i get em for pinouts. With a little work i get in the end guitars that is hard to beat.
@@patrickshannon4516 How you cam with that % mate? Honestly even a Gibi or far more expensive fancy brands can be unplayable after they travel to another climate region, or when they sit for a few months in box in some shop.
@@bobibobik5903 Because they have people working at their factory that aren't that skilled and it's a big gamble buying something from China been hearing a lot of people disappointed with their building quality. I've ordered from AliExpress a few times it's a big gamble when you buy a two hundred dollar guitar from them that's exactly what you get you don't get anything spectacular. Ordered guitars from zzounds didn't have any issues.
I spotted right off that the black custom should be an ebony fret board not rosewood or laurel.
i have had a couple of chibsons and the basic quality of the timber and finish is good and you spend say around $300 on new electric and a set up and you have a guitar equal to most gibsons for a third of the price
Even if that was true(And be honest with yourself, it isn't) You still spent hundreds modifying a worthless fake guitar, when you could have bought literally anything else.
i have 4 chibsons and with some work i am quite happy with them. i also have gibsons and epiphones. find the right builder. be prepared to change electronics and do some fret filing. change the nut. do a nice setup and you have a good playing guitar. that said yours has arrived in worse condition than any of the ones i bought
can you point in the direction of a good seller please ?
So do those guitars have a Gibson logo? Because I got an acoustic guitar that was not branded I had no problems
Yeah they usualy are unplayable if one demands a bit more. "Playable" that is an very tutchy subject as one can play them fresh out of the box, well something. Gibsons are well made thru and thru as Chibsons only what one can see and not always even that. There is a mess inside the neck with an cheap kind of trussrod so that the guitar will never stay put it will shift over and over again where dead notes comes and goes. Inside an affordable guitar there is often an nightmare as one works with them all kind of wierd stuff poops out the most unspected one was an ortopedic footplaster. Today again i was adjusting an problematic neck, its truss and all the sudden one bit of some plastic crap pooped out and finaly i was able in fine tuning that relife. I doubt that one will encounter problems as such with an Gibson.
Great video thanks for sharing.Does anyone think it’s worth getting one,buying great quality used parts and doing all upgrades yourself (assuming of course you CAN do it properly)?Any thoughts? 🎸🎸🎸
That really sounds like you didn’t watch the video 😂
I bought one in 2023. The quality was poor on all components and had pretty bad visual imperfections in the finish. The nut was cut too low and the 12th fret was installed crooked then over filed so it played like total trash. However, I replaced the nut, pulled and replaced the frets and replaced everything else with real brand components. Now the guitar plays like a dream but it ended up costing about the same as a Gibson once you buy replacement parts, tools to do the jobs right, shipping on everything, time invested learning how to fix the problems, etc. Would I do it again? I dunno it was hell but I do now have all the tools and a new skill. 😂
I used to be a major cork-sniffer about gear: ONLY USA Gibsons and Fenders and all others are inferior. In recent years, however, I've found that the Chinese, Indonesians, and other foreign countries who make import "low end" guitars can make a LOT of instrument for not much money. More recently, I've been buying cheap Chinese necks online and just doing all the fret and finishing work myself with fantastic results. You can build an instrument that punches way above its weight class in terms of features and quality for under 500 bucks using Chinese parts and a little elbow grease.
Sounds great and if it plays nice then I think it's a pretty good deal. Especially for someone wanting to learn how to set up guitars.
I see these more as a decent kit guitar anyways 😁
buy a Chibson, put $1000 into it to make decent, and then at the end of the day I'd be embarrassed to show it to anyone.
I got a £200 chibson secondhand and stripped all the upgraded parts from previous owner. Emg81/85 solderless pots etc, locking tuners by sperzel and sold all the bits and almost had a free unloaded guitar.
Upgraded with irongear parts and Wilkinson hardware and made it to a Jimmy page copy. Looked good and played amazing. Could I sell it? No I couldn’t. Absolute nightmare! Got removed from every sale sight for being a replica or fake. It was listed as a replica and I also scraped fake into the back of headstock.
Ended up trading it for another guitar. Wouldn’t try and do it again
Its very possible to fix but would take alot of sanding
Man i just bought a iyv guitar it was awesome 7 peice neck through for 210 bucks swapped electronics no setup and its a straight killer. My opinion is very different.
your *experience is different
Helpful video as always, possibly interesting point, I bought a Harley Benton ( which could be considered a knock off i suppose)during covid for £135. ( think it’s about £150 now)
So I like a bargain, but didn’t have all the pissing about you’ve demonstrated you have to go through.
Plays good enough for me ( for context I’m shite and no one’s listening anyway 😁) but upgrades are always possible.
Good on you for highlighting this, it seems an easy trap to be tempted into falling for.
Harley Benton I been hearing that name a lot seems like they are really getting their shit together and building nice quality instruments. I almost bought me one but something to do with my credit card wouldn't let me make an international purchase from Thoman the manufacturer of Harley Benton.
Fret work. New pickups. Long as tpu get decent pots and wiring and tuners. Really can get good pickups sometimes. Honestly gibson custom shops have no wax potted pick ups. So food for thought. Def fret work tho
Why not spend that money on a pre 2000's Yamaha/Greco/Tokai etc.? Build quality rivals that of Gibbys for around /slightly higher price of Chibbys.
I wanted 2 artist models made to 24 fret and AANJ , basically Ibanez platforms with the Kamikaze and Crossed Swords graphics. A million messages later it all fell apart, likely thankfully. The sticking point? They couldn't guarantee that they WOULDN'T put brand logos on them. You'd think that was the easiest part- they save labor and customs aggravation and I get what I want. Nope, they wouldn't NOT commit that part of the fraud.
last couple ive bought have been great out of the box, on par with the legit gibsons ive owned. Changing the pickups makes it beven better
yeah people tend to forget that you might not even get the guitar at all...bc customs does their job properly for once..so did you get the bullseye version after all ?
The way I build them, just order a husk with pilot holes for the bridge and tail piece. Then you can use a real nash or abr bridge.I ordered stainless steel frets with nibs and the exact finishes I want. The cnc work is perfect and their paint is at least as good as Gibson. Under 300.00. Amazing! I have a couple that could almost fool Trogly! LOL!
Trogly lol. For the longest time, he went to actual experts for help identifying stuff. Don't let him fool you. He's a self-proclaimed expert. He asks other people about the guitars and then acts like he did it all himself. People being the actual experts.
That's the biggest problem with the Chinese knock-offs ..unscruplist (sp) sellers will sell them as the real thing ..and that sucks ! You're honest review was very refreshing .
Great Wall hanger
I see what you're saying might want to put a set of Seymour Duncan pick ups in there the pick ups aren't that great but you done some good playing.
I’ve ordered 3 guitars from AliExpress, first guitar arrived with neck snapped off, the other 2 weren’t damaged at all and the one I wanted most was perfect, pickups sucked
if you spend $600+ you should buy the Epiphone Custom Ebony it cost $700+ it was good as the Gibson custom
Honestly, if Epiphone brought back the open book headstock like they had on their MIJ ones back in the day, they would fly off the shelves...
I fancy an Ali-Goldtop but fk Horder Force busting me!!
Hitting Ebay I can get a Burney GT with a 15mm maple top and Mahogany everything else for sub 300 kingheads and it doesn't have slot headed tunomatic bridge (always loads cheap asf).. Has an open book headstock too and you can buy Gibson decals so overall a better bet.. I think... that said I need to check them out on youtube first.
One of the best players i ever heard swore by agile guitars you can get them used cheaper than a epiphone and way way way better
I got a Gibson and bought a Chibson from DHGATE, so i have owned them both for over 4 years now and I prefer the Chibson for my heavy sound, Gibson sounds nicer playing clean.
The Chibson was 270 quid with the delivery, so this depends on luck i guess...I am shocked that China can make such nice instruments.
I've been hopping around S.E Asia teaching English for 11 years. Your guitar tech would have my students crying...
What language is your tech speaking!?
Great video. The story on these guitars always seems the same. People buy them and have to do a bunch of fretwork, change all the electronics, pickups and often tuners and bridge. That is if they made it through customs and showed up undamaged in shipping to begin with. By this time, they have often spent enough to buy a real used Studio or Jr/Special or a very good new Epiphone. A few months back I was in a shop that carries a lot of used and they had a Studio on consignment that had the best top I've ever seen on a Studio and it was priced about $800. I can't imagine rolling the dice on a fake when I could get something like that guitar which not only looks better but is legal to sell and will likely hold its value. Just have to be patient and look around.
whats to stop them putting a fake unbranded veneer on ther headstock with the gibson one underneath would it then get through/ is it just the gibson logo thats why they stopped it ? or is it the whole les paul shape . How far do customs go to fins out its fake ? take for instance the buckethead les paul would they even know those arent even sold by gibson anymore and stop it or do they do a minimal check and just check the headstock ? either way this is a problem just buy an authentic guitar for 500 quid you would be much better off with a 500 quid fender epiphone shecter etc than one of these knock offs unless its just wanted for an art piece .
US customs really are stickers also I have to work with customs all the time every day actually I work for ups store here in the states
what language is the tech speaking?
"It's like they (the Chinese craftsmen) are making these with their eyes closed." Hmmm, hahahahaha.
A Graphtech nut is a easy and cheap solution.
The risk is half the fun! :D
Dang,i want one ! I love my Firefly V
It Is pot luck. I bought a gold top for £156 delivered and the workmanship was flawless. I've upgraded some hardware for about £100 and it's really great. Going to gig It hard.
13:00 pure gold. I laughed for one minute straight.
bargain
He purchased the sitar version.
I considered this but decided against it. I was more worried my guitar would get confiscated by Customs or get broken in shipping and I'd be out $xxx. Because I've seen many stories of people receiving broken guitars and being told they have to pay to ship it back if they want a replacement. Shipping being $150+ and I decided that wasn't something I was interested in so I bought from an actual company here in the US.
Lol! Exactly! Usually they'll send a replacement if it's seized. I still couldn't take the chance. The guitar I bought instead is phenomenal. Perfect binding and paint. It's an awesome gold top LP-style guitar. Fretwork is awesome. Ends are great. I bought 4 more from this company because of how great the 1st one was. If that tells you anything.
I do not recommend getting a fake Gibson. I bought a Ace Freely for 200 US delivered. The guitar looks right but the pickups are terrible. These Chibsons are only good for wall decoration... They are NOT good guitars to play.... you can get a Epiphone beginner model that sounds and plays fine in the US for around 150 US new and 50 US used so why would you buy one.... to make the Chibsons playable you need to add new pickup and have them setup???
I just saw a website saying 90% off
Selling "gabzon" sgs and flying Vs oh and IBENEZ Jem's
Not Ibanez all for under 25$ I wanna buy one but I don't trust it
I recently made an impulse buy of 3 guitars. The most expensive one was about $20 USD, but I wish I had seen this video first. My idea was exactly what you described here. It doesn't sound like it's worth the effort. Oh well, worst case I'm out less than 50 quid if I do nothing at all to the guitars. Needless to say, I feel a bit foolish. If it sounds to good to be true, it probably is. Thanks for the insight.
There are two types of knock off guitars. £200 ones that show up and play like £200 guitars… and $20 ones that will never show up. Get your money back now.
Many have known and discussed the quality of fakes, and yet they keep buying ?, The maker have a clear goal that is to make profit, but what is the buyer's goal ? So I was wondering who is the real fool ?,
i had to try 3 of these : THEY SOUNDED GREAT .. better than epiphone. so let's assume you chose the very bad one 🙂
Lol feb 20 I went on a binge and ordered 5. Now I’m really nervous. Only one was a try chibson in the sense it had “gibson” on the headstock. The others I had customized to say my and my daughters name. Hopefully they get here.
What about Aliexpress brands trying to make their own brand like nk guitars or Goc?
Gibson will probably be a Chinese company, in the not too distant future.
Wow, that guitar was in pitiful shape. I did not have that type of experience; within the last year I bought a Chibson LP standard and a Chibson ES-345. About $300 USD each, no case included. I am no guitar tech but with some minor fret leveling and setting up to my tastes and intonating, I am very pleased. I'll never sell them of course, but getting two relatively decent guitars for a 10th of the cost of a real Gibson seemed worth it to me. I do own real Gibsons and of course they are much better, but 10X better? Not sure about that.
So what if you told the seller not to put on a name like Gibson or fender on the headstock? Would it still get confiscated? Probably not because no brand names being used.
More than likely not, though technically I believe Gibson have trademarked their headstock shape and body shapes, but I can’t see customs policing that too closely.
Yeah then you're not accused of selling a counterfeit guitar so yes you can specify no name on the headstock.
@@patrickshannon4516 well thats what I would do then. Request from the seller a no name headstock. That way you know it will make it through Customs and not be screwed out of your cash.
@@erickrohn2970 I don't think it's about that I don't really think that a name on the headstock matters that much during custom's process. But it would however matter to someone that you are selling it to if you sell it to someone you would have to say it's a fake. I would probably go ahead and get the name on the headstock so I could pretend I was playing a Gibson that's just my opinion. Custom's don't open your package and see what is in the package.