I bought two Chibsons

KrisGee · September 2023

I'd never buy one no matter how good they are. There's plenty of good guitars in this price range that were made by genuine companies without ripping others off.
Sorry I just can't get past the thing that they use the gibson name and claim to be made in USA. No matter how expensive or overpriced some Gibsons are these days.
Even my local guitar shop sells these, I think taken in a part ex rather than being distributors or something (we're authorised chibson dealers! LOL).
I love guitars way too much to support this.

maltingsaudio · September 2023

Wish I hadn’t read this thread! For some time I’ve had a niiggle, that I would like a Kirk Hammet Ouija more as a piece of wall art as opposed to a serious gig machine but the £3k price tag made it a pipe dream but https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005005949364608.html

Nb Mrs. M doesn’t agree, it’s got to be the real thing!

ScreamingDave · September 2023

I have to agree. I would never knowingly buy a fake guitar like this. Copies are fine, but branding them with the original brands, and claiming a different country of origin is just wrong, and I’d feel like by buying one I was fuelling the whole fake guitar industry by helping to create a demand for them.

CavemanGrogg · September 2023

OilCityPickups said:

dindude said:

Why would support the fakery market, just so you can save a few quid yourself. Don’t get it.

In general I have no issue if they don't have a fake name on the headstock. If it has Gibson on the headstock and is not made by Gibson it's a forgery. Now I understand that folks will get their panties in a bunch saying they are 'replicas' and that if making replicas is a crime, it's a victimless one ... as Gibson are a big faceless company who probably overcharges anyway, makes shoddy products, yada yada yada. However much folks say these guitars are keepers and will never get out onto the market ... we all know that we are mortal, can get short of money ... whatever it takes ... they get into the market and it only takes one 'wrong-un' somewhere further along the line to defraud a buyer.

Why not have a blank headstock or your own made up name?

So as a company that manufactures it's own pickups, spends money on developing new ones, marketing them and such, it's ok for me to buy a few of your pickups, send them to China to be reversed engineered, and have a factory churn out hundreds of copies at a fraction of the cost - though not necessarily quality China can make great quality as well as cheap shit, and take advantage of the name, reputation and marketing you have built up with a lot of time, effort, and spent hard earned money on? It is after all as you yourself state a ''victimless crime''.

lustycourtier · September 2023

57Deluxe said:

early adopter - 2007 Tele from china via German bulk importer. They were listed from 99p on ebay over a few months; different colours/models. I snagged mine for £15 and you only have to see the wear on ffretboard to see how much it has been played. Is a great sounding guitar and good neck to boot. Silver sparkle was good enough for Lou Reed...

No offence, but that looks like a £15 guitar. Glad you like it though.

roberty · September 2023

Digging the moderne. Glad it worked out

OilCityPickups · September 2023

CavemanGrogg said:

OilCityPickups said:

dindude said:

Why would support the fakery market, just so you can save a few quid yourself. Don’t get it.

In general I have no issue if they don't have a fake name on the headstock. If it has Gibson on the headstock and is not made by Gibson it's a forgery. Now I understand that folks will get their panties in a bunch saying they are 'replicas' and that if making replicas is a crime, it's a victimless one ... as Gibson are a big faceless company who probably overcharges anyway, makes shoddy products, yada yada yada. However much folks say these guitars are keepers and will never get out onto the market ... we all know that we are mortal, can get short of money ... whatever it takes ... they get into the market and it only takes one 'wrong-un' somewhere further along the line to defraud a buyer.

Why not have a blank headstock or your own made up name?

So as a company that manufactures it's own pickups, spends money on developing new ones, marketing them and such, it's ok for me to buy a few of your pickups, send them to China to be reversed engineered, and have a factory churn out hundreds of copies at a fraction of the cost - though not necessarily quality China can make great quality as well as cheap shit, and take advantage of the name, reputation and marketing you have built up with a lot of time, effort, and spent hard earned money on? It is after all as you yourself state a ''victimless crime''.

You totally mistake what I said ... I didn't stat it was a victimless crime I said:
'folks will get their panties in a bunch saying they are 'replicas' and that if making replicas is a crime, it's a victimless one'
As such i was stating that's what folks would say ... not what I would say.
It is a crime to rip off other peoples trademarks and patents, it is illegal to sell instruments that infringe trademark/patent, and personally I think it's morally questionable to own one.
I have less of a problem with an instrument that has no forged logo ... that was my point.

guitargeek62 · September 2023

DrBob said:

guitargeek62 said:

TTony said:

I remember that original thread @guitargeek62 - and you’ve still got it !!!

I do indeed, it's genuinely a great guitar! Currently it's rocking a 59/JB set which don't quite suit it - I'm planning to revert back to the mojo'tron setup at some point though I might go over to Crimson again and do a pickup winding course there so it could well end up with a set of self-wound trons

Given your “scorched earth” approach to guitar ownership it is remarkable that you still own this guitar !

Haha touché! Even if it was legal to sell this one as-is with the G-logo I strongly suspect it would have survived my Stalin-istic culls, it’s just a pleasure to play and has a strong sentimental attachment too by now.

Sassafras · September 2023

I'm getting myself one of these babies:

Picture 1 of 6

Sassafras · September 2023

And one of these:

Picture 2 of 7

OilCityPickups · September 2023

Sassafras said:

I'm getting myself one of these babies:

It'll never fit in that case mind!

Woodenhead · September 2023

Svartmetall said:

Fingers657 said:

Obviously they don’t use names.
You just check out the pictures.
This is the EBay seller I used.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/str/gbselectricguitars

Looking at the Kami on there; did you get stung for customs charges?

I'm interested to know if @Fingers657 paid customs charges too?

They do a Kirk Hammett Karloff Mummy guitar that I wouldn't mind at ~£250, going by this feedback though I might give it a miss...

"Really bad finish on the guitar the image was blurry and badly placed and missing in places, have returned the guitar and receive as refund ,the seller was helpful with the return and refunded promptly,just a shame the item was so poorly finished"

tony99 · September 2023

I'm quite sure a lot of these sellers put up pictures of far nicer guitars than what you might end up with too.

bluecat · September 2023

Half the body is missing, looks more like a real axe for chopping down trees.

Svartmetall · October 2023

Woodenhead said:
They do a Kirk Hammett Karloff Mummy guitar that I wouldn't mind at ~£250, going by this feedback though I might give it a miss...

"Really bad finish on the guitar the image was blurry and badly placed and missing in places, have returned the guitar and receive as refund ,the seller was helpful with the return and refunded promptly,just a shame the item was so poorly finished"

And I've just realised there actually is an 'ESP' logo on that one I linked to (black on black so hard to spot), so it's not a tribute - it's a counterfeit. Avoiding.

OilCityPickups · October 2023

Svartmetall said:

Woodenhead said:
They do a Kirk Hammett Karloff Mummy guitar that I wouldn't mind at ~£250, going by this feedback though I might give it a miss...

"Really bad finish on the guitar the image was blurry and badly placed and missing in places, have returned the guitar and receive as refund ,the seller was helpful with the return and refunded promptly,just a shame the item was so poorly finished"

And I've just realised there actually is an 'ESP' logo on that one I linked to (black on black so hard to spot), so it's not a tribute - it's a counterfeit. Avoiding.

What I struggle to get my head around with 'fake brand' Chibsons is who is trying to fool who - and why? What are they for?

I just had a glorious 1965 Firebird 7 in for work ... I would kill for one ... and yes I could buy a fake Chinese one. But firstly I couldn't fool myself it was genuine ... and why would I want to? I could pose in the mirror and pretend I was Johnny Winter ... but I grew out of that at fourteen. It wont play like a Gibson unless I spend a truck load on upgrades ... and then it will almost certainly be made of cheaper wood ...
So do I want to fool other guitarists that I'm Joe Bonamassa and have a multi million dollar guitar collection? Well they won't believe that down at the Dog and Duck.
So what are they for when we have Epiphone, Harley Benton ... etc etc?

Offset · October 2023

OilCityPickups said:

I just had a glorious 1965 Firebird 7 in for work ... I would kill for one ... and yes I could buy a fake Chinese one. But firstly I couldn't fool myself it was genuine ... and why would I want to? I could pose in the mirror and pretend I was Johnny Winter ... but I grew out of that at fourteen.

I'm 63 next month, and I've never grown out of it :-)

Svartmetall · October 2023

OilCityPickups said: What I struggle to get my head around with 'fake brand' Chibsons is who is trying to fool who - and why? What are they for?

I just had a glorious 1965 Firebird 7 in for work ... I would kill for one ... and yes I could buy a fake Chinese one. But firstly I couldn't fool myself it was genuine ... and why would I want to? I could pose in the mirror and pretend I was Johnny Winter ... but I grew out of that at fourteen. It wont play like a Gibson unless I spend a truck load on upgrades ... and then it will almost certainly be made of cheaper wood ...
So do I want to fool other guitarists that I'm Joe Bonamassa and have a multi million dollar guitar collection? Well they won't believe that down at the Dog and Duck.
So what are they for when we have Epiphone, Harley Benton ... etc etc?

Maybe you just love the look of a certain guitarist's signature instrument, and would enjoy playing something similar? My issue with signature guitars is that I can't bring myself to play a guitar with someone else's actual name on it; like, I love the Jem 555 but it has an inlay with 'Steve Vai' on one of the upper frets, and that's a deal-breaker for me. Steve is awesome; he's also not me. I have the Tony Iommi signature Epi SG and I adore it (the pickups are bloody amazing), but if it had Iommi's name inlaid into the neck I wouldn't have wanted it.

tony99 · October 2023

Svartmetall said:

OilCityPickups said: What I struggle to get my head around with 'fake brand' Chibsons is who is trying to fool who - and why? What are they for?

I just had a glorious 1965 Firebird 7 in for work ... I would kill for one ... and yes I could buy a fake Chinese one. But firstly I couldn't fool myself it was genuine ... and why would I want to? I could pose in the mirror and pretend I was Johnny Winter ... but I grew out of that at fourteen. It wont play like a Gibson unless I spend a truck load on upgrades ... and then it will almost certainly be made of cheaper wood ...
So do I want to fool other guitarists that I'm Joe Bonamassa and have a multi million dollar guitar collection? Well they won't believe that down at the Dog and Duck.
So what are they for when we have Epiphone, Harley Benton ... etc etc?

Maybe you just love the look of a certain guitarist's signature instrument, and would enjoy playing something similar? My issue with signature guitars is that I can't bring myself to play a guitar with someone else's actual name on it; like, I love the Jem 555 but it has an inlay with 'Steve Vai' on one of the upper frets, and that's a deal-breaker for me. Steve is awesome; he's also not me. I have the Tony Iommi signature Epi SG and I adore it (the pickups are bloody amazing), but if it had Iommi's name inlaid into the neck I wouldn't have wanted it.

I get that but then I'm really into Les Pauls so..

carlos · October 2023

tony99 said:

I'm quite sure a lot of these sellers put up pictures of far nicer guitars than what you might end up with too.

I'm on dating apps, so I'm used to it.

Philly_Q · October 2023

Going back to the OP, I do think the RD and Moderne look cool and, as far as I can see, well made. I wouldn't be comfortable buying them though, due to the name on the headstock... but if they used a brand name of their own I'd consider it.

The whole Chibson concept seems a bit odd to me. No-one - or hardly anyone - would be fooled into thinking they're genuine, and there are so many legitimate brands making Gibson copies, or near-copies, anyway. What's the point of using a brand name fraudulently?

Kittyfrisk · October 2023

Philly_Q said:

Going back to the OP, I do think the RD and Moderne look cool and, as far as I can see, well made. I wouldn't be comfortable buying them though, due to the name on the headstock... but if they used a brand name of their own I'd consider it.

The whole Chibson concept seems a bit odd to me. No-one - or hardly anyone - would be fooled into thinking they're genuine, and there are so many legitimate brands making Gibson copies, or near-copies, anyway. What's the point of using a brand name fraudulently?

Dunno. Anyone have Slash's contact details?
https://www.guitarplayer.com/gear/a-look-back-at-slashs-les-paul-standard-copy
Also https://www.guitarworld.com/gear/meet-fake-les-paul-worth-more-your-car

Philly_Q · October 2023

Kittyfrisk said:

Philly_Q said:

Going back to the OP, I do think the RD and Moderne look cool and, as far as I can see, well made. I wouldn't be comfortable buying them though, due to the name on the headstock... but if they used a brand name of their own I'd consider it.

The whole Chibson concept seems a bit odd to me. No-one - or hardly anyone - would be fooled into thinking they're genuine, and there are so many legitimate brands making Gibson copies, or near-copies, anyway. What's the point of using a brand name fraudulently?

Dunno. Anyone have Slash's contact details?
https://www.guitarplayer.com/gear/a-look-back-at-slashs-les-paul-standard-copy
Also https://www.guitarworld.com/gear/meet-fake-les-paul-worth-more-your-car

I was thinking strictly of the Chibson phenomenon... but good point, well made.

Kittyfrisk · October 2023

Philly_Q said:

Kittyfrisk said:

Philly_Q said:

Going back to the OP, I do think the RD and Moderne look cool and, as far as I can see, well made. I wouldn't be comfortable buying them though, due to the name on the headstock... but if they used a brand name of their own I'd consider it.

The whole Chibson concept seems a bit odd to me. No-one - or hardly anyone - would be fooled into thinking they're genuine, and there are so many legitimate brands making Gibson copies, or near-copies, anyway. What's the point of using a brand name fraudulently?

Dunno. Anyone have Slash's contact details?
https://www.guitarplayer.com/gear/a-look-back-at-slashs-les-paul-standard-copy
Also https://www.guitarworld.com/gear/meet-fake-les-paul-worth-more-your-car

I was thinking strictly of the Chibson phenomenon... but good point, well made.

Not attempting to being a smartarse about what is a very complex issue (well, it is to me...) but there are some unusual philosophically based body swerves applied to guitars such as we have been discussing.
Discuss :-D

Fingers657 · October 2023

This is interesting.
https://youtu.be/H52jtj0sifw?feature=shared

Fingers657 · October 2023

My thoughts on the Ethics is I don’t care to be honest because they won’t ever be sold on.
Ive got a very large collection of guitars that include Fenders Gibson’s Yamaha Epiphone inspired by Gibsons Burns Vintage Danelectro HB PRS Hofner Squire Larry Carlton and many others.
I was a big fan of the late great CGS / China Guitar Sceptic YouTube channel for years .
So thought I would try a couple just for fun something to do .
Im quite impressed so far and guessing these are coming out of the same Chinese factories as well known makes.
I decided to buy another two A Chibson and a Yamason

Fingers657 · October 2023

carlos said:

tony99 said:

I'm quite sure a lot of these sellers put up pictures of far nicer guitars than what you might end up with too.

I'm on dating apps, so I'm used to it.

That made me laugh man.

Fingers657 · October 2023

Jonny the budget guitar show on YouTube was sent a limited edition Fazley guitar to review by Bax music a few weeks back.
It was a nice looking guitar.
Then he found out the same guitar was for sale on amazon Germany under a different name for lots less money.
So he bought to check out.
IMO it was a much better looking guitar because of its much nicer scratch plate.
Nobody in their right mind would counterfeit Fazley guitars .
It’s basically a Chinese factory doing a run of same guitars for Bax and another company .
Top Japanese factories used to do exactly the same in the 70s 80s 90s
lots of the same guitars with different names on them.

Aidanspaghetti · October 2023

Sassafras said:

And one of these:

"Other customers who bought this also reccommend our "Sabre tooth" look fur loincloth and "Horned Helm".

Fingers657 · October 2023

I added a poker chip and cream switch tip and removed the badly fitted metal scratch plate bracket and fixed directly to the body of the Yamason.
I haven’t done anything to the Ace three humbucker Chibson except adding the poker chip new strings and a bit of a set up.

https://ibb.co/twGVGJV

https://ibb.co/DMSPV2N

https://ibb.co/4VF2cMv

https://ibb.co/rm1JLFv

Howdy, Stranger!

Categories

In this Discussion

Become a Subscriber!

I bought two Chibsons

Comments