I said this over on ETSG when someone brought up the same question...
A Chibson is a lie. A Chibson is a swindle, and anyone who sells one pretending
it's a real Gibson is a criminal. It's really as simple as that. There is no excuse
for supporting that.
The only reason to make a fake Gibson with a fake Gibson logo on it is to sell it
to someone who can't tell it's a fake. What they buy is heartbreak.
If someone buys a Chibson because they want a cheap Gibson shaped object,
they throw their money away, because the value of a Chibson is zero.
You might think it looks cool, and maybe you could use it for wall art if you're
an interior decorator. But the value is still zero.
So it's never a good deal. Much better to buy an Epiphone... they are not
pretending to be anything but what they are. And they keep getting better.
I bought my Epi ES-339 P-90 pro during the great 2015 Gibson Bash-Fest.
Everyone was complaining about Gibson's price increase, and about their
messing with the designs, and adding the wider neck and the way-too-soft
nut, and the stupid robot tuners...
So I bought an Epi in 2015, and played music. *grins

My Epi is an excellent guitar. The Gibson ES-339 cost eight times as much, and they are both made
of plywood. Yes, I glued a red star on the pickguard, so people would know I bought it from Commies...
or whatever they are in Tsingtao. Later I took the red star off. Epiphone makes fine instruments, far
superior to any fake Gibson. Epiphones respond very well to upgrades and setup. Mine did.
I still have it. And I still play it. And it sounds and feels great. I paid $339 for it in 2015. I don't know
what it's worth now, and I don't really care because I've had a lot of great musical fun with this instrument
over all the years it's given service.
If ya cain't afford a Gibson, get an Epiphone, and get it set up by the best luthier you can find or afford.
Then play music.