Is it ok to talk about Chibson here

Is this the sumptuous plywood sustain you crave?
Or is it the 89 cent pickups?
I'll admit those counterfeits are getting better these days. Somebody puts the effort in.

But why not just build an original guitar that people want to play instead? And sell that?
Why go to all the trouble of copying something else?
Whoever does the building is certainly capable of building guitars; it's just no original ideas.

I suppose that is one thing that annoys me, too.
 
For me the gigging and getting stolen don’t apply…. Well unless some jerk breaks into my house. Only place I’ve ever gigged was church. I’d like to think things were safe there.

Total agree on the mod thing. The afore mentioned G400 was my first electric. Inexpensive. Modded/swapped everything on it other than wood and plastic. Would not have done than much to a genuine Gibson. Definitely not to an expensive LP.

But, a G400 isn't a Gibson and doesn't claim to be. It's not modding a fake.
 
When I registered the serial number on my Mayones master grade guitar the company requested I did not post the serial number on line
due to Chinese counterfeits. I have had people try to steal my guitars on stage the last time my wife's body guards showed no mercy.
 
I agree that there are lots of Gibby shwped knockoffs, and Epi etc that plainly state the name. But any guitar that says Gibson on the headstock that is not made by them is indeed a counterfeit, jist like a car that says BMW with emblems etc that is a cheap knockoff. To me it is just wrong and Gibson shoild do their best to quash that crap.
IMO.
YMMV.
 
I have had people try to steal my guitars on stage the last time my wife's body guards showed no mercy.

Yeah, like I said, that kind of situation did enter my mind when I was doing a lot of gigging. I got somewhat nervous about my Les Paul on stage.

I didn't actually seriously consider the idea of getting a Chibson. But, when you're watching your guitar like a hawk, the idea does pop into your head that using a fake would actually be kind of like instant karma to a thief!
 
The vast majority of fake fenders I see are Squier/import strat copies with a Fender waterside, that are home built.
There is a chibson les paul for sale local to me for 450$
I am a purist, so I am not a fan of either.
Just my 2c
I already have that fake Tele. Was a kit someone else had assembled. I also have a Tele body that I’m sticking a Warmoth neck on.

I would never put a Fender decal on the headstock. They will both probably remain naked of signage. If I could figure out a way to put my name on it in some fancy way, I would. Now. If only I was an artist. Kinda like Robert did on the guitars he built.
 
I already have that fake Tele. Was a kit someone else had assembled. I also have a Tele body that I’m sticking a Warmoth neck on.

I would never put a Fender decal on the headstock. They will both probably remain naked of signage. If I could figure out a way to put my name on it in some fancy way, I would. Now. If only I was an artist. Kinda like Robert did on the guitars he built.
Fwiw, I don't consider it fake until it has the copyrighted logos.
Plenty of cool partscasters in the world
 
I'm asking this because I've been whipped this week on another forum for doing so.
I also won't say a certain Lonn gave me the lecture :D
The talk is beneficial to a guitar discussion community in order to spread the word on what is real or fake. Plenty of potential buyers do not know what to look for.

Lonn is all about Lonn and the world according to him. Why do you think so many ST folk ended up here (me included)?
 
It is definitely common to see fake strats over on ST
12th fret dot spacing and truss rod insert type is the best way to ID them.
I once thought the fret 12 dot spacing was consistent from Fender. My time at ST has taught me different. There are genuine Fenders with wide spaced dots. Too many Fenders rolling out of many manufacturing locations will do that.

The truss rod routing is a more reliable indicator, still with some exceptions as above. Squires are all over the place. Thanks to easy to counterfeit Fender decals, it is too easy to turn a Squire into a Fender.

Chibsons are easier to spot. They rarely get the headstock proportions correct, especially the inlays on an LP Custom. Knob spacing and locations are inconsistent. Fakes just look "wrong" from a symmetrical point of view. I'd guess the curved top makes it harder for the fakers to come up with a reliable drill jig template.

People willing to buying fakes over a label is the real problem by creating a market for them. Same with any name branded merchandise.
 
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Im not the Chibson Police just cause i wouldnt buy one.But what i would buy and will be the next guitar i get is one of these new Epiphone 59 series.I mean read the specs.Gibson everything but made overseas. A legal Chibson. Only a good legal Chibson.1299 whats not to like.These might one day be more unique than a real Gibson Les Paul . They might pull the plug on the Gibby headstock.Anyhow this is what id buy.Screenshot_20240802_164113_Samsung Internet.jpg
 
Counterfeiting is bad. I knew a guy that could make anything with strings cry out for mercy. Taught me it’s not the label on the headstock…it’s the player. Seeing a person crushing a gig with a Hello Kitty stratish object is hilarious. I’d rather play an off-brand, than a tool of deception(counterfeit).
That said…
1722650763178.jpeg
…not a Gibson, or a Chibson…says “Gladiator” on the headstock….even has “nibs”.
1722650894141.jpeg
I have no problem with a non-trademark infringing copy…if it plays well enough. When I’m dead, I don’t have the guilt of passing on a tool of deception. In the end, it’s just another LP copy.
 
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
Caledonia 10-01-16@100.jpg
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.
 
Meanwhile another 50 Chibsons were sold as this was writen. Not sayin its right but it will never be stopped enless all imported goods from Asia are stopped. Same as dope Supply and demand.
 
I have one of the original Precision Guitar kits 61 LP JR clones they offered in the past.This company got a cease and desist order from Gibson so they had to change the shape a hair.They dont put Gibson on the headstock though.
 
EE serial Epi's have fueled my guitar learning & i miss them. Basically only play 2014 Gibson SGJ these days & just get it to do everything needed. But some of those epi's where as good as anything have ever played. But i still consider them in tandem with my Gibsons & either or works for me. back making heavy music again & could use these back, invaders & SD 59with phat cat. Ephrata Borough-20160521-00853-1.jpg
 
Id say the single most thing that causes most of the Chibsons to get to the US of A is the good ol invention of the Internet.Now its just the click of a computor or phone key and we can order what ever we want.
 
Id say the single most thing that causes most of the Chibsons to get to the US of A is the good ol invention of the Internet.Now its just the click of a computor or phone key and we can order what ever we want.
That and the US of A citizens who buy them, as someone said, supply AND demand.
Also, I am not saying that 2 slabs of wood a couple of knobs and electronic doodads are not overpriced.
 
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