Over the years I have purchased several Chibsons and other replica guitars. In this video, I try to answer the question "are Chibsons and replicas worth it?" based on my experience. Hope you enjoy it and thanks for watching!
I have gotten out of the Chibson's and Replicas. Although, they can be a nice conversation wall hanging piece. Others that really can't tell the difference look at them with big eyes because it has Gibson on the headstock. Thats why I changed all of mine to say Chibson now. If you are not a good guitar player, like me. You prob would know the difference if the Chibson was setup properly. For a kid who wants to play guitar. I would just buy a ESP LTD or an Ibanez GIO. Used or new, they are around the same price as a Chibson with less troubles.
I would agree with all of this. For someone who just wants a decent guitar that’s ready to play out of the box, I’d say just buy an LTD or Epiphone for less expensive Ibanez.
I haven't bought a Chibson/Chinese copy in about 10 years. The last one I got I had them custom make me a "Les Paul" I had them do a quilted top Bourbon Burst, with ebony fretboard and the Supreme inlays. I still have it, its gone through a few changes, but now it has a roller bridge, (original tailpiece), EMG 57/66's w obviously EMG pots, switch and jack), a tusq nut and locking tuners. I played it everyday for years, I still play it a lot, I have 5 LP style guitars, some Epi's, one Gibby, one Harley Benton plus Emg and my Chibson. I have to admit the Chibson Custom is still my most played LP style guitar. Thinking about getting a couple super strats that are hard to find nowadays and just upgrading them. Like the JP and Jem777 as well.
it's totally worth it now. the quality of chibsons today are far better than 10, 15 years ago and plus with the rising costs of epiphones that are now over $900 USD, buying a "greenie" epiphone for over $1000 is crazy compared to buying a chibson version which cost about $300 and plus they're both made in the same country, same factory just across the street from each other! LOL!! buy a chibson, strip it, and just replace all the hardware and pickups with gibson usa parts and you got yourself a great guitar minus the flame maple wood whereas the veneer tops looks just as good from far away.
My experience is that the Chibsons and other replica guitars are great for project guitars. They generally look the part and can sound good with upgraded pickups etc. I do have a relatively new Epiphone Jerry Cantrell "Wino" Les Paul Custom and IMO, it’s definitely superior to the Chibsons.
I got a real Gibson but wanted to mod it my way. Bought a used 97 L P studio ebony with gold trim ebony fretboard with 496/500 pups. But changed pots, wiring, bridge, nut, and tuners. I like my headstock. Goes so nice next to my Strat.
Rob, any suggestions for a smaller width neck and rather thin ? I used to play a little bit.Never got good, or even consistent. That was almost 10 years ago. I'd really like to get back into it and actually do things correctly. I wasn't picking well but now know better, and I have short fingers, and horrible arthritis. I do have good days and that's when I get the itch.. Any recommendations for a thin and more narrow neck ? Make and model suggestions would be great.
Ibanez necks tend to be thinner in general but they can wider on some models (R3 nut vs R2 nut). A few questions. Do you want a guitar with a trem? Do you like Les Pauls? What’s your budget? etc
@@RobNY5150 I had a very used ESP KH 202 with Floyd rose bridge. It was fkd didnt really work at all. Went out of tune easily also. I am just pondering the thought as of now. But I don't really want to spend more than 300 if possible. I like playing more metal and punk than anything. My uncle was into Gibson's when he was alive. He had smaller hands as well and said Gibson just felt better to him.
@@CarsCatAliens my best suggestion would be to go to a local music store like a Guitar Center and try out different guitars because necks with similar specs can feel very different. Like sometimes narrow necks with a Floyd (R2 nut) can actually feel chunky because of the neck shape in the back but a wider neck with a Floyd, let’s say an R3 nut, can feel smaller because the neck profile can be carved thinner.
I'm mostly a Strat-Tele guy and I'm a player not a passive guitar enthusiast or collector. I wanted a good inexpensive humbucker Les Paul type guitar to play. I've never bought a guitar thinking of resale value or investments-strictly for what I thought guitars were-musical instruments. I took a gamble on a Chibson, knowing of the problems many have cited. The one I chose is an antique natural quilted maple top-{ok, ok, for all you enthusiast experts,not really players} veneer Les Paul Custom. Yes, it needed a few frets leveled and electronics, pickups upgrade. End result-fantastic looking, sounding and best of all-playing guitar.I'm all in at about $520. Totally worth it. If a guitar doesn't play well or I can't make it play well...I get rid of it. For all you expert, purist, guitar enthusiast not really players, my Chibson was supposed to come unbranded,but it didn't. I've been a guitar player for 45 years so my opinion may matter to another real player. Worth it? to a real player...for sure. To a guitar purist,"expert on specs" enthusiast-probably not.
@@Ron_Masterjohn I don’t think the seller is around now. After a while, I realized I didn’t like the neck because the decal was incorrect and it was a baseball bat kinda neck. So I purchased a generic Ibanez neck off of eBay painted the headstock put on a more accurate decal, and screwed that to the body. It’s much better now.
If you had told me back in '93-'94 I could get my hands on a JPM-100 copy for ~$300, I would have flipped out. I'm still seriously considering getting one in B&W Picasso, even though I'm not a huge DT fan anymore (still lots of respect, though). I, too am a huge Sykes fan, I recognized that one almost as immediately as the Zakk Wylde. Right now, I've got a Chinese factory building me a Acoustasonic Jazzmaster, and trying my best to get them to properly inlay the top flush with the body. I may have a lot more luthier work on my hands than I bargained for.
They are well worth the money you pay. They play and sound just as good as high dollar guitars. Sometimes you have to change out the pickups and the tuner keys
As a southpaw, I've had a number of guitars and basses made to spec overseas. All turned out good, and with a few mods play great and have not turned into pretzels 😂
@@herickvar8608 Various sellers over the years. Just keep trying to find one open to it, then hound them regularly for pictures of the build process. Good luck
cheap knockoff guitars largely appeal to those looking to buy some fantasy. The entire point of getting any chibson is based on cosmetic appeal; towards cheaply buying something that appears to be something else much more expensive. Sure, there are a few who like to tinker, swap parts, do setups, and make YTube videos about it, but all that doesn't help those who just need an inexpensive, well made, and reliable instrument. They mostly appeal to daydreamers. I would imagine that when it comes time to actually have a reliable guitar, those who bought a chibson eventually learn how poor they really are as actual instruments over time
Buy what make you happy, life is short. I don’t have réplica but some of those instruments are very playable , nothing stopped you from making music with them
@@Superman-pn1rx ....has nothing to do with my comment. Couldn't care less what you or anyone spend money on, how short you think life is, or how playable you think garbage guitars are. Again, the point is that buying cheap knockoff guitars won't help those who need an inexpensive and well made instrument that they can rely on. All it will do is cause more frustration and expense
@@rodnyg7952 well I’m based with the opinions from user of replicas, I’m in a lot of Facebook guitar groups, one is the Polaris4music there are a lot of owners of original and replicas, and they are very pleased with the quality, some put videos playing and some are very skillful guitarists. If it feels good and sounds good, who care what name is in the headstock?
Cork sniffers play over priced, corporate owned, lifestyle branded guitars. Real rockers play whatever they can get their hands on. The more anti-establishment the better. Rock n' Roll is about rebellion. Not corporate conformity. Expensive guitars are for posers.
I've not changed tuners (nothing wrong with them), but ive changed the nut to a bone nut, I 've put on two "Antiquity " pick ups , I've put Gotoh bridge (having slots for screw-- driver makes it easier to adjust the hight ), and pots and wiring . I've set it up my self because I know how to do it. After all of that, I'm still ahead, because I did not pay thousands of dollars for Gibson, and I dare anyone to fault the way Chipson came out to be. Things that are not exactley same as original do not matter at all !!! End of story. Learn how to do it, and save yourself lteraly, THOUSANS OF DOLLARS!!!
For me it's only worth it if you cant find what you want any other way, like LPs are easy to come by on the classifieds, an Explorer would be harder (specially an 84 style like yours) and an RD style would be almost impossible, so I understand getting an RD replica. What I don't understand it's not requesting the luthiers to put "Gibson" on the headstock.
They all work. The necks are generally pretty straight and I haven’t had to make many adjustments. But in all fairness, if I was gigging with them, I might need to use them more often.
I have that same Petrucci replica. I actually liked the chunkier neck. But mine was unplayable. The frets were far from level. From looking at it, to me was it was almost like there was a mixed bin of fret wire size and they were just putting in whatever they grabbed and they were loose enough to be plucked from the board by fingernail. I also have a replica Dimebag Southern Cross thats actually a really good guitar. The paint work was definitely not good the binding was painted and has smear marks and finger prints. The stock pickups were bad. Really fuzzy and hissy. The tuning keys were actually smooth, the knock off Floyd doesn't feel all that great but it holds tune just as well as any other import Floyd Rose guitar Ive played. I actually like the replica better than the real dime imports because of the fat neck its more like a 59 Les Paul rather than a modern C on the real ones. I just ordered 2 Chibsons from different sellers on eBay and hoping to get playable guitars. I think the Chinese replicas are fun to gamble on if you've already got good guitars in your stable. But for a first time buyer Id definitely not recommend them simply because of the how unpredictable the product is. If you get a good one youll have a decent guitar if you get a bad one well then you just have wall art. Also consider it could be bad out of the box and be fixable. But always a chance its not as easy as fret work and swapping parts. Could be a twisted neck. You might get a non functional truss rod. Neck could have been set off angle. Just alot of things that could make it not worth the investment of having it fixed. I will say ive heard alot of good things about recent replica quality and qc increasing. So who knows.. Ill find out soon enough.
I bought a Chibson J-200 Pete Townsend model maybe 10 years ago. Really just wanted to get my hands on a jumbo shape for as cheap as possible and the Epiphone wasn't anywhere to be found at the time. I learned I don't like jumbo acoustic guitars all that much and when it was sold I made sure the new owner was perfectly aware of what they were getting. Great for the look, not great for the playability or sound unless you're willing to put the wrench time in - in my opinion.
I agree that these guitars can look great, but they do require some work to get them playable. Fun as project guitars, but definitely not replacements for the real thing.
If the chinese could build me a Toyota Tundra for $5000 I'd buy it in a heart beat and so yes I would buy a chibson and I have and they are good guitars.
Fun if one enjoys being a tech most of the time. Not so cheap either, tuners, a bridge, a nut, allright, the same sort of crap is aviable for peanuts but good parts will cost. Chinese FloydRoses are made of potmetal...crap! A genuine one will not fit without some work, work work work. In the end of they day... buying one guitar for 600 bucks that is kind of ok maybe replacing some part and then it is fine is a way smarter than a never ending wrestling with these Chibsons.
Let me lay forth an unpopular opinion among cheap import guitar lovers...... If you want cheap guitars, that's cool. You want one that looks similar to brand names, that's cool too. But if you want one with a BRAND name that is NOT the actual maker of the guitar, you are a putz. I have no problem with these cheaper guitars being made, UNTIL that have a brand name on them that IS NOT by the actual maker. I have seen too many times, people trying to pass off FAKES as a real brand name guitar. Not only is that ILLEGAL, it's also immoral and scummy. Import guitars should either have NO brand names on them or one that is not a FAKE. You can say how decent these import fakes are, even claim them to be great guitars. They aren't. Not made with the same components, not made to the same standards. Certainly not licensed products. 100% people are buying these guitars in an attempt for the owner to toot their own horn how they have a "Gibson Studio" or a Ibanez Jem. We know you are too broke to afford the real thing. That's no crime. There is nothing wrong with being broke. But you are a criminal if you buy or sell fakes. It's against the law. It's a felony. And I would have no problem if everyone who knowingly buys or sells them, going to jail. Take the F-in labels off the fakes, you idiots.
First, no one gives a flying rat's ass about your opinion. Second, buying one is NOT illegal. Selling one and claiming it is the real deal IS illegal. Know your laws before spouting off.
@@RobNY5150 I mean the body shape is completely wrong. I don't understand how they can replicate a les paul to almost millimetre accuracy yet they can't do the same with explorers which are arguably much easier shapes with loads of straight lines on the body. Yours is not the only copy like this it's practically every gibson/esp explorer copy I've seen they are all misshapen in some way.
