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Chibson Gold Top Rivals the Real Thing?

rockabilly69

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 29, 2001
Messages
2,872
That's the point!!! You don't get the fact that I DO have the skills, the ear, and the experience to know the 'differences'......and my point is that the foreign instruments are getting better and the Gibson products are going the other way. You want to ignore the facts, fine! I've been doing this for over 50 years, and closer to 60. Just about every manufacturer out there will purchase an example of it's competition's products in order to determine some kind of comparative basis for what they're making. I don't own Gibson, but I have every right to buy what I want, and if I see some 'cheap' guitar that captures my interest, I have every right to buy it.

So, go a head, bury your head in the sand, wave the flag with your feet, and DON'T heed the words of caution. I'll bet your drive a Toyota!

I'm out!!!
I'll believe you have the skills when you prove it with a recording. 'Till then I call bullshit! I know a bunch of people that have been playing for as long as you and still can't tell the difference. I've been doing guitar repair since my twenties, and I'm in my sixties. But more importantly, I make my full living as a guitarist both live and in the studio, so someone is burying their head in the sand but it ain't me! If you want to keep slagging on Gibsons just move it over to a forum where people will listen to your idiocy. I'm sure you can find a bunch or troels like yourself on Harmony Central.
 

AA00475Bassman

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 26, 2016
Messages
3,769
The problem is that you bought an illegal guitar that ripped off an American design, and that you don't have the skill or ear to tell the difference between a Gibson and a cheap ass copy! There are many more differences than just a shoddy fret job on a Chibson, and a real Gibson. And worse yet, you post this crap on a Gibson Les Paul forum! You want to play a Chinese Gibson? At least buy from a company that paid for the rights to use the design!
I share & posted the same opinion Wharfcreek , I would also add rockabilly69 is a long time member in good standing ! rockabilly69 has on numerous occasions posted his recordings not that this is novel , IMO & many on this Forum find his musical talent exceptional . His credentials are his talent if I had the button to press I would lock down this thread like I said Gear page for this . I find no reason this Forum lets this pass once again this is The Gison Les Paul Forum !
 

Wharfcreek

New member
Joined
Apr 11, 2022
Messages
10
Tell me how and I'll happily delete the thread myself.

Rockabilly69, if your head ever shrinks down I fear it may crush your oversized ego! I will simply counter by saying that I know a good many guys like you who, after spending their years squeaking by as 'wannabe' rock-stars, their 'expertise' and accomplishments in the field are pitiful. Nice that Mr. Bassman give you some respect. Maybe others do as well. I don't. Nor do I care! I'm quite sure this 'troll' wouldn't trade his life-style, talents, achievements, or bank accounts with you under any circumstances.
 

Big Al

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 24, 2002
Messages
14,537
The problem is some people get all starry eyed and moist when they buy a cheap knockoff and it suits them just fine. Then it somehow transforms into a high quality equal to a truely high quality USA guitar. Then unfounded, unsupported and unproven claims of fallen quality of the USA guitar and poor work ethic and a sanctimonious chest pounding lecture of ignorant bullshit and hyperbolic sermonizing from the pulpit of dumbassery.

The only value that guitar has is in its superficial resemblance to the real thing. Without that it is completely unremarkable.
 

rockabilly69

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 29, 2001
Messages
2,872
I share & posted the same opinion Wharfcreek , I would also add rockabilly69 is a long time member in good standing ! rockabilly69 has on numerous occasions posted his recordings not that this is novel , IMO & many on this Forum find his musical talent exceptional . His credentials are his talent if I had the button to press I would lock down this thread like I said Gear page for this . I find no reason this Forum lets this pass once again this is The Gison Les Paul Forum !
Thank you for getting my back, and I'm glad for that, because I hate the whole idea of cheap ass ripoff Gibson guitars. And it bugs that hell out of me when people come here to promote them! And then they call it a "WARNING" like they are providing a public service, as if we are idiots buying real Gibson guitars.
 

rockabilly69

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 29, 2001
Messages
2,872
The problem is some people get all starry eyed and moist when they buy a cheap knockoff and it suits them just fine. Then it somehow transforms into a high quality equal to a truely high quality USA guitar. Then unfounded, unsupported and unproven claims of fallen quality of the USA guitar and poor work ethic and a sanctimonious chest pounding lecture of ignorant bullshit and hyperbolic sermonizing from the pulpit of dumbassery.

The only value that guitar has is in its superficial resemblance to the real thing. Without that it is completely unremarkable.
Well you said it much better that I ever could Al! And man, I loved "hyperbold sermonizing"! I plan on stealing that one :)

I've learned some serious things from you my man, as far back as when I first joined the forum in 2001, and you talked about putting full-strength A5 magnets from a P90 into my Duncan Antiquity Humbuckers to give 'em the gas so to say!
 
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rockabilly69

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 29, 2001
Messages
2,872
Tell me how and I'll happily delete the thread myself.

Rockabilly69, if your head ever shrinks down I fear it may crush your oversized ego! I will simply counter by saying that I know a good many guys like you who, after spending their years squeaking by as 'wannabe' rock-stars, their 'expertise' and accomplishments in the field are pitiful. Nice that Mr. Bassman give you some respect. Maybe others do as well. I don't. Nor do I care! I'm quite sure this 'troll' wouldn't trade his life-style, talents, achievements, or bank accounts with you under any circumstances.
I don't care what you think of me, but I do care about people spouting misinformation about cheapass, ripoff, illegal Chinese Gibson guitars, on a forum devoted to real Les Pauls!
 

golfnut

Active member
Joined
Apr 18, 2016
Messages
196
I own a couple of custom shop fenders (strat and tele) and a couple of martin authentic series acoustics. I just bought a Gibson standard 50s that I think is fantastic. Over the years since playing from 1973 I've oened over seas made guitars (always from one of the name brand) and to me there is a difference in quality. It took me most of my life to finally be able to get to the top of the food chain (top for me). I never owned or played any of the illegal copies and have no interest to. So I have no idea if the quality is starting to rival the big names. But its this type of black market industry that makes me very careful about where I source myinstruments. I wouldnt buy used off kijiji from someone I dont know. I'm sure the majority of these asian copies can be spotted easily but Ive heard stories of reputable music stores being fooled. I' hate to be taken in by an illegal copy even if itwas of equal or better quality.my opinion is yhat morraly we need to avoid these guitars and simply demand quality from Givson, Fender, Martin,etc.I personally dont think illegal copies of guitars are going to drive the big names to better qa. Our wallets do. All this Asian market does is hurt us all in the long run
 

mjross

Active member
Joined
May 11, 2019
Messages
197
I own a couple of custom shop fenders (strat and tele) and a couple of martin authentic series acoustics. I just bought a Gibson standard 50s that I think is fantastic. Over the years since playing from 1973 I've oened over seas made guitars (always from one of the name brand) and to me there is a difference in quality. It took me most of my life to finally be able to get to the top of the food chain (top for me). I never owned or played any of the illegal copies and have no interest to. So I have no idea if the quality is starting to rival the big names. But its this type of black market industry that makes me very careful about where I source myinstruments. I wouldnt buy used off kijiji from someone I dont know. I'm sure the majority of these asian copies can be spotted easily but Ive heard stories of reputable music stores being fooled. I' hate to be taken in by an illegal copy even if itwas of equal or better quality.my opinion is yhat morraly we need to avoid these guitars and simply demand quality from Givson, Fender, Martin,etc.I personally dont think illegal copies of guitars are going to drive the big names to better qa. Our wallets do. All this Asian market does is hurt us all in the long run
I have a hard time believing that a “reputable” dealer would confuse a fake with the real thing. If they do, they are not “reputable”, just sayin!
 

jb_abides

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 6, 2005
Messages
5,280
The skunk at the OP's Chibson garden party, apart from the aforementioned sort like Tokai, etc. is finely made and legitimately licensed Les Pauls from China are readily available...

They have Epiphone on the headstock.
 
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golfnut

Active member
Joined
Apr 18, 2016
Messages
196
I have a hard time believing that a “reputable” dealer would confuse a fake with the real thing. If they do, they are not “reputable”, just sayin!
Thats like saying that if Gibson let a really bad guitar slip by QA that they aren't reputable. Mistakes are made. We're not robots. I can believe a reputable music store might miss things like that.
Here in Canada we had a guy at a music store (about an hour from me) slip a custom shop les Paul down his pants and walk out of the store. As I know the store, the entrance has to go by security, the cash registers and through detectors. How in the heck did they miss that?
 

mjross

Active member
Joined
May 11, 2019
Messages
197
Thats like saying that if Gibson let a really bad guitar slip by QA that they aren't reputable. Mistakes are made. We're not robots. I can believe a reputable music store might miss things like that.
Here in Canada we had a guy at a music store (about an hour from me) slip a custom shop les Paul down his pants and walk out of the store. As I know the store, the entrance has to go by security, the cash registers and through detectors. How in the heck did they miss that?
Apples and onions sir! Someone stealing a guitar has nothing to do with being a reputable dealer and I do not see the correlation in regard to Gibson QA. This is just my opinion but a reputable dealer SHOULD know the difference between real and a fake. I guess it could happen but personally, I would not deal with them. AGAIN, just my opinion!
 
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golfnut

Active member
Joined
Apr 18, 2016
Messages
196
Apples and onions sir! Someone stealing a guitar has nothing to do with being a reputable dealer and I do not see the correlation in regard to Gibson QA. This is just my opinion but a reputable dealer SHOULD know the difference between real and a fake. I guess it could happen but personally, I would not deal with them. AGAIN, just my opinion!
I don't want to get in to a pointless debate. Obviously I'm not going to convince you. My point is people sometimes miss things they shouldn't.
 

Wharfcreek

New member
Joined
Apr 11, 2022
Messages
10
.....and I guess that is kinda my point as having been the guy that got that 'bad' brand new Gibson product. I don't want to beat the dead horse anymore myself, but I'll just end my contributions to this thread by saying that it sucks to spend nearly $2000 on a new Gibson and then have to send it back to Nashville to get replaced, plus having to wait 3 months for that to happen, all from a production error that they acknowledged.
 

golfnut

Active member
Joined
Apr 18, 2016
Messages
196
.....and I guess that is kinda my point as having been the guy that got that 'bad' brand new Gibson product. I don't want to beat the dead horse anymore myself, but I'll just end my contributions to this thread by saying that it sucks to spend nearly $2000 on a new Gibson and then have to send it back to Nashville to get replaced, plus having to wait 3 months for that to happen, all from a production error that they acknowledged.

Stuff happens. It doesn't just happen to Gibson. It happens to Fender, Martin, and other products like TV,s. Cars, etc.
I bought a Fender 56 reissue strat from Wildwood guitars once. It came with a broken truss rod that was obvious (so much for the great in hand evaluation, you couldn't miss the rattling) and I didn't blame Fender. I didn't even blame Wildwood guitars until they mishandled the whole thing terribly and now I won't deal with Wildwood guitars ever. Regardless after buying hundreds of guitars dating back to the 70's thats really my only bad story. After getting a Fender brand new with a broken trussrod it didn't make me want to go out and buy an Asian knock off.
 

charliechitlins

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 16, 2021
Messages
1,022
I'm old enough to remember when Japanese meant cheap knockoff and a time when I first heard a company deservedly bragging about their Japanese quality.
It happened with China and Korea.
My Korean Gretsch is brilliant.
Jack Pearson gigs Indonesian Fenders.
There are incredible craftsmen in the East and to claim that they are incapable of achieving American quality comes frighteningly close to racism.
I have done a lot of small engine repair.
I can buy a chainsaw carburetor (a very complicated piece of casting and machining) with an air filter, fuel filter, sparkplug, fuel line and primer bulb for $13...delivered.
And it's as good as anything.
Now...working conditions, pay, hours, maternity/paternity leave....all that stuff is a little scary...but the bottom line is, some very clever people are turning out excellent products for disturbingly short coin.
To think that the same couldn't apply to guitars is just sticking your head in the sand.
Is it ethical to make them?
No.
It may not even be ethical to support counterfeiters by buying their products...that's a slippery one.
But to say that Asian folks are incapable of meeting American quality...even at 1/5 the price...it just ain't so.
 

golfnut

Active member
Joined
Apr 18, 2016
Messages
196
I'm old enough to remember when Japanese meant cheap knockoff and a time when I first heard a company deservedly bragging about their Japanese quality.
It happened with China and Korea.
My Korean Gretsch is brilliant.
Jack Pearson gigs Indonesian Fenders.
There are incredible craftsmen in the East and to claim that they are incapable of achieving American quality comes frighteningly close to racism.
I have done a lot of small engine repair.
I can buy a chainsaw carburetor (a very complicated piece of casting and machining) with an air filter, fuel filter, sparkplug, fuel line and primer bulb for $13...delivered.
And it's as good as anything.
Now...working conditions, pay, hours, maternity/paternity leave....all that stuff is a little scary...but the bottom line is, some very clever people are turning out excellent products for disturbingly short coin.
To think that the same couldn't apply to guitars is just sticking your head in the sand.
Is it ethical to make them?
No.
It may not even be ethical to support counterfeiters by buying their products...that's a slippery one.
But to say that Asian folks are incapable of meeting American quality...even at 1/5 the price...it just ain't so.
If these so called talented crafstman are trying to put something over on us by making exact replicas complete with the Gibson name on the headstock then I don't trust anything about the build. It may be a great quality instrument but I have no confidence and would have nothing to do with it.
There are some great quality instruments coming from Asia and if I want one I'll trust a company like Eastman for example. Or more likely Epiphone.
 

El Gringo

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 8, 2015
Messages
5,657
Bullshit. Who do you think you're fooling with this ignorant, self serving, dumbassery?? A few newbies with no experience or the group who need to justify their wannabe cheap ass poor quality knockoffs with ridiculous claims of quality? This is getting tiresome. WTF!!
Welcome Back Big All , You have been missed big time !!!!!!!!!!!
 
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