Checking the truss rod is really the best way to go. Don't think I've seen or heard of a single instance where someone has come across a Chibson with the Gibson style truss rod and its' not something people can change. So many guys out there spending a lot of time and money replacing parts to make them more realistic fakes that checking stuff like tuners and bridge that those have become a less accurate way to confirm as well as fret nibs as the Chibson producers are now including those as they generally are poorly done. Also, you will generally lose your nibs on a refret. For someone who has been around real LPs a bit the fakes usually just look wrong whether it be body shape, knob placement, headstock shape or whatever. My first guitar was an LP and I have had it my entire life as well as another one I purchased a few years back. Whenever I see one of these Chibsons, something always looks off with the general appearance even before I look closely. Had someone send me a pic of their new LP that was taken from a ways out and I immediately called them out for Chibson. He asked how did I know based on the lousy photo and took me a few before I realized it was the knob placement which was just too equally spaced and far forward. Almost always something like that.
Great video. I learned a few new things. I could tell a fake "regular LP" from a real one with closed eyes, but not being a specialist of Custom, I don't know too much about binding etc. And the stop bar was also new to me. Thanks! I spotted a few more elements: - Pickup rings: they are too big. The upper and lower sides, where the screws are, is 1-2 mm wider than normal. In a real one, the 3 screws are almost aligned (not quite though); on a fake they draw more of a triangle, like here. But they did a better job than I use to see - The nut: on a fake, the nut is always carved too deep, "à la" Epiphone, and strings reside at the bottom of a groove instead of resting on top of it. But here again they did a good job, as it's not as obvious as usual I would also add, although I don't care if people buy these things for themselves, it's a completely different thing if they try to sell them like they were real. One should always report the seller, because they are just criminals who want to rip you off.
Thanks, bought a Gibson LP standard a few years ago. Really wanted one for years and finally pulled the trigger. Didnt really know what I was looking at other than I knew I didnt want a circuit board in the pot area, after my reseaech led me to a LP standard. Saying all that, you eased my mind and I appreciate my guitar even more, now. So thanks for that!
That’s great! I’m sure you’ve got a great guitar. It seems the Chibson guitars have, for the most part, stuck with all these inconsistent manufacturing process for a long time, so if you’ve avoided them with your purchase chances are you’ve got a good one!
You did not mention that a Gibson Les Paul Custom would never ever have the headstock binding going under the nut like all fake Les Paul Customs have, its very easy to ask for a picture of the side of the headstock.. thanks for the video..
But. Damn they are nice ! Bought a LP Supreme for $200,,first LP I won't send on down the line !! Nice arched back gold parts,and plays great,sounds great,and I wouldn't. hesitate to look at more ! Me 30 years tech Gibson,fender,Peavey, Mossman service and sales
Great video, I didn't know about the countersink on the reverse side of the Tailpiece. Another thing to look at is the control knob position spacing as well as the spaces between bridge PU, the bridge, tailpiece and bridge, and finally the neck volume control and tailpiece. Every Chibson I've seen gets the spacing wrong. Also the finish, nitrocellulos on all Gibson's, vs poly nastiness. Got to ❤ that nitrocellulos scent ❤❤❤ What surprises me is the folks making Chibsons haven't setup a few dedicated shops to use more authentic looking truss rods, bridge mounts, and spacing of things. Seems like it would be easy enough and not cost a lot more.
I’m surprised by that as well, but it’s a good thing they can’t mass produce a klone that better matches a real Gibson. Thanks for checking out the video!
Hi, thank you for a very informative video. I shall certainly subscribe. I'm a small independent Luthier in the UK. I see a few Chibson guitars from time to time, but what I see loads of, are Epiphoneys. Good grief! There are so many!!! I'm often the person who has to break the bad news that they have purchased a counterfeit and it's not the nicest thing to do. On that subject, I had an older gentleman who had purchased what he thought was a 1970's/80's Les Paul Deluxe for gist retirement present to himself. He had paid top money for it and had it shipped to the UK and wanted a full set-up and electronics check-up carrying out. This guitar played horribly and I the pickups were howling like banshees. I went round it and found some of the points you mentioned in your video but the killer for me was the overhanging fret ends and the incredibly microphonic mini P90's. I really didn't want to have to tell the old guy that he'd been ripped off so I thought about it for a few days then decided to have a look at second hand and new parts to get it upto scratch. I then contacted him to come in and I explained the situation BUT I said that rather than this being a bad situation, we could take some good from it because with a real Gibson, we have to treat them very carefully and preserve them but with this, we have something that looks like (and will eventually play like) a Gibson, but we could mod to his hearts content and we can build the guitar of his dreams. He thought for about 10 seconds, then he was off. "Would there be any chance we could fit these tuners from this Les Paul? I always preferred those" and "Maybe we could fit new pickups in with a coil split?" He was away! We turned that Chibson into an absolute classic rock machine, and once I'd fettled the frets and sorted the electronics I have to say, it's still to this day, one of the best "Gibson" Les Pauls I've ever played. My advice since then, was to see these Chibson guitars as a great modding platform, especially when you can do the work yourself because they're not a bad guitar in their own right, they just need some fettling and you can build a real weapon of choice from them.
That’s a good perspective to look at it for sure. I don’t if I’ve ever come across an Epiphony here - (Great name BTW). What’s the tell tale sign or dead giveaway of fake Epiphones? Thanks for checking out the video. Cheers!
This is the most updated and clear video for comparing real vs fake. A lot of guys in the forum still stuck to the " gibson" logo on the head stock, saying the G and the N is not parallel to the body. Clearly this is not the case anymore. Although i do not have any gibson on my own, i did try many gibson guitars in guitar shop for the past few years. And i had definitely touched a few les pauls( some unknown brand).. .. My feels is that the Gibson neck is very rigid and stiff( in a good way) as compared to the unknown brands of Les Paul when i picked it up. With eyes closed, by just picking up l( at the neckk) and sliding at the whole neck, do you feel the differences( not talking about the frets) between the real and fake?.
One of the biggest giveaways for me on bound les pauls are not only the thickness and clarity of the binding jobs. If you look at the binding where the headstock meets the fretboard binding, they never line up, they are always underneath. Real gibsons are bound inline with both headstock and fretboard binding. Everything else is spot on, other offending features would be a veneered top, misshapen logo,wrong logo placements etc.
Great video. There many different builders turning out these guitars. And some are more convincing than others. For example, the one i bought last year had no screw slots in the bridge. And the tail piece was as it should be. Even the fake grovers where good. The main tell on mine is the split diamond on the head. It isnt very well positioned. And the tuners are positioned too low down on the headstock
Looks like they got the vertical side of the 'G' of 'Gibson' actually vertical for a change. The nut looks dreadfully wonky. If you Google a fake serial number you often find pics of several other guitars with the same number. Genuine Les Paul 2018 HP's and SG 2018 HP's have bound necks without fret nibs.
I too was surprised they got the Gibson looking better than I’d ever seen it in a Chibson! That is NOT a good thing. Imagine when they figure out how to put a correct bridge on that thing!
@@donerskine7935 I was surprised to see that on my 2018 HP. It was my first Gibson second was a 2016 ES LP and it has binding but no nibs. Purchased from Chicago Music Exchange and included the authentication booklet like a custom (limited run with Bigsby installed factory) 50 US 50 for rest of world.
I appreciate the fact that asked us to consider hitting the like button as opposed to trying to direct that move . Good video too and has some great info to be aware of when watching out for fakes .
Another tell of a fake is that gibson headstocks are not one piece of wood, they glue wings on either side...that's why melody makers have a straight headstock, being a budjet model they don't glue the wings on.
Great video.. I have purchased 5 fake Gibsons, changed the pots, pickups and tuners and they all sound as good as my authentic Gibsons. Total cost of upgrades and guitar $600 and they play and sound as good as the real Gibsons. I don't care if they are not authentic or not.. Thanks 😎
I own both, what Gibson should realize most Chibsons are tore down to the wood and everything is replaced with Gibson parts like mine it’s a solid chunk of mahogany neck and all the frets we’re reworked and the binding is much better than the real one, the chibson plays better but my real AA flame top standard sounds way more quality but I love them both, a guitar needs to speak to you if not it will sit unplayed.
Do people try to fake epiphones too? I've seen afew more recent samples that just look/feel dismal compared to a 2003 Korean made LP black beauty 3 pickup I've had since new. I wonder if they're fake or just terrible consistency.
There are Chibsons with ABR bridges, there are Chibsons with fret nibs, CTS pots, high end tuners, etc. The only consistent difference on every Chibson I've ever seen is they never have Gibson style truss rods.
I have a 2016 Gibson Les Paul Studio that I know is real. I bought it new in 2016, and still have all the paperwork that came with it including the photo of it at the shop. Only thing I'm missing is the receipt, though I remember it was 899.00 that I paid. It's seen a neck repair- as most heavily played les pauls eventually do, and it has it's share of wear as it's been played almost every day since I bought it but it's a beautiful bare bones guitar without a ton of flash but with a hell of a lot of substance.
My Chibson has fret nibs Easy ways to tell are, obviously, the truss rod. More obscure lyrics, I also count the number of splines on the knobs. Very few builders swich to American potentiometers and I'm not aware of any Chibson that uses the Gibson truss rod.
Very informative video. Thanks for sharing your knowledge with those of us who uninformed and are looking to become more knowledgeable. Ron ("in Utah") 😎🇺🇸
apropos "flat head screwdriver" and the bridge-posts - my '73 Recording (bought new in '74 by me) has slots for the harmonica bridge adjustment. while not _exactly_ "flat head screw driver" (a little thicker that that) they could be mistaken for 'flat head' screws.
Yes - someone brought this up to me after the video was published. I totally forgot about those harmonicas. Oops! I think the video still has some effective points outside of that though - I hope anyway! Cheers!
Some of the Chinese manufacturers are scary accurate in the copy. I bought a chinese 335 copy - I swapped out the Epi pickups for Golden Age, the tuners for real Grovers and replaced the pots and switch with CTS. My mate who had a real Gibson couldn't tell the difference , although commented that mine was lighter than his. I take mine out gigging - it seems that most bands are using small solid bodies like Strats and Teles, so a large body semi is different and I get a few comments about my "Chuck Berry guitar". It plays and sounds great and I don't have $3500 worth of guitar in a cramped noisy bar . It's a copy - it's only a counterfeit or a fake if it is being sold as a Gibson, but I'm sure I'll get plenty of feedback over this. I have no intention of selling it, but if I did, it would be billed as a copy. I also have a genuine Les Paul Custom 57 that never gets gigged - ever. Immaterial really as I will never buy another Gibson product again after they dumped my Cakewalk recording software in the bin.
Not mentioned in the video, but to my eye, the Chibsons have different curves. Here, I can see that the body arc around the selector switch looks "fatter."
Easiest surefire way is the to take the truss rod cover off and look at the rod, which you can do without removing strings. But this is more geared towards if you were to buy off, say, an internet listing and going off sight alone. Cheers!
I debated adding it, but I’ve got two Gibson Les Paul’s from the factory with no holes drilled. I think the thing is, people just need to do their due diligence and double and triple check multiple things before making a decision. Cheers!
How the neck is joined to the body is one of the first things i look at on any guitar. Lots of Gibson copies have bolt on necks😂. But regardless, they dont look like Gibsons' design and work.
Good timing on this video, since a few days ago they intercepted a bunch of fake gibsons at customs. The serial number on the fake is WAY too clear. My LP, which I bought new from sweetwater, isn’t nearly as sharp, niether is the ‘made in USA’ .
Ngl i have a buddy in my hometown that ended up with a randy rhoades lp that for obvious reasons had to be a chobson... Theres nowhere near us that would have had one of the real ones and i know my friend didnt pay 10k for a guitar... Actually it had been loaned to him and dude just moved and left it... But that thing played great, the dimarzios *looked* right... I had an 82 standard back before all the chibson stuff even became a thing so im familiar with em and i knew it was fake but it was still not at all a bad guitar. I made an offer on it.
The wood bodies are done on a CNC machine and are theoretically similar, but every other process and part is ultra cheap workmanship and quality. The parts could be all replaced, but the neck set, frets and binding will forever be wonky.
I’m no Gibson expert but the treble horn is cut wrong the opposite side of the where the pickup selector looks the wrong shape. If you’re not sure you can spot a fake LP you probably aren’t in the market for a guitar that expensive, but pop the trus rod cover and if it’s got an Allen instead of a nut . I don’t love that they steal Gibsons logo as a company should be able to protect their brand logo and name, however going after companies for copying the shape a shape that’s been around for going on 80 years is crazy. Gibson hasn’t innovated and are more of a lifestyle brand for rock n roll. Like Gucci and other high end brands are lifestyle brands for the wealthy and hip hop culture. That’s just my opinion if you’re not trying to rip someone off passing one of these off as a real LP and the people who originally buy these probably just want it to have and play its after they have been traded and sold several times and then some shady individual sees it on Craigslist for 300 dollars and buys it with the sole purpose of scamming someone with it. Slash’s Appetite Les Paul was built by an incredibly talented luthier who built very high quality correct replicas of the old bursts something Gibson wasn’t doing at the time. Gibson actually took Slash’s Derig and documented it in order to make their guitars more historically correct. People talk like they think Slash unknowingly bought a “fake” but he bought it after signing with Geffen out of his share of the advance he was looking for a Les Paul and could’ve easily bought a Gibson, he bought the best Les Paul he could find and I don’t imagine it was any cheaper than a real Gibson at the time, cheaper than a real burst yeah but probably cost more than any new Gibson of the late 80s . So I guess imitation in that instance is flattery but not even nearly the same as a Chibson in my opinion. I’m sure Gibson would go after any highly skilled luthier building incredibly high end replicas of their guitars today because they want you to spend 6 to 10 k on their custom shop reissues. The worst related thing I can remember hearing about is someone built a very high end Dean ML replica for a TH-camr and Dean’s lawyer sent a letter to the guitar owner, not the builder basically saying if you use that guitar in any more videos we will sue you.
From what i hear, and I’m not lying, the way to tell a fake one from a real Gibson is how easy it breaks. If it breaks easily then it’s a Gibson, if it’s sturdier and can take a hit without going bust on you, then it’s a fake which is kind of ironic but there you go.
It can be tough to tell these days; there are cheap fakes and there are really good fakes (that use or duplicate original equipment, stylings, finishes, etc.). Price is usually a definite clue: cheap price = immediate red flag. Like the man said, “If it looks too good to be true, it probably is….”
That body curve at the neck joint and the horn both look wrong at first glance, plus all the details you mentioned, but these fakes are getting better and better each year. Eventually they’ll still be obvious fakes but really good guitars at one tenth or one twentieth the price of the real thing.
I wonder... Being that the customs have always gotten plastic inlays... Since the real ones didnt glow it makes me wonder if the fake has real inlays... Being that they did glow under UV. I wouldnt be surprised. Some of the materials used for inlay are kind of scrap from seafood and in asian countries it probably isnt terribly expensive to use the real thing. Just a thought.
I've owned 4 real Gibson Les Paul Customs over the last 50 years and they all had real mother of pearl inlays on the fretboard. The plastic inlays are on Les Paul standards.
@@joepoulos4081I wish that were true, but you can go on Gibson.com right now and buy a $10,000 custom shop with cellulose inlays. A lot of “New” Gibson Customs are MOP, But most of their guitars that are historic reissues (1959 reissue, 1968 reissue, etc) are not. And there’s quite a few Gibson USA models with MOP, the Modern line and the Supreme line to name a few runs, are all MOP. 🤷♂️ Cheers! 🎸
Best way to know a counterfeit? Open the electronics. But there are many other tell tales. But not everyone is up o that stuff. And those types won't open the electronics either.
I have a couple (9) Epiphone LPs ranging from a 99 MIK up to a couple "Inspired by Gibson". I messed with a couple Chibsons for other people and realized that the ones I saw were exactly the same as the Epi's, which were made in China. NOT saying they all are as I'm sure there are lots of guitar factories in China, but to know some are equal to a good Epi means they aren't ALL junk. ( Here come the purists who will trash all Epi's and that's ok.
The truss rod is the best check.No brass nut..its a Chibson 100% of the time. Some of the newer expensive $300 copies have correct hardware & solid wood bodies and necks and vintage inked serial #'s..most are still poly finish though
I bought a JP number 2 solely as a wall hanger, cause Im a rabid Page fan, but dont got 30 g's for JP #2🎉. As an added bonus, with a lil work she's a player, but not a LP, and definitely not a real JP number 2. Nuff Said
Hi handsome, great channel,video and vocabulary. I'm in the market for a Authentic Gibson electric guitar 2025 . What have you heard about the 2025 Gibson right hand electric guitars?
Well i bought an Viceri Adam jones silver burst les Paul copy .it plays seriously as well as my adam Jones Gibson i have ! The pick-up is great the neck awesome not sure how honest you are and no i don't call it a chibson!!( Thats a Chinese slant! Not fair) This copy plys really well it was low action neck was smooth no sharp frets it was level the sustain is really good sooo not sure about the " snobe like attitude dude but stop your better than this ok?
What about how a Chibson sounds? Why no mention of that? Isn't that what's really important? And what fool would buy a guitar online. Sure many things are good to buy online but not a precision musical instrument where you have no idea what you are getting soundwise. Imagine walking into a music store and not being allowed to play a guitar you are interested in buying. You would walk right out of the store and for good reason. Often times, its not the guitar but rather the person playing it. The arrow is only as good as the archer. I'd say a good guitar player can take a junk guitar and make it sound good providing it is in tune.
Those might be true statements, but they are completely irrelevant to the point of this video, which is 100% about tips for purchasing an authentic Gibson. As for who buys a guitar online, the online retailer market is the biggest sector of instrument sales. Year after year Reverb has sold more and more guitars. Smaller venues, such as OfferUp or even pawnshops also have plenty of guitar for sale online. If you go to the Facebook Les Paul groups or EverythingSG, there are literally daily posts asking to verify if a guitar is real or fake. These questions are completely unrelated to sound or opinion of it. This video is for the askers of those things.
my wife 😮 asked me if mine was a real Gibson I said no question I bought it from Gibson 😅 and it is the best guitar I've ever played is it perfect? it is to me but what guitar is? these are hand crafted not 100% but the finished product has mostly been done by human hands so I'm 😊
Too bad he didn't show us what the bridge and tailpiece looked like on the real Les Paul sitting next to him, rather than just telling us about them. The fret ends too on both guitars which he didn't do. Now I don't know what to look for.
Hi David, The fret ends are shown side by side with the fake Les Paul and real Les Paul at 4:30, the real bridge is shown at 5:23, about 15 seconds after showing the fake bridge, and the real tailpiece is shown at 6:13, three seconds after the fake tailpiece is shown. There are also chapter titles for each of these three things. Thanks for checking it out.
I remember many years ago I was warned to never trust in the term Made in USA. Why? there was a city in Japan named USA. Something actually made in America would say Made In U.S A.
Actually NO fret nibs is a plus...as for these, every Gibson that has neck binding has fret nibs, it's a cheap way of doing the frets is why I do not like them. As for no binding it will never have nibs... this actually is a very ridiculous idea anyways.
Thanks for the comment! Every Gibson that has neck binding does NOT have nibs. That’s why you can’t always go on that. The new Gibson Victory or any of the Les Paul or SG Moderns for example, binding, no fret nibs.
I usually can tell the difference by price. If you’re getting a Gibson Les Paul for $150-250 bucks, it’s probably not a real Gibson. Only snobs who throw out big bucks for an instrument have to worry. Real players can build a guitar in their garage and make history with it. RIP Edward Van Halen and your cheap “seconds” guitar.
No way man! I have a couple Teles, love them to death(2nd favorite guitar, matterafact!), but you can’t tell me there’s no respect for the real versions of either. 😆 Cheers!
Right away, if it says anything (such as “Vicers”) other than Gibson on the headstock, then it is not a “Chibson”. No one will buy a “Vicers” and think they are buying a real Les Paul
I’m not worried so much about those people thinking that. I’m worried about the people that buy a vicers, peel the Vicers sticker off(which exposes the Gibson logo underneath), then tries to sell it.
@ when I bought mine it didn’t have a sticker, so I missed that part 🤗. I have bought a lot of LP style guitars (especially Firefly), and have to say the quality is generally very good, at a fraction of the cost.
If you cant tell the difference between a $250 chibson and a $5000 gibson its one of 2 things. 1 you suck and dont need a 5k guitar anyway. 2 Gibsons are overpriced and there is no way it costs anywhere near 5 k to build an ancient designed chunk of wood with some metal in it.
Checking the truss rod is really the best way to go. Don't think I've seen or heard of a single instance where someone has come across a Chibson with the Gibson style truss rod and its' not something people can change. So many guys out there spending a lot of time and money replacing parts to make them more realistic fakes that checking stuff like tuners and bridge that those have become a less accurate way to confirm as well as fret nibs as the Chibson producers are now including those as they generally are poorly done. Also, you will generally lose your nibs on a refret.
For someone who has been around real LPs a bit the fakes usually just look wrong whether it be body shape, knob placement, headstock shape or whatever. My first guitar was an LP and I have had it my entire life as well as another one I purchased a few years back. Whenever I see one of these Chibsons, something always looks off with the general appearance even before I look closely. Had someone send me a pic of their new LP that was taken from a ways out and I immediately called them out for Chibson. He asked how did I know based on the lousy photo and took me a few before I realized it was the knob placement which was just too equally spaced and far forward. Almost always something like that.
Agreed. Definitely the best thing to do.
Great video. I learned a few new things. I could tell a fake "regular LP" from a real one with closed eyes, but not being a specialist of Custom, I don't know too much about binding etc. And the stop bar was also new to me. Thanks!
I spotted a few more elements:
- Pickup rings: they are too big. The upper and lower sides, where the screws are, is 1-2 mm wider than normal. In a real one, the 3 screws are almost aligned (not quite though); on a fake they draw more of a triangle, like here. But they did a better job than I use to see
- The nut: on a fake, the nut is always carved too deep, "à la" Epiphone, and strings reside at the bottom of a groove instead of resting on top of it. But here again they did a good job, as it's not as obvious as usual
I would also add, although I don't care if people buy these things for themselves, it's a completely different thing if they try to sell them like they were real. One should always report the seller, because they are just criminals who want to rip you off.
Thanks for checking it out! Cheers!
Thanks, bought a Gibson LP standard a few years ago. Really wanted one for years and finally pulled the trigger. Didnt really know what I was looking at other than I knew I didnt want a circuit board in the pot area, after my reseaech led me to a LP standard. Saying all that, you eased my mind and I appreciate my guitar even more, now. So thanks for that!
That’s great! I’m sure you’ve got a great guitar. It seems the Chibson guitars have, for the most part, stuck with all these inconsistent manufacturing process for a long time, so if you’ve avoided them with your purchase chances are you’ve got a good one!
You did not mention that a Gibson Les Paul Custom would never ever have the headstock binding going under the nut like all fake Les Paul Customs have, its very easy to ask for a picture of the side of the headstock.. thanks for the video..
My first clue that your looking at asian product,,they have always done it this way !!
But. Damn they are nice !
Bought a LP Supreme for $200,,first LP I won't send on down the line !!
Nice arched back gold parts,and plays great,sounds great,and I wouldn't. hesitate to look at more !
Me 30 years tech
Gibson,fender,Peavey, Mossman service and sales
Great video, I knew about half of these "tells" and learned a fair but from the others!
One way to know. Own a '76 Les Paul Custom since 1976.
Yup, blessed.
Great video, I didn't know about the countersink on the reverse side of the Tailpiece. Another thing to look at is the control knob position spacing as well as the spaces between bridge PU, the bridge, tailpiece and bridge, and finally the neck volume control and tailpiece. Every Chibson I've seen gets the spacing wrong.
Also the finish, nitrocellulos on all Gibson's, vs poly nastiness. Got to ❤ that nitrocellulos scent ❤❤❤
What surprises me is the folks making Chibsons haven't setup a few dedicated shops to use more authentic looking truss rods, bridge mounts, and spacing of things. Seems like it would be easy enough and not cost a lot more.
I’m surprised by that as well, but it’s a good thing they can’t mass produce a klone that better matches a real Gibson. Thanks for checking out the video!
Hi, thank you for a very informative video. I shall certainly subscribe. I'm a small independent Luthier in the UK. I see a few Chibson guitars from time to time, but what I see loads of, are Epiphoneys. Good grief! There are so many!!! I'm often the person who has to break the bad news that they have purchased a counterfeit and it's not the nicest thing to do.
On that subject, I had an older gentleman who had purchased what he thought was a 1970's/80's Les Paul Deluxe for gist retirement present to himself. He had paid top money for it and had it shipped to the UK and wanted a full set-up and electronics check-up carrying out.
This guitar played horribly and I the pickups were howling like banshees. I went round it and found some of the points you mentioned in your video but the killer for me was the overhanging fret ends and the incredibly microphonic mini P90's.
I really didn't want to have to tell the old guy that he'd been ripped off so I thought about it for a few days then decided to have a look at second hand and new parts to get it upto scratch. I then contacted him to come in and I explained the situation BUT I said that rather than this being a bad situation, we could take some good from it because with a real Gibson, we have to treat them very carefully and preserve them but with this, we have something that looks like (and will eventually play like) a Gibson, but we could mod to his hearts content and we can build the guitar of his dreams.
He thought for about 10 seconds, then he was off. "Would there be any chance we could fit these tuners from this Les Paul? I always preferred those" and "Maybe we could fit new pickups in with a coil split?" He was away!
We turned that Chibson into an absolute classic rock machine, and once I'd fettled the frets and sorted the electronics I have to say, it's still to this day, one of the best "Gibson" Les Pauls I've ever played.
My advice since then, was to see these Chibson guitars as a great modding platform, especially when you can do the work yourself because they're not a bad guitar in their own right, they just need some fettling and you can build a real weapon of choice from them.
That’s a good perspective to look at it for sure. I don’t if I’ve ever come across an Epiphony here - (Great name BTW).
What’s the tell tale sign or dead giveaway of fake Epiphones? Thanks for checking out the video. Cheers!
This is the most updated and clear video for comparing real vs fake.
A lot of guys in the forum still stuck to the " gibson" logo on the head stock, saying the G and the N is not parallel to the body. Clearly this is not the case anymore.
Although i do not have any gibson on my own, i did try many gibson guitars in guitar shop for the past few years. And i had definitely touched a few les pauls( some unknown brand).. ..
My feels is that the Gibson neck is very rigid and stiff( in a good way) as compared to the unknown brands of Les Paul when i picked it up.
With eyes closed, by just picking up l( at the neckk) and sliding at the whole neck, do you feel the differences( not talking about the frets) between the real and fake?.
Thanks for checking it out!
One of the biggest giveaways for me on bound les pauls are not only the thickness and clarity of the binding jobs. If you look at the binding where the headstock meets the fretboard binding, they never line up, they are always underneath. Real gibsons are bound inline with both headstock and fretboard binding. Everything else is spot on, other offending features would be a veneered top, misshapen logo,wrong logo placements etc.
Good points! Binding is never so good on them!
Great video. There many different builders turning out these guitars. And some are more convincing than others. For example, the one i bought last year had no screw slots in the bridge. And the tail piece was as it should be. Even the fake grovers where good. The main tell on mine is the split diamond on the head. It isnt very well positioned. And the tuners are positioned too low down on the headstock
Great video, but you will see a flat head used to adjust the bridge on a Gibson in the 70's harmonica bridges, but otherwise you're correct.
Oh damn - You’re right! Can’t win em all. Thanks for checking out the video and for the comment. Cheers!
Correct. I own a 1976 SG Tobacco Sunburst I bought when I was in High School and it has a Schaller bridge with flathead adjusting screws.
Looks like they got the vertical side of the 'G' of 'Gibson' actually vertical for a change. The nut looks dreadfully wonky.
If you Google a fake serial number you often find pics of several other guitars with the same number.
Genuine Les Paul 2018 HP's and SG 2018 HP's have bound necks without fret nibs.
I too was surprised they got the Gibson looking better than I’d ever seen it in a Chibson! That is NOT a good thing. Imagine when they figure out how to put a correct bridge on that thing!
@@donerskine7935 I was surprised to see that on my 2018 HP. It was my first Gibson second was a 2016 ES LP and it has binding but no nibs. Purchased from Chicago Music Exchange and included the authentication booklet like a custom (limited run with Bigsby installed factory) 50 US 50 for rest of world.
@@CompanyGripGuitarToo late!! ,it doesn't matter anymore !!
They kik Ass like they are !!
I heard the best way to tell if you have a fake Gibson, is if you drop the guitar, and the headstock doesn’t break off, it’s a counterfeit.
What material are the inlays and what is the fretboard made from?
On a custom shop with black rings the pickup cover corner screws are countersink flat top Philips black. Height adjustments are still round silver.
I appreciate the fact that asked us to consider hitting the like button as opposed to trying to direct that move . Good video too and has some great info to be aware of when watching out for fakes .
Thank you for check it out! Good to see you back! Cheers!
Another tell of a fake is that gibson headstocks are not one piece of wood, they glue wings on either side...that's why melody makers have a straight headstock, being a budjet model they don't glue the wings on.
Looks like the strap button is different
Yes. Good observation!
@CompanyGripGuitar I saw that even on my phone with no close up.
Great video.. I have purchased 5 fake Gibsons, changed the pots, pickups and tuners and they all sound as good as my authentic Gibsons. Total cost of upgrades and guitar $600 and they play and sound as good as the real Gibsons. I don't care if they are not authentic or not.. Thanks 😎
Thanks for checking it out!
Slash made killing off his.
Very informative and interesting video. Thank you.
Cheers!
Cool and informative video!
Thanks for checking it out. Cheers!
Great vid, I'm all over Ebay now seeing if I can spot the fakes..lol
Ha! Good luck!
I own both, what Gibson should realize most Chibsons are tore down to the wood and everything is replaced with Gibson parts like mine it’s a solid chunk of mahogany neck and all the frets we’re reworked and the binding is much better than the real one, the chibson plays better but my real AA flame top standard sounds way more quality but I love them both, a guitar needs to speak to you if not it will sit unplayed.
Do people try to fake epiphones too?
I've seen afew more recent samples that just look/feel dismal compared to a 2003 Korean made LP black beauty 3 pickup I've had since new. I wonder if they're fake or just terrible consistency.
I’d be willing to bet if the guitar is worth more than $1000, someone is counterfeiting it.
Yes there is actually fake Epiphones out there.
I'm sure the same people making legit Epiphones are the ones making Chibsons
There are Chibsons with ABR bridges, there are Chibsons with fret nibs, CTS pots, high end tuners, etc.
The only consistent difference on every Chibson I've ever seen is they never have Gibson style truss rods.
I have a 2016 Gibson Les Paul Studio that I know is real. I bought it new in 2016, and still have all the paperwork that came with it including the photo of it at the shop. Only thing I'm missing is the receipt, though I remember it was 899.00 that I paid. It's seen a neck repair- as most heavily played les pauls eventually do, and it has it's share of wear as it's been played almost every day since I bought it but it's a beautiful bare bones guitar without a ton of flash but with a hell of a lot of substance.
My Chibson has fret nibs
Easy ways to tell are, obviously, the truss rod. More obscure lyrics, I also count the number of splines on the knobs. Very few builders swich to American potentiometers and I'm not aware of any Chibson that uses the Gibson truss rod.
Very informative video. Thanks for sharing your knowledge with those of us who uninformed and are looking to become more knowledgeable. Ron ("in Utah") 😎🇺🇸
Thanks for checking it out Ron! Cheers!
On a Chibson with a translucent paint finish, I've seen scarf joints.
Are you sure that wasn't an Epiphone ??
Never seen a scarf joint on a Gibson.
It's now scary to buy an Epiphone. Going to check out my Les Paul Customs. Thanks for this video.
apropos "flat head screwdriver" and the bridge-posts - my '73 Recording (bought new in '74 by me) has slots for the harmonica bridge adjustment. while not _exactly_ "flat head screw driver" (a little thicker that that) they could be mistaken for 'flat head' screws.
Yes - someone brought this up to me after the video was published. I totally forgot about those harmonicas. Oops! I think the video still has some effective points outside of that though - I hope anyway! Cheers!
Test for neck break drop the guitar on the neck if its break its a Gibson...😂😂😂
🤣
🤣😂🎼🤘🏻🤘🏻
Wow, they're getting better with those headstocks
I’m new to Gibson and purchased and was suspect…thanks a bunch for pointing all these out! 🤘
No problem! Thanks for checking it out. Cheers!
Some of the Chinese manufacturers are scary accurate in the copy. I bought a chinese 335 copy - I swapped out the Epi pickups for Golden Age, the tuners for real Grovers and replaced the pots and switch with CTS. My mate who had a real Gibson couldn't tell the difference , although commented that mine was lighter than his. I take mine out gigging - it seems that most bands are using small solid bodies like Strats and Teles, so a large body semi is different and I get a few comments about my "Chuck Berry guitar". It plays and sounds great and I don't have $3500 worth of guitar in a cramped noisy bar . It's a copy - it's only a counterfeit or a fake if it is being sold as a Gibson, but I'm sure I'll get plenty of feedback over this. I have no intention of selling it, but if I did, it would be billed as a copy. I also have a genuine Les Paul Custom 57 that never gets gigged - ever. Immaterial really as I will never buy another Gibson product again after they dumped my Cakewalk recording software in the bin.
Isn’t that the truth. Just saw a “1975” Les Paul for sale on Facebook, would have fooled in nearly every detail EXCEPT the screwdriver bridge posts.
Very nice video. I learned tons of things about what a real gibson should look like in details.
That’s great! Thanks for checking it out. 🤘🏽 🎸
I learned a lot......thanks! Good buy for someone who has little money. It's amazing the chibson has that good of finish.
Thanks for checking it out!
Not mentioned in the video, but to my eye, the Chibsons have different curves. Here, I can see that the body arc around the selector switch looks "fatter."
The Gibson LP Std 2014 anniversary model does not have fret nibs. Also the LP moderns don't have nibs.
Truth. Neither does the new Gibson Victory.
With 3.44k subscribers, any cold call requests for sponsorship is a red flag.
Wouldn’t it have been easier to decide real from fake if you’d have removed or loosened the strings and taken a look under the pups?
Easiest surefire way is the to take the truss rod cover off and look at the rod, which you can do without removing strings. But this is more geared towards if you were to buy off, say, an internet listing and going off sight alone. Cheers!
No drill holes for the pick guard.
I debated adding it, but I’ve got two Gibson Les Paul’s from the factory with no holes drilled. I think the thing is, people just need to do their due diligence and double and triple check multiple things before making a decision. Cheers!
Was getting ready to mention the nibs..
Pull the “Vicers” sticker off and you’ll see the Gibson inlay. Yes, it’s truly a Chibson.
It's weird because in the end the fake guitars are not that bad, and that's the most scary aspect to these cheap knock offs
How the neck is joined to the body is one of the first things i look at on any guitar. Lots of Gibson copies have bolt on necks😂. But regardless, they dont look like Gibsons' design and work.
Good timing on this video, since a few days ago they intercepted a bunch of fake gibsons at customs.
The serial number on the fake is WAY too clear. My LP, which I bought new from sweetwater, isn’t nearly as sharp, niether is the ‘made in USA’ .
Too true. It’s the most ironic part about the real ones. Sometimes can’t even make out the number at all! Hahah
Very helpful!!
Thanks!
Ngl i have a buddy in my hometown that ended up with a randy rhoades lp that for obvious reasons had to be a chobson... Theres nowhere near us that would have had one of the real ones and i know my friend didnt pay 10k for a guitar... Actually it had been loaned to him and dude just moved and left it... But that thing played great, the dimarzios *looked* right... I had an 82 standard back before all the chibson stuff even became a thing so im familiar with em and i knew it was fake but it was still not at all a bad guitar. I made an offer on it.
Haha. Did you get it?
🤣 emulated out of respect 🤣 kinda like saying counterfeiters emulated the precision engraving ability of currency artists
8:06 Doesn't look stamped, looks like they did it with a CNC machine.
The wood bodies are done on a CNC machine and are theoretically similar, but every other process and part is ultra cheap workmanship and quality. The parts could be all replaced, but the neck set, frets and binding will forever be wonky.
I’m no Gibson expert but the treble horn is cut wrong the opposite side of the where the pickup selector looks the wrong shape. If you’re not sure you can spot a fake LP you probably aren’t in the market for a guitar that expensive, but pop the trus rod cover and if it’s got an Allen instead of a nut . I don’t love that they steal Gibsons logo as a company should be able to protect their brand logo and name, however going after companies for copying the shape a shape that’s been around for going on 80 years is crazy. Gibson hasn’t innovated and are more of a lifestyle brand for rock n roll. Like Gucci and other high end brands are lifestyle brands for the wealthy and hip hop culture. That’s just my opinion if you’re not trying to rip someone off passing one of these off as a real LP and the people who originally buy these probably just want it to have and play its after they have been traded and sold several times and then some shady individual sees it on Craigslist for 300 dollars and buys it with the sole purpose of scamming someone with it.
Slash’s Appetite Les Paul was built by an incredibly talented luthier who built very high quality correct replicas of the old bursts something Gibson wasn’t doing at the time. Gibson actually took Slash’s Derig and documented it in order to make their guitars more historically correct. People talk like they think Slash unknowingly bought a “fake” but he bought it after signing with Geffen out of his share of the advance he was looking for a Les Paul and could’ve easily bought a Gibson, he bought the best Les Paul he could find and I don’t imagine it was any cheaper than a real Gibson at the time, cheaper than a real burst yeah but probably cost more than any new Gibson of the late 80s . So I guess imitation in that instance is flattery but not even nearly the same as a Chibson in my opinion. I’m sure Gibson would go after any highly skilled luthier building incredibly high end replicas of their guitars today because they want you to spend 6 to 10 k on their custom shop reissues.
The worst related thing I can remember hearing about is someone built a very high end Dean ML replica for a TH-camr and Dean’s lawyer sent a letter to the guitar owner, not the builder basically saying if you use that guitar in any more videos we will sue you.
Good points and observations! Thanks for your insight!
Dean has protected their body shape, unlike Gibson which only holds a trademark on the headstock.
From what i hear, and I’m not lying, the way to tell a fake one from a real Gibson is how easy it breaks. If it breaks easily then it’s a Gibson, if it’s sturdier and can take a hit without going bust on you, then it’s a fake which is kind of ironic but there you go.
It can be tough to tell these days; there are cheap fakes and there are really good fakes (that use or duplicate original equipment, stylings, finishes, etc.). Price is usually a definite clue: cheap price = immediate red flag. Like the man said, “If it looks too good to be true, it probably is….”
Definitely!
That body curve at the neck joint and the horn both look wrong at first glance, plus all the details you mentioned, but these fakes are getting better and better each year. Eventually they’ll still be obvious fakes but really good guitars at one tenth or one twentieth the price of the real thing.
True!
Bridge height screws
sorry, should have watched longer
🎸 🤘🏽 cheers!
I wonder... Being that the customs have always gotten plastic inlays... Since the real ones didnt glow it makes me wonder if the fake has real inlays... Being that they did glow under UV. I wouldnt be surprised. Some of the materials used for inlay are kind of scrap from seafood and in asian countries it probably isnt terribly expensive to use the real thing. Just a thought.
Interesting point. Very possibly so! Cheers!
I've owned 4 real Gibson Les Paul Customs over the last 50 years and they all had real mother of pearl inlays on the fretboard. The plastic inlays are on Les Paul standards.
@@joepoulos4081I wish that were true, but you can go on Gibson.com right now and buy a $10,000 custom shop with cellulose inlays. A lot of “New” Gibson Customs are MOP, But most of their guitars that are historic reissues (1959 reissue, 1968 reissue, etc) are not.
And there’s quite a few Gibson USA models with MOP, the Modern line and the Supreme line to name a few runs, are all MOP. 🤷♂️
Cheers! 🎸
Best way to know a counterfeit? Open the electronics.
But there are many other tell tales.
But not everyone is up o that stuff.
And those types won't open the electronics either.
I have a couple (9) Epiphone LPs ranging from a 99 MIK up to a couple "Inspired by Gibson". I messed with a couple Chibsons for other people and realized that the ones I saw were exactly the same as the Epi's, which were made in China. NOT saying they all are as I'm sure there are lots of guitar factories in China, but to know some are equal to a good Epi means they aren't ALL junk. ( Here come the purists who will trash all Epi's and that's ok.
Unfortunately they can send you real pictures of a real gibson instead of one from the actual one you are looking at
True.
The truss rod is the best check.No brass nut..its a Chibson 100% of the time.
Some of the newer expensive $300 copies have correct hardware & solid wood bodies and necks and vintage inked serial #'s..most are still poly finish though
Had they ACTUALLY made it an official Vicers guitar, it would be OK for the money.
Yup. Cheers!
I bought a JP number 2 solely as a wall hanger, cause Im a rabid Page fan, but dont got 30 g's for JP #2🎉. As an added bonus, with a lil work she's a player, but not a LP, and definitely not a real JP number 2. Nuff Said
Maybe someone should make a truss rod tip that is just like a real Gibson that can glue on..
😊
Slash plays a fake Gibson 😊
Hi handsome, great channel,video and vocabulary. I'm in the market for a Authentic Gibson electric guitar 2025 . What have you heard about the 2025 Gibson right hand electric guitars?
I always advocate for an SG Standard. Can’t go wrong there. Cheers!
Thanks! Now the Chinese will know exactly how to make a great counterfeit Gibson, hehe.
They had every opportunity since the beginning and haven’t yet… 🤣
@@CompanyGripGuitar So true, that. Seriously, thanks for your detailed, informative video on the subject. Cheers.
"A genuine counterfeit Gibson guitar" is an oxymoron! If the guitar has been re-fretted it is unlikely to have fret nips.
Well i bought an Viceri Adam jones silver burst les Paul copy .it plays seriously as well as my adam Jones Gibson i have ! The pick-up is great the neck awesome not sure how honest you are and no i don't call it a chibson!!( Thats a Chinese slant! Not fair) This copy plys really well it was low action neck was smooth no sharp frets it was level the sustain is really good sooo not sure about the " snobe like attitude dude but stop your better than this ok?
I can only give my honest thoughts and opinions, if yours differ, then they differ. Cheers!
I thought the Les Paul with the woman sticker on it was the Chibson !!!
@@jameslanclos568 perverted
They should just replace the 'G ,and replace with Ch!
Go legit!!
you can tell a fake Gibson pretty damn easy, if you cant then get a black light.
Nervously checking mine out…It’s real!!! Yea! 😅
If you bought it new from a certified dealer, Guitar Center / Sam Ash / Sweetwater, chances are you ok!
@ Reverb. But it’s definitely real(and awesome).
The counterfeit one stays in tune
🤣
What about how a Chibson sounds? Why no mention of that? Isn't that what's really important? And what fool would buy a guitar online. Sure many things are good to buy online but not a precision musical instrument where you have no idea what you are getting soundwise. Imagine walking into a music store and not being allowed to play a guitar you are interested in buying. You would walk right out of the store and for good reason. Often times, its not the guitar but rather the person playing it. The arrow is only as good as the archer. I'd say a good guitar player can take a junk guitar and make it sound good providing it is in tune.
Those might be true statements, but they are completely irrelevant to the point of this video, which is 100% about tips for purchasing an authentic Gibson. As for who buys a guitar online, the online retailer market is the biggest sector of instrument sales. Year after year Reverb has sold more and more guitars. Smaller venues, such as OfferUp or even pawnshops also have plenty of guitar for sale online. If you go to the Facebook Les Paul groups or EverythingSG, there are literally daily posts asking to verify if a guitar is real or fake.
These questions are completely unrelated to sound or opinion of it. This video is for the askers of those things.
@@CompanyGripGuitar Well I'm sure some of your readers could use my pearls of widsom. Glad I could contribute.
I want one
I went on Temu and sure enough, the fake Les Paul as the serial number 0171...
Yup!
easy to tell a chibson,,the headstock is still attached.
How to spot a counterfeit Moog? It says Behringer.
I'm a gigging musician chic myself
my wife 😮 asked me if mine was a real Gibson I said no question I bought it from Gibson 😅 and it is the best guitar I've ever played is it perfect? it is to me but what guitar is? these are hand crafted not 100% but the finished product has mostly been done by human hands so I'm 😊
I’m with you on that! 🎸 Cheers!
Too bad he didn't show us what the bridge and tailpiece looked like on the real Les Paul sitting next to him, rather than just telling us about them. The fret ends too on both guitars which he didn't do. Now I don't know what to look for.
Hi David,
The fret ends are shown side by side with the fake Les Paul and real Les Paul at 4:30, the real bridge is shown at 5:23, about 15 seconds after showing the fake bridge, and the real tailpiece is shown at 6:13, three seconds after the fake tailpiece is shown. There are also chapter titles for each of these three things.
Thanks for checking it out.
Too bad your head is stuck way up your ass.
I like the fake one better.
it seems like a lot of work to go through. how much can the maker's expect to profit?
True.
I remember many years ago I was warned to never trust in the term Made in USA. Why? there was a city in Japan named USA. Something actually made in America would say Made In U.S A.
That’s pretty amazing if it’s true and they did that! Cheers!
Actually NO fret nibs is a plus...as for these, every Gibson that has neck binding has fret nibs, it's a cheap way of doing the frets is why I do not like them. As for no binding it will never have nibs... this actually is a very ridiculous idea anyways.
Thanks for the comment! Every Gibson that has neck binding does NOT have nibs. That’s why you can’t always go on that. The new Gibson Victory or any of the Les Paul or SG Moderns for example, binding, no fret nibs.
@@CompanyGripGuitar My 2014 Gibson SG Standard also doesn't have fret nibs.
I usually can tell the difference by price. If you’re getting a Gibson Les Paul for $150-250 bucks, it’s probably not a real Gibson. Only snobs who throw out big bucks for an instrument have to worry. Real players can build a guitar in their garage and make history with it. RIP Edward Van Halen and your cheap “seconds” guitar.
DO you think your tips are better than the tips of hundreds of other guitar "experts"?
Couldn’t tell ya. I don’t know who claims to be an expert. I certainly don’t.
@@CompanyGripGuitar Although it reads like it, my comment was not meant as an insult. It was just badly composed. :-)
@@danmar007no worries! Have a good holiday!
Counterfeit Gibson . . . actual Gibson. Both the same thing to a Tele player .:)
No way man! I have a couple Teles, love them to death(2nd favorite guitar, matterafact!), but you can’t tell me there’s no respect for the real versions of either. 😆
Cheers!
@@CompanyGripGuitar nice that you took it in the light manner that I meant it . . . yet kind true .:) ! he he
Drop it on the floor. If the headstock is still attached, it's fake.
🤣
only a genuine Gibson comes with a head stock scroled lined so its ready to snap
Right away, if it says anything (such as “Vicers”) other than Gibson on the headstock, then it is not a “Chibson”. No one will buy a “Vicers” and think they are buying a real Les Paul
I’m not worried so much about those people thinking that. I’m worried about the people that buy a vicers, peel the Vicers sticker off(which exposes the Gibson logo underneath), then tries to sell it.
@ when I bought mine it didn’t have a sticker, so I missed that part 🤗. I have bought a lot of LP style guitars (especially Firefly), and have to say the quality is generally very good, at a fraction of the cost.
FIRE FLY BAT GUITARS ROCK
A genuine counterfeit guitar? Okay...
If you cant tell the difference between a $250 chibson and a $5000 gibson its one of 2 things. 1 you suck and dont need a 5k guitar anyway. 2 Gibsons are overpriced and there is no way it costs anywhere near 5 k to build an ancient designed chunk of wood with some metal in it.
first thing i do is take the truss rod cover off. then it screams fake
True!
If it's new is fake, even if it's not fake, it's fake. Always buy from the 70s and 80s.
Good quality control? FAKE.