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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 28 ส.ค. 2024
- Chibson is Epiphone | OMG! Battle Shootout Comparison
Here I reveal some interesting and incredible observations about Chibson and Epiphone guitars and their close links. Neither are Gibson guitars but which one is better and why.
Enjoy!!!!!
Thanks for watching and take good care folks! You have but one life - live and enjoy it. Peace :o)
#chibson
#epiphone
#gibson
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The China-made Epiphone guitars are great value these days for sure. I’m a long time Gibson Les Paul guy, but very impressed with the Epiphone Les Pauls.
Me too
I have had a Chinese made Epiphone sg for 14 years and I an pretty happy with it. Couldn't afford a Gibson then or now. Also, I Just play at home...
I own two Epiphone Les Pauls and a Chibson love them all
I wouldn’t be surprised if some of the folks working in the Epiphone factory are moonlighting as counterfeiters.
They are. I thought that was pretty much a known fact. There's no way they are making guitar factories for Chibsons. They are using the Epiphone factories and materials without having to go through quality control steps. People have had Chibson's with Epiphone branded pickups inside.
Lenny Henry I haven’t ever heard that it was 100 percent confirmed. I’m skeptical that this sort of thing is taking place in a factory also making Epiphones (that seems extremely risky), but I could totally see some separate facility that gets Epiphone parts on the cheap and some Epiphone builders make a few bucks on the side helping with finishing or other assembly.
@@trushack I'm certain the bodies and necks are coming from the same factory as epiphone, maybe even some parts, hence some pickups in the Chibson's being Epiphone branded, like the ones in Epiphones. They were genuinely the same pickup, who is going to fake an Epi pickup?. I think it's an out of a side door job and moved onto somewhere else to be assembled, something like that. All it takes is some people turning a blind eye for a cut of the money.
@@Two_Seat_Pete_FatA55 Oh yeah, I'm sure they are using legit Epiphone and maybe even Gibson parts on the regular to build these things (either pilfered or bought cheaply somewhere).
@@Two_Seat_Pete_FatA55 No they arent using Epiphone's factory. Epi's China factory has American supervisors there from Epiphone (owned by Gibson) overseeing day to day production & Gibson is not going to allow their facilities & equipment be used to counterfeit their guitars.
I have a 2010 Epiphone and a 2019 Chibson. The fretwork and intonation on the Chibson are perfect, whereas the Epi has an unfixable intonation problem and scratchy frets. Both sound good to me, though. They sound different, but I wouldn't say one sounds better than the other. I'm happy with both and I would be hard put to pick the better of the two. If you have two girlfriends and both are pretty, there's no reason to complain they're not exactly identical, I think.
@@Chrispykorean I got it from Shop4666136 on AliExpress, but it no longer carries Les Pauls. I had some offers from other stores on my wish list, and for some reason they're gone too. I guess there's been some sort of crackdown on AliExpress LP sellers. They're highly likely to just reopen their stores under different names, though, but if they do there's no telling which is which.
@@Chrispykorean ... DHgate sells them..
The Epiphone blow's the Chibson away hands down no contest I love my Epiphone LP standard Gold top it's truly a great great guitar!! Great video.☮️🎸🤘
BIMSY 657 WELCOME TO BUCKETHEADLANDDDDDDDDD
I have a Chibson 59 fake and I'd put it up against any Epiphone or standard production Gibson. I've had Epiphone Les Pauls and Gibsons and still own 2 Gibsons.
Honestly the tones of the chibson sound great!
You should have played the same exact patterns on both guitars..
I agree, however the differences were obvious, not subtle like a comparison between, hell, I don't know, Gibson 57 classic pickups and SD 59s or something.
Beery llpon
The Epiphone has definitely a far full and more articulated sound
I much preferred the Epiphone
From the seller the Epiphone is a much better guitar comparison to a low end Gibson from the states. That is from Sweetwater, they do a 50pt inspection before it comes to you. My last Epiphone was so good I sold my Gibson and kept my Epi. But buy a chibson like a lot are doing and work the frets, change the hardware and electronics, nut etc and you basically have a Gibson at a fraction of the cost.
I just bought a Chinese Epiphone Les Paul Pro and I have to tell you it's better than most Gibson's I've played - and I used to own a Gibson Les Paul Gold Top back in 1980. I was going to get a new Fender Tele, but my Epiphone has a great Tele sound as well as blindingly great standard Les Paul sound. I've played Chibsons and they suck. No way can they end up sounding like an Epidemic or a Gibbo.
Can you tell I’m trapped in China - epidemic instead of Epiphone lol
you basically end up with a low end epiphone les paul after all that work to a shitson
You are correct except for one point. Every one of the that I've worked on has had an engineerd wood fret board and they're they're just janky. They feel like your playing on Formica. You will not have that problem with Epiphone they have American quality control in their China factory. Sweetwater has great customer Reps. but they are middlers.
@@genodabat9797 Totally agree Geno, thank you for sharing. 😎
I love my Epiphone and would never buy a chibson, ever. Sound profiles show the superiority of the Epiphone. Thanks for the comparison. Looking forward to the next video!
Excellent video. I have a 2017 Epiphone Les Paul Standard Plus Top Pro in Honey Burst and love it!
I got same year and model and it's great to play
why a Chinese factory dosen't copyright the name chibson and make guitars with a chibson logo i think they are missing out on something
@FalconerPhoto maybe true But here is what I'm thinking if a company in china made a great quality guitar and you could buy it direct
they could develop and become a top guitar manufacturer
and with a little bit more spent on better quality components they could become a major manufacture if you could buy a true top quality guitar with consistent quality control and better components with no risk of it being taken by customs
it could be a serious contender
It's the Gibson logo. Period.
Most of these Chinese Les Paul knock off's aren't very good at all - even when compared to cheaper guitars. Most Firefly or Harley Benton guitars will blow them away.
People don't buy a fake Rolex watch because it's the same price as a Timex.
The clarity in the Epiphone is outstanding. I own an Epi LP Trad Pro II myself and I love it. Sounds and plays fantastic. I really don't even consider an Epiphone as a Les Paul "alternative." It is a full-fledged Les Paul all day. Nothing alternative about it!
Wow. Amazing how much better the Epiphone sounds. I would never have thought that. Nice side by side demo, brother!
Burstbuckers vs standard entry level epi pickups....silly comparison
I've had a theory that many Chibsons are made at the Qingdao plant for a while now, using 2nds (at least the better ones anyways). There are so many noticeable similarities. Those pro-bucker 3's definitely sounded better but I think they're a fairly recent upgrade & most Chibbies come with the old stock Alnico 2 pups. Epi's are good guitars for the money, certainly.
I actually have a Chibby that has the same serial number stamp as the epiphone les paul classic customs same gold and everything as a Epiphone even the Grovers are the same
I think you are spot on regarding the Chibsons being made at the Epi plant. And we already know Gibson will make Gibson guitars in China at the Epi plant and then inspect them in the USA to sell as Gibsons. And if Gibson really had a problem with the Chibsons, why aren't they suing the crap out of them as they did the Japanese copies in the '70's? If Gibson can sell you Gibson hardware/electronics to upgrade your Chibson, they are very happy to do that.
I think you will find that SOME of the Chibsons ARE made from SUB factories that build FOR Epiphone! I have spoken to some, they told me many come from, or are made BY Epi associates!
DMSProduktions true that. Some chibsons even have epiphone pickups stock.
spoken to some who?
Same associates but different factories & cheaper materials than Epiphone. I know people who bought Chibsons & they were plywood!!!! They are garbage.
@@trillrifaxegrindor4411 Sellers/manufacturers!
@@jameshughes6049 Some sure are, but some are actually very GOOD! It's just that you take POT luck when buying one!
Would be nice to see how the Vintage compares.
I bought a inexpensive epi SG special, bolt on neck. I put a graph tech xl nut on it and did a complete setup on it including the individual pole pieces adjusted and it is a great player and sounds great. Less than $200.00 new. I actually like this guitar very much.
I'll never get another chibson.. everyone was convinced at the gig that I was loaded and started asking me for drinks until I was flat broke. I sold it and bought a First Act, paid the gas man, and picked myself up a six pack of beef jerky. Pointed my El Camino towards the sunset and never looked back...
What a beautifully eloquent and evocative post! Cheers bro!
First, I really enjoyed the video. You sound very sincere about the guitar. I wanted to clarify a couple of things, so that, you have the right info. Epiphone does not have a factory. They haven't since the 1960's. when they combined into the Gibson factory. Modern Epiphones, however, are built at various locations, by third party builders, in countries that have included" CHina, Indonesia, South Korea, and even in the Czech Republic. Gibson is a difficult company to do work for, and because they change these agreements to vuild the guitars so often, that it is likely that most of those factories have genuine C&C designs for EPiphone guitars. Many people who purchased the fake Gibsons,, actually report that some of the hardware even is stamped as "Epiphone". Likely, because the parts were unused stock from cancelled, or expired, contracts. In reality, the factory makes much more selling the fakes, then making the actual Epiphone instruments. Guitars like the one you played, at $650US, was likely built at a price under $100, sold to the distributor, who sells to local distributors, who sells to the retailer, and Gibson adds their part. So, selling a fake, for half the price, means twice the profit for the factory. Remember, this is why the US is trying to address TM rules, because in CHina, there is little value given to intellectual property. Not putting them down, it is just a different culture, with different values. Anyway, add that the US subsidizes shipping from China to the US, and here we are today. This is not a slam on GIbson, they do what manufacturers of any product do. We like to belive, as guitar players, that someone took time and attention and care, and built our guitars. It just does not happen that way with production instruments. Anyway, sorry about the long comment. Keep up the good work. Oh, and please, do not be part of the problem. Do not buy fakes. :)
Thanks man. I haven't bought any for five years now and have no plans to. 😊👍🙏
Play what you like ,,forget all the opinions and brand names .....WHO CARES
The ONLY argument is when you are a gigging artist. Then you want something that will hold up to the wear and tear. Generally you know you are getting that when you go with the big name boys.
Most of the time
I have an Epiphone SG-400 Pro, with coil splits and treble bleed (which I added), and it's by far the best sounding guitar I've played, and I own more expensive ones...
I've always found epiphone guitars to be brilliant guitars I've had several of them over the years . The only thing that I hate about epiphone guitars is the headstock shape I'm not a fan of . Great video buddy
interesting that you believe there is an "epiphone"....there are factories that take contracts to make Epiphone (in several countries) with no central quality control. This, in fact, produces a somewhat random assortment of decent guitars that you believe are better than the guitars made in those same factories but with different names on the headstock. Interesting.
Epiphones are guitars in their own right. They been around for ever. They should be played and enjoyed for what they are :D
Awesome video..Enjoyed and agree with you. The best chib son I had was a ace Frehley blue burst. Really great guitar and I regret selling it.
I just got a Les Paul custom pro in ebony black and the thing is flawless that is for the video!
Great video! I own an Epi dot es 335 an it sounds great straight into a blues jr and plays great. Love the gibson but the epi was less than $500.
Same here -- love my Dot.
Interesting guys. I'm not in love with mine. I think I might pick up a Harley Benton or similar and see what I think.
reinaldo reyes you get what you pay for sometimes😞
Dot is nice, and the Epiphone ES 335 Pro is terrific.. little bit better pickups and block inlays. Both are great guitars under 500 bucks. Love the Gibson 335 but price wise, well you know.
Your videos have gone thru the roof with useful information and presented in a professional and thought out way! Enjoyed this one and have finally given you a subscribe! Keep it up, bother!
Finally an honest review. I agree with everything you've said. Most of these Chibsons come from the Weifang factory a province of Shandong China. I've worked on many of them. They are not playable out of the box. You will have to replace the nut, bridge, and machine heads and if you like tone quality you'll have to replace the pods. After all that you'll still have an engineerd wood fret board that feels like Formica. Chibsons are Always a gamble. Definitely not for beginners or people without luthier skills. I highly recommend Epiphone they have American quality control at their factory and require much less to set up.
I totally agree my friend. Thank you 😊
The epiphone is a belter. I have had one for 40 yrs from Korea, it has been fantastic, no problems at all.Al😎
I enjoyed playing this one
Epiphone only started making Les Pauls in 1989, 31 years ago,
We have but one life.....is right & well said CGS. Stay safe mate. ;) Epiphones are the shit!! I've always loved all Epiphones I've had in the past. If I get the feeling back in my left hand & it gets better I'm gonna treat myself to a 335 & a BB King Lucille too. Cheers bud.
Pao Ferro.... I put it on my hand built guitars. I actually prefer it to my Rosewood necks.
Chinese LP with $300 in my pocket Every Day!
sucking at guitar since last week(when you started)
Obviously you didn't grow up with 60's and 70's Gibsons. I wouldn't touch either of these cheese boxes.
Because you’re a poser, not a player.
Thanks for the comparison.
I looked at this vid right after the chibson vs Gibson. Small c on the chib is evident after Mr. Farrell's neck biopsy.
Regarding the chib l.p. vs the epiphone LP... The Epiphone rings beautifully with stamina.
The chib l.p. strains to attempt to reach the Epiphone.
I have a couple of real Gibbo Les Pauls (slightly more than 50 years apart in age ) and I absolutely love both. I am a Gibbo man thru and thru. That said, I have had the opportunity to play some of the new Epi's as I am looking for something in the 335 vein. I played the Epi 335 Pro Bucker loaded and something i have never seen before, an Epi 339 with Gibbo P90's. I was thoroughly impressed with both guitars, and yes, nearly as good as the Gibbo's. The only thing really missing on either was a good set of machine heads as both had real Tune - o - Matic bridge/tail. I did the setup on both, no drama with either except a little fret work and nut filing to get them perfect.
The race is down to the two Epi's ( leaning 339/P90 ), a Gretsch, or a MIJ Ibanez ( What..?....never owned one! ).
Epiphone has come a very long way in the past 15 years.
Pau ferry was actually the fretboard material of choice of the great SRV
I’ll be honest, for people that can’t afford a Gibson the biggest injustice was when the Korean factory closed and Epi moved production to China.
The Chinese LP’s never matched their older Korean counterparts.
I'm sure there's a lot in that argument based on the Korean guitars I have tried. They seem to have higher standards across the board.
I know I'll get crucified for this, but I gotta say, I like the Chibson sound better. Not that I support them, but that sound is awesome.
The " Chibson" sounds pretty damn good! I have to admit as well!
Yeah, I have a gold top chibson and a 59 LP (this one bought before I knew you could have em without the copyright infringement on the headstock unfortunately) but both sound great to me.
Between the 2, I like the way the Chibson sounds.It's not as loud.But then I like playing my Fender.
Hey bro nice to see another video.i agree 100 percent with you.people need to understand that when you buy a chibson it doesn't have any value and your stuck with it or have to give it away but you can buy a Epiphone for just a little bit more and it's better quality and you have resale value,even if it just a little it's still resale value and way more than a chibson witch you can't sell.i made the mistake of buying one myself and I had to do so much work on it that it got me addicted to working on and building guitars myself lol.but anyways cheers brother and good to see you again and rock on✌🤘👋🎩
Wait, Britain has beautiful, sunny afternoons?
Try a Bonamassa Gold Top if you can...the long neck tenon, Gibson hb's and superb playability led me to sell my Gibson Standard after 4 days and pocket the $1,500 difference. Cheers
Oddly enough, I've played all 3. Gibsons, Epiphones, and Chibsons. I've owned various Gibsons, and they're usually pretty nice. I've had a couple small issues from the factory, like stripped screws or sloppy inlay routes that have been filled, but they always play and sound fine. Epiphones, of which I've played 4 of the one in this video (even the older ones that DID have rosewood, as well as one new pau ferro one) and they were all really great feeling/playing guitars. (I've played dozens of non-lp epis too, same deal.) The Chibsons I've played always involve some sort of compromise. One or more of the following: bad electronics, bad pickups, bad routes, bad hardware, bad measurements. My best experience with one is a guitar that has gross routes (like the chibson in this video), and bad pickups. The fretwork, measurements, and even hardware are really nice. It even had a nice fat 50's neck (which is the one reason I ever preferred gibsons over epi.)
Basically, Chibsons are a gamble. You will compromise, but you could very well get the best feeling guitar you've ever played. You're also more likely to get firewood. They're cheap, so if you go into it knowing what to expect, you likely won't be disappointed. Gibsons are expensive, and have different features from epi. Full flamed caps, nicer (mmmmm the smell of vanilla) finishes, and different neck profiles. (That 50's profile is so perfect to me.) Epiphone is, at least in this day and age, a consistently good guitar with decent electronics, hardware, attention to detail, and fretwork.
If your end goal is to just get a really nice guitar without spending a shitload of money, epiphone is the safest bet. Nobody who is in the market for a Chibson is really even entertaining the idea of a Gibson. You want a cheap as dirt project guitar? A chibson is basically a pre-painted kit guitar. (and they DO look really nice.) If you realistically want a Gibson, you're not going to get either the epi or the chib. Still... Them epiphones. Damn good guitars for the money. If you want a great LP type guitar for $600, you can't go wrong with the plustop pro.
i got a chibson learned how to completly rework a guitar thanks to youtube all new everything now its a pretty nice guitar i removed the fake gibson sticker put my own desine on it that way i can play it outside of the house without catching a bunch of shit from the gibson fathfull.
Why don't people listen to the voice of experience. Good comments sir..
I have a Gibson Les Paul and I buyed a chipson maybe three years a go. The elelectronics in the chipson was exactly like yours, with the "G" over the pots and bad, bad. I changed the pickups for Alnico II GFT made in USA...( I recommend you this humbuckers $45 each, are so good and very creamy and well done in Kalalazoo factory, exact copy of Gibsons fat, no wax inside).
I actually swapped everything out for original Gibson parts, except for the GFS humbuckers, which I love how they sound. I had to go over the entire fretboard. Now it sounds perfect, like an original gibson.
Glad you got it up and running well mate, so many literally can't get them playable!
Many times, the "Chibsons" (and it can vary widely depending on brand) are really genuine in work and materials, no matter what the serial number says. Like, the factory gets an order for 1000 guitars, but they make 1200 and sell the extra 200 under the table. Yeah, if you get one, the serial number and brand name guys say it's a fake, but it's made in the same factories by the same guys from the same materials at the same time...
The Chinese epiphones are made in their own factory in qingdoa. They moved to there to build their own guitars after having them built for them by samick in korea. This was so they had full control over their products. I suspect the chibsons are copies of the epiphones
i borrowed an Epiphone Standard Pro from a friend and fell in love. Bought a Chibson from another friend. I've been playing them back to back, for a few weeks now. I will be replacing the p-ups and machine heads and nut on the Chibby. But it plays better than the Epiphone, especially in the higher register. So i happy i dove in to this shady underworld. LOL
Thanks for sharing!
I actually preferred the sound of the Chibson, it just felt warmer and had a slightly more vintage sound to it, where as the Epiphone (Who do make a quality instrument. I have an 10+ year old Ebony Custom that I love) was a bit too top endy and harsh on the ears... Which can obviously be fixed with EQing... But yeah, back to back sound comparisons in the vid, I liked the Chibson.
I thought the same thing. The Chib was mellower and the Epi more trebly. Overall I agree that Epiphones are great bargains, especially the ES 335 Pro models. Yes, I'm spreading the word about these gems. Great playability, sound, and craftsmanship at under 500 bucks!
warm=mud warm=dead warm=blanket over the amp warm=sucks ass
Great Video!! Really liked you showing the backs of both guitars and what’s lurking in the cavity of both guitars. That’s something I’ve never seen on other channels. Would like to see what’s in a Harley Benton LOL!!
Pau ferro is a great fretboard material. I BELIEVE it used to be marketed as "Indian rosewood". I had an SSD Spector bass (the company Stuart Spector fronted in the time Kramer had the rights to the Spector name) that had pau ferro and it was phenomenal. Epiphone actually has a factory in China, and the quality has been seemingly as good (even better in some cases) than Gibson. Also, the Probuckers 2 and 3 in the PTP Les Pauls have more clarity than any Burstbucker Pros I've played.
Yeah I quite like the material for the board brother. I agree on the pups :-)
Maybe we should start calling them Epiphakes instead of Chibsons?
epiphonies
Andrew Thomason Or, Epiphoney🤣
It's all from the same factories. Americans have no concept of Chinese manufacturing. ONce contracted, the tooling and design are either copied or copies are made on the same line. Done and done. Same product, different name.
I would just change out the pick ups from the epiphone and put them on the fake gibson to me it has better tone
A nicely put together video with informative content. In my opinion the title is clickbait. It should read Chibson is an Epi copy.
I replaced the bridge on my Epi LP with a roller and never looked back. Strings bend easier and last at least 3x longer now. Quality of your electronics makes more of a difference than most people think also.
Great shout 👍👍👍
That blue Epi just sings and is gorgeous. Great video as always and thanks for consistantly pointing out how bad and ethically wrong a Chibby is. God bless and rock on bro! 🎸👏😎
No, I disagree. The blue Epi sounds & looks rubbish....you would be better off just giving that one to me. I could even come and get it so you won't have any more trouble with it....please?? {Lol!!}
I don't see that he said the Chib was bad, just not as good. Ethics? Yes, but when you buy one used at a pawn shop hoping it's real and you're either going to be honest and keep it, or try to pawn it off on some unsuspecting soul, well now.
That's the key thing brother.
My wife is from Viet Nam. Her job, before we married and she moved to the USA, was as a liason between clothing and shoe factories in Ho Chi Minh City and European, and North American dealers. A company like Izod or Addidas would contract with Vietnamese manufacturers and my wife would translate, among other duties. The same companies making licensed products had no problem selling the same products to people without licenses. I have no idea if this is what is going on here but it would not surprise me at all.
Good shout
For me Epi is much more better than Chibson. I'm not a pro, but Epi sound wins. Thanks alot for good review and comparasion.
I bought a epiphone ultra 15+ years ago and absolutely love it just switched out pick ups for pearly gates and it sounds absolutely amazing. I will never part with it.
Better clarity and sustain with the Epiphone. It does cost twice as much as the Chipson, but seems well worth the cost.
I wonder...what do you think leads to the better sustain you think you hear on a TH-cam video? Do you think it is the pickups, the wood or the reviewer's choice of amp and playing?
Hi Pete! I think that the pickups in the Epi are likely a big part of the sustain. Additionally, better resonance in the body wood would be my second guess. The guitarist and/or the amp settings might be a small part of sustain, but not the clarity. Just my opinion, from experience.
For the price of the Chibson, I got an Epiphone Dot De Luxe on eBay and it is a pure delight to play after a Pro setup. For a few more dollars, I bought an Epiphone Les Paul Ultra I and that too is awesome after a Pro setup. The third one (same price as the Ultra) is an Epiphone Emperor "Joe Pass" and this sound so wicked with a little gain and some distortion. Great video thanks!
Dont you do your own setups?
A Pro setup is a setup that goes all the way with checking if the neck is straight, if the leveling of the frets is needed, checking the height of strings and the relief is to specs, and bridge and intonation and correcting if needed. Having a Pro to do a Pro setup is fine for those who don't have the tools or the confidence to do it themselves which is not my case. I do Pro setups on my guitars. Thanks for having me explain better the little confusion that may appear in my post earlier.
The only difference are the various hardware components; the Pro Buckers go for about $40 and if you add up the parts and labor you may spend an additional $300 which still gives the Chibson the edge by almost $400. Also, whereas the Epiphone has included all the above in the retail price, with the Chibson you can make the upgrades as your budget , needs, and schedule determines. The main difference is obviously the pickups which most people replace anyway whether it is an Epiphone or even a Gibson - most folks want to customize their guitar.
I have a Chibson and so far I’ve only had to upgrade the PUPs which I replaced with Burst Buckner Pros and, although I’m not a gigging musician, this simple mod makes my Chibson sound even better than the Gibson that I sold. I’m sure that there is a difference but only an expert guitarist would probably even notice and most of those guys are either gigging and/or sponsored. I firmly believe that with the software around nowadays you can have a professional sounding rig without paying $3K+. Again a good setup will be necessary and even my guitar tech was “Wowed” by the quality and sound of my Chibson - he was amazed at the replica and couldn’t really tell it was a fake until I told him so.
They can make excellent modern platforms I agree but they're still fake and illegal
@@Chinaguitarsceptic Yes but the problem is that my experience sort of proves that Gibson can make a top-level guitar for around $500, subsequently Ephiphone can go at around $300 (top-of-the-line) and so on and so forth. The PREMIUM (Private Stock) level guitar should retail for $700 max. This is possible since they are manufactured in Asia anyhow, despite what they say. The cost is just artificially inflated, mainly to justify the CEO's exorbitant salaries. Does a CEO of a guitar maker really need to make $20 mill per year, why not make $5 million and pass $10 million onto the US workers and give the customers $5 million in cost-savings? This is cannabilism capitalism at its worst and they will push away future customers -- would you buy a kid a $1,500 guitar (who hasn't learned to play "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" yet)? See Marcus Miller's statement on this and why he moved his signature bass away from Fender and to Asian manufacturers. I know because I own both the Fender and his new model (which is way, way better).
Thank you for making my Epiphone purchase that much more satisfying! Cheers from Cali!
i preferred the sound of the Chibson!. Which I didn't expect, given your comments.
An above average Chibson with all American original parts and a complete professional setup would honestly trick most people, they are THAT good!
I traded my 2017 mim strat for a 2004 epi cherry burst, came with burstbucker pu's and got a pro set up, played a very expensive gibson, epi took it, those pu's are amazing
I love chibsons. They are good to practice doing fretjobs on. If you can at least handle doing your own fretwork and electrical work, they make fantastic project guitars. But I buy them without a fake Gibson logo. Just a blank black headstock then I do my own waterslide and clear coat.
I've always thought the counterfeits were going out the back door of Epiphone factories. If not current Epi facilities, certainly ones that used to have a license to build them and still do on the sly.
WOW!!! I See this is an older video but I caught it today for some reason , and I watched it all and I have to say that I can truly see you struggling to make a few chords using the clean tone with the Chibson , I can hear the frets .... Now with the Epiphone it doesn't appear that way also the Epi has such a more lush tone to it. The only things good I can say without having a go at them myself is the Chibson has a nice delay cycle ( sustain ) in the first dirty tone comparison but you can tweak that , aside from that it also has a nice soloing tone past the 12th fret but still looks like it may be difficult to play up there . Epiphone definitely is superior from what I can pick up on in the video. Nice video thanks.
I received my Harley Benton SC-450plus on Friday and the sound is INCREDIBLE! It's better than any Gibson I've ever owned. It even beats my similarly-priced Epiphones handily. I think a lot is because of the Roswell pickups. I think that if I dropped either Roswells or Dragonfire Screamers into my Epiphones (SG Special and Les Paul Special II), maybe the sound would be as good as the Benton? Would be an interesting experiment! The Epiphone you have here is $500 in America.
I had a HB SC 450 too. It came with a very dry and dirty fretboard, rough frets and 5 of the six mechanics were loose because the holes were too big for the used screws! After some hours of setup work the HB was reasonably useful. Compared with a friends Gibson LP, the Gibson had a much better sound!
Oh dear
uncanny, i've got the same blue Epiphone LP Pro on my lap, though i swapped in Gibson Burst Bucker Pro pups and love it. One of my favorite guitars, plays like butter.
Welcome brother, great to see you. 👍😊🤘
I thought you would've known they are basically the same. They come from the same factories and same material. They haven't set up factories to make Chibsons. They are using the same factories but there's no quality control checks, so you get inconsistencies and nothing made to exact spec with things like electronics, unlike an Epiphone where they have to be build to a spec. I don't think they are "based" off an Epiphone...i think they are being built by the same people that have been trained to build Epiphone's. It wouldn't surprise me if the hardware and things might come from another place, but i'm almost certain that the necks and bodies are being made in the same place as Epiphone's
Scott Lewis is the Epiphone China facility supervisor and Master builder he was also Master builder for Gibson in the past he also has American luthiers at the facility also
Thanks
Love it. The Chibson sounds so much better.
You came to a good conclusion there, like u say there has definitely been a blueprint floating around which has been used lol, tbh they both sounded good through you're amp set up, the epiphone sounded best, those probuckers are based on burst buckers, and are made with exactly the same materials, great video 😀
Great video. I love my Epi , I have this guitar with a blue quilt top. Love it,love it.
No comparison. The Epi has more body and more definition, even with distortion. (Great color too - there should be more blue guitars!)
I enjoyed the sound on the Chibson better. It’s the Chibson that has the fuller sound. More smooth too. However, not better enough to suffer the worse playability of the fake. Maybe it’s just my taste in pickups that makes me like the sound of the cheaper ones. Would have to confirm after a pickup swap into the Epi if the pots or any other electronic part are making a difference too.
I have two Korean made Epi's and I love both of them. I prefer to buy top of the line Epi's and then mod them to taste. I'd buy the Gibson but it loses most of its value the moment you mess with it. The collectors have made getting a quality guitar an expensive undertaking.
Very true buddy. 😊👍
Weird flex but ok. You do know you can get quality for cheap. Collectors have nothing to do with any of your equation
I have a 2001 Epiphone that plays great, BUT I had to replace the pickups back then and trust me they sounded as dull as we hear on the Chibson!
I do enjoy your comparison videos, they don't seem as though you are being biased but just laying out the information. My one issue that I have with many is that they are so apples to oranges comparisons. One presenter compares a chibson that he probably purchased for about $200 against his $1600 Les Paul. Even by normal standards, if Gibson had a guitar in the $200 range it would never ever match up to the quality and detail of the $1600 unit. It can't. Any guitar takes time and expertise to build, and you can not put that same degree of craftmanship into a cheap guitar...and stay in business. I just ordered myself a 335 copy, I expect that I will have to put some extra time and money into it, and change the headstock artwork, and even then I don't expect the same quality that I even had with my 80's Ibanez AR300AV Super Edition or even my ARX100 for that matter, but I'll still enjoy it for what it is. And even derive some satisfaction out of making improvements on it myself.
Very good points bro.
If chibson is epiphone, then Chibson is not that bad in terms of quality right?
No offense... But out of morbid curiosity: Have purchased (6x) Ch(G)ibson + (1x) Ch(F)ender GTRs here in 2024. Amazed regarding the overall fit & finish of the instruments. Only one GTR was set-up properly (zero work required). The other units all required (4-6) hours of frustrating neck work (scraping fret boards + fret polishing + neck truss adjustments + fret leveling). That doesn't include eventual re-stringing with new D'Addarios + intonation, etc.... However, if you are able to perform this work, the rewards are surprisingly excellent. The key of success is neck work. Pick-ups are a matter of taste + your pre-amp/amp combinations, so not important in this discussion. Comment: I know so many players who swap perfectly high quality pick-ups on great Gibsons and Fenders, so that should not be a topic of concern for most all at this time... Haa - we have all been there...! Also - I do own my share of (6x) Gibsons and (5x) Fender products (and 4x Martins)..., so I believe I am able to pass down an honest commentary for your consideration. Thank you
The Chibson headstock is based on Gibson and not Epiphone, that can clearly be seen, did you forget to mention that or maybe you just didn't notice it, and the headstock angle appears to be the Gibson headstock angle 17 degrees, not the Epiphone 14 degrees
You're spot on with the headstocks but the angle is identical to the epi
My brother has a shed load of guitars that he lends to me on the regular,
and my favorite is an L.P. Chibson.
He has replaced the tuners with Klusons
and he also dropped in some five hundred quid Gibson custom shop pick-ups.
It's the most musical guitar I've ever played, I can't play this guitar badly,
it's that good.
The pickups are better on the epiphone which gives it a boost...I replaced all my pots to 5k and installed slashpro 2 humbuckers to chibson and it sounds good
Awesome mate
All that matters is if you play well. If youre a beginner and want a nice looking gibson les paul style guitar go with whatever is cheapest. DOesnt rly matter if youre a beginner with those subtle differences.
Those Probucker pickups are really quite impressive. Great tone, and versatility. I was quite taken with them on a recent guitar store visit
They are nice
Epiphone has more body , sounds more organic. The Chibson sounds very low and hasn't definition.
Age it and you'll be fine
put some legit pickups on that Chibson and you cant tell the difference
Pickups are also louder, brighter, punchier.
Pau Ferro translates Iron Wood, used for years on the SRV sig Strat.
From Leo: One factory can turn out many different levels of product, with different material specifications. The tools and the workers make whatever they are told. The production run for something as simple as a guitar can be changed on the fly without a single hickup in the line.
Wow sounds very flexible!
@wksoh What does President Trump have to do with it? We are talking standard assembly line process.
A friend told me this funny story. In his class the boys were all "green".One went with
his dad to NYC where a hotel maid initiated him.Back in school he stormed in shouting:
"It's not like on your own, with a
girl it's totally different"! A US
made Guitar is like that.
I thought the epiphone sounded better but I prefer the appearance of the Chibson!
That's fair enough mate, I think I prefer a burst to the blue colour.
Man, some mind blowing info here, but I think you are on to something! What about the headstock though, wouldn't they have to have at least one real Gibson around to study for that, or just base it off of photos? On the Epiphones not only is there snap in connectors in the cavity, but the humbuckers also have quick connectors too underneath the pickups. I know as I just pulled 2 humbuckers out of an Epiphone SG Pro. PS Your production is stellar, great video!
You mentioned headstock break angle being a dead give away of the NON-Gibsons...but don't show either guitar compared to a true Gibson. What is the difference???
I'm releasing a video shortly comparing a real Gibson! Keep an eye out brother. 👍😊
Question, do you know why Gibson stopped puting the volute on the headstock, I think it makes the headstock stronger, by the way, I love your videos.
Hey brother thanks. I think the volute was just added in the 70's and dyed in the wool Gibson fans complained that they didn't like it preferring the traditional 50's classic 'feel' so Gibson listened and returned to the old design. You're totally right though it certainly added a little extra strength at the obvious point of weakness in the original design. 😊👍
Gibson stopped the volute because it was unpopular and also found it to make no difference to the strength of the neck/headstock. This is very much like the Firebirds with there 9 ply through body construction supposed to be stronger yet headstocks have been known to break off just with the guitar just laying in its case.
@@colinmcnab6145I understand that the Firebird neck snap problem is believed to be mostly down to the tall banjo tuners resting on the case and stressing the neck on any impact … Hence, finding the breakages upon opening the case ...
I would not be surprised if Gibson realised that, besides other rationales, less broken Gibsons resulted in less new guitar sales … !!!
Should have used an epi standard and not the pro model if you're going to compare sound.
Chibson has epiphone pickups too...I think people who once worked for epiphone, are doing it at their own shops, and have access to bulk electronics from the factory.
So a former worker who was a poor worker at epiphone= poor chibson.
Former worker who was highly skilled?= nice chibson.
I always thought that Epiphone employees built guitars after hours. Once the run for Epiphone is done they can make more money working overtime building Chibson. The Chinese have been poor under communism for decades and now you have trained them to build a sought after instrument. China has the fastest growing middle class due to the U.S. their middle class is buying more cars per year than any other country in the world. This whole scenario should have been foreseen by Gibson
Epiphone is a good Company and Gibson Originally Bought them because of their Pickups. that why Many of the Older Vintage epiphones are Sought after
For sure mate and they still make great gear! 👍😁
i recently bought an epiphone goth with satin finish. It really is a nice guitar but have been having second thoughts on selling it to get a different one. The only thing stopping me is that the pau ferro fingerboard is just too nice to let go.
If you like it keep it mate. They are good guitars in my experience
The whole idea of the name Chibson, just instantly makes me think "cheesy, blatant, cheap ripoff". The would have been better to find a different name. Whats next? Bender, Flybanez, Hacksome, Charnelle?
I especially like "Flybanez"...haha
Chibanez
Chender, Chaylor, Chibson, Chartin, Chibanez
1st part is educational. good job w the details. If it takes a boat-load of effort and a new bridge to intonate the chi-gibson-its just a wall hanger. Chinese pickups are crap; epi pickups sound no better. both will howl and squeal.
I agree, with the exception of the Epi pickups in the 2006 black beauty...those picikups sustain longer than my gibson LP studio.
you should compare the esp ltd ec256 to the chibson
those are great guitars
Keep in mind they're not a slap-on alternative. The body is thinner, contoured, the controls configuration is different and the neck not as beefy. None of these are negative points, in fact I do prefer a lighter, more comfortable guitar over a Gibson spec-ish Epiphone (I've even considered buying an LTD EC1000 but ended up going PRS SE because I found the latter lighter and more comfortable, having a trem bridge and nicer sounding pickups to me). The 256s are great guitars too, but not for someone who wants a Gibson type thing - for those I'd recommend instead a Gretsch Jet, or an Ibanez Artist series.