Five Reasons Why Buying Counterfeit Guitars is Not Worth It
I know what you’re thinking – writing an article about the pitfalls of buying a counterfeit guitar for a store that deals in higher-end musical gear is just too convenient and a bit sanctimonious, right? Well, before you come to that conclusion, allow me to mention that throughout my years of buying, selling, and trading gear, I’ve purchased everything from expensive boutique-made guitars to the cheapest knockoffs on planet Earth. Accordingly, at various times in my life, my budgets for gear have run the gamut from moths flying out of my wallet to rolling up on a guitar store with a certain swagger that can only mean “I’m ready to spend some money.” In the interest of full disclosure, the vast majority of my financial situation falls somewhere in between those two situations. With that in mind, I want to share with you what I’ve learned from buying knockoff guitars.
It seems as though we are living in the golden age of everything when it comes to guitars. The golden age of: boutique manufacturing, pedals, period-correct reproductions, hand-wired amps, and so on. Similarly, we are living in the golden age of counterfeit guitars. They’re cheap, available, and can easily fool a relatively untrained eye. Although my lessons, experiences, and advice on counterfeits spread across knockoffs that emulate many brands, I am specifically addressing the most ubiquitous of these creations: the Chibson, or a Gibson counterfeit made in China.
To touch on the aforementioned availability, there are at least two very big sites that operate out of China that will allow you to buy these guitars and have them shipped right to your door. I won’t mention them, but finding them is not hard to find. It is advisable to keep your lust in check when browsing sites that permit the sale of Chibsons. Some of these guitars look downright mouth-watering, as you will find models in finishes and with certain appointments that are unavailable from Gibson, unless ordering through the Custom Shop for massive cash. And let’s be honest, some of them look great. To deny that is to deny a fact. As the saying goes, “the devil is in the details.” While many of these guitars look gorgeous in pictures, what you get in the box (if it clears through U.S. Customs) may tell a different tale.
Why Are You Buying This in the First Place?
Before buying a Chibson, be honest with yourself about why you are doing so. Is it because you want to fool people into thinking that you have more money than you really do? Are you worried that an audience might not take your playing as seriously if you’re playing an Epiphone instead of (something that resembles) a Gibson? I reserve no judgment if these are your reasons, as they are really totally understandable. You might even just get the "gas" (gear acquisition syndrome) out by checking out one of these Chibsons. Whatever the reason, be in touch with what it is, and you may find that the reason is ill-advised or born out of some type of insecurity.
Most importantly, it can’t be that money is no object to you, otherwise you would buy a real Gibson. So if you’re not Trump-rich, then why roll the dice on a $200-300 purchase that may end up being a total flop? Instead, I would recommend taking that money and starting a fund for a guitar you really, really want. Say no to instant gratification. You’ll appreciate buying a real deal guitar that took you a year or two to save up for as opposed to spending not much money on a replica that will fool people so long as they are standing at least a few feet away from you.
Make No Mistake, Your Seller is Not Your Friend, and is Likely Trying to Deceive You
To be fair, many sellers of Chibsons post accurate photos of the guitars they are selling, but just as many post pictures of real Gibsons instead, and you have to be extremely vigilant and knowledgeable to discern the difference. The most common offenders will post pictures from legitimate retailers. If you are looking at a product page for a counterfeit and find yourself thinking “wow these photos are very professional” or “hey this looks just like the one I saw on my favorite music store’s web site,” your instincts are trying to tell you that the product is not being represented accurately. I once saw an ad for a Fender Custom Shop relic Stratocaster in shell pink and from the photos, it looked amazing – too amazing. I asked for some close-ups (which was my sly way of trying to see if this was the actual guitar for sale), and the pictures I received back were completely different and the relic job was embarrassing. It was hot neon pink with white paint smeared in spots to replicate the meticulous wear marks created by the Fender Custom Shop.
Sellers will also go out of their way to use hollow phrasing in broken English to sway you to their shop. “New Hot 2017 Model” or “Customers Love This Guitar” and so on will be plastered all over their ad to make you forget that you’re buying a knockoff. Your seller will be overly courteous during the transaction, as well. This is all an attempt to mitigate your inevitable disappointment with your purchase.
You’re Buying a Guitar That Has Undergone Absolutely No Quality Control and May be Unreturnable
One of the most pervasive questions/statements that you find on any given forum or YouTube comments section from prospective Chibson buyers is, “is it at least as good as an Epiphone?” or “as long as it is as good as an Epi, I’m down to spend the money.” I want to be as clear as I can be with this statement: comparing Chibsons and Epiphones is a dastardly false equivalence. Epiphone guitars undergo some type of quality control to ensure that the guitar is playable out of the box. Tweaks are always in order for personal preference, but the idea is that the guitar won’t need to go to the shop immediately upon seeing the light of day. In my days of purchasing Chibsons (of which I bought four), none of them were as good as any Epiphone that I’ve ever owned or played. The Chibsons all had their own problems: dead frets, poorly cut nuts, microphonic pickups, broken tuning machines, and poor quality hardware. All of these problems can be remedied, sure, but how much money are you willing to invest into an illegitimate piece of gear before instead opting to buy authentic? Not to mention that at least in my opinion, stocking a counterfeit guitar with choice pickups and hardware is like putting lipstick on a pig.
Aside from financial investment, you may also not have a recourse for returning a flop piece of gear. When buying counterfeits, you are buying from someone who is knowingly ripping off a reputable brand. Do you think they have a return policy or warranty comparable with the brand they’re knocking off? You may get lucky, but the odds are not in your favor. I attempted a return once, and the seller agreed, but I had to pay the shipping back, which was north of $200 (bear in mind that this guitar cost me $220 shipped to the U.S.). Which leads me to my next point…
Once You Buy One, You’re Stuck with It
Conventional interpretation of the law regarding counterfeit guitars suggests that it is not illegal to buy them, but it is illegal to sell them. Once you get your counterfeit from China, it is yours and you’re stuck with it. If you decide some months or years down the line that you don’t like it, it would be (a) illegal for you to sell it on Craigslist, (b) nearly impossible (and morally reprehensible) to attempt to fool an associate at your local music shop, into believing it is authentic and getting them to buy it off of you, (c) also impossible to sell on Reverb or eBay, as counterfeits get flagged almost immediately by shoppers or monitors. Bear in mind that even if you state clearly that it is counterfeit, the law still prohibits you from selling it.
You’re Hurting the Manufacturer and Their Employees
Sure, people love to hate on Gibson for a variety of reasons. Some (not all) have vocally criticized their current quality control, price inflation, and available offerings, but bear in mind that behind a company that some love to hate are real life American workers who may otherwise be unemployed if not for their job at Gibson. This extends well beyond CEO’s and others who have corner offices, but even down to janitors and receptionists who are able to feed and shelter themselves and loved ones thanks to their paychecks from the big G. Does Gibson have a ton of money? Of course. But when times get tight, as with most big companies, you won’t see cuts from the top, but rather, from the most vulnerable and the folks with the most to lose.
It is my hope that this pieces provides you with some real-life advice from someone who has experience with buying Chibsons – not from some cranky dude who is all bent out of shape because the Chibson you bought for $200 looks just like his $6,000 R9 Les Paul. In short, avoid the temptation of instant gratification, the fast food-level availability of counterfeits, and of supporting illegitimate industries. As Tammi Terrell once said, “ain’t nothin’ like the real thing, baby.”
-David Elliott, writing for Martel Music Store
13 comments
Bill
Fake guitars – of any brand – produced in the 70’s (and we’ve all seen ’em) were laughable. But the Chinese have upped their game considerably since then. The current crop are downright amazing with respect to their quality – IN MY EXPERIENCE. Your experience may differ. My experience includes a Chibson LP, a Chibson unfinished flame-top/mahogany body, a Chinder Strat, a Chinder Tele, two Chinder finished curly maple necks, and a Chibson unfinished LP neck.
All the necks are outstanding. Most comfortable necks I’ve ever played, period – of any stripe – acoustic or electric. The “C” neck barrels are perfect, and a joy to hold. Not too fat – not too skinny. The finish – likewise flawless. Fretwork is as good as any I’ve ever encountered and better than on some guitars I’ve paid ten times as much for. The curly maple necks are to die for – so beautiful. Do I sound impressed so far?
BUT…I’m VERY particular with regard to fretwork. I immediately level to insane accuracy (sometimes replace) and re-crown the frets on ANY guitar I buy – regardless of price, and oftentimes dress the fret ends. Will these Chibsons have their share (along with the big boys) of uneven frets? Absolutely. -I can live with it, seeing as how I’m going to be re-dressing the frets ANYWAY.
The one I’m most impressed by is the unfinished LP body I bought to fashion a “Supreme”-type guitar. That one took my breath away as far as the quality/intensity of the flame, the accuracy of the binding, the dead-on accuracy/spec of the body outline, the incredibly smooth finish sanding…all for a dirt cheap price. Couldn’t have been more impressed. And it was sent in the typical form-fitting foam box that Chibsons are shipped in nowadays.
The sunbursting/shading on the finished LP is WAY better than on most genuine Gibsons I’ve owned. Looks like someone took their time with an airbrush as opposed to a mini-spray gun. I don’t how they do it (with robots?) but the results are very impressive indeed. And the scheme isn’t your standard cherry sunburst deal (although if you want one of those, they got ’em). They can come up with some unique – and beautiful – variations on the theme. Ditto for the Chinder Tele – just gorgeous work. The clear coats on everything (I assume polyester) are very flat and smooth as silk. No globs, and buffed out beautifully.
How do they sound? Does it really matter? Do you know how to switch out pickups for something you THINK – or perceive – to be the Holy Grail of tone? (Because they cost so much – that’s a different topic altogether.) The Chinder Strat came with noiseless SSS and the LP with an unknown (so far) set which sounds great. I have no intention of switching those out.
I have to say – as the pickiest person on earth when it comes to pretty much anything – especially guitars – that I’ve been thoroughly impressed by what China is cranking out nowadays. For the price difference – which is HUMONGOUS – I’d recommend giving at least one of the fakes a try, and then asking yourself if you can live with any flaws you might discover. Can you replace that set of tuners for ones you think might be so much better for less than $100, or will it take $1,000 to do it? You can do the math. I didn’t find it necessary to replace any of the tuners, and I have Schallers, Grovers, Gotohs out the kazoo. I discovered years ago that most cheap no-name tuners worked adequately well-enough to suit me, and quit shelling out big bucks on the Schallers, etc. Having said that, I did buy a set of (genuine) pearl-button Fender gold tuners to put on the partscaster Strat I’m building, and they look fantastic with that curly maple Chinese neck.
I’m so impressed (especially with the necks) that I have no intention of selling any of them, so that situation is covered.
I know this is not what a lot of people want to hear (I was myself EXTREMELY dubious of the Chinese offerings at first, and literally cringed before I opened that first package in anticipation of being sorely disappointed), but I’m just reporting my personal observations and opinions. And what I received matched EXACTLY the photo in the ad. And that’s pretty remarkable, given that they churn out gobs of any particular model/finish scheme. No, they’re NOT perfect – but they’re darn good.
BIG JIM
Let me say this straight.
I played with a 1971 Strat hardtail when I thought I was going to be a rock star as a teen and early twenties that I sold to Mars music.
I now own a 1958 Tele reproduction (American heavy ash), a Tele with ceramics (swamp Ash) that I am going to replace with Fender Alnico 2’s, and a Chibson with a Bigsby.
All are Chinese. and adding up all 3 cost me $465.00
They are just as good as name brand and this has to do with world trade. Trump tried to stop it but no one wants to help. I just want to play and if YOU can play you would be good with an American or copy.
America first means you get politically involved as the free traders have no ethics. If I was restricted from buying I would have saved
I don’t want Basswood bodies, thinner than original bodies, Pau Ferro fingerboards ceramic pickups, or anything else by Fender that is almost a Fender Tele or Strat.
Teles have unique sounds and selling one with ceramics or Basswood body under the guise of a Tele you can afford leaves the buyer disappointed in the sound and creates thousands of hours in wasted time trying to find out why you cant get that tone you seek.
Ir’s not Leo Fender or Les Paul that moved the blueprints and tooling to China to pay a guy $1 a day and charge you $2500.00 for the product. Its executives that got stiffed by their own free trade policies.
If your a musician just play with what you can afford. If you study you will be good.
JOSEPH Kingston
Yes it’s nice to be Pro American when you can afford to help other people who are working in America make a living and be sustained but many people who want to play guitar and who want a nice guitar to play with they can’t afford these exorbitant prices that Gibson and other American manufacturers charge and they charge these high prices because of the structure of our labor force with unions and workman’s comp insurance etc etc medical benefits and such which over in China they don’t worry about any of these issues they hire cheap labor that puts out high quality craftsmanship and the guitars sound great if you look at the videos of comparison online you can’t tell the difference when using the same amplifier from a China guitar compared to an American guitar the pickups might be a little better on the American made guitars but you could change out the pickups yourself when getting a guitar from China if you’re not pleased with the pickups but anyway I’m very thankful that instead of paying $2,500 for a Les Paul like I did years ago and a thousand dollars for one at another time I now have purchased one for $269 and another one for $185 and they’re both beautiful instruments and they sound very very good and when purchasing from China if you go through eBay and use PayPal PayPal will reimburse you the money that you spent on the guitar if you’re not satisfied or if the seller will not make it good if it arrives damaged so use PayPal when purchasing from overseas also when you buy your guitar from China if you go through eBay look at their feedback if their feedback is 100% can bet that seller in China does not want to Forfeit that high rating because it will affect his or her ability to sell with a lot of success on eBay or Etsy or whatever other type of online Forum they have chose to sell on so if they have a 100% rating you can bet you will get the guitar that was advertised.
JOSEPH Kingston
Yes it’s nice to be Pro American when you can afford to help other people who are working in America make a living and be sustained but many people who want to play guitar and who want a nice guitar to play with they can’t afford these exorbitant prices that Gibson and other American manufacturers charge and they charge these high prices because of the structure of our labor force with unions and workman’s comp insurance etc etc medical benefits and such which over in China they don’t worry about any of these issues they hire cheap labor that puts out high quality craftsmanship and the guitars sound great if you look at the videos of comparison online you can’t tell the difference when using the same amplifier from a China guitar compared to an American guitar the pickups might be a little better on the American made guitars but you could change out the pickups yourself when getting a guitar from China if you’re not pleased with the pickups but anyway I’m very thankful that instead of paying $2,500 for a Les Paul like I did years ago and a thousand dollars for one at another time I now have purchased one for $269 and another one for $185 and they’re both beautiful instruments and they sound very very good and when purchasing from China if you go through eBay and use PayPal PayPal will reimburse you the money that you spent on the guitar if you’re not satisfied or if the seller will not make it good if it arrives damaged so use PayPal when purchasing from overseas also when you buy your guitar from China if you go through eBay look at their feedback if their feedback is 100% can bet that seller in China does not want to Forfeit that high rating because it will affect his or her ability to sell with a lot of success on eBay or Etsy or whatever other type of online Forum they have chose to sell on so if they have a 100% rating you can bet you will get the guitar that was advertised.
Joseph Kingston
When I was a young boy at the age of about 16 or 17 I was blessed with an original SG 1965 Gibson solid body guitar and I loved it years went by and I always wanted a Les Paul and I was able to get one for $1,000 later on in years I purchase one for $2,500 and when times got hard one was sold the other one ended up in a pawn shop that I never could get back but be that as it was let’s deal with the now now right now I have purchased a Les Paul for $269 another one for $185 they are made out of the same wood that Gibson makes their Les Paul’s they are beautiful instruments the craftsmanship is really really good they don’t have Gibson on them so they’re not deceitful in that sense they have the name of the company on them one of the shengtze ,which formerly or later became badcat instruments the other one is a glarry and they both sound wonderful and I feel so ripped off by Gibson that charged me $2,500 for a guitar that years later I can purchase made out of the same wood, the only difference might be some pickups which I can change out and some tuning Keys which I can change out and all we have to pay two or $300 for it it lets me see just how ripped off I was by Gibson and Fender and I cry no tears when they had to file bankruptcy because they have been ripping off the American Consumer for many years with their exorbitant prices and many a person could never afford a decent guitar in younger years but now they can you’re getting a guitar from China that’s made out of the same wood the craftsmanship is outstanding the paint job and everything is outstanding and you’re helping somebody in China instead of the United States where in in the United States somebody was willing to rip you off it’s not our obligation to pay more for an instrument because somebody belongs to a union or because somebody in America has to have workman’s comp insurance to even employee a person to build a guitar in the first place these people overseas they don’t worry about unions they don’t have to deal with workman comp cases or any of that that’s why they’re able to sell so cheap their labor doesn’t cost as much but as long as the quality is good I would think that you have to have your mind examined to pay so much extra for the same guitar basically except for maybe the electronics and there’s not that much difference in the sound I’ve watched a bunch of videos where these China guitar were compared to the Gibson guitars on the Fender guitars and you really couldn’t tell any difference in the sound I mean open up your eyes why would anybody want to be so Pro American Ronald was a young boy at the age of about 16 or 17 I was blessed with an original SG 1965 Gibson solid body guitar and I loved it years went by and I always wanted a less Paul and I was able to get one for $1,000 later on in years I purchased one for $2,500 and when Tom’s got hard one was sold the other one ended up in a pawn shop that I never could get back but be that as it was but still with the nail right now I have purchased a less Paul for $269 another one for $185 they are made out of the same wood that gives and makes their less paws they are beautiful instruments the Craftsmanship is really really good they don’t have Gibson on them so they’re not deceitful and that sense they have the name of the companies on them one is a shinsky which formerly are later became bad cat instruments the other one is a glare and they both sound wonderful and I feel so ripped off by Gibson that charged me $2,500 for a guitar that years later I can purchase made out of the same wood the only difference might be some pickups which I can change out and some tuning keys which I can change out and only have to pay two or $300 smart it lets me see just how ripped off I was by Gibson and Fender and I cried no tears when they had to fall bankruptcy because they have been ripping off the American Consumer for many years with their exorbitant prices and many a person who wanted to be a guitar player could never afford a decent guitar in younger years but now they can you’re getting a guitar from China that’s made out of the same wood the Craftsmanship is outstanding the paint job and everything is outstanding and you’re helping somebody in China instead of the United States wherein in the United States somebody was willing to rip you off it’s not our obligation to pay more for an instrument because somebody belongs to a union or because somebody in America has to have workman’s comp insurance to even employ a person to build a guitar in the first place these people overseas they don’t worry about unions they don’t have to deal with workman comp cases are any of that that’s why they’re able to sell so cheap their labor doesn’t cost as much but as long as the quality is good I would think that you have to have your mind examined to pay so much extra for the same guitar basically except for maybe the electronics and there’s not that much difference in the sound I’ve watched a bunch of videos where china guitars were compared to the Gibson guitars and you really couldn’t tell any difference in the sound I mean open up your eyes why would anybody want to be so pro American to help somebody make a living in America when to do that it’s at your own sacrifice and you have to wait a couple years before you can get a guitar?
Jordan
I picked up an honestly marketed Chibson LP Custom in a pawn shop and it’s truthfully one of the best guitars I own, an absolute workhorse. The previous owner may have modified it, but not as far as I can tell. Obviously I wouldn’t go out of my way to buy one, for the above reasons, but the one that fell into my lap is a diamond in the rough!
Neil Katz
You can buy a Gibson decal on Etsy for less than 5 bucks.
Paul
I got my first Chibson Les Paul about 2 weeks ago. Totally surprised after I got to looking at it. The neck was straight as can be, finish was flawless. Other than needing the frets leveled and set the string height ( had it done by a luthier) and the tuners changed, new Kluson Revolution/Pearliod (done myself) its a pretty amazing guitar. I took the time and put new pots, 3 way switch and jack in the guitar while I had it down replacing the pickups with a set of SD pearly gates and now I have something that I just won’t let go of. The guitar plays fantastic and sounds amazing. I might have been one of the very lucky ones to get a really good one. I am very happy with the guitar. All in all, I have maybe $700.00 in the guitar. I would be willing to put it up against any guitar out there in that price range without hesitation.
Andy
I am tempted to buy Martin D45 from China as can’t afford the real one. I have a genuine Takamine the finish on it is appalling
Troy
Paul Pecikonis
I seen,s bad one, and some not so bad one. Considering water Gibson is putting out to day.they made a great guitar one, one time.
Philip Phillips
Im fifty years old got my first Gibson SG at the tender age of 12 started playing on a small scale acoustic at age of 5 and have had dozens of guitars over the years including some pawn shop knockoffs, but always loved the Pauls & SG,s I have to say my favorite was a creme white 61 SG i had for years before it was stolen. I have a 76 Paul that i have worn the finish off the back of the neck, I picked up several differant 2000 to present date Gibsons with the hopes of finding a replacement for the 76, !! WELL lets just say i felt let down and betrayed.. With over $25,000 invested in gibson over my life time of calloused fingers, blood, sweat, and tears. At first reading i was on your side about the knock off “chibson” guitars being purchased and then being resold deceitfully, and after I was done reading your comments I scrolled down to the Future product to a bad cat black cat 30r 112 combo for $2,649 now tell me how the material list on that piece of equipment can come close to justifying that price seems to me they’re just as big a thief as the guys in the chibson game… I do my best to be an upstanding American and buy American product even if half of it is made with foreign parts!! but when an American company has to charge that much for a 1/2 sheet of plywood, a hand full of wire, a couple 12ax7’s, and EL34’s a bit of cover material and some labor. Oh yes, dont forget a quality speaker, ($100 eminence). WOW!!, how can a family man justify the overly inflated purchase.. Shouldn’t his fellow American not be offered a quality product at a resonable uninflated price…? Just Saying America
Brian
All true, however, Gibson quality is not what it used to be and quite frankly they are way overpriced. I own a custom shop 336, awesome guitar, it took my almost 30 years to get this guitar, sorry not rich, playing musician who really cant afford to play a 2000-4000 guitar on stage. So for someone who doesn’t want to wait, or will never be able to buy a guitar for 3000, these are pretty good substitutes, or can be. I bought one recently, yes had to level frets completely, once that was done, it now one of my favorite guitars….