Thoughts on Chinese website & guitar designq

[The Dali]

I was watching a bunch (too many) YouTube videos on a variety of things and ended up watching this guy who bought a Gibson copy from one of those Chinese websites. He did something interesting... he bought the guitar but instructed them to not include the Gibson logo, made in usa stamp or a serial number. He also asked them to not include their pickups and electronics. He gave them a logo he had designed (his last name I imagine) and they put that on the headstock in pearl.

So... knowing full well that the Gibson headstock is also trademarked I wasn't sure how I felt about this. On the one hand, it allows someone to basically design their own LP style guitar (any finish, any top, any pickups, any inlays) at a FRACTION the cost of even an Epi (like, $180 shipped without pups), but on the other hand the open-book headstock is an infringement. I felt better about the deal since it clearly is NOT a Gibson, but I thought it would make for a good discussion here.

I didn't include the website in this post as to not promote them.

In addition, not sure how they can ship a guitar with the rosewood boards given the new regulations... anyhow.. interesting since many guitars are made in China one way or another. In fact, the one he shod in his video (a different one he had opened) actually had Epiphone-branded pickups in it when he unboxed it.

 

[AlexR]

Re: Thoughts on Chinese website & guitar designq

The OB thing is way less of an issue for mine......like the strat or tele headstock shape but with another name on it. Without the Gibson (or fender) logo on any of those guitars I feel much easier about them being sold.

You could of course add the G logo if you were a very skilled operator.......but the level of effort required and the remaining tells to show its not a Gibson (in this case) practically makes the guitar 'safe' in my eyes as the cost to make that change is way above any selling profit (you'd make a loss for sure).

 

[vinnie1971]

Thoughts on Chinese website & guitar designq

Thoughts on Chinese website & guitar designq

Interesting vid. Tempted to get an SG type copy myself ;-) although I might be better off getting a Harley Benton - they are excellent value!



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[Little Pigbacon]

Re: Thoughts on Chinese website & guitar designq

Re: Thoughts on Chinese website & guitar designq

Interesting vid. Tempted to get an SG type copy myself ;-) although I might be better off getting a Harley Benton - they are excellent value!

And at least Harley Benton isn't outright fraud.

 

[vinnie1971]

Re: Thoughts on Chinese website & guitar designq

Re: Thoughts on Chinese website & guitar designq

And at least Harley Benton isn't outright fraud.

And a decent set neck Les Paul can be had for peanuts,quality control is excellent and the more up market (but still nowhere near £200) models gets you all wilkinson hardware and pickups too


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[Aceman]

Re: Thoughts on Chinese website & guitar designq

I saw that vid a while back. Very interesting.

At the end of the day - a decent Electric guitar is maybe 300 in parts etc.

welcome to the world market Gibson. You suck. You will die.

 

[MetalManiac]

Re: Thoughts on Chinese website & guitar designq

This thread is so brain dead it needs to be taken off life support.

 

[DrNewcenstein]

Re: Thoughts on Chinese website & guitar designq

IMO if you want a Les Paul, buy a USA Gibson Les Paul. I had one for 10 years (1993 Standard), and it was worth the $1050 I paid for it used back in '95. I compared it directly to an Agile LP-style (which were getting rave reviews at the time) and while it was definitely getting close to being a clone in the important areas - build quality, body thickness/weight, and neck profile, it still was not a Les Paul.

I'm not a Puritan by any means. I like the new Jackson Monarkh. I liked the old Charvel Refinement LP-style. But there's only one Les Paul, and it says Gibson on the headstock because Gibson put it there when they made it in the USA. Everything else - including an Epiphone and a USA Heritage - is still a copy.