Chibson Custom Explorer WOW!

[@DaveBarlowGuitar]

Buy one here: discord.com/channels/1133261292321378395/1133261292761792633

[@bobbyboyderecords]

not working

[@DaveBarlowGuitar]

you have to join the discord server, if you dont know how to do that start here first facebook.com/Polaris4Music/@@bobbyboyderecords

[@jamielodberg]

@@DaveBarlowGuitar you mind telling us the name of that server?

[@DaveBarlowGuitar]

discord.com/channels/1133261292321378395/1133261292761792633 see@@jamielodberg

[@DaveBarlowGuitar]

polaris4music

[@brucedickinson8993]

I'm getting confiant to buy one here in Brazil. Thanks for the videos!

[@justinsixx90]

Wow that thing looks great!!

[@matheaudodds787]

Sometimes, I've found, if you replace the tone cap and pot, it takes care of excess muddiness. Especially after you install pickups that shouldn't be muddy and you can't figure out why they sound that way. My very first action would be to snip the cap. If the sound changes, then you found the problem 😁

[@leoneddy1492]

Yeah!! just solder some wires from where cap was , hang them outside guitar and keep trying some different value caps , then when you found right cap solder back in place .

[@metalmaster33]

Thanks for this. Just ordered one just like it.

[@bennyh4950]

Where did you order it from?

[@robertlevasseur8896]

update?

[@gearmeister]

Dave, once a guitar passes your test, I would definitely want to own it!

[@bockdrums]

Brilliant video Dave

[@Krullmatic]

That's the first time I've ever seen a Chibson with fret nibs!

[@Brian-zc2ip]

Great reviews of those chibsons. Apart from hardware and pickups they seem hard to believe for the money. Id agree about the pickups spi ding muddy in this one. The two lp's with iron gear sounded great.the white one in particular had a very convincing les paul sound. Thanks again. 💚

[@Zoso981]

That looks great. Nice work

[@DaveBarlowGuitar]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@Ivorhardon]

Great videos mate, you’re a natural in front of the camera. I’m awaiting my first Chibson and will definitely give you call to “sort it” if I may? I’m not far from you in Sutton. Keep the great vids coming. MarcO.

[@derekclacton]

I’m wearing that T-shirt! Not that actual one but the same one - you know what I mean 😂

[@Blizzardofizz]

Bought a Left Handed version of one of these off Ebay a few months ago. Honestly, it feels great. As a lefty our options are very limited and I talked them into $200 for a white Explorer which is wild. Seeing as an actual Gibson Explorer for me would be around $2k or more. Definitely needs tuner upgrade and pick ups, but otherwise the setup is ok or atleast Playable.

[@torragnardjuve1451]

Nice playing 👌

[@scottanderson4175]

I have purchased several Chibson guitars and in the first couple I replaced the pickups with Seymour Duncan’s that cost more than the actual guitar 🤦🏻‍♂️ but I learned that you can wax pot the original pickups that came in the guitar and they aren’t bad 😎

[@leoneddy1492]

Great Video, Guitar looks great, enjoyed the detailed review , I'm a Bass Player have used Warman pickups a fretted Bass I made and , an Humbucker bridge on my Precision,very satisfied SD's I've installed on other Basses are just getting too expensive.

[@DaveBarlowGuitar]

Rock on!

[@pauln6803]

There's no magic pixie dust in expensive pickups; they're wire and magnets, just as the cheaper ones are.

[@jaminjimlp]

Looks SWEET 👀😮

[@rrrayrrray]

I’m having that exact guitar made right now.

[@johnkriete2152]

I have a 1984 Explorer. Well used but still solid.

[@namegoeshere2805]

I saw your videos about a month ago along with some others and have bought 4 Chibsons since then lol. I think the funniest thing about people who get mad at these replicas/counterfeits, whatever you want to call them -- the Gibson guys who play their authentic guitars will get mad about the replicas of the guitars, but then they'll go and play cover songs they didn't write, someone else's intellectual property, on their authentic guitar. Intellectual property doesn't really matter to them when it's a song vs an object, but it's still ultimately the same type of 'theft' happening that they want to complain about.

[@69Model]

Well done.

[@peterwilson9165]

100%

[@Kyush4]

I dont get most Chibsons because theres used Epi Les Pauls left and right but a Custom Exp? Where do you get that if not from China?

[@Thecoolman1]

Which one is this one? I’m sitting at the BadCat website, but I can only find one which looks to have a volute. Also, would it be possible to order one of these without the truss rod cover holes drilled? Or if you’re veery flexible, do full chrome hardware, or trapezoid inlays? Also, how would I go about ordering it with nibs? Do I just have to write all of this down in the “additional information” in the order? Also, do additional information add any costs? This looks awesome, looking forward to an answer!

[@kahlrhoam6769]

Wow. If one was in a pinch, slap some fresh strings on it & go. Then, take some time to give it a work over, to really be intonation/timing secure, new pups, etc. Great Video! 👍

[@wayne9934]

Believe me you play great pal❤

[@PeteEllson5656]

How about a video of your guitars and the gear you use when gigging with your band. Love the vids you made of your band and the songs you guys recorded.

[@DaveBarlowGuitar]

Thats coming next :)

[@DeadmeatDarkdaylight]

Looks cool for a chipson.. little tune up and pickups swap that´s it

[@tdhawk167]

What do you think about Voodoo pick ups?

[@alcortinovis]

Hello Dave! thank you for the videos! you are as always amazing and entertaining! I wish I could get a LP Custom, i'm in polaris music but I can't find answers or assistance. How should I proceed for getting one? thank you in advance. Last question as you are a pro... I wanted to find and IRONGEAR humbucker that sounds as much as possible like a Gibson Burstbucker pro (bridge position), which one do you suggest? thank you again! keep rockin'

[@John_Bauers]

I'd have liked to hear the stock pick ups for comparison.

[@Gary-xm6gc]

I ordered mine without the Gibson logo and no serial number and place of manufacturer on the back of the headstock.

[@zoocru67]

I wish I could understand what tuners he recommended???? Anyone?

[@DaveBarlowGuitar]

Vanson

[@TheworldofMattias]

Wow, what a guitar! Thanks for the nice video. I have bought eight(!) China guitars this month but now I want to have a Explorer! Thanks again an rock on!

[@TheworldofMattias]

And, the pick-up mudiness, could it be the small pots (it looked like small pots in the guitar?)? Even though they ar 500K somtimes they are more like 450K and that could be the cause. Just a thought...

[@markmartin7562]

What factory is your clients ordering from. Looked at Polaris and couldn't find a catalog and they never answered. Would like to buy from where these are coming from after seeing your reviews. Thanks

[@DaveBarlowGuitar]

no catalog, no website, thats not how it works discord.gg/YPsCjC5F8e

[@markmartin7562]

@@DaveBarlowGuitar thank you!

[@eglide73]

Which locking tuners did you mention?

[@DaveBarlowGuitar]

you can use Vanson or Wilkinson, cheap and work great.

[@guitarshredddddder91]

I love my 1983 Black Gibson flying V. I scored that on a deal of 380$ But I wouldn't mind having one of those for the price.

[@TomTobin67]

If you lived in California or I lived in England, I would come to see you play.

[@bobbyboyderecords]

Any info on getting them into the UK? I got one made for me a few years ago 5/6 years ago. 335 style it got stuck in customs for months. However it was not a chibson as it had my own logo and name on it, after 6 months of them (private company representing gibson) the released it and I got it delivered as I refused to have it destroyed. I wonder if they would do this if it were a 1 to 1 copy?

[@DaveBarlowGuitar]

Yes u can get them shipped to the uk with no issues :)

[@shaynew6894]

what were those locking tuners you suggested

[@DaveBarlowGuitar]

Vanson locking tuners are quite good

[@shaynew6894]

thank you sir love the channel

[@DreidMusicalX]

Hey, its a nice looking guitar. Hopefully without the stick shock price tag of a real Gibson. I would own one if I had the room for it. I only have 5 guitars and a Bass right now and that fills my little place with my Marshall 2X12 and Marshall DSL100HR head. I live in a tiny house now I am older. Less to clean up and easier to keep track of things. But that guitar is beautiful, actually. I would do some upgrades to it and do some light sanding on those tool marks and stuff. If all the frets are level and pickups sound good? It's better than my first guitar ever was.

[@דורון-צ2ג]

Does it fits gibson explorer case? Or they dont make it the same size?

[@DaveBarlowGuitar]

no idea, sorry

[@guitarforfun2596]

The main thing I want to know about these cheap guitars is how straight are the necks and the ability to get a good action. I have a cheap samick made in Korea mid 90s. The neck has a twist in it. I have never been able to get it to play right. It worry me to get a chibson with a set neck is that I will end up with a twisted neck over time

[@DaveBarlowGuitar]

I gotta be honest, the ones I had in the workshop are top quality builds and workmanship, materials used are also as good as any Gibson or Fender. what lets them down is the hardware.

[@irock4u222]

whats the chibson link

[@DaveBarlowGuitar]

polaris4music - discord.com/channels/1133261292321378395/1133261292761792633

[@bobbyboyderecords]

link not working@@DaveBarlowGuitar

[@bobbyboyderecords]

link not working@@DaveBarlowGuitar

[@paultraynorbsc627]

Wonder if they have a Gibson Les Paul recording that would be left field 🎸

[@billwyatt5142]

Whats the Link

[@DaveBarlowGuitar]

polaris4music - discord.com/channels/1133261292321378395/1133261292761792633

[@bobbyboyderecords]

Whats the price for this one and a bog standard one without the nibs?

[@bobbyboyderecords]

225 quid?

[@bobbyboyderecords]

I found them for just under 80 quid for the bog standard one with no nibs.

[@MikeTracysManCave]

is there a link for this guitar?????

[@DaveBarlowGuitar]

discord.com/channels/1133261292321378395/1133261292761792633

[@snakebyte7271]

What case is that ?

[@duncandisorderly]

It's a Ritter case for Explorer shape guitars.

[@snakebyte7271]

Thank you.@@duncandisorderly

[@vomito72]

Oh ! really nice ,I like the explorer ... by the way fret binding is cool but it's also a pain in the arse and in my opinion it's one of the worst things Gibson did wrong after the palette without any volute I get my E string get stuck in the binding so often on mine and I hate it ...why to replicate that ? 😂 By the way I'm not anymore sure people need really to swap pickups , even with cheap guitars and pickups nowadays I think you can set your pedals/amp/modeler/mics or whatever to have a good sound on live and recordings , different matter is of course the brutal sound in the room ..but

[@ianhoyle8459]

I agree with your points. There was lots of fuss about keeping the knibs when I was looking into getting my guitar re fretted but it was so much easier to play without them. Also with pick-up swapping I can’t really find much difference that can’t be optimised by adjustment or eq on the amplifier. I thought the cheapest pickups were more microphonic and so sound like a 50s Les Paul or change them for modern more expensive versions and sound like every other rock guitar? 👍

[@scottanderson4175]

Hello Dave do you know the seller ???

[@DaveBarlowGuitar]

I mention them in another video

[@scottanderson4175]

@@DaveBarlowGuitar I found it 🫡 thank you !

[@gsbguitarsgsb679]

For $225-$250 I’m in where do I get one?

[@DaveBarlowGuitar]

see my pinned comment

[@migionie]

Please don’t hold this beeautiful thing so close to the screen, it just makes me want to play it even more!

[@DaveBarlowGuitar]

LOL

[@JerryWhite-ee5hy]

I think that explorer surpasses the quality of any Epiphone.

[@WarenHarding-bd4xd]

Dave where can I get a lez paul creem solid cheep I wontid on sins I'm 10 I'm 60 now

[@tenlittleindians]

Too bad we didn't get to hear what the Chipson pickups sounded like. I have the Goth Explorer from Epiphone and prefer my tone over these pickups. Does this have the volume kill switch on the knob like my Goth Explorer from Epiphone? That front strap button looked like it would easily pull out of a strap at that angle Too bad they screwed up the top of the fret board. That's not an easy thing to fix. Was the individual fret intonation dialed in? That's impossible to fix without major surgery. I think the tone is both muddy and treble heavy. Maybe I'd experiment with some capacitor swaps on the potentiometers before doing another pickup swap to see if that helps the tone. Probably still worth the money but I'd rather see dings in the body before a chewed up neck.

[@sirbaronvoncount4147]

I have my Gibson but I am tempted to try one of these guitars.

[@hadleymanmusic]

MAN ! THAT AND A FLYING v and ill quit buying guitars!

[@hadleymanmusic]

Matter o fact, 2 explorers and 3 flying v's

[@philheath9854]

That Pickguard isnt cut right...

[@DaveBarlowGuitar]

nothing is perfect

[@jackbrew1]

Beautiful instrument and great for the price but you can tell it's fake at a glance - 3 screw truss rod cover is the giveaway, USA builds only have 2 screws.

[@MashaT22]

True. Would be more believable if it said Epiphone. The difference is because of the type of truss rod and channel they use in the US vs. abroad. I mean, most guitar players will know the difference, but the rest of the world won’t I guess. Nevertheless, it’s details like this that CAN be changed but not one Chibson factory seems to bother with this detail.

[@baldyhead]

I've been told that they always have slight differences on purpose, so they can't be sold as a real Gibson. I've seen plenty of correct truss rod covers but something else would be different, like the frets; tuners or number or type of screws in a scratch plate. The quality is so good now that I find it hard to believe they couldn't get the details perfect if they wanted to.

[@JustGuitarThings]

I mean the whole thing is easy to tell iits fake

[@neliojunior4357]

They do it on purpose so it's not 100% the same

[@chucklee347]

​@@baldyhead exactly you're the maybe second person I've seen admit it. But you are dead on. Some people don't get it. It is more a tribute than trying to be a dead perfect copy. I promise you or anyone if you want to pay for it and wait a little longer they can and will make you as closely perfect of a copy you've ever seen to a real Gibson. But most of the copies body wise and hardware is more Epiphone that's where the factory is at anyway.

[@wayne9934]

Anyway back to the metal 🤟

[@Hankboomer]

guys .. is it me or the headstock looks odd ? looks like a bit too fat no ?

[@DaveBarlowGuitar]

nothing is perfect

[@AFXSnares]

Wrong body shape, wrong headstock shape, wrong knob locations, wrong body thickness, wrong neck joint. “I’ve looked at this in detail” How did you miss any of this? You own genuine explorers…

[@BataraKado]

hate to say it cause i wanted to hide it for so long, josi warman makes better pickups then most companies even sd and gibson. warman is the real deal id say the two best brands are iron gears and warmans

[@DaveBarlowGuitar]

problem with Warmans is choice, so if you like ceramic pups with brass baseplates they are great.

[@pauln6803]

Josi doesn't make anything, he imports off the shelf designs from Asia. There's nothing wrong with that and the Warman range has some pretty good pickups at a decent price. Seymour Duncan and DiMarzio actually design and manufacture a wide range of pickups that cover almost all tastes so there's every chance they'll have a model to suit you. But you certainly pay for the name, rather than any genuine improvement in quality.

[@danielwoll6917]

LMAO totally get what you were saying about the Chinese pseudo brand name amp vs chibson thing. Interesting observation. So did the amp sound right? Let's face it there's some decent gear coming out of China. One more question If you walked into a guitar store and the Chibson was mixed in with the originals and you played them both would you know right away?

[@bobbyboyderecords]

I think the spray finish is different (nitro?) but if both had had the same setup and electrics I don't think so. Gibsons are not the best finished guitars for their high price. If you look at a brand like Carvin their quality of production pisses all over the same or much much higher priced gibsons.

[@midwaymonster30]

Buying the real thing is worth the $$ in my opinion.

[@MickH60]

Nah, it's brand loyalty thing. I have had Les Pauls since that late 70's, I still have 4 and they're all Japanese and the best LP's I've ever played, Insane build quality and at a fraction of the cost... I've had some garbage Gibson's, the best one I ever had was an SG...

[@2dazetake]

Who cares if it's fake,for the price, it doesn't feel any different in your hands then the real thing,once set up and upgraded, this is as close as you can get,to a real one, best budget guitars out there,always cracks me up when someone says don't support these slave driving commies,buy an American guitar,everything in this country is made in China,but guitars are bad, not the phone your using,to bad mouth Chinese products.

[@THRobinson]

These chibsons look good, though in this case the crowning on the frets didn't look great, looked wide/flat. Still, I'd love to get one.

[@DaveBarlowGuitar]

Played fine

[@tdhawk167]

You just came up in my feed. Been wondering about these. Thank you for your demo! Yeah, failed for the clean sound, didn't it? Ugh

[@TheEvdavis7]

So where can I get one from ? Is it Aliexpress ? And who is the buyer ?

[@DaveBarlowGuitar]

details in pinned comment

[@chipchiperson679]

They don’t put money in their pick ups on purpose because it’s so cheap to laser print these guitars that electronics will take away the profit margin. Wont cost More than 100 bucks to upgrade the pick ups and make it sound great.

[@garystevens6831]

Fret nibs and the bridge posts don't have screws in! they're getting closer!

[@defin99]

My brother paid 90quid for a SG chibson. Looked great but it was hard to intonate and the keep in tune and the pick up was sh#te.

[@bobbyboyderecords]

"hard to intonate and the keep in tune" you sure it was not a REAL gibson?

[@DavidPayne-xp9hz]

​@@bobbyboyderecords Amen to that I've got a 78 custom that as soon as you play a riff or some chords it goes out of tune , the nut is cut good, I think that it's time for a tuner change! But I would prefer to leave it all original¡

[@DavidPayne-xp9hz]

Any ideas ? Probably going to put some 20/1 locking tuners on and keep the original pickups to the side!

[@MickH60]

What the hell would you expect for 90 quid ?

[@harveyterry6418]

Dave you are a badass

[@crx1vtec]

Ive bought 2 of these, and truss rods on each explorers are fake. Guitars for now plays great, but neck adjustments isnt possible

[@DaveBarlowGuitar]

so, no truss rod, or it just doesnt move?

[@crx1vtec]

@@DaveBarlowGuitar it moves (in reverse order than regular) but nothing happened. I also bought chibson LP Greeny.., that truss rod works fine, but in both explorers (black, and sunburst) are fake. But luckily guitars are playable right from the box, and pickups and electronics works great.

[@psa10hunter94]

Perfect poser guitar for poser musicians

[@DaveBarlowGuitar]

LOL

[@Thecoolman1]

Well, it’s genuinely a good guitar for the price, and it looks fucking awesome!

[@HaliaWarrior]

I’m getting motion sickness 🤢

[@wizrom3046]

Who puts metal covered pickups on a guitar designed to play metal? 😬

[@banced1]

Why would anyone want something that's fake? Must be fake too

[@michaelbrodsky]

So if I take all your videos and copyrighted shizz, and repost it for personal profit, you’d be totally ok with that, right?

[@DaveBarlowGuitar]

People already do that. The world is full of copycats and ripoffs, this is just another one. Anyway I don't own a Gibson, and never purchased one either, I'm just reporting what I see. I'm your regular Julian Assange, dont shoot the messenger.

[@michaelbrodsky]

@@DaveBarlowGuitar Copyright infringement is a crime, and you justify and enable it by discussing the quality of the Chibson forgery, rather than the fact that it’s illegal and takes money and jobs away from American workers (Gibson). Oh and just because “everyone else is doing it” doesn’t make something ok. Are you gonna shoplift at Walmart just because it’s so common? What exactly is your message, sir? Where and how to buy forgeries? Hmmm 🤔

[@pauln6803]

​@@michaelbrodsky Actually the copyright is only enforceable in the US unless it's a deliberate counterfeit. The rest of the world is a touch saner in that although a logo can be trademarked, a shape is a different matter. Did you support Gibson when they went after PRS for the single cut, despite it barely resembling a Les Paul? Or do you think Jackson should sue Gibson over the modern V, due to it ripping off the Jackson Roswell Rhoads? Where does it end?

[@Timferrari-ui8mu]

Great video and great explorer guitar.....who cares where it was made.....The Chinese guitars are getting better in quality and for the price one pays for one.....Why would anyone complain? Too much over criticism of guitars in this era and you idiots out there don't realise.....you have a smorgasbord to choose from.....what is wrong with people out there...mental condition? Play the guitar....Shut the negatives up !

[@LekkerDops]

I can't advise to buy a chibson. He does stress that buyer beware so it's on you if you buy, it's a lottery. I got a 335, it's laughable. Neck twisted, all the Chinese parts are so cheap. From a distance they look great, but when you really know how guitars should be, chibsons are cheap China rubbish and now the Chinese cannot understand what a twisted neck is. They respond, but I've thrown my money away. Most come from only a few factories. Its fine to get a close up and talk about workmanship, but when you take off screws and parts, they chip, the bend, they strip, they don't adjust properly. Maybe I was just unlucky, but there are so many things on my guitar that are plain crap, just buy the real deal and don't throw your money away.

[@EHou01]

Why is there such a run around on trying to get a guitar? Why discord? Why this fake Polaris forum where no questions are answered?

[@DaveBarlowGuitar]

because they are trying to avoid a lawsuit LOL

[@barryfinlayson976]

Dude, gotta stop mouth breathing

[@alien4422]

Anyone who imports one of these guitars into the UK is playing the lottery. If UK Customs see it they will seize it and the buyer will receive s letter requesting permission to destroy the guitar. Say no and Gibson will take them to court. It's much safer to buy a Harley Benton or else ask for a guitar without Gibson's logo on it.

[@DaveBarlowGuitar]

not yet

[@Addicted-2-Guitars]

🤮

[@DaveBarlowGuitar]

How can you not fall in love with it :)

[@5barkerstreet]

junk

[@DaveBarlowGuitar]

really good junk LOL