Guitar MAX has a CHIBSON Problem!

[@GuitarMAXMusic]

Thank you guys for helping me with this!!

[@blueslawyer]

Thank YOU Max! Any time!

[@thelightstillshines2476]

Guitar Max rocks on guitar

[@81dsend]

Still have the black les paul chibson with the floyd rose?

[@81dsend]

I was mistaken, I meant the les paul custom chibson

[@privateprivate4378]

@@thelightstillshines2476 Since they don't have the scope of knowledge about what they speak, I will leave their strongly held opinions out of my perspective. They want to win a bar fight not properly explore this complex issue.

[@jornfox3545]

I don't even deserve to hold a Chibson, I don't know how to play guitar lol. but I love listening to great guitar players for over 50 years now !

[@AntiqueROCker]

If you want a reason someone would purchase a Chibson guitar here is mine: I purchased a counterfit Tuff Dog Telecaster made by a luthier in Northern New York. Fender makes a Merle Hagard signiture version that is a set-neck version made to look like the neck through telecasters that Merle player. Mine is a true neck through Telecaster for 1/20th the price of the Fender Custom Shop version. It’s a great playing beautiful quilt top telecaster that is unique due to it being a more accurate copy of Merle’s guitars than what the Fender Custom Shop produces. I plan on removing the headstock logos.

[@blueslawyer]

I think that's reasonable since it's local... sand off the logo and get the luthier to include their own decal.

[@collierpj]

Basically any guitar on ‘any’ budget will likely need a fret dress. Certainly every guitar I’ve owned (some 20+) has. That ranges from Harley Benton’s through to Gibson LP Standards. A good fret dress and setup runs me £100. Having bought my LP standard, a guitar I wanted for 30+ years, I soon realised that it was in fact just another guitar, it looked awesome, but didn’t play any better or sound any better than guitars I have costing 1/2 or 1/3 of the Gibson ticket. Worse still, because of the value of it, I wouldn’t take it to gigs, playing it I was paranoid about knocking it etc. So after 2 years of procrastination, I sold it. Didn’t lose anything on it either. I got lucky with my buyer. A month or so after I debated buying back an Agufish Harley Benton I’d owned a year or so previously. That was ace, very good hardware, awesome neck and was its ‘own thing’. I couldn’t find the seller though and also the aesthetic wasn’t really what I wanted. I’d owned a mm Epiphone Boneyard before ‘the one that got away’, but they are silly money now (like 84 explorers, £1000+, cmon!!) So I bought a chibson greeny. I spent £107 on fret dress, set up and strings, through on some locking tuners I had already, some probuckers from an epi explorer and upgraded the bridge. Total owes me around £350. It’s now a great playing guitar that I don’t care about but has the ‘correct’ logo on it, anyone asks I tell them it’s fake but every player who’s had a go says it’s great. Names matter that’s what you are paying for.

[@roy2201]

A legit reason to buy a Chibson would be just out of curiosity.. I for one bought one because it just LOOKS like the real deal against a fraction of the price.. I own two real USA Gibsons but a real custom black beauty is not worth 6/7k... So I bought a Chibson black beauty, had my guitar tech install the correct hardware for about 750 bucks and it now holds very well against my real ones and still is cheaper... Obviously not planning on selling it because I want one just for me to gig with... And fair is fair, the Chibson woodwork is just as good as the USA woodwork and maybe even a little better (sorry for you purists out there but that is just undeniable)...

[@solunasunrise]

You should report them top the chibsonian institute right away

[@blueslawyer]

The paperwork is overwhelming but Matt loves paperwork

[@noblehatred978]

Wow great idea for a chibson commercial ! I like the way you pretended to be perplexed when you read Gibson made in the U.S .. You’re an awesome thespian . Or is that chespian ? Lol . I digress - I always had a hunch you were an inside guy but now ,well ha . You got me . Great job . Those guitars are truly winners just like the folks that buy them .. enjoy

[@Spade777_]

This is awesome

[@sisajtegabre]

Cool video, i like what @GuitarMAXMusic because that is saving guitar music, same as your videos @Blues Lawyer Confessional. We live in era were CNC machines and automatics process are here for decades so there are a lot of professional guitar, pedals, amps that aren't expensive. Moreover words like ''hand made'' etc are misused to pump some prices but that is their right to do it. Issues is when fans of those brands and even some PR's of a brands say when they say that a good guitar must be as expensive as their products. There are few brands that really make everything by hand, so it hurts them too. To cut long story short i'm glad that we live in an era were i can get a 1st class guitar under 500US$

[@taurektaurek6213]

Great video again.. I like your cooperations with other guitar streamer!

[@blueslawyer]

Thank you! Hopefully we will see you around

[@ot4kon]

you can own them and sell them as long as you declare and state that their are not real Gibson. and the buyers understand and was informed that those are replicas. totally legal,

[@blueslawyer]

I don't think Reverb or Sweetwater marketplace would let you

[@ot4kon]

@@blueslawyer Just private companies enforcing their TOS. You can legally own and sell your used chibson without legal repercussions. unless you defraud someone. I remember a Pawn star episode where Chum Lee bought a fake Gibson mandolin. nothing happened to the seller.

[@gthomson8065]

There’s a legitimate reason for buying a Chibson. I know many guitar professionals who knowingly bought one because often the copies are objectively very good guitars and most sellers sell them for cheap. Most working musicians can’t afford to just pick up a $3,000 Gibson but they can buy a quality Chibson for $3-400, make a few upgrades and have a smoking guitar. If you’re going to passably counterfeit a $3,000+ guitar, you’re probably going to try to make it pretty damn good. That’s been my experience in general.

[@blueslawyer]

Why not buy a $300 used Epiphone and get a pro setup and new pickups? Why pretend you have the Gibson?

[@SamVecchio]

@@blueslawyerEpiphone are the original Chibson’s 😂

[@Sm00thR0ckS]

I heard that even Slash was playing a Chibson on some of the GNR early videos.

[@blueslawyer]

If I remember correctly, it wasn't a Chibson but a local counterfeit.

[@Sm00thR0ckS]

@@blueslawyer oh ok.

[@brettmarlar4154]

I think his biggest issue was going into this knowing it was a counterfeit. Had he bought it unknowingly then he would be a victim here. As far as the donation aspect, as long as it plays well and sounds good, I doubt anyone would turn away a free guitar to start on. Sanding off and refinishing the headstock would be the most ethical way to give it away as to not see as if you were giving an actual Gibson. Worst case scenario, it could be gutted for parts, or turned into a sculpture.

[@blueslawyer]

Ideally, if the market for knockoff guitars goes away, people are at less risk of getting cheated on the resale market. I'm hoping Max's defaced guitars get a good home to someone who needs a guitar.

[@jaymarble5282]

Great channel! This question came up on a different channel, and I was wondering if you would know the answer. Why does a company like Sweetwater sell gear on Amazon and Reverb as GearNuts? Why would they not sell as Sweetwater? Would there be a benefit to a having a separate corporation for business outside the normal Sweetwater website? Tax benefits? Protecting the main Sweetwater corporation?

[@blueslawyer]

That's a great question! We will check it out and hopefully give you an answer in a full video or in a viewers comments video.

[@SamVecchio]

Bought a Van Halen Frankenstrat from China. It’s fantastic. $300 to my door in a week. I’m not dropping $2k on an EVH. That’s WHY people buy them. We aren’t lawyers…

[@blueslawyer]

Fair, but couldn't you have bought a Squier strat and done some mods to get the EVH sound you were looking for?

[@SamVecchio]

Like Squiers and Epiphones…wanted a Frankie, this was painted and modded with a click of a button. Happy Thanksgiving

[@blueslawyer]

@@SamVecchio Happy Thanksgiving!

[@jamesonpace726]

Chibsons 4 sale! Funders 4 sale! Woo-Hoo....

[@blueslawyer]

We could raise dozens of dollars!

[@MatthewBlackMetal]

Chibson is 300 and the gibson is 3-4 grand thats why it's preferable

[@blueslawyer]

Lots of guitars are $300... why use a fake brand logo?

[@deadheadbetty6663]

Because it's cool

[@EHou01]

Chibsons are not cheap. They usually run about $300. The quality is also suspect and you don't know what you're going to get. It's simply a big risk to spend $300 on something that may or may not be playable. There are plenty of lower budget Gibson-style guitar manufacturers such as FireFly, Harley Benton, Grote, IYV, etc. that offer excellent value as well as protection against poor quality. Regardless of the moral issue, it's simply not worth the risk of spending $300 on a dud.

[@blueslawyer]

Exactly. There are so many budget brands that are honest and (theoretically) spend the money on materials or QC vs copying a look.

[@chrishart5269]

I believe people just want that name on their guitar. Besides Harley Benton there are many other manufacturers that make legal guitars for any budget. The people that defend chibsons accuse us that buy the real thing as being guitar snobs. If it's so important to have that name on the headstock of a counterfeit guitar, then who is the snob

[@MercyNoMore]

Epiphones are pushing a grand these days. Someone who cant afford a gobson might not be able to afford an epiphone these days either.

[@blueslawyer]

Fair concerns, but there are plenty of other brands that have similar styles that are in that $200-500 range that aren't misusing the Gibson or Fender logos

[@donbishop6994]

Sometimes people just want to have something that looks like their dream guitar, at a fraction of the price. Not everyone wants to sell them fraudulently.

[@blueslawyer]

If that makes them happy, that's fine... guitars that look good, DO sound better :)

[@donbishop6994]

@@blueslawyer A lot of us DO listen with our eyes. 😎 No chibsons for this guy, I'd rather spend a little more and get an epiphone or a squire. I don't really care what name is on the headstock. Cheers guys. 🍻🍻🍻

[@blueslawyer]

@@donbishop6994 my 2003 Epi SG Custom is as good as any guitar out there. We were recording one of my albums in 2011 and the producer (who has numerous awards) chose that guitar plus my 2002 SG Special faded over the Gibson LP standards that we had as well. More expensive isn't always better.

[@Sm00thR0ckS]

It does make sense to buy a Chibson if it's only for your personal use and you never plan to sell it.

[@blueslawyer]

But at that rate, why pay an upcharge for fake logos and embellishments when you could get a better guitar to play?

[@Sm00thR0ckS]

@@blueslawyer there is always a risk that you may end up with a crappy one, however the workmanship on some of them is impeccable and they cost less than half than a nice Epiphone. I suppose you can buy a higher end Harley Benton for the same price, but again as long as you plan to keep it for yourself, I don't see a problem.

[@MrDrop442]

Brand the back of the headstock with fake or replica

[@blueslawyer]

Or the front too. My wife had a vintage Japanese LP that had the open book headstock and I added a Gibson-style font decal with her name on it. I'm pretty happy with how it turned out.

[@privateprivate4378]

Is Harley Benton a Chibson?

[@blueslawyer]

@@privateprivate4378 not quite. Different head stock and logo.

[@seandawkins3101]

You said you bought a new Gibson Sg Special for $600, i was curious as to where you purchased that guitar? Maybe you didnt get my previous messages? Thanks!

[@blueslawyer]

It was in 2002 at Victor Litz in Maryland

[@seandawkins3101]

2002? How is that relevant to our conversation?

[@seandawkins3101]

Gibson, Fender and the like have created a market for these copies.. make a better product, at a reasonable price.

[@blueslawyer]

@@seandawkins3101 we were talking about prices from back in the day and now the same guitar would be >$1,000

[@seandawkins3101]

So you agree, Gibson, Fender, etc, are overpriced?

[@randallhaney7909]

I don't know fellas? You seem to talk as much or more; about feelings and morals. With Max, Than actual law.

[@blueslawyer]

It's illegal to sell counterfeits... especially ones that violate the Lanham Act

[@randallhaney7909]

@@blueslawyer Indeed. I think we all realize it's criminal to knowingly sell forgeries. But the point I was trying to assert. What law/Laws would I need to familiarize myself with? If I bought a Forgery. But never mind. This is way too lengthy as it is. Peace Out.

[@blueslawyer]

@@randallhaney7909 it's the Lanham Act

[@randallhaney7909]

​@@blueslawyer Yup. You said that, And I have failed to make my point.. Again still.. As I said never mind .. Please

[@blueslawyer]

Sure thing! Have a great day and don't buy any guitars that are fraudulently misrepresenting the country of origin or seeking to create brand confusion by using unlicensed trademarks

[@1973larryrichardson]

Uh, you can just ,give,them to me. I personally don’t have a problem with them.

[@blueslawyer]

Fair request. Let's see if Max takes you up on the offer

[@1973larryrichardson]

@@blueslawyer I would of course pay the shipping

[@blueslawyer]

@@1973larryrichardson when you consider the costs of packing and shipping a guitar, wouldn't someone be better off getting a new Squier, Epiphone, or Harley Benton?

[@1973larryrichardson]

@@blueslawyer I have played quite a few squiers, not the biggest fan really.

[@1973larryrichardson]

@@blueslawyer Well I guess he’s not into giving them away. Or perhaps he gets too many messages to see mine

[@taurektaurek6213]

Just to put it onto the wall in my hard rock pub.. ? Don't want to have a real Gibson if the guests grab it and break it?

[@blueslawyer]

Reasonable as a decoration... I'll allow it, even if most guests won't know the difference between a fake Gibson and any other guitar in the wall

[@taurektaurek6213]

Oh.. context.. right? So one "legit" reason to buy a counterfeit guitar might be to use it as a mere furniture, not as an instrument.

[@blueslawyer]

It's a reasonable use but the average non-guitarist won't know the difference between a $300 Chibson and a $100 pawn shop Peavey Raptor.

[@LEON4PRES]

Sand off the names and sell them to me. I dont care if the headstock is ugly, I’ll fix it. Also write a bill of sale stating they are fake or copies of the real name brand.

[@blueslawyer]

As a project platform, not a bad plan

[@doctersound9630]

If real Gibsons were more affordable. Less people would pay for the copy. Plus, in China these are Legal b/c they own the trademark AND Brand there. They are not breaking any Chinese laws. Can anyone actually PROVE “this guitar is not real? Who is the arbitrator or reason and law? Who can PROVE that a real Gibson was made in the USA? We know some of these copies come out of the same factory that make Epiphones… if Gibson didn’t want people to build copies and fakes they shouldn’t sell the parts to make them either…food for thought. Rolex won’t let you buy the whole movement and internals to put into a fake case…but Gibson basically does. 🤷🏻🤦🏻

[@blueslawyer]

Gibson has products for sale and they price them as premium products. People can choose to buy them or not, but it's not legal in the US for folks to sell fakes with the brand logo.

[@doctersound9630]

@@blueslawyer how does anyone "KNOW" if it is real or Fake when the quality of the copies surpass the quality of the ORIGINAL AUTHENTIC Gibson? Assuming all the electronics say Gibson...???

[@privateprivate4378]

You guys are spouting emotions, but legal appraisals are glaringly absent from your diatribe. Sometimes the quality of these miss-labeled guitars is f*ckiing fantastic, and that ain't nothing to be so dismissive of: in addition, if YOU don't know the law, then quit pretending that you do. At this point in time, Asians are producing the world's best guitars and I only want to be on the side of whoever gives often economically challenged musicians the best deal albeit with decent ethical approaches. Faking a brand your not isn't great, but neither is pretending that having ripped off musicians and collectors for decade after decade is ethical or moral either, and that's where Gibson and Fender find themselves through their own thoughts and actions. It may take the rest of your already passed lives to sort through this issue!

[@jonathanm9879]

Gibson is just butt hurt because their QC is horrendous and they are embarrassed by the quality in these $250 Chibbies 🤣 Of course people ask how the dreadful workmanship of a $3000 Gibson can be justified.

[@blueslawyer]

Multiple things can be true: Gibson could tighten up QC and Chibsons can be illegal counterfeits that also perhaps aren't the worst.