chinese guitars

anthonyp

Blues Newbie
I've
been checking out a sort of chinese ebay called dh gate and saw some pretty interesting knockoffs of les pauls and other guitars, they look pretty damn good, and unbelievably cheap, does anyone know anything about these guitars? anybody have one? what are they like?
 

MikeR

Guitar Challenged
Staff member
I would tend to avoid buying a guitar from DHGate or Aliexpress, or any of the other Chinese wholesalers.  You have no idea what you're going to get and it's going to be near impossible to return.  Even if someone got a good guitar through one of these places, it's no guarantee that yours would be any good.

If you want a low priced Chinese knockoff that is sold in the US AND has a great reputation for quality, try the Agile guitar series at www.rondomusic.com.

BTW, this should be in the "Gear Talk" section of the forum.
 

cowboy

Blues, Booze & BBQ
I agree with Mike...there are a lot of good guitars being made in China...but I'd stick with a reputable dealer/company that I could return a guitar to if needed...you usually get what you pay for...the difference can be a lot or a little but I'd still want an option to return...later.

cowboy
 

FishKiller

Blues Newbie
The very first electric guitar I bought, when I decided that I was gonna learn, was a Yafeng LP copy--$100.00 with free shipping, when I got it-the finish was flawless-just beautiful, the action not so beautiful, when I was setting it up, I could not get the truss rod to move--could not figure it out--so with some force I turned the rod, and heard a snap--it was the headstock breaking at the neck, come to find out that the truss rod was glued in the neck. I guess it's -the get what you pay for--thing.

Carlos
 

panther

Blues Newbie
I was lucky, I got a good one from DH Gate. I paid about $350.00, then put in another $300.00 in genuine Gibson parts. It's a nice Axe.
Dan
 

falconer

Blues Newbie
There's one other consideration.  Should the day come when you sell your knock-off, the next owner may not be honest about what they're selling to owner number three, and try to pass it off as an authentic Gibson.  That's typically how subsequent owners get ripped-off.
 

panther

Blues Newbie
Falconer;
I don't have to worry about that, this Guitar will be in then Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, with my Gold records.
BTW, I put a notice inside the cavities that it is a copy.
Dan

It couldn't happen ! :eek:
 

henryj

Blues Newbie
MY thoughts.

1. A Chinese knock off of a Gibson LP with questionable parts that may need fixed or replaced. You may need to do any  work yourself as a reputable dealer won't touch it. To end up with a $750.00 decent sounding knock off that you can't morally justify.

2.  A nice Epiphone LP knock off that has a warranty dealer support and no moral qualms for the same money.

No brain-er.
 

jackderby52

Prehistoric blues knob (not newbie)
MY thoughts.

1. A Chinese knock off of a Gibson LP with questionable parts that may need fixed or replaced. You may need to do any  work yourself as a reputable dealer won't touch it. To end up with a $750.00 decent sounding knock off that you can't morally justify.

2.  A nice Epiphone LP knock off that has a warranty dealer support and no moral qualms for the same money.

No brain-er.

What Henry said and then some;
I’m okay with a knockoff that doesn't have Gibson or Fender or Martin on the head plate.  That’s where it becomes morally wrong like one pictured above…   And if you are buying this crap, you give the counterfeiters reason to stay in business!  Don’t do it…  Go out and get yourself a beautiful, reputable Agile or something…   

Okay, enough said from me!  Merry Christmas to all...    :)
 

Bluewater

Blues Newbie
I was lucky, I got a good one from DH Gate. I paid about $350.00, then put in another $300.00 in genuine Gibson parts. It's a nice Axe.
Dan

Dan - How does the Chinese fake gibson guitar compare to your genuine Gibson Les Paul Custom?

I know that good guitars can come from anywhere on the planet. I welcome properly branded instruments from across the globe. I just won't support outright fakes.

Dave
 

Bluewater

Blues Newbie
I agree with Mike...there are a lot of good guitars being made in China...but I'd stick with a reputable dealer/company that I could return a guitar to if needed...you usually get what you pay for...the difference can be a lot or a little but I'd still want an option to return...later.

cowboy
++1
 

PapaRaptor

Father Vyvian O'Blivion
Staff member
I recently bought a Telecaster copy from Rondomusic.com.  It is one of their SX branded guitars.  For about $150 including shipping, it is a decent guitar.  It's about at parity with a Squier.  I bought it for the parts, mainly the body, but before tearing it down, it was a perfectly usable guitar.  Only thing wrong out of the box was a set of rusty strings.

A guitar tech friend steers everyone who asks about decent, low priced guitars toward Rondo and their SX brand.  Rondo also has the Agile brand of guitars and Douglas.  Kurt, who runs the company stands behind the gear they sell and will answer most any question you might have before or after the sale.
 

panther

Blues Newbie
I was lucky, I got a good one from DH Gate. I paid about $350.00, then put in another $300.00 in genuine Gibson parts. It's a nice Axe.
Dan

Dan - How does the Chinese fake gibson guitar compare to your genuine Gibson Les Paul Custom?

I know that good guitars can come from anywhere on the planet. I welcome properly branded instruments from across the globe. I just won't support outright fakes.

Dave

It plays just as nice if not nicer then my Buddies 1977 LP Black Beauty Anniversary Guitar.
For my own personal satisfaction, I purchased the Copy, because I will never fork out thousands for a real Gibson. So i opted for the next best I could afford, like I said for my personal enjoyment. If you disagree, that's up to you. If I had it to do over, I would do the same thing. It's not a moral issue to me, because at $4000.00, I just can't afford that, and I don't see that changing, I' 63, on SS, and 2 girls getting ready for a college I hope. $4000.00 best spent.
I also have a Epiphone Joe Bonamassa Gold top Tribute Guitar.

Dan "Clear Conscious,  Panther" Robinson.
 

BoogieMan

Blues Junior
If you're into Fender, check out the Squier Classic Vibes which are sold at many GCs for around $370.  They are getting rave reviews for their quality and playability for the price.  I tried out a CVC (Classic Vibe Custom) and really liked it.
 

Rancid Rumpboogie

Blues Mangler
I would tend to avoid buying a guitar from DHGate or Aliexpress, or any of the other Chinese wholesalers.  You have no idea what you're going to get and it's going to be near impossible to return.  Even if someone got a good guitar through one of these places, it's no guarantee that yours would be any good.

If you want a low priced Chinese knockoff that is sold in the US AND has a great reputation for quality, try the Agile guitar series at www.rondomusic.com.

BTW, this should be in the "Gear Talk" section of the forum.
I checked out the Agile line at www.rondomusic.com and did a little research online, and if I'm ever in the market for a Les Pau type guitar, that's where I'm going!
 

EJG

Central NJ
+1 on Agile. I wanted a LP-style guitar but wasn't going to spend the money for a Gibson. After a lot of research, it came down to Epi or Agile. I went with Agile and got their 3125 model. I couldn't be happier with it. Of course I might be equally happy with an Epi had I gone that route.

My son has a '99 Gibson LP. I've played his guitar and my Agile back-to-back and the only difference I can find is that mine is lighter. My son disagrees of course, but he has much better ears.
 

Cynicure

Blues Newbie
I've
been checking out a sort of chinese ebay called dh gate and saw some pretty interesting knockoffs of les pauls and other guitars, they look pretty damn good, and unbelievably cheap, does anyone know anything about these guitars? anybody have one? what are they like?

I understand that there are a lot of fake Gibsons made in China and selling as the real thing and that these are an inferior product...

HOWEVER, I also happen to own two genuine Chinese Epiphones, one is a Les Paul Special II and the other a PR 5E acoustic/electric and I must say I'm perfectly happy with the quality of these gutiars (so far, anyway...) The PR 5E sounds fantastic whether it's electrified or not! And the Les Paul is, IMHO, just what a Les Paul should be!

For the money, I doubt you could get a better-sounding gutiar than these Epiphones! I'd recommend 'em to anyone! Just watch out for phoney Gibsons!

:)
 
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