Fraud is fraud and I don't think they should try to fool people with
brand names. BUT...
Actually, they don't all sound awful at all. And every thing Gibson
makes isn't perfect either. I have a Les Paul copy from
rondomusic.com I paid 229.00 or something silly like that. I didn't
like the neck pickup as well as a real Les Paul in a side by side
comparison so I got a whole new set from Kurt at Rondo [that they use
in their `high end' 489.00 models] They sound great and cost 40 .
00... for the pair. I admit I was skeptical, but you plug it in to a
tube amp at even bedroom volume and you smile. Will it sound a little
better if I stick a Lollar high wind Imperial of course it will. I
costs almost as much as the guitar.
The Tokai was a Japanese knock off and their resale value is pretty
good. Both these companies are not claiming they are Gibsons. Or
trying to fool anyone. Solid body guitars are not rocket science tho
the big names would have you think so. Stick a pickup on a big enough
hunk of mahogany and you'll get a ton of sustain and that less paul
sound. I'm tempted to drill a hole in mine and see if they put a
quatrer inch sheet of lead in there. The quality control is pretty
spotty over there. The bridge on my copy had a saddle that didn't
seat properly. I called Kurt and he gave me a whole new one. It was
just dandy. And the tuners on my LP copy are every bit as good as
those on my 2k plus Eastman 910. But then, those are from China too.
Hell, maybe even the same factory. If they sound good and play good
who cares about brand loyalty. That is a very one sided love afair.
I don't need a certain name on a product to know if it is good or
not. No more than I need a radio station playing a tune over and over
to know if it's a good to listen or not. Would I like to have a
Gibson Super V or 400? Sure I would. If it sounds as good as the one
Bireli plays.
Ron
Living and playing outside the box.
On Dec 3, 2010, at 12:40 PM, tofu_devil wrote:
The extent of counterfeiting of guitars and other items in China is
staggering. I was just shown a counterfeit Orville guitar, the
brand marketed by Gibson in Japan, but not made for 10+ years.
There are also Tokai counterfeits. One sure giveaway on the
counterfeit guitars, is to look for a kerf joint in the neck a few
inches below the nut. The pickups are terrible and they sound
awful, but thanks to the use of CNC machines, they do bear a strong
resemblance.
And be very careful of Sennheiser and Shure microphones. A raid
instigated by Shure turned up 10,000 counterfeit mic's. Sennheiser,
however has taken a strange stance. They do nothing to combat
counterfeit products. The counterfeiters are able to get OEM
original packaging, parts, etc. Sennheiser has even acknowledged
that some of the counterfeits are made side-by-side at their
Chinese subcontractors. Their attitude is If you don't buy new
retail at authorized retailer, you get what you deserve.
Trojan condoms, Duracell batteries, Sennheiser headphones,
counterfeiting in China is a huge enterprise.
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