# Trade Tang Guitars- Cheap Copies or Made in The Same Factory?



## rcsierra13 (Dec 29, 2010)

So I was browsing the forum the other day and I noticed a post labelled "NGD: Chinese Guitar Content" and it reminded me of something I had seen earlier in my travels through the interwebs. 

You've probably all seen these banners on the sides of web pages for "Trade Tang" who sell name brand guitars at cheap prices (E.g. ESP, Gibson, Ibanez, Schecter, etc.). One day I eventually succumbed and took a look at the site. They have a _*shit *_load of guitars listed, probably thousands. The majority of them are listed as from China and have poorly worded blurbs and even name most guitars wrong (for e.g. Eclipse as Edipse). They go for around $200 ~ $400 USD.

It got me wondering about a few things though:


Is it a complete scam?
Are they just cheap knock offs?
Or are they made in the same factories and secretly sold at cheaper prices?
Do they maybe just skimp on certain aspects of the production i.e. woods, electronics etc. ?

Also found this which I thought was interesting:

SCHECTER HELLRAISER C-7 FR 7 STRING GUITAR EMG PICKUPS on TradeTang.com

Anyone have any experience with these guys?


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## Fred the Shred (Dec 29, 2010)

Dude, there's quite a bit of information regarding the products of these knock-off builders. Trade Tang is basically the same thing as Zhiang Hao or [insert fictious wrongly spelled Chines name here], which will induce you to believe you're buying product X at some sort of factory direct price, down to posting pictures of the original guitars on theirs websites - of course the imitation looks perfect: it is a picture of the real thing.

I played a couple Chibanez and Chibson guitars, and I must say they were among the lamest pieces of shit I laid my hands on. No intonation, unsalvageable setups, microphonic pickups with no note definition, incredibly tacky hardware, the list goes on. These are NOT in the same league as Chinese factories producing for the "big names".

Be very careful regarding such things and remember the old principle: if it's too good to be true, it probably is.


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## rcsierra13 (Dec 29, 2010)

LOL, yeah I do try to keep that in mind while looking at anything on the net. 

But I am in no way looking to buy anything. Am just interested to hear if there are any war stories.


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## jymellis (Dec 29, 2010)

i hate seeing the fake white ibanez jems for sale on craigslist, sooo many people buy these thinking they are the real thing


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## Fred the Shred (Dec 29, 2010)

rcsierra13 said:


> LOL, yeah I do try to keep that in mind while looking at anything on the net.
> 
> But I am in no way looking to buy anything. Am just interested to hear if there are any war stories.



No. The axes had been seized by local fiscal authorities and my friend couldn't let me dismantle the things as they were still evidence of illegal importation of counterfeit goods. I was eager to bandsaw those turds and have a few laughs, though.


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## rcsierra13 (Dec 29, 2010)

Bahaha "Chibanez" and "Chibson" thats just gold.


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## JPhoenix19 (Dec 29, 2010)




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## mr coffee (Dec 29, 2010)

While I have no direct experience with them, the site is well known around most guitar forums - there was some talk on one of the Gretsch sites a while back about the horrible quality of the Setzer Hot Rod knock offs they were selling, and I've seen them mentioned elsewhere. Maybe it was on Jemsite.

-m


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## Superwoodle (Dec 29, 2010)

I'm pretty sure a C7 is not a Hollow & Semi-Hollow Body Guitar. Looks fishy...


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## Esp Griffyn (Dec 29, 2010)

The Chibanez market got so bad at one point that Ibanez put a "Counterfeit warning" tab on their website mainpages. The thing is, when they were selling them with the pics of the actual counterfeit guitars, they were obviously such bad copies that it was laughable that they were trying to pass them off as the real thing. Still, someone must have been buying them.

Now they are selling them with pics of the real things in the adverts it's much more insidious. I would always say, if it's online and too good to be true, it's a con. If you see a scorching deal, say on a local ebay auction and you can view the item in person first then you might just get a bargain. Always buy from respected and trackable merchants. 

I got my K-7 in a Christmas sale from ibanezstore.co.uk (now defunct, merged into overpricers extraordinaire nevadamusic.co.uk) with nearly £300 off the list price because they had a UK address and phone number, I had talked to them and they had a lot of good customer reviews at the time. I got my Fender Malmsteen strat, used but in mint and practically unplayed condition for nearly £600 less than list price for a new one, because I held it, played it and throughly inspected it in person first. I've never been stung on buying a guitar because I research everything fully first. I know for sure I'd never hand cash over to a chinese vendor trying to offer me a "great deal"!


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## Philligan (Dec 29, 2010)

^
Yeah, they've started using the real pictures for a lot of them. I've played a few and owned one (I bought it being pretty sure it was a knock-off, which it was). To be honest, for a couple hundred bucks, the ones I've played have been acceptable, but they are shitty guitars.

Avoid at all costs.

EDIT: Forgot to say, they're getting pretty thorough, though. The one I owned (lemme see if I can find a pic...)










Unfortunately, those are the best I have. But yeah, I checked the serial number on that one before I bought it, and it checked out. Gibson's site said it was a one-off from something like June, 2006. I was surprised the serials on these things would be that accurate.

Still shitty guitars, though


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## Rook (Dec 29, 2010)

There was an amusing story involving Rich from ibanezrules.com; he was (as he always is) in the Market for swirled UV's and he emailed/got emailed by a 'seller' based in China or Brazil or something. Rich being suspicious asked for pics. He got the photos, which appeared to be at a guitar show, and one of the photos showed the "seller's friend" holding the guitar.

The 'friend' only happened to be Rich himself...

It's a relief these cons are so bad because otherwise more people might actually go for it.

We had a young man's brand new pride-and-joy JEM in for a service recently. When booking it in I asked to see the guitar to fun out what was up and it was at this moment that he picked up the, previously unseen by me, tatty gigbag which held this new jem and he began telling me this amazing story of how he got a great deal from a closing factory...
My face dropped and I just waited to see what this kid was gunna pull out, and low and behold, the worst fake I have ever seen... He passed me the guitar over the counter and it weighed nothing, had no truss rod, the trem was made of some die cast and - though it was recessed - was fixed onto the body where the knife edges would be. The cavity cover on the back was just screwed on and not actually covering a cavity abd the neck had no truss rod! 
It was a nightmare!


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## Xaios (Dec 29, 2010)

Fun111 said:


> There was an amusing story involving Rich from ibanezrules.com; he was (as he always is) in the Market for swirled UV's and he emailed/got emailed by a 'seller' based in China or Brazil or something. Rich being suspicious asked for pics. He got the photos, which appeared to be at a guitar show, and one of the photos showed the "seller's friend" holding the guitar.
> 
> The 'friend' only happened to be Rich himself...



Holy crap, that is CLASSIC!


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## rcsierra13 (Dec 29, 2010)

Wow, the stories are worse than I ever imagined. Can't believe the story with Rich haha nor the one with the kid and his 'new' Jem. I just find it so crazy though, because a LOT of people must be buying them, because it seems they are taking over the interwebs with more and more websites advertising them.


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## AxeHappy (Dec 30, 2010)

The shop I teach at just had a knock off Jem come in for a setup.

It needs to be pretty much completely rebuilt not just given a setup. The locking nut is fully half-an-inch away from the fretboard. And that's the least of it's problems. You should see the scalloping job...


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## MaxOfMetal (Dec 30, 2010)

Scam.

/Thread.

If you want a cheap guitar be patient and get something used. If you want a dirt cheap guitar, pick up the harmonics, those are pretty easy on the wallet.


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