This is fake..... right?

[relinquish69]

Most of you are probably aware that I'm selling lots of stuff on this forum. I get a lot of emails regarding my guitars but sometimes, people actually try to sell stuff to me. I know I have quite a reputation when it comes to buying gear but I only buy after I've tested and checked a guitar thoroughly. I can be very anal when it comes to a well set up guitar.

Anyway, this guy tried to sell a Gibson Les Paul Custom to me. I think it's fake but then again, I might be wrong and missing out on a potential deal of a lifetime.

Looks good doesn't it?

The case looks good but I have yet to encounter a Gibson with such a case...

Mmm, nice shot.

If this is fake, it has to be a good one. 2 screw truss rod cover.

Gold hardware. Block inlays.

Brighter picture.

He doesn't get bored does he?

Looking awesome but wait a minute.....

Did you guys notice that his pickups have plastic stickers on them?

Now, real Gibsons will NOT have plastic stickers on them. Only Epiphone do. Fishy fishy. After noticing that, I began scanning through the pictures again. despite the Gibson Logo being placed at the right place, the LP Custom Logo is smaller than usual.

Where is the paper work? No COA? Geez.

Sender:

Hi
Interested in a Gibson Alpine White Les Paul Custom?
Condition is 9.9/10.

Do let me know.

Thanks!

At first, I thought he wanted to trade for one of my guitars. I decided to play along.

Me:

Hi,

trading for?

regards
Jerry

Sender:

Hi!

Trading due to several reasons:

1) Got it as a gift and I am a beginner guitarist, don't know anything about it
2) Uncertain as to my commitment to playing guitar
3) Spare cash

Hope you will consider my trade. And please provide offer for top up for my guitar.
Comes with Hardcase.

Thanks

Me:

I see. What if I told you your guitar was a fake Gibson? I need to open the control cavity to confirm though.

Regards
Jerry

Sender:

Hi!

Why would you say that? Open to cavity control?

Its okay, thanks for your interest but i think its too much of a hassle. Perhaps i will find someone else who is keen.

Thank you

I wanted to keep his hopes up but then again, it would be nothing but a complete waste of my time.

What do you guys think? Real or fake?

 

[lemonade93]

The screw in the pickguard is a little off, it should be more at centre instead of the edge, it could be the photo's but the tone and volume pots don't look EXACTLY parallel, and the plastic pickup covers aswell. I say it's a fake, but I could be wrong

 

[AzNjT]

FAKE

1) Headstock shape is a dead give away.
2) Split diamond FAYUL
3) Block inlays FAYUL
4) its not even the right pearl
5) Case looks like crap, its not even made properly


make NO- mistake, this IS A FAKE.

Im glad you posted this

Do inform him that it is a copy. If he still tries to pass if off as a legit Gibson, then its a scam.


end of thread, lol

 

[LadyInTears]

neck joint imba

 

[MadWerewolfBoy]

compared to this, that is totally fake, headsock is a dead give-away.. better warn others 1st, seller obviously knows it's a fake

 

[dudelove]

Guitar in question

Real.

Wrong tuners, f-ed up diamond inlay, truss rod cover les paul custom words also not accurate. And the fretboard looks like a super ugly light rosewood or crapwood, rather than the dark ebony on the originals.

Real.

Look at the Tune-O-Matic bridge. Dead giveaway here. I have no idea what kind of bridge is that. That is neither a Nashville TOM nor a ABR-1 bridge. That looks like an Epiphone bridge. Switch tip of a Custom Alpine white is white. This one is black, but that isn't a big deal. Some real Alpine white Customs have black switch tips. Lastly the pickguard looks like its 3 ply. The real ones all have 5 ply pickguards.

Still this isn't a good fake. Too many dead giveaways.

 

[LadyInTears]

fake gibson can sell more then a mim strat or an epi ok!

 

[AaronSoFat]

i think the case itself already looks totally fake. the padding is already ripped from the casing. i could buy a 20 dollar no brand case from ranking of better quality. tuners wrong. headstock shape off.

lol. why don't you contact him ask him whether he changed tuners. he'll be like oh yeah. yeah i did last month cos the previous one not so good. then you say oh yeah you change headstock also. then if he's a total retard he'll say like err yeah headstock i changed when i got it cos gibson one not so good. then you'll have to break it to him that he can't change a headstock. knife him then steal his money. then spray paint your signature on the floor

 

[skipper53]

Has anyone else noticed that the body doesnt even sit properly in the case? lol custom gibson with a shoddy "molded" case. rightt... hah the thing looks TOTALLY fake from the get go. I honestly doubt this is even comparable to an epiphone. nice catch jerry.

now.. i wanna know who's this who is this lovelovelovelovelovelove bag and if he's lurking ard soft.

 

[AaronSoFat]

and btw isn't there some kind of laws that you're only allowed to sell it with the papers or else it's worth shit? like rolex and stuff. who would buy a les paul without the papers? okay actually many people. but those who buy them are kinda connoisseurs in their own right. like relinquish who knew it was a fake already. but would it still be worth anything if you cannot prove it's authenticity, i.e. certs and stuff?

 

[skipper53]

Hah bro I think that only applies to guitars of the custom shop caliber. Even for my regular old Custom 24 doesn't really have a COA. But you know what, these instruments (the real ones anyway, in the right hands) attest to themselves.

I'm also wondering if anyone can shed some light, this is basically piracy isnt it? And should be dealt with like any other counterfeit product?

 

[zesn]

I don't know man.
Selling it titled 'Fake Gibson LP for sale' or 'Gibson LP for sale'
Both still kind of like.. a form of piracy?
Why bother using the Gibson brand name if you want it to be a copy?
For fun? For brand name?
But it's used without permission and can be misleading.

 

[relinquish69]

his email title was:

Fwd: Gibson White Custom Les Paul

his intention was to sell me an authentic Gibson Les Paul Custom. well for starters, I was never looking for a Gibson LP Custom so why did he even email me in the first place? Dodgy dodgy. Still if it was a deal that no one can resist, why not eh?

I owned & played my fair share of Gibsons & I felt it was a pretty good fake because I didn't expect the truss rod covers to have 2 screw holes (usually 3 like Epiphone). Also, the finishing was not too bad at all, glossy TTM. The fakes are certainly getting better.

The easiest tell tale signs IMO on a fake Gibson are the serial number (usually stamped without paint), the alignment of the logo and the insides whether the pots are those small ones or whether the wires are plastic or not.

In any case, beware of:

- tantotlit87@gmail.com
- erikson.rudy@gmail.com

if any of them were to email you pictures of their "Gibson". I hope this thread was educational haha!

Kinda regret not emailing him back asking for price and stuff. oh well. had my fun haha!

 

[AzNjT]

I owned & played my fair share of Gibsons & I felt it was a pretty good fake .....

and you couldn't tell the difference? let alone from the pictures?
just sayin'

 

[Sunrisenblues]

i think checking the headstock angle when buying the guitar would be a good give away..
plus fakes usually comes with cheapo tuning pegs.. real has the words gibson on it...
i think the real gibson has a different kind of bridge to that of copies and epiphones

 

[RicFreak]

Check out this thread on TGP.

http://www.thegearpage.net/board/showthread.php?t=901267

Looks the same to me. See all the comments.

 

[skipper53]

HOLY MOOOOOO! Thats the exact same guitar ^^

No wonder it looked kinda familiar!

 

[wck]

I think the guy that posted on TGP is a soft/ g4c member too. Seen his killer PRS's for sale some time back haha. Guess the scammer is targeting people on the guitar classifieds.

 

[metalfreak]

Total FAKE!!!
That is a very well disguised epiphone i think. You can see the top of the headstock is higher than Gibsons, just like epiphones.

I say report the mother fucker for piracy!!! I hate those bastards! Because of them we're always afraid of buying fake.

 

[dudelove]

and btw isn't there some kind of laws that you're only allowed to sell it with the papers or else it's worth shit? like rolex and stuff. who would buy a les paul without the papers?

Many custom shop Gibsons don't have COAs. A COA is not a good way to prove the guitar is real. I've seen fake custom shop COAs before.