Suspected fake of Epi SLASH tobacco sunburst in German Ebay

[Axilla]

Hey folks,

I just came across this offer on the German Ebay:

*** Epiphone Les Paul Slash Signature *** TOP *** bei eBay.de: E-Gitarren (endet 17.10.08 19:45:00 MESZ)

What drew my attention first was:

- The case: It does not look like the one I got mine with - the prints of the Signature and the Epiphone brand don't seem original. The hinges and locks on that case are silver whereas mine were golden colored. The carrying handle seems more like that of on original Gibson case than of the Epi SLash Tobacco Sunbursts guitar's case, and the case has a different form than mine.

- The pickups: as there are no visible pole screws - those normally cannot be Seymour Duncan Alnico 2 Pros.

- The position of the volume and tone knobs seem out of line. Not that good to tell, as the pictures have been taken from an angled position, but the indicator pointers are missing too and the guitar is stated to be original.

- Neck and back of body: The color seems a lot lighter than on mine, though the lighting during photography might alter the appearance. I have not seen Epi Slash Tobacco Bursts with such backs yet - they all had nicer Mahogany veneers on their backs... It's hard to tell, but I cannot clearly see the "E" of the Epiphone logo on the machineheads. The tuner buttons also have a different color.

As I said before, I am not absolutely sure about it, but this guitar seems strange to me and I'm wondering what you think.
I am lucky to own one of the originals (purchased at Guitarpoint / Detlef Alder / Germany - Official Dealer) as well as the Joe Perry Boneyard and have the new Goldtop on order too...

For comparison, there is a definitely original one for sale by an official German dealer on the bay too - see the detailed pics here and compare to the auction item above...

Epiphone Les Paul Slash Signature inkl. Zubehör - NEU bei eBay.de: E-Gitarren (endet 01.11.08 13:37:22 MEZ)

Thank you for your opinions !

Cheers

Axel

[kspeed]

You have a good eye. If we give the seller the benefit of the doubt (255 feedback and 100% is nothing to sneeze at) one could argue that the color of the back and neck and tuning keys might have been altered by the lighting and/or camera flash.

That said, I just double checked a retail box Alnico II Pro I have on hand and the pole pieces are definitely chrome, not black. This sucks, though - the fakers have gone to such lengths that it's not unexpected they'd start faking the Slash sig within a year of its release.

[GNR4EVR]

Originally Posted by kspeed

You have a good eye. If we give the seller the benefit of the doubt (255 feedback and 100% is nothing to sneeze at) one could argue that the color of the back and neck and tuning keys might have been altered by the lighting and/or camera flash.

That said, I just double checked a retail box Alnico II Pro I have on hand and the pole pieces are definitely chrome, not black. This sucks, though - the fakers have gone to such lengths that it's not unexpected they'd start faking the Slash sig within a year of its release.

Yep, thats fake alright.

[Bandit79]

Originally Posted by GNR4EVR

Yep, thats fake alright.

+1

Definitely a fake

[GNR4EVR]

Originally Posted by Bandit79

+1

Definitely a fake

I see he changed his fake photos for stock ones and then covered his guitar so you cant see its fake. Pathetic.

[grdriver]

I believe its a fake also, some things that i noticed but maybe the picture is bad, on the tuners the epiphone E logo is missing (i think,its so hard to tell), and also under the volume pods i do not see the little metal piece that indicates where the volume is at.

[jomo]

I had the "same" guitar. That's fake. Too many differences.