The Fake Epiphone Thread II

[telmo]

I will post some pictures when I put my hands on my beauty.
It should arrive between 15 and 20 of this month.

Thanks

[PuroRock]

Sorry gentlemen, I haven't been on in a few days and I apologize for bringing up a subject within this thread that has passed, however, I would like to simply defend myself:

I am actually VERY offended by the comment of PuroRock. I am sure that "senior members" are quite near to godlike status however, I am trying to buy a non fake guitar. I just started playing. I am 52 years old. If anyone wants to email me in private, I would be happy to validate who I am. I was so genuinely interested in this site because it all seemed so helpful and non-flame oriented. I am in hopes that this is a one off, and that the administrators will ask Mr. Rock to not flame new users. I am new to guitar, not the internet.

1. My sincerest apologies that my comments on how this thread has become a source of verification for fakers has offended you. It's true and transparent. If you thoroughly read the entire thread, and other various threads on this forum from users with low post counts coming out of the woodwork, you will CLEARLY see how users attempt to take advantage of the good guys who work so hard to verify fakes. I could understand, LesPaulAu, how a new user could misconstrue my intentions.

However, it's not fair to the moderators of this thread in particular to be taken advantage of. If my suggestion was ever to be taken seriously in regards to a minimum post-count (or any form of verification) ever became a requirement to EARN the services of the Fake Experts, then I believe it's a very, very small price to pay in return for what is a free, gracious and money saving service. And let's face it, they're providing a service without ANY compensation.

I'll apologize for offending you, but I won't back down from my perspective... you'll just have to be offended. 80+ pages into this thread and every day new guys come out of nowhere. If Shifty and the rest don't share my thoughts, that's fine... I don't expect them to. They're simply my thoughts.

As for flaming users... check my threads, I don't flame anyone. My point was missed in those comments evidently, and this site is full of gents who say it like it is and respect each others opinions. If I'm wrong in assuming someone is just trying to steal information, then I'm wrong, but it's not based on conspiracy or superstition. Read the history.

That's all I'll have to say on it. Keep up the great work guys... you should be paid for doing someone's else's job, and you're not, so I appreciate your work.

[Guitarsquirrel7]

Originally Posted by rob9

I know that this thread is for MIC epis only but I dont feel right about this one (its probably just because of the amount of fakes ive seen on here and now im paranoid), and if it is real is this a good price?

Gibson Epiphone Japan Les Paul Custom Fujigen Orville - eBay Right-Handed, Electric, Guitar, Musical Instruments. (end time 04-Nov-09 03:35:28 AEDST)

I love those auctions with that many pictures.

That's a good lookin' LP!

[GNR4EVR]

I dont know if they can truly call that a "Black Beauty", since Black Beauty's have a third pickup, but the fact of the matter, is that is one gorgeous guitar either way, and I love the MIJ Epis with the Gibby headstock. Just looks a lot better, IMO. I love my tombstone headstock, but I like that more.

[bill.spanburgh]

There's an LP on eBay that I have some interest in but something about the pix worry me.
It's a t a shop local to me so I'd save the S&H of it real. Here's the link to the auction.

EPIPHONE LES PAUL STUDIO SIX STRING ELECTRIC GUITAR - eBay (item 230387164293 end time Oct-18-09 10:57:29 PDT)

Thanks,
Bill

[GNR4EVR]

Originally Posted by bill.spanburgh

There's an LP on eBay that I have some interest in but something about the pix worry me.
It's a t a shop local to me so I'd save the S&H of it real. Here's the link to the auction.

EPIPHONE LES PAUL STUDIO SIX STRING ELECTRIC GUITAR - eBay (item 230387164293 end time Oct-18-09 10:57:29 PDT)

Thanks,
Bill

I'd venture youre pretty much ok with this one. Since youre local, you have the luxury of going and seeing for yourself if the neck is straight, what the intonation is like. Shes a beauty with that Floyd Rose Trem on it. Sure does add something nice to this. Looks professionally done too. Think Id go check her out!

[Dustman]

Brand new Epiphone Les Paul Custom Ebony Black - eBay Electric, Guitars, Instruments, Musical Instruments. (end time 12-Oct-09 21:22:13 AEDST)
Even the Netherlands is getting in on the act in Australia. Emailed this bloke suggesting the photos of item for sale was of a fake Epi and the stock photo with guitar specs was of a genuine Epi and asked him if I won the auction which one would I get. Will post answer if I get one.

[-=[Shifty]=-]

Originally Posted by Dustman

Brand new Epiphone Les Paul Custom Ebony Black - eBay Electric, Guitars, Instruments, Musical Instruments. (end time 12-Oct-09 21:22:13 AEDST)
Even the Netherlands is getting in on the act in Australia. Emailed this bloke suggesting the photos of item for sale was of a fake Epi and the stock photo with guitar specs was of a genuine Epi and asked him if I won the auction which one would I get. Will post answer if I get one.

Yeah, I've also noticed that there are more and more fakes being sold from the Netherlands.

[Dustman]

Brand new Epiphone Les Paul Custom Ebony Black - eBay Electric, Guitars, Instruments, Musical Instruments. (end time 12-Oct-09 21:22:13 AEDST)
Even the Netherlands is getting in on the act in Australia. Emailed this bloke suggesting the photos of item for sale was of a fake Epi and the stock photo with guitar specs was of a genuine Epi and asked him if I won the auction which one would I get. Will post answer if I get one.

1. hi there,

we are only selling genuine epiphone guitar here.
thanks for pointing that out ...i will work on the
pictures next time.

thanks again,


2. however,sir,with all the respect....why would you
think those were fake guitar`s photos?i just
copied some of these photos from internet..the
original guitars are still well stocked in UK and
China...so it is kinda impossible for me to have
them photographed....

if you could be straight with me on this,i would
really appreciate it...
thank you,

have a nice day,
reggie


- reggiebu0318
- reggiebu0318


Just received these two replies from the Netherlands Ebayer

[-=[Shifty]=-]

Oh, the guitars are stocked in the UK and China but the item location says Rotterdam, Netherlands?

It's always the same with those scumbags.

[leocuellar]

Hi everyone, I need your help, I am buying my first Les Paul tomorrow but I want to be sure it is not fake could you help me find out?? Pics below:





Thank you for your help

Leo.

[-=[Shifty]=-]

Originally Posted by leocuellar

Hi everyone, I need your help, I am buying my first Les Paul tomorrow but I want to be sure it is not fake could you help me find out?? Pics below:

http://img126.imageshack.us/img126/540/img1p.jpg
http://img207.imageshack.us/img207/5672/img2at.jpg
http://img207.imageshack.us/img207/6295/img3us.jpg

Thank you for your help

Leo.

Welcome to MLP, Leo.

Looks good to me.

[leocuellar]

Thanks for ur comment Shifty.

the guy who is selling me this told me it came with an epiphone poster, a manual and an allen key. Is that what is normally included in a new epi LP package?

Thanks again.

Leo.

[-=[Shifty]=-]

Originally Posted by leocuellar

Thanks for ur comment Shifty.

the guy who is selling me this told me it came with an epiphone poster, a manual and an allen key. Is that what is normally included in a new epi LP package?

Thanks again.

Leo.

I've never bought a new Epiphone. I'm not sure about the poster but a manual and an allen key should be included in the package.
Just make sure that the guitar in the pics is the actual guitar you're getting. Do you pick up the guitar in person?

[leocuellar]

Originally Posted by -=[Shifty]=-

I've never bought a new Epiphone. I'm not sure about the poster but a manual and an allen key should be included in the package.
Just make sure that the guitar in the pics is the actual guitar you're getting. Do you pick up the guitar in person?

I've only seen the pictures, the guy is going to send the guitar to me. I am sure that I will receive the one from the pictures, I just asked about the things included in the package to be more confident that I am not getting a fake.

thanks again

Leo.

[EooN_PL]

Hey Leo, things that the guy mentioned do come with the guitar when you buy it new. You also get a 1,5meter cable (not sure bout the length though) : )

[Fimu]

Hello everybody.

Thanks again for your verification. The faker replied today using Amazon's system. Here's what he said:

Hey, i just receive a notice that Amazon told me you have complain to my accout for he receive the item that is different from what was ordered!! oh no. it is really a serious misunderstand, we promise all of my items are 100% orginal and authorized and was the same as the advertisement, you could check the serial number (that is on the back of neck ) on the website to verify whether the guitar is authorized:
The Guitar Dater Project - Epiphone Serial Number Decoder

if you still want to return the item to us , please deliver the item back to those address:
name:wu na
Address:
Economic-Technological Development Area ，
changle county,
shandong province,
China
TEL:15966169215
please tell me the tracking information after you deliver the item to me , your full payment will be refund after
we comfire receive the guita shipped.If I can be of assistance to you in the future, please don't hesitate to contact me.
keep in touch by email.
regard

to which I replied:

Hello, you said the Serial Number on the back of the guitar is correct and gave me an unofficial website to check it. Unfortunately, the serial number on those guitars are easily falsifiable. I can create one, right now and use your unofficial tool for verification, and it would state it is a valid number. As I already told you, I had second opinion from experts and all of them said your guitar is fake. Please cease selling them to honest people. I will return the item to the address you specified and I expect full refund. Thank you.

What would be best to do now? He said he's willing to give back the money, but what if he claim the product is defective when he gets it or whatever?

Fortunately, Amazon seems to be pretty straightforward about guarantees.

Insights, please!

[Lynyrd77Skynyrd]

Get in touch with Gibson and Epiphone and send them some pics, give that info to amazon. We've had cases where they were told to destroy the guitar before sending it back.

[MorePau1]

Just call Gibson, they keep records of every guitar that comes out of the factory. They told me what my guitar was, down to the color, and a specific day as to when it was made, the color, ect.

Also, I was thinking about bidding on this. The pictures are at wierd angles, so it is hard for me to look at the knobs, and what not. Here it is... EPIPHONE LES PAUL STANDARD ELECTRIC GUITAR-SUNBURST - eBay (item 260487968701 end time Oct-14-09 11:56:11 PDT)

And it is not from China so...

[MorePau1]

Epiphone Les Paul Standard Plus VS Electric Guitar - eBay (item 310170880224 end time Oct-25-09 22:01:37 PDT)

This one looks a bit on the fake side to me as well, but I'm no expert.

[Sinmastah]

Stay away from that one

Sorry, I've been trying to get on more, but school is pretty dang demanding right now. Typing this as I leave for another test this week...

[MorePau1]

Which one?

[Sinmastah]

Sorry, I guess you posted the 2nd one as I was posting my post. The 1st looks fake to me, and the 2nd looks ok, but he is using stock pics, be careful

[GNR4EVR]

I think youre ok with both of those..

[ticktock]

Hey all, I am new to this forum and have been lurking around and decided just now to register to ask you guys about a epiphone les paul that I am about to buy.

So he tells me the epiphone was made in 1999 and was bought at Italy. He gave me the serial number (B9096783) and posted pics of the guitar, and here they are:

http://i289.photobucket.com/albums/l...3/DSC03366.jpg
http://i289.photobucket.com/albums/l...3/DSC03364.jpg
http://i289.photobucket.com/albums/l...DSC03365-1.jpg

I can ask for more pictures from him if you want. As I remember he posted a picture of the serial number at the back of the headstock but he removed it; that I don't know why. The other pictures he posted were of the guitar's dings and scratches, if it would help in identifying the guitar I'll post them here too.

Checked out the serial at the guitardaterproject and found out this was made in Czech Republic; and I read around here (and around the internet) that they are pretty good and rare.

But the dodgy part for me here is that why isn't there a les paul standard written on the headstock?

And if you guys can help me, what type of les paul is this?

Hope you guys can help me, and thank you.

[-=[Shifty]=-]

Originally Posted by GNR4EVR

I think youre ok with both of those..

Yeah, I think so too.

[-=[Shifty]=-]

Originally Posted by ticktock

Hey all, I am new to this forum and have been lurking around and decided just now to register to ask you guys about a epiphone les paul that I am about to buy.

So he tells me the epiphone was made in 1999 and was bought at Italy. He gave me the serial number (B9096783) and posted pics of the guitar, and here they are:

http://i289.photobucket.com/albums/l...3/DSC03366.jpg
http://i289.photobucket.com/albums/l...3/DSC03364.jpg
http://i289.photobucket.com/albums/l...DSC03365-1.jpg

I can ask for more pictures from him if you want. As I remember he posted a picture of the serial number at the back of the headstock but he removed it; that I don't know why. The other pictures he posted were of the guitar's dings and scratches, if it would help in identifying the guitar I'll post them here too.

Checked out the serial at the guitardaterproject and found out this was made in Czech Republic; and I read around here (and around the internet) that they are pretty good and rare.

But the dodgy part for me here is that why isn't there a les paul standard written on the headstock?

And if you guys can help me, what type of les paul is this?

Hope you guys can help me, and thank you.

Welcome to MLP.

Yes, that's a Czech made Epi. Looks like a Les Paul Standard Plus to me.
Sorry, I have no clue why the 'Les Paul MODEL' script is missing.

[ticktock]

Originally Posted by -=[Shifty]=-

Welcome to MLP.

Yes, that's a Czech made Epi. Looks like a Les Paul Standard Plus to me.
Sorry, I have no clue why the 'Les Paul MODEL' script is missing.

Thanks for the welcome shifty

Standard Plus means a plus top, right?

The seller told me that the reason why the lespaul model script is not there because it is a 1999 and that 2000s onwards were the ones with the lespaul model script, which I found was kinda dodgy.

[-=[Shifty]=-]

Originally Posted by ticktock

Thanks for the welcome shifty

Standard Plus means a plus top, right?

The seller told me that the reason why the lespaul model script is not there because it is a 1999 and that 2000s onwards were the ones with the lespaul model script, which I found was kinda dodgy.

Yes, that means plus top, as in fiery flames.

Just to make sure we're talking about the same thing, you're talking about the gold script that sits on the headstock, between the tuning pegs, not about the truss rod cover, right?
Either way, what he says is wrong. Epiphone Les Paul Standards had that script on the headstock since they started making them, back in 1988.
They changed the script on the TRC from 'Gibson' to the respective model name around '04.

This is a set-neck guitar, right? (hard to tell from those pictures)

[ticktock]

Originally Posted by -=[Shifty]=-

Yes, that means plus top, as in fiery flames.

Just to make sure we're talking about the same thing, you're talking about the gold script that sits on the headstock, between the tuning pegs, not about the truss rod cover, right?
Either way, what he says is wrong. Epiphone Les Paul Standards had that script on the headstock since they started making them, back in 1988.
They changed the script on the TRC from 'Gibson' to the respective model name around '04.

This is a set-neck guitar, right? (hard to tell from those pictures)

Yeah it's a set-neck and the gold script is the one I am talking about

Here is a picture of the set-neck.
http://i289.photobucket.com/albums/l...3/DSC03361.jpg

If you need more photos, I can ask him for more I guess. All I have is that of the scratches and dings of the guitar. I'll post them here if necessary.