spotting fakes

[TKOjams]

I was turned onto this site by one of my FB friends.
Great info here on spotting fakes.

Fibsons.com - the fake Gibson guitar blog. »

 

[SKATTERBRANE]

The best way to spot a fake is to become an expert on what a REAL Les Paul, all models, all years, looks like. Do not study the fakes, study the real ones, and then you do not have to chase all the different ways to spot a fake, or keep up with all the variations and evolution of fakes.

 

[TKOjams]

The best way to spot a fake is to become an expert on what a REAL Les Paul, all models, all years, looks like. Do not study the fakes, study the real ones, and then you do not have to chase all the different ways to spot a fake, or keep up with all the variations and evolution of fakes.

Agreed, but not everyone is obsessed with LP's as we are, and might not care to become an expert on every year, make and model of real gibsons. They're just looking for a little info so they don't get burned. If this site helps some one out, it's worth posting.

 

[jcsk8]

There are many bastards on local "ebay" selling fake gibson as real thing. I'm always reporting them. But usually they block my question where I say the problems and that the guitar is fake. It's always possible to spot a fake if they posts real pics of the guitar.

 

[HOT-BRIT]

Yes I really hate when unscrupulous sellers try to sell there fakes as real Gibson's

 

[fsenseman]

Quick question for the experts. On my 2010 studio the dot over the "i" in the Gibson logo is almost level with the top of the "G" and the "L". It's as if it's placed on an imaginary line connecting the top of the "G" with the "L".

I see a lot of these fakes where the dot over the i is very low, nowhere near a line between top of G and L.

My question is: did some models have the dot placed low, and others not?

Kind Regards,
Fleet

 

[rockstar232007]

The best way to spot a fake is to become an expert on what a REAL Les Paul, all models, all years, looks like. Do not study the fakes, study the real ones, and then you do not have to chase all the different ways to spot a fake, or keep up with all the variations and evolution of fakes.

I've been saying this for years.

For every different era of LPs ('50s-early '60s, '70-'80s, etc), each have their own specific/very distinctive, cookie-cutter shape. So, if you've seen one, or two, from any of those eras, you've pretty much seen them all.

Counterfeits are a WHOLE different story! Just about every one of them, regardless of when they were made, look EXACTLY the same - 1-piece necks, metric parts (truss-rod, bridge-posts), body/cutaway shape, etc, and should be relatively easy to spot. Even today, with those with the, and two-screw TRC.

 

[marantz1300]

When I had my VOS 57 Custom up for trade I had a couple of people insisting it was a fake(not from this forum) and making silly trade offers..

 

[Dino Velvet]

When I had my VOS 57 Custom up for trade I had a couple of people insisting it was a fake(not from this forum) and making silly trade offers..

This really is becoming a problem. There are a lot of people on forums these days who don't know squat about Gibson guitars and think everything is fake.
Fakes have been around over 5 years now. Most all the USA pawnshops have been burned at least once and now know better. In the USA we have done a great job keeping them off ebay. Due to lots of different forum members reporting them and ebays own advisory board. It seems the only place to resell these things in the USA is CL. Outside the USA its a different story. They still seem to pop up all the time on Ebay UK and other Ebay overseas sites. I would urge our overseas members to do the same thing we have done here. Report them and use the forums in your respective countries to get the word out.

 

[mr.ratch]

Hi guys. Brand new here and I felt compelled to join and share this for some expert advise. I am a proud owner of a 2007 Traditional and have owned Les Pauls before, but am no means a connoisseur! Take a look at this ad and please give me your thoughts! Thanks. Cheers!

2007 Gibson les paul supreme - Cape Breton Musical Instruments For Sale - Kijiji Cape Breton Canada.

 

[TEMPA]

I am far from an expert at these things and I have never before seen a Les Paul Supreme but I am going to say that is legit. Will be interesting to see if the experts agree with me or if I need to study "fake spotting" a lot more. The normal fake giveaways that people always reference like missing nibs, 3 screw truss rod cover and shonky/misaligned headstock logo seem to be missing from that guitar, hence my quess that it is legit.

 

[Greg's Guitars]

Here is a article we did as well as[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fSxL32sw8B8&list=UUYmMPYkYgHydveux4PSnJEg&index=3&feature=plcp"] a video on the subject.[/ame]

 

[Hookandcanman]

Hi guys. Brand new here and I felt compelled to join and share this for some expert advise. I am a proud owner of a 2007 Traditional and have owned Les Pauls before, but am no means a connoisseur! Take a look at this ad and please give me your thoughts! Thanks. Cheers!

2007 Gibson les paul supreme - Cape Breton Musical Instruments For Sale - Kijiji Cape Breton Canada.

I'm trying to get better at fake spotting too...but I think it looks legit.

 

[andreww]

Hi guys. Brand new here and I felt compelled to join and share this for some expert advise. I am a proud owner of a 2007 Traditional and have owned Les Pauls before, but am no means a connoisseur! Take a look at this ad and please give me your thoughts! Thanks. Cheers!

2007 Gibson les paul supreme - Cape Breton Musical Instruments For Sale - Kijiji Cape Breton Canada.

100% genuine. Never seen a fake with nibs.

 

[bwillard]

Here is one being sold by a pawn shop:

Gibson Les Paul Hollow Body

This one is legit - yeah RIGHT!

 

[02589]

Damn, that's fugly.

 

[TEMPA]

Is this legit? Looks like a clownburst studio body with yellow inlays. Even if it is real it is horrible looking!

Gibson Les Paul - Custom Art and Historic | eBay

 

[mr.ratch]

I had asked him to send me the ser# & close ups of the various "concerning" areas and he went ahead and posted them with his ad. Seller doesn't seem shy about its authenticity so I may check it out. Thanks everyone for your posts! You all rock!!!