Joined: Mar 2009 Gender: Male Posts: 4,459 Location: Co. Tipperary, Ireland
How To Spot a Fake Gibson Les Paul « Thread Started on Apr 5, 2009, 7:29pm »
The following should be read by any considering purchasing a Gibson Les Paul from EBay, but could really apply to any outlet.
"There are usually dozens of fake Gibson Les Pauls on Ebay and some are worringly close copies of the genuine article. Making a wrong bid could land you with a cheap copy of the real thing and it may cost you dearly. So how do you spot a fake? First of all, be aware that Gibson has a sister company called Epiphone that makes Epiphone Les Pauls in the Far East (usually Korea) that are very like USA made Gibson Les Pauls. These are actually good guitars and and an Epiphone Les Paul (Standard) retails in the UK at around £300 - £400 whereas a Gibson Les Paul (Standard) retails at around £1500 in the UK. Epiphones are legitimate Les Paul copies made by Gibson sister company Epiphone and are not 'fakes'. They say Epiphone on the headstock and usually say 'Gibson' in vertical print on the Truss rod cover. They are usually advertised as "Epiphone (by Gibson) Les Paul" and are really GREAT guitars if you are on a budget.
But fake Chinese 'Gibson Les Pauls' are another thing entirely....They are being sold as genuine Gibson Les Pauls. They are inferior quality and made from inferior components and woods. They are getting worringly close to looking identical to the genuine article but here is how to spot a fake: When looking at a Gibson Les Paul on Ebay keep a second window open on your PC at Gibson's web site as an initial visual reference point. Look at the Truss Rod cover. Gibsons are Bell Shaped with only two screws, top and bottom. Almost all fakes have three screws; one at the top and two next to the nut. Even Epiphones have three screws on the truss rod covers. Next look at the top of the headstock and the 'Open Book' shape of the very top. Fake Chinese Les Pauls are often the wrong shape or the binding overlaps the Gibson Logo. On the back of the headstock the serial number should be stamped into the wood not applied with a gold or white decal. Try to match the serial number up with Gibson's serial numbers which you can find by typing 'Gibson Serial Numbering' into Google.
Gibsons Les Pauls are (almost always) made with glued in necks and not bolt on necks (apart from the budget Gibson Maestro range) so watch out for that. Also, it helps if the Gibson Les Paul is offered for sale in a genuine Gibson Guitar Case. These usually have "Gibson USA" on the outside and are usually tan or charcoal grey though they did a futuristic angular polymer style case in the 80's. The tan case usually has a shocking pink fluffy interior with a pink satin 'shroud'.
The golden rule is "If in doubt - DON'T BUY" and be suspicious of anything from the Far East. Some of the ads say something like "Super Exquisite Electricity Guitar" and sell cheaper than you'd expect.. Don't fall for it. Even more worrying is that I have since seen fake Chinese guitars for sale on eBay here in the UK - presumably buyers who have been caught out and trying to palm them off to get their money back. Their eBay auction/adverts sometimes say "Gibson Les Paul for sale. I don't know much about guitars....but this is a beauty".....be very careful!
However, it is not all bad news.....The good news is that you can buy a great Gibson Les Paul if you really know your stuff. I have bought many guitars on eBay and have bagged many bargains, including a Gibson Les Paul Special from Belgium for £500 (RRP around £800), a mint Gibson Les Paul Supreme for £1200 (RRP £2200) and a 1979 Gibson Les Paul Custom (relic) for £900......so you CAN bag a bargain if you know what you are about. Just be careful out there, my fellow guitar playing friends..... OK? I hope this helps you bag a bargain and avoid the bad guys out there.
By the way, when Gibson started selling in Japan the name Gibson was already registered so they had to use a different brand name. The head of the compnay was Orville Gibson so they used his first name Orville. So if you see Orville Les Paul guitars or Orville by Gibson guitars on eBay they are genuine Gibsons made under license in Japan usuing all Gibson parts and components. So if you are not bothered about having Gibson o the headstock you can buy an equivalent Orville MUCH cheaper than a Gibson. But it will be in all other respects identical to a Gibson Les Paul
Finally, some reviewers suggest actually buying a cheap Chinese Gibson Les Paul as a cheap second guitar to fool your friends however I wouldn't recommend that as a) It provides an outlet for these illegal fakes which encourages them to make more (and get better at it!), b) You may find yourself in trouble with the law for buying counterfeit goods c) You may also find yourself in trouble if you ever want to sell it on d) You may well never receive your guitar from China anyway....remember you'd be buying from a Chinese counterfeiter....and giving them your eBay details.
Finally, did you find this guide useful? If so, please vote "Yes" below. Thank you kindly.
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Joined: Mar 2009 Gender: Male Posts: 1,353 Location: Baldivis W Australia
Re: How To Spot a Fake Gibson Les Paul « Reply #3 on Apr 6, 2009, 12:44am »
Hi Pat,that was a great article,many thanks,i recently purchased an epiphone /gibson sheraton 335 copy from a local ad i went on the net after getting the serial no from the seller i found out that it was made in Korea by samick in 1995 & it told me how many of this model had been made that month,the good news was that from between 1988 & 1996 the history of the quality during this period was first class (read reviews) in fact the guitar which i purchased is a real gem, after this they closed the Korean factory & went to either China or Indonesia where the quality dropped a lot,in fact they still sell these copys new in the local shops for around $AU1500,i paid $AU800 & although 15 years old it is in almost new condition it did not have an original case but hey i was happy with the deal,i have a good friend who owns a genuine 335 & he reckons its not a patch on mine,i downloaded an article at the time but seem to have mislaid it,been off the net for a few days getting a new computer put in so i'm struggling a bit with a few things but i will put a seperate post to cover this,anyway folks back to the slog of being an aged pensioner (hey its all good ) will be in touch soon,Simmo
Hi Pat,that was a great article,many thanks,i recently purchased an epiphone /gibson sheraton 335 copy from a local ad i went on the net after getting the serial no from the seller i found out that it was made in Korea by samick in 1995 & it told me how many of this model had been made that month,the good news was that from between 1988 & 1996 the history of the quality during this period was first class (read reviews) in fact the guitar which i purchased is a real gem, after this they closed the Korean factory & went to either China or Indonesia where the quality dropped a lot,in fact they still sell these copys new in the local shops for around $AU1500,i paid $AU800 & although 15 years old it is in almost new condition it did not have an original case but hey i was happy with the deal,i have a good friend who owns a genuine 335 & he reckons its not a patch on mine,i downloaded an article at the time but seem to have mislaid it,been off the net for a few days getting a new computer put in so i'm struggling a bit with a few things but i will put a seperate post to cover this,anyway folks back to the slog of being an aged pensioner (hey its all good ) will be in touch soon,Simmo
Welcome back!
That's a good piece you wrote there and supports something I read elsewhere, and something I experienced personally, that some copies can be as good if not better than the real thing in some instances!!
For example, back in the 1970s I had a black Ibanez copy of a Les Paul that was a real dream to play - in fact, I bought this guitar ( privately secondhand) before I even tried a genuine Gibson and when I did eventually get me hands on the real thing it didn't feel or sound as good as the Ibanez
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Joined: Mar 2009 Gender: Male Posts: 4,459 Location: Co. Tipperary, Ireland
Re: How To Spot a Fake Gibson Les Paul « Reply #6 on Apr 6, 2009, 1:19pm »
Thanks Gerry. The Ibanez is sometimes overlooked by some professionals but they are a very decent guitar in my view, at least they use to be – not sure what they’re like today but during the 70s they were amazing
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Joined: Mar 2009 Gender: Male Posts: 23 Location: Bury in Lancashire
Re: How To Spot a Fake Gibson Les Paul « Reply #7 on Jul 18, 2009, 12:41pm »
I had to tell a very greedy man (thought he would make a killing ) who bought a 335 Gibson (errrrrrr) for £120 . The fact that you could see the pencil lines through the laquer didn't seem to bother him nor the £190 p&p . It was the worst copy I have ever seen (cept for the strat from Netto ..I still shudder at that one) . The maxim runs true , there are no free lunches ....Great article ... Very handy info ...Dave
Pat I have in my collection an Ibanez DBK jem .. By gum does it play well .. Getting used to have to carry 2 guitars all the time ...Not easy when a string breaks ...Back to the SG then ...
Joined: Mar 2009 Gender: Male Posts: 4,459 Location: Co. Tipperary, Ireland
Re: How To Spot a Fake Gibson Les Paul « Reply #8 on Jul 18, 2009, 6:05pm »
Some people simply want something that looks the part, they don't mind if it's the real thing or not, if it looks like a Les Paul, then they are happy. The poor fools
That Ibanez DBK sounds like the biz.
By the way, the only string that doesn't break is the ont that's never used
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Joined: Oct 2009 Gender: Male Posts: 1,659 Location: Sydney AUSTRALIA
Re: How To Spot a Fake Gibson Les Paul « Reply #9 on Jan 17, 2010, 4:54am »
Nothing wrong with Ibanez guitars, just check out Joe Satriani and Steve Vai. both Ibanez endorsers.
A friends son recently bought a Les Paul copy from DH Gates which is like a chinese Ebay for $400. He showed it to me last week, the Gibson logo actually reads Gibsun! though the u is made to look like an O and the body was slightly smaller, so it was pretty easy to pick as a fake. It sounds and plays like what it is, a $400 guitar...
Nothing wrong with Ibanez guitars, just check out Joe Satriani and Steve Vai. both Ibanez endorsers.
The Ibanez is an excellent guitar, do doubt. I played one again recently and was well impressed, this was in a guitar shop in Dublin. I went there looking for a cheap guitar for some of the gigs I do and ended up buy an SX Fender Strat copy. Beautiful guitar and plays, in my view as good [nearly] as the real deal. The only reason I opted for the SX was the price.
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Re: How To Spot a Fake Gibson Les Paul « Reply #11 on Aug 7, 2010, 8:05pm »
Hi Pat Just came across this little gem, so thought I'd put my two penn'orth in. Many years ago I used to work with Barry Ryan. Just before we went doing a tour of Germany with him in the late 60s, I got my Fender Strat pinched. I had to get the first thing I cauld get my hands on, which turned out to be some unnamed thing from the local junk shop for six quid. It fed back like crazy, but once I had stuffed it with old rags, towels etc., it was actually not bad at all, except that the neck was like a LOG!! Anyway, off we went to Germany and a few days on, we all (Candy Choir, the group I was with and also Barry) visited a music shop. The shop owner's jaw nearly hit the floor when he saw Barry come in - at the time, he was the biggest thing in Germany since the Beatles. I said that I'd come to buy a guitar as mine had been nicked and he promptly went and took a black Hoyer copy of a Les Paul from the wall and GAVE IT TO ME!!!!! Wouldn't take a penny for it. What a guitar!!!! The neck was like a piece of paper, it was so thin and really narrow. It was an absolute dream to play...and the sound was phenomenal. Sadly, I eventually swapped it for a mate of mine's hollow body Gretsch (what a wally). A lime green face with a darker green back. Nice guitar, but not a patch on the Hoyer - and I was back to the feedback problem, so it had to go. Swapped it again for another mate's Black Les Paul copy. This time it was a Shaftesbury. Again, not a patch on the Hoyer, though I still have it to this day. Never got my Fender back, but round about 1980 I bought a Tokai Soundcaster from a friend's music shop. I actually went in to get a Strat, but my mate recommended the Tokai above the Strat. As he himself was a guitarist, I followed his advice. Instantly, it felt like coming home. Identical to the Strat bodywise, except that the neck is again a tad thinner and the neck narrower again than the Fender; soundwise gorgeous. I've had some really good offers for it, so it must be a fair old guitar, but it's with me for the long haul. I love it, even though I never play guitar any more. I don't know if today's Tokais are as good - or if they're even made anymore, but I'm certainly glad I got mine. Anyway, just thought I would share that little story with you. Take care all Bri
Joined: Mar 2009 Gender: Male Posts: 4,459 Location: Co. Tipperary, Ireland
Re: How To Spot a Fake Gibson Les Paul « Reply #12 on Aug 7, 2010, 9:28pm »
Hi Bri, and thanks for sharing that story....what an experience! I have to agree that some well made copies sometimes feel and play better than the real thing, I had an Ibanez Les Paul copy back in the 70s that was truly amazing.
The problem for me, and the reason for this topic, is to inform people about guitars that are deliberately sold off as the real thing, these ones are rarely up to standard, at least not from my experience
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frank Guest
Re: How To Spot a Fake Gibson Les Paul « Reply #13 on Aug 7, 2010, 10:47pm »
I had a Tokai 12 string it lasted me many years. I have tried the Mexican Strats and after a few pick up changes and replacing the 3 pos switch with a 5 pos one managed to get good sounds.Fret wire was crap and wore out quickly. If you are unsure if your guitar is genuine check the serial number with the company. There is a book called Guitar I have had out of the libary several times and it gives the dates and serial numbers of all top brands. As others have stated Ibanez are great and have been around since the 50s. One of the best I have played was a Gretch Countryman{with the damper} Would love a 12 string Ricky as per the Byrds.
Re: How To Spot a Fake Gibson Les Paul « Reply #14 on Nov 23, 2011, 4:14pm »
Theres a spate of black Fake les pauls in a West of Ireland town at the moment that were sold by an unscrupulous greedy bucko to several local musicians. He is now in trouble with the law or so i believe. he was selling them on done deal and i'm wondering if anyone else got caught out recently ?? If you bought one let me know
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but i will put a seperate post to cover this,anyway folks back to the slog of being an aged pensioner (hey its all good 
) will be in touch soon,Simmo
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