Jump to content
Gibson Brands Forums

Weak Serial Numbers In Mahogany


ajay

Recommended Posts

I was just wondering why Gibson hasn't come up with a way to consistantly imprint Serial Numbers on the back of a Mahogany headstock? My 1970 Melody Maker Bass has a difficult to read imprint, but You would think that in 45 years they could find a way to laser the numbers on or something. I think a laser ID on the back would also help with counterfeiting.

Anyway, it took me about five minutes in bright sunlight to decipher my Serial Number the other day.

The Maple neck on my LPJ holds a Serial Number that is very bright and well-defined, which makes me think that Mahogany is a spongier material to stamp, so it probably has a worse imprint "memory", if You will.

So I guess my question is, why don't they just use lasers. It's no longer new technology, and they could probably get a laser machine that would be up to the task for $20,000 or less. I just think that they would not only be easier to read, but the pressure exerted on the headstock during stamping would be eliminated. I think some creative laser work would be cool. They could even laser an image of Les Paul holding his namesake guitar, instead of putting an ugly hologram of Les under the clear coat.

This is only on my mind because during a phone call to customer service the other day they had to wait five minutes while I tried to figure out the SN.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I was just wondering why Gibson hasn't come up with a way to consistantly imprint Serial Numbers on the back of a Mahogany headstock?...

Because (and don't tell anyone, OK?) that's one of the ways you can spot a counterfeit instrument; the counterfeiters always have the serial number clearly and precisely stamped.

 

Seriously?

Because if Gibson can buy a Laser-Etcher-Serial-Number-Stamper machine for (as you suggest) $20k then it follows that the counterfeiters could get one for $5k and we'd be back to square one. At least that's what I would do if I were a counterfeiter. It's hardly rocket-science. They do something; I copy what they do.

 

Which is one reason why I still maintain that nibs were such a valuable part of the Gibson ethos. Extremely difficult to implement cheaply for the fakers as they are almost impossible to fake and, therefore, a valuable guard against counterfeiters.

 

P.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Is that true? If so, it's GENIUS! I never thought of that. I will accept that answer, because it would be hard to fake that dull serial number. I guess after looking at the serial number on an $800 Gibson, and it's perfect, I look at the number on a $2500 one and You can't read it. If that's true, I'll accept anything genuine that's hard to fake as a GREAT thing. I hate those Chinese luthiers faking our Gibsons. It crap to worry about every secondhand Les Paul on the market. Mine has the 120th inlay, and I was still nervous for a week until I got to a real luthier with documentation experience. It even passed every test on the official Gibson counterfeit page, but since it had a little silicone caulk on the Truss Rod end I was SO afraid that it was a fake truss Rod glued in. It seems like the Chinamen are getting better at faking these things every week.You never know when the true look and feel will be achieved by the Asians. It's a scary time to be buying used Gibson electrics, and especially Les Pauls. I will never buy another used Gibson afterward I went through this week. I lucked out this time. I won't go through that again.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Is that true? If so, it's GENIUS! I never thought of that. I will accept that answer, because it would be hard to fake that dull serial number. I guess after looking at the serial number on an $800 Gibson, and it's perfect, I look at the number on a $2500 one and You can't read it. If that's true, I'll accept anything genuine that's hard to fake as a GREAT thing. I hate those Chinese luthiers faking our Gibsons. It crap to worry about every secondhand Les Paul on the market. Mine has the 120th inlay, and I was still nervous for a week until I got to a real luthier with documentation experience. It even passed every test on the official Gibson counterfeit page, but since it had a little silicone caulk on the Truss Rod end I was SO afraid that it was a fake truss Rod glued in. It seems like the Chinamen are getting better at faking these things every week.You never know when the true look and feel will be achieved by the Asians. It's a scary time to be buying used Gibson electrics, and especially Les Pauls. I will never buy another used Gibson afterward I went through this week. I lucked out this time. I won't go through that again.

 

Fake guitars are really quite exaggerated. Buy from a reputable dealer and try the decaff.

 

rct

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I would guess that they are probably hand stamped and instead of spending $10k on a laser imprinter they are still hand stamping. The person who is doing the stamping probably gets tired so some are good and others are bad.

 

I'd say why fix it if it ain't broke, but whose idea was it to put that Min-E-Tune on everything???

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The real reason is that after grain filling, sanding, & several coats of Nitro Cellulose Lacquer the imprint gets filled in some,then it's buffed after curing to it's yumminess that we are accustomed to seeing..

The cheap knock offs get one coat of Acrylic Enamel & that's it.. It dries shiny ready to sell..

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1434763466[/url]' post='1668445']

Fake guitars are really quite exaggerated. Buy from a reputable dealer and try the decaff.

 

rct

 

I tend to agree with You. However, If anyone is EVER going to get skrewed, that would be me. Con men are attracted to me like flies to a cow pie.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I tend to agree with You. However, If anyone is EVER going to get skrewed, that would be me. Con men are attracted to me like flies to a cow pie.

 

Here's a Counterfeit Les Paul Custom @ $2500 @ a Pawn Shop

Look at the Body, Headstock it's just all wrong, has a shill bid too!!

eBay Fake LPC

 

1994 Gibson Les Paul Studio Lite MIII "Strat-O-Paul"

a2711910-f1c3-4e3f-87a3-b5d41fb416e0.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yeah, that headstock really has the big swoop in the middle. The body shape even seems off. I think that if I was a hospital in financial trouble, I would advertise "Guitar X-Raying to show the weight relief on these Les Pauls.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I saw a video showing RFID tags installed in the heel of newer Gibsons. Currently, Gibson only uses it for inventory and keeping track of it during manufacturing.

 

Gibson can make this code known with serial numbers and other info, so police or others can read and verify the radio frequency ID embeded in the guitar...granted not everybody has an RFID reader; but stores can afford it and customers can have their RFID read. msp_thumbup.gif

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I saw a video showing RFID tags installed in the heel of newer Gibsons. Currently, Gibson only uses it for inventory and keeping track of it during manufacturing.

 

Gibson can make this code known with serial numbers and other info, so police or others can read and verify the radio frequency ID embeded in the guitar...granted not everybody has an RFID reader; but stores can afford it and customers can have their RFID read. msp_thumbup.gif

 

I was just reading an article relative to this on one of the insurance sites. The chip is cheap as heck, and the company that manufactures one of the chips will overnight a reader to the police free if there is a case number attached. Point being, the chip comes individually packaged said package having the unique number imprinted on it; the installer doesn't really need to buy a reader except for confirmation.

 

I had mentioned a while back on this board that Gibson should consider doing this- if not the entire line then at a certain price point and 'north'..G&L has been doing the chip thing for several years now. Being a former cop and a victim (2010 stolen PRS McCarty) I just think its a darn good idea.

 

Brian

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I was just reading an article relative to this on one of the insurance sites. The chip is cheap as heck, and the company that manufactures one of the chips will overnight a reader to the police free if there is a case number attached. Point being, the chip comes individually packaged said package having the unique number imprinted on it; the installer doesn't really need to buy a reader except for confirmation.

 

I had mentioned a while back on this board that Gibson should consider doing this- if not the entire line then at a certain price point and 'north'..G&L has been doing the chip thing for several years now. Being a former cop and a victim (2010 stolen PRS McCarty) I just think its a darn good idea.

 

Brian

 

The RFID could be less than $0.10 today. Fifteen years ago, we were developing RFID embedded in baggage tags and boarding passes for airport use...keep track within the airport of baggage and passengers. Yeah, the RFID is paper thin and can be in the passenger boarding pass or the baggage tags.

 

We tried to develop a concept in retail with all items on RFID. The customer just loads up a cart, walk through a reader (transparent to the customer) and every item will be itemized ready for payment (no checkers). Maybe Walmart and such are waiting for the RFID tags to drop to less than a penny. But for Gibson, they already are doing it; so why not make it available to law enforcement and others to confirm serial numbers.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...