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Verification


MarkH19610507

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Oh, no...here it comes again (cue the Ennio Morricone music, cut to sparquelito opening the bar doors with his spurs a-janglin' and half a cigar hanging' out his mouth).

 

Let's try to keep this one under 12 pages.

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Hi Mark

 

Glad to have you onboard. There are a few ways to spot a 'Chibson' as they very kindly make a few errors that are noticable when compared to a genuine Les Paul. And yes, you can't trust the back of the head stock. Here is a classic example of a fake:

Chibson Shop.

Compare it to a genuine Les Paul here:

Geniune Les Paul

 

Most of them will have one or more of the following issues:

 


  •  
  • The tailpiece is too far away from the bridge. On a genuine Gibson the front (bridge side) of the tailpiece is further forward than the neck tone control, whereas most fakes it will be further back.
  • The Bridge on a Gibson doesn't have a flat head screw type adjustment, it uses a wheel at each end.
  • The fret ends on a Gibson go under the binding (if your neck is bound that is!), whereas most fakes the fret ends go over the top of the binding.
  • Fakes have larger pickup rings and the plastics have more of a yellowish tinge to them.
  • The Gibson logo on the headstock leans to the right a bit too much, Have a look at the left hand edge of the G of Gibson. Does it lean to the right a little? If so it's a fake. All Gibsons have a G that is perfectly parallel to the edge of the neck.
  • Other giveaways can include: The 'Custom' diamond is the smaller Epiphone type; Knob placement can be off; The truss rod cover isn't as sharply cut; The cut away isn't as deep as it should be; The truss rod should be standing proud, if you can't see it when you remove the truss rod cover, it's probably a fake; if you have loads of different coloured wires in the recess behind the pots, this could indicate a fake, Gibson seem to use black red and grey,

 

These are the most common tells to a fake, if it doesn't have any of these then it's probably OK.

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Can anyone please advise how I can verify that hte guitar I'm looking to buy is genuine.....Is there any way of checking the colour and model please?

Yes.

 

We really need pictures to tell you anything...

This.

 

On the plus side; counterfeiters are unlikely to have stamped a 1987 serial number on a fake but it would still be beneficial to see some snaps.

 

  • The fret ends on a Gibson go under the binding (if your neck is bound that is!), whereas most fakes the fret ends go over the top of the binding.

With respect, pandarocket, Gibson introduced fret-over-binding to the vast majority of the Les Paul range on the 2014 line-up.

As this particular guitar should date from '87 this indicator is unlikely to be an issue but please avoid making incorrect sweeping generalisations as others with more modern guitars might read your post and draw the wrong conclusion.

Furthermore as the guitar under discussion is now 30 years old it might well have had a re-fret at some point in it's life. Nibs rarely survive a re-fret due to the extra expense involved.

 

Pip.

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With respect, pandarocket, Gibson introduced fret-over-binding to the vast majority of the Les Paul range on the 2014 line-up.

As this particular guitar should date from '87 this indicator is unlikely to be an issue but please avoid making incorrect sweeping generalisations as others with more modern guitars might read your post and draw the wrong conclusion.

Furthermore as the guitar under discussion is now 30 years old it might well have had a re-fret at some point in it's life. Nibs rarely survive a re-fret due to the extra expense involved.

Pip.

 

Thanks for the info Pip, I stand corrected. I do, however, point out that this is only a guide and some fakes will only have a couple of these issues, but I take your point. If the neck frets are unbound and everything is OK, then it's most likely to be fine.

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Can anyone please advise how I can verify that hte guitar I'm looking to buy is genuine. The serial number is 80777524 but anyone can fake that. Is there any way of checking the colour and model please? Thanks

 

Ok, since nobody else will, I will.

 

How much is it? If the guy wants 400 for it and you are scurrying around to see if it is fake well, it probably is.

 

The chances of it being fake are pretty much non-existent, and if you are concerned it is a fake something about it must be concerning you. If I ran into a guitar that was reasonably priced and the seller gave me the serial number I'd have no reason, without looking at it, to even think about it being a fake.

 

rct

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Guest Farnsbarns

Thanks for the info Pip, I stand corrected. I do, however, point out that this is only a guide and some fakes will only have a couple of these issues, but I take your point. If the neck frets are unbound and everything is OK, then it's most likely to be fine.

 

Your information about the logo is also rather questionable. In the last decade or so you would be correct, however this is not something that can be stated outright. There have been a number of revisions of the logo and positioning has changed and had periods where it was inconsistent.

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Truth is, there just is no way to tell or confirm, if a guitar is genuine or fake from a serial# or a couple sentences and description.

 

The guitar must be seen, or pics provided. If you want to know here, then that's the way.

 

Other than that, we can talk about color, specs, details, descriptions, frets, price, anything we want to.

 

Logos, checking, science, weather, cars, etc.

 

CASES!

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.

Welcome.

 

For more recent years, Gibson's serial records include model, finish, hardware, electronics. I'm not sure how far back this info goes. But if you want to check, email service@gibson.com with the serial and a coupla pics (2mb limit) and ask them what information they have on record.

 

As has been mentioned, if you post pics the members here can offer opinions on the authenticity of the guitar. The pics should be good size - good focus - no angles - well lit - no cut off parts. One straight overhead shot of the whole guitar, a shot of the whole front of the headstock, and a shot of the whole back of the headstock that includes the top end of the neck area behind the nut. An additional shot of the back of the body is sometimes helpful.

 

If you have an account on a photo hosting site (they're free, like Photobucket - http://wwww.photobucket.com/), just copy the "Direct link" into the "Insert image" tool on the Post editor's toolbar here on the forum. Here's directions - http://forum.gibson.com/index.php?/topic/11005-sticky-how-to-post-photos/

 

 

.

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