Is this Epiphone Les Paul Standard fake?

[SRez]

Hi all,

 

Can someone tell me if this Epiphone Les Paul Standard is the real deal or is it a fake? I'm looking to purchase it from a friend. He purchased it online a few years back. I believe he is the original owner. I checked the serial # on http://www.guitardaterproject.org/epiphone.aspx and it stated that it was built at the plant in China.

 

The thing that is throwing me off is the body. Primarily the curves. It just seems a bit "off" to me. Maybe it's a bad camera angle. These are the pics my friend sent me. The volume and tone knobs seem in line from what I've seen on videos and reviews as well as the tail piece seems to be in the correct location... Just a tad above the volume knob.

 

But that pic of the body is throwing me off. Any help would be greatly appreciated. I'm heading over to his house tonight to check it out.

 

Thanks in advance,

 

Steve

 

http://m.imgur.com/a/x4XBI

[Bob Baldwin]

It looks fine to me. As an owner of four Epiphones I am allowed to ask, "Who on Earth would counterfeit an Epiphone anyway?" without being considered offensive.

[SRez]

It looks fine to me. As an owner of four Epiphones I am allowed to ask, "Who on Earth would counterfeit an Epiphone anyway?" without being considered offensive.

 

I hear ya. I own an Epiphone DOT from way back when. But I did see plenty of articles and videos showing the difference between fake Epiphone Les Pauls and and the real ones.

[deeman]

There is no money in making counterfeit Epiphone Les Pauls. I think there have been just a handful of examples on the boards of this actually happening.

 

I see nothing wrong with the carved top, looks like the flash is just reflecting oddly in the picture. It looks like a nice guitar. You should get it.

[capmaster]

Other than with lots of Epiphone Les Paul guitars like mine, body shape and pot positions definitely do not meet Gibson specs. It's hard to tell if it was intended or just accepted as is. By research I found that Epi LPs with varying pot positions can be found on websites of reputable dealers, but I couldn't find one with body curves being off the way they are with the guitar in question.

 

To my guess very few Epiphone models are profitable for counterfeiters. However, there are some, and possibly defective ones sorted out at the factory but later completed privately.

 

It could be interesting to investigate the online source your friend bought the instrument originally.

[stein]

Back before there was an exodus of many Epi members, there were a lot of questions regarding fake vs real Epis. And apparently, there are a lot of them out there.

 

I think a lot has to do with culture and location, as in the States, where we Americans are here with the American Icon Gibson, we care less about an Epi being fake or real, because they are all lesser copies of what we can get cheaply and easily. Plus, we are Americans and Epis are not American.

 

But in other countries, where Epis have a higher price tag, AND in some countries where it is illegal to sell even a used Epi fake, it matters a great deal.

 

Having said that, what makes the fake Epi and so many of them has to do with money: the counterfeiters make a LOT of money skipping legal channels and pumping these things out, which is why there are so many of them. And also another reason it burns so many Epi fans.

 

I am in no way an expert here, but I used to be amazed how quickly and easily the Epi experts on here used to be able to spot the fakes, which again, was often.

 

I might suggest posting this on the "My Les Paul" forum, in particular the "Epi-bretheren" (did I spell that right) sub-forum, as there are many Epi experts there.

[stein]

I might add, even though I am by NO MEANS an expert on Epi's, I don't recall ever seeing one with a body shape that far off.

 

I am not referring to the carve, rather the shape.

 

I just throw that out there for consideration and/or discussion. I actually don't know if any were made like this or not.

[SRez]

Thanks everyone for your input. I truly appreciate it.

 

Did anyone notice that the horn (cutout) is a tad longer looking than normal as well as where the top of the body meets the neck... it's slightly angled up as opposed to a true 90 degrees.

 

The top part of the guitar body seems somewhat off to me. Could they have done that in the factory and not notice it or sell it as a second? Just odd to me.

 

Anyway, thanks again everyone.

[deeman]

I do notice that the guitar appears 'off' but it could just be bad QC. Who knows.

[capmaster]

...

Did anyone notice that the horn (cutout) is a tad longer looking than normal as well as where the top of the body meets the neck... it's slightly angled up as opposed to a true 90 degrees.

 

The top part of the guitar body seems somewhat off to me. Could they have done that in the factory and not notice it or sell it as a second? Just odd to me.

...

Your descriptions of the body's oddities exactly meet my concerns. Furthermore, as I suggested in my previous post, this guitar might have left the factory in an unofficial manner.

[burchster]

EE would indicate an early Chinese build maybe they hadn't got the body shape down?

[Supersonic]

lol So FAKE. Compare and decide for yourself.

 

[deeman]

lol So FAKE. Compare and decide for yourself.

 

 

Wow.

 

I wonder if guitars coming out of different factories have slightly different specs. Like a 90's Korean may look different than a new Chinese.

 

If not, that picture shows several very obvious differences and if this guitar is a fake I retract my previous statement.

[kidblast]

There is something seriously a miss with this one...

 

I would walk away.

[SRez]

I'm definitely passing on this one. I now know or at least have a clue as to what to look for now. Thanks everyone for your input.

[mirrorboy]

Fakey MacFake!

 

They must be desperate, whoever conceives this as a way to earn a living.

[Pesh]

Wise choice to pass on that; looks just wrong.

[Elias Graves]

The headstock is a big one...from a hollowbody. Has Epi ever used the big headstock on a Les Paul?

[BowerR64]

This must be an old copy, you use to be able to spot stuff easier and quicker but they got better and now i think its alot harder to tell. For me the first thing i noticed was the curve at the top near the switch. Side by side you can see it more clearly the huge differences.

 

I remember some years back on another gear forum there was some one who went to china and bought a nice epiphone it was white and she was there for like a week. Then she brought it back to the states and put 10s on it and gave it a setup.

 

The next morning when she got up the neck had separated from the body from the tension of the larger gauge strings and you could see down into the body and it was just made of pressed cardboard or some kind of pressed fiber board.

 

You sometimes cant tell whats under all that paint.

 

I wonder if you use a magnify glass and look really close at the top if its not printed?

 

I had a cheap stirling guitar it was a cheaper version of the musicman evh looking guitar and it had a quilted fancy top and the top was printed and you could see the little printed squares if you looked really close the dot pitch or what ever its called wasnt that good. From a distance and to an untrained eye it looked real.