Dru_d20 Posted July 8, 2008 Share Posted July 8, 2008 Ok i have searched and searched I think I have a real deal. Head stock: The logo looks nice, the truss plate has 3 screws and says les paul custom, the les paul text is nice and cursive, the serial checks out spot on, struggling to find a verified black beauty serial to compare font. Removed the truss plate and other than a little wood dust it is tidy. Fret board: a little dry (just ordered lemon oil), MOP inlays nice and refractive (if that’s a word) Pickups: stamped Epiphone on the back, have the new epiphone stickers on them. Back cavity: fat tone pots, routing neat, wiring looks good the pics are not great (hence why i am no photographer) if you need me to redo them i will (the inside cavity one is not that clear). (pics will follow) We really need a post on how to spot a fake epi, I mean the gibson ones are a lot more detailed. Maybe this is because there is more variation in an epi? if so why not have "how to spot a fake EE serial epi" ? Be great if i didnt have to waste your time and could know for sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Out_Of_Control Posted July 8, 2008 Share Posted July 8, 2008 If it dosen't say Gibson on the head, then it's not a "Black Beauty". It may be a very nice Black Les Paul made by Epiphone but the name "Black Bueaty" refers to a certian guitar made by Gibson. Some Purists would argue that the guitar is not a true "Black Bueaty" unless it was made during a certian time in Gibson's history. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dru_d20 Posted July 8, 2008 Author Share Posted July 8, 2008 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dru_d20 Posted July 8, 2008 Author Share Posted July 8, 2008 If it dosen't say Gibson on the head' date=' then it's not a "Black Beauty". It may be a very nice Black Les Paul made by Epiphone but the name "Black Bueaty" refers to a certian guitar made by Gibson. Some Purists would argue that the guitar is not a true "Black Bueaty" unless it was made during a certian time in Gibson's history.[/quote'] ok ok is my 'Epiphone' a fake Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ricochet Posted July 8, 2008 Share Posted July 8, 2008 Oh boy...you weren't kidding about your photography skills. We need more pictures of everything! So far it's looking good ...alltho the blurry pics are pretty much useless. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dru_d20 Posted July 8, 2008 Author Share Posted July 8, 2008 Oh boy...you weren't kidding about your photography skills.We need more pictures of everything! So far it's looking good ...alltho the blurry pics are pretty much useless. LOL cmon i wouldnt say useless, they atleast show you that its a black object. I'll get some more shots together and upload them, thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Royal Gurner Posted July 8, 2008 Share Posted July 8, 2008 I have a black beauty which has "les paul black beauty" on the truss rod or something like that, i have to say, if it is fake i still love it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
antwhi2001 Posted July 8, 2008 Share Posted July 8, 2008 Looks good to me. A fake is very unlikely to have "Epiphone" stamped on the pups. Why would anyone go to that much trouble faking a $600 guitar, when for the same effort they could fake a Gibson and make more money? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ricochet Posted July 8, 2008 Share Posted July 8, 2008 Looks good to me. A fake is very unlikely to have "Epiphone" stamped on the pups. Why would anyone go to that much trouble faking a $600 guitar' date=' when for the same effort they could fake a Gibson and make more money? [/quote'] That's the clever part of these scams. A more expensive Gibson would likely be exposed to a more rigid scrutiny of authenticity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wiltshire willy Posted July 8, 2008 Share Posted July 8, 2008 Looks good to me. A fake is very unlikely to have "Epiphone" stamped on the pups. Why would anyone go to that much trouble faking a $600 guitar' date=' when for the same effort they could fake a Gibson and make more money? [/quote']The Asian market for fakes is incredible and profit margin or retail price has nothing to do with whether or not they copy it .they copy 20 cent collectors cards for gods sake so $600 is a godsend..but i do think that many people buying EPIS are being overly paranoid at the moment and need to maybe do a bit of research in retail guitar shops to see what to look for..i would think that if the guitar plays well and you re happy with it why question it after all its not a big investment now is it ? good luck hunting down that bargain and if unsure make sure the seller has a return policycheers W W Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dru_d20 Posted July 8, 2008 Author Share Posted July 8, 2008 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dru_d20 Posted July 8, 2008 Author Share Posted July 8, 2008 Sorry about the grubby marks on the body, the finish is clear when I haven’t put my greasy paws all over it. i do think that many people buying EPIS are being overly paranoid at the moment and need to maybe do a bit of research in retail guitar shops to see what to look for..W W This guitar RRP for $1,299 here in Australia so I don't think I’m being paranoid, plus it’s the moral 'get what i paid for' thing. I don't think the guitar store owner is too happy with me pulling out my screw driver with a brand new guitar in hand when I have no intention of purchasing. I have really looked around but I can’t find anywhere what the back of the pickup should look like, i have found shots of what the tone pots and routing shouldn't look like but no images of what is correct. If it turns out this is legit I am happy to watermark the images so we can use them as a reference for future queries. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dru_d20 Posted July 8, 2008 Author Share Posted July 8, 2008 oh btw, i will get some better pics of the back of the head tomorrow when i have better lighting, i can't get my camera to focus properly to get a clear shot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dru_d20 Posted July 8, 2008 Author Share Posted July 8, 2008 The Asian market for fakes is incredible and profit margin or retail price has nothing to do with whether or not they copy it .they copy 20 cent collectors cards for gods sake so $600 is a godsend There was a case recently were someone was arested importing fake omo washing powder! seriously is anything safe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ricochet Posted July 8, 2008 Share Posted July 8, 2008 Hmm...still not enough detail. Lets see the back and side of the headstock. And some binding of the body with the pickguard. Again looks good from the pics you show.... but I miss the PU-connectors and I can't recall seeing a green wire harness used on the electronics. I thought they used grey, white and black for everything but the PUs? Not sure if this varied with factories tho. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
antwhi2001 Posted July 8, 2008 Share Posted July 8, 2008 I've owned and opened up several asian Epis and yours looks like the real thing to me. Thing is, you can't make guitars like that in a garage. To get the finish and the detail you have there, the manufacturer would have to be equivalent in equipment and processes to a "real" Epi factory, and also have an equivalent supply chain of quality parts suppliers. The likelihood is very low. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcwillow777 Posted July 8, 2008 Share Posted July 8, 2008 Hmm...still not enough detail. Lets see the back and side of the headstock. And some binding of the body with the pickguard. Again looks good from the pics you show.... but I miss the PU-connectors and I can't recall seeing a green wire harness used on the electronics. I thought they used grey' date=' white and black for everything but the PUs? Not sure if this varied with factories tho.[/quote'] Good point. I don't think I have ever seen an Epi wired quite like that. All of them I have taken apart, only 6, have had the gray plastic covering the wiring in the harness, and no green. But then I have never looked inside a Black Beauty. Are all of the new Epis using pickup connectors to the pots? My Sherry did, but that was the only one I have seen with them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iansmitchell Posted July 8, 2008 Share Posted July 8, 2008 Good point. I don't think I have ever seen an Epi wired quite like that. All of them I have taken apart' date=' only 6, have had the gray plastic covering the wiring in the harness, and no green. But then I have never looked inside a Black Beauty. Are all of the new Epis using pickup connectors to the pots? My Sherry did, but that was the only one I have seen with them. [/quote'] My dot had them too. But i think just the hollow and semi hollows are using connectors so far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JRizZ Posted July 8, 2008 Share Posted July 8, 2008 I have really looked around but I can’t find anywhere what the back of the pickup should look like As far as what the back of the pickups should look like - these are spot on' date=' correctly coloured wires and everything Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wiltshire willy Posted July 8, 2008 Share Posted July 8, 2008 DRU .. Listen brother ,i too live in the land of oz and your right if your paying RRP to be a bit cautious ,but i feel that if youve bought it retail and your happy with your axe ,play on ,and if you do find it to be iffy your covered by the wtee or should be..no retail outlet wants to be known for selling fakes so the balls in your court bro.. Just enjoy your beast and let us know how she sounds All the best W W Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RotcanX Posted July 8, 2008 Share Posted July 8, 2008 Are all of the new Epis using pickup connectors to the pots? My Sherry did' date=' but that was the only one I have seen with them. [/quote']Usually Epi has a connector on the switch harness on the Les Pauls. These have been in use for at least three years now. The fact that this connector is missing is not a good sign; then again, it's possible that the Black Beauty requires a non-standard harness to handle the third pickup. Also, I'm finding the 'Epiphone' stamp on the back of the pickups a bit... sloppy. It looks as though the first 'p' isn't even closed on top. And where's the RoHS sticker? Also there should be an identifying sticker as well. The bare copper grounding wire is unusual. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Strum Posted July 8, 2008 Share Posted July 8, 2008 Oh boy...you weren't kidding about your photography skills.We need more pictures of everything! So far it's looking good ...alltho the blurry pics are pretty much useless. He's probably the same guy that takes all those pics of UFO's and Bigfoot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dru_d20 Posted July 9, 2008 Author Share Posted July 9, 2008 Ok here are yet some more pics i managed to grab before work when the sun was up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ricochet Posted July 9, 2008 Share Posted July 9, 2008 I think the factory indicator(EE) should be of the same height as the serialnumber. However they may have changed that since moving production to the EE(QingDao) factory. Other than that I can't find anything obviously wrong with it. The white lines from the pickguard appear a bit thin, but again not sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biff Posted July 9, 2008 Share Posted July 9, 2008 Also' date=' I'm finding the 'Epiphone' stamp on the back of the pickups a bit... sloppy. It looks as though the first 'p' isn't even closed on top. [/quote'] I just took a look at my old Dot pickups, the p's aren't closed on that either. Is that board a bit light or do the Customs come with varying shades of stained rosewood? Maybe it's just the photo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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