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is MY Black Beauty a fake?


Dru_d20

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Hate me if you like but this rash of *is my stuff fake* threads has a great conspiracy theory feel to it. Font this and sloppy stamp that, it's hilarious to read.

 

Buy your stuff from a reputable dealer and get over it. Let's post about having a good time playing and modding, not x-files crap.

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Hate me if you like but this rash of *is my stuff fake* threads has a great conspiracy theory feel to it. Font this and sloppy stamp that' date=' it's hilarious to read.

 

Buy your stuff from a reputable dealer and get over it. Let's post about having a good time playing and modding, not x-files crap.[/quote'] Totally with ya bro ..whinge if it sounds or plays crap otherwise "ROCK ON"...

W W

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Hate me if you like but this rash of *is my stuff fake* threads has a great conspiracy theory feel to it. Font this and sloppy stamp that' date=' it's hilarious to read.

 

Buy your stuff from a reputable dealer and get over it. Let's post about having a good time playing and modding, not x-files crap.[/quote']

 

I have said it before on these "fake or real" threads....THEY ARE ALL FAKES!! So just send all those fakes to me and I'll have a room full of nice Epi guitars to play and enjoy! :-

You have a great looking Epi Dru_d20...play it till the paint is worn off, then play it some more!

Capt

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Hate me if you like but this rash of *is my stuff fake* threads has a great conspiracy theory feel to it. Font this and sloppy stamp that' date=' it's hilarious to read. Buy your stuff from a reputable dealer and get

over it. Let's post about having a good time playing and modding, not x-files crap.[/quote']

 

I'm basically in agreement with you, short of conspiracy theory. There is a lot of

counterfeit merchandise out there, especially on eBay. I bought some Gillette Mach III

blades on eBay - package looked right, product looked right (later noticed they didn't

say Gillette) but they were absolutely fake and unbelievably inferior. But it was only a $20

purchase of a disposable product. Trying to save a few bucks on a sight unseen guitar from

an unknown seller is pretty foolish if you're the least bit worried about fakes and

other unscrupulous practices. I understand that the used guitar market is kinda dominated by

eBay but the risks are inherent. For new stuff, buy from an authorized dealer - eBay won't

save you much, if anything.

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Hi,

 

I've had the displeasure of now seeing three LP Custom fakes here in Oz from eBay sellers. They all looked good but the one I bought (and sent back for a full refund) was pretty useless. I was unable to get any neck relief on it even with the truss rod completely backed off.

 

From what I've since seen on eBay Oz most look to be fakes from pretty much the same or connected sellers. Most adds seems to use the same wording and and photos. The one I spotted a bit was a photo of a LP is someones home with a painting in the background.

 

I've since bought the real deal for a good price from a local dealer. Looking at the photos of yours the following seems odd;

 

Bare grounding wire and lack of a connector block (as mentioned in another post)

Position of the cavity for the output jack (looks a little high).

Size and position of the cavity that the pickup wires come from

From what I can make from the screw holes the body material looks too white to be mahogany

 

 

With the fakes I saw the big giveaway though was the body material as all were made of particle board. The cavities were pretty well masked with black conductive paint but the one spot that was missed though was the hole for the output jack. If you remove the jack you should be able to get a better look. Even if it is painted try rubbing it with your finger to see if any wood particle start to flake off. Pics below show the control jack cavity from the fake.

 

Another thing was the plating on the back of the machine heads that looked dull / unpolished on the fakes.

 

Hope this helps. The guys selling this crap really cheese me off. I was lucky and got my money back but my son's two friends are stuck with pieces of junk.

 

cheers,

 

Ron

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Hate me if you like but this rash of *is my stuff fake* threads has a great conspiracy theory feel to it. Font this and sloppy stamp that' date=' it's hilarious to read.

 

Buy your stuff from a reputable dealer and get over it. Let's post about having a good time playing and modding, not x-files crap.[/quote']

 

 

Hey...Hey....Dude,

 

No need for that :)

 

Gillian Anderson plays a Casino you know....

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 1 year later...

As the owner of 3 Epiphone guitars, I have to say yours looks ok and I don't think it's a fake although the pictures aren't clear. As for the Black Beauty issue, as far as I know, both Gibson and Epiphone call the black Les Paul Custom with 3 Humbuckers, "The Black Beauty", regardless of the period it was built. The only thing is that Gibson doesn't make them anymore, only Epiphone.

If it feels good and sounds good, just play the guitar and stop being paranoid.

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Looks fake to me, very similar to the fakes I've seen on Oz EBay (which is FULL of fakes).

 

Volume knob is directly below the bridge, not off to the side. Fakes always mess up the knob positioning.

The EE is bigger than the numbers on the serial.

Pickguard screw seems way too close to the edge, real Epis leave a bit more room.

Epiphone logo on the headstock isn't centred correctly. See how the tip of the 'h' lines up with the middle of the headstock? On a real Epi it's off to the right side a bit.

 

For more information on how to spot a fake you could visit: http://www.mylespaul.com/forums/epiphone-les-pauls/12286-fake-epiphone-thread.html

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The server crash only deleted everything since July 12, 2009, I think.

 

But since we're on the subject, what's the big problem with buying from an authorized dealer?

Between Guitar Center, Muscian's Friend, Sweetwater, American Musical Supply and their UK/AU/NZ counterparts, all with liberal return policies, risk is essentially non-existent.

Most of these dealers also have used and demo gear for sale. So for $50 more than some dodgey Internet or sleazebay seller, you get a good deal and peace of mind.

 

I just don't get it.

 

Also, what about Rondo and GFS? If you're just starting out and want an ultra high-quality/low price copy, they also have really great return policies.

The only reason counterfeiters can exist is because there are people out there looking for something for nothing, and dumb enough to send hundreds of bucks to someone with no obvious integrity.

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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']

 

-1

 

Enough of that snobbery.

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It's called a Black Beauty on the official Epi site so that's good enough for me. http://www.epiphone.com/default.asp?ProductID=51&CollectionID=6

 

I guess people don't buy authorised because the fakes usually get sold for a cheaper price. What puzzles me about this thread though is that the OP seemed to be paying top dollar for this fake so he had nothing to lose by going to an auth dealer.

 

Sure these threads are witch hunts but in this case the witches are very real and casting spells with not-so-magic plywood wands as you read this.

 

I have a friend who bought a fake Gibson Explorer. He was NOT happy. It's a good idea to have threads like this but if we had an official fake sticky thread that would be better. In fact I think we did have one just before the official forum crash of 09...

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It's a fake! It's a fake!

*runs around in circles waving hands in the air*

#-o

 

I have to agree about all the paranoia. I can't believe a counterfeiter would go so far as to emboss the back of the pickups. I mean seriously, why would they bother? By the time someone bought the guitar off the internet, recieved it through the post, and actually took off a pickup and discovered the deception, the seller would be long gone. Why bother? For that matter, why bother putting all that effort in to faking an Epiphone in the first place?B)

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It's a fake! It's a fake!

*runs around in circles waving hands in the air*

#-o

 

I have to agree about all the paranoia. I can't believe a counterfeiter would go so far as to emboss the back of the pickups. I mean seriously' date=' why would they bother? By the time someone bought the guitar off the internet, recieved it through the post, and actually took off a pickup and discovered the deception, the seller would be long gone. Why bother? For that matter, why bother putting all that effort in to faking an [i']Epiphone[/i] in the first place?B)

 

Because high-end Epis are worth a lot of money. Maybe not in America where guitars are cheap, but in Australia an Epi Black Beauty (a real one) retails for $1600, which is significant enough to be worth faking (and the Australian dollar is about 86 US cents). Fakes of the "budget" Epis don't exist, but LP Standards and Customs are commonly faked and are seen on Oz EBay all the time. Epiphones are not all "budget" guitars, believe me these models are worth the trouble to fake. I've never seen a fake of any other type of Epi though, never seen a fake Casino, Sheraton etc - but fake Epi Les Pauls are common as mud in Australia.

 

Fakes are usually pieced together from all sorts of crap. Sometimes the pickups ARE the genuine article, and the OPs pickups don't look fake to me. Sometimes other pieces of hardware are the genuine article, like bridges, knobs etc. Most fake Epi LPs do have genuine Grovers for instance. Where you lose out is usually the wood (usually plywood), terrible wiring, and the quality of the workmanship, but this varies from case to case.

 

It's not paranoia, it's fact. The OPs guitar IS a fake, fakes DO exist and they are plentiful. People's "why would they fake an EPIPHONE?" attitude is probably the exact reason why Epiphone fakes are made and are so profitable. Many people flat-out refuse to believe that this goes on, which makes it a lot easier for the fakes to shift units. A Gibson would come under more scrutiny.

 

This thread has more information on how to spot a fake, and plenty of pictures of verified fakes, just in case you still don't believe that this happens: http://www.mylespaul.com/forums/epiphone-les-pauls/12286-fake-epiphone-thread.html

 

Of course if people buy from an authorised Epi dealer, they don't need to worry about this sort of thing.

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Guest icantbuyafender

its got epi pups, an epi input jack, grover tuners, legit documentation.... i really do not think this is a fake custom. I dont see how anyone would buy a new guitar from a non authorized dealer. Thats just asking for a slap in the face, especially when paying top dollar. so lean in for me, pal.

 

if it dont look fake or feel fake-- get over it.

 

original poster opened up a can of worms here and it coulda been avoided by getting the guitar at a reputable place.

 

people are way too spooked and its getting annoying. sure they exist, but why not take measures to avoid buying a potentially fake guitar?

 

if you wanna go cheaper than going price, then accept the fact you may get a fake.

 

Im srsly sick of this crap. its not up to us to tell you if it is fake or real. avoid the whole ordeal and go to a music shop.

 

get off your butt, go to a shop, plug in the guitars you are considering and buy one for the authorized dealer's price. Quit being cheap asses.

 

if a epi is too pricey to where youll buy a new one off fleabay for cheaper, then just buy a damn agile and be happy with that .

 

you may even be happier with the agile.... and as far as i know they dont get counterfeited.

 

Man, since when was going to a guitar store such a burden. Especially if you are in the market for a guitar. That should be an exciting trip.

 

sorry... I just get so sick of these multi paged disputes on a questionable guitar by some poor sap that walked right into it by KNOWINGLY buying sight unseen from shady dealers who pedal their trash for less hoping to attract some timid newbie lookin to save cash.

 

:::smack::: sorry... ya had it coming!

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  • 3 weeks later...
Ok here are yet some more pics i managed to grab before work when the sun was up.

 

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150660639_o.jpg

 

 

This guitar is fake.

Pickboard screw is too close to the edge, EEs on serial number are too big, the "H" in the Epiphone is centered (shouldn't), the tone knobs are not aligned in parallel with the fretboard. In otherwords, texbook fake.

You can always send those pictures to Gibson along with the serial and they will check it up for you. Once I bought a fake black beauty with a legit Les Paul Standard serial - this information was verified by Gibson customer service. That can't be right, can it?

 

Now, if anyone is in doubt, go talk to Gibson. Their word is final.

 

Cheers

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  • 4 months later...
  • 2 weeks later...

Hi Everyone,

I have been doing some study and feel that my Les Paul is a fake. I've sent an email to Gibson but don't know how long it will take to get a reply so I figured I'd see what you guys think. I must say if it is fake they have gone to lots of trouble.

 

I have had the guitar for nearly a year now and I've not been happy with it at all, so I've only really been playing my acoustic guitar as a result. I recently decided to take this guitar to a technician to get "properly" set up. However he said he had lots of trouble getting the action lower and that it would buzz out lots so the action is set high for now.

 

I said I had a feeling it was a fake, because it didn't sound good and it felt crap to play. If this is genuine then I must say I don't like Les Paul guitars at all and much prefer Fender's however I have a feeling it must be fake because nothing genuine could feel this bad.

 

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I bought this guitar second hand, off a so called "collector" who said it was brand new. It still had stickers on it when I got it that said Epiphone and it even came with a handbook saying it was an Epiphone instrument. The pickups say Epiphone on the back also.

 

The body does not look like genuine Mahogany, rather it looks and feel like plywood. Also this instrument feels very very heavy to me.

 

So what's the verdict?

 

Serial number is EE080416834

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:-({|=

 

The volumn and tone knobs are slanted, and should be straight, bridge has more angle to it than my Custom has.

The Diamond does not extend high enough on the neckstock...

 

I'm sure more experienced eyes will catch more, just doing a quick compare against mine.

 

Looks like a "fair to good" knockoff to me.

If there is such a thing[blink]

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Yeah I knew it had to be a fake because it was such rubbish to play and it sounds horrible. Its also really really heavy. I bought it second hand thinking I was getting a bargain. Now I know better, I'm going to try and get my money back from the guy who sold it to me.

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