So part of the complication here is the guitars are out of state and his girl friend has since moved out of the his place, the pictures And serial numbers are what she took/wrote down before she left. Interestingly the Gibson serial numbers all check out on the online databases but some of the serial numbers she gave me for the Rics, Fenders and Gretches aren’t matching up well. My mom is going out there this week so I can have her take more pictures or video chat me while she’s there. I hope to be able to check the serials on the actual guitars.
Given the feedback I’m getting from you guys, I’m also willing to be a little less vague than I was initially when I wanted to avoid any bias; the red and sort of honey burst ones are the two that guys on the LP forum said we’re “Chibsons.” The honey colored one is the one that I am inclined to believe could be a fake while the red custom is the one that we all thought he had bought new and has had for a while. On the other forum they seemed to think the studio was real and I assume the Chinese aren’t bothering with cranking out fake DC specials, but correct me if I’m wrong.
I did call Gibson yesterday before posting this. They said the serial on the red custom wasn’t coming back but they suggested I email them pics. I haven’t heard back from them yet.