Aoresteen Posted March 24, 2014 Share Posted March 24, 2014 Here's a puzzel for you. Is this Epiphone Les Paul Deluxe real or fake? It's NOT a 1998-2001 LP Deluxe as I have three of them. This headstock is the open book type. No serial number on it. I contacted Gibson and they could not say one way or another. http://www.ebay.com/itm/181355280886?ru=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fsch%2Fi.html%3F_sacat%3D0%26_from%3DR40%26_nkw%3D181355280886%26_rdc%3D1#ht_326wt_1366 What do you think? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mirrorboy Posted March 24, 2014 Share Posted March 24, 2014 My gut feeling is that it is a rarity, rather than a fake. It looks early 80's Japanese. A high end model judging by the fret edge binding, good quality possibly African mahogany 2-piece back and 1-piece neck, good quality fingerboard and 2 hole truss rod cover. Electrics are on a circuit board similar to the Japanese Tokai Love Rock from the 80's. It may be one of the fabled Matsumoko models from the late 70's. They were certainly capable of high quality workmanship. Headstock logo is same as the Matsumoko built Epiphones. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capmaster Posted March 24, 2014 Share Posted March 24, 2014 My gut feeling is that it is a rarity, rather than a fake. ... My guts feel the same. Looks very fine from here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mirrorboy Posted March 25, 2014 Share Posted March 25, 2014 Looks very fine to me also. Everything bar the knobs is original including the Maxon pickups. I think it would have had gold reflector knobs originally. All in all, I think the price is fair considering that it is probably superior to the pancake body Gibson original. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aoresteen Posted March 25, 2014 Author Share Posted March 25, 2014 Thanks guys! I *MAY* make an offer on it. I've used Les Paul Deluexs since 1974. I now have three of the Epi LPD from 1998-2001 era - Blue, Red, & Gold. http://forum.gibson.com/index.php?/topic/81694-epiphone-les-paul-deluxe-mods-a-la-pete-townsend/ http://www.mylespaul.com/forums/epiphone-les-pauls/37496-epiphone-les-paul-deluxe-gt-triplets.html I see ever Epi LPD that pops up on eBay. Back around 2007/2009 you could get one for $150 to $225. The prices on the Epi LPDs have gone way up. Now they sell for $300-$450 for a blue or red one. I've never seen a gold on on eBay. Black ones show up rareley - once or twice a year. This is the first Epi LPD with the open book headstock that I've ever seen so I have no way to really price it. I will have to think about it. Thanks again for all the input! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobinTheHood Posted March 25, 2014 Share Posted March 25, 2014 Fake. Notice the positioning of the word "MODEL" on the headstock. Though that might seem trivial to some, it is one if the determining factors when spotting some fakes and is a tried and true method when this oddity appears. Also, the color of the decal is wrong. Its way too yellow, as well as being too thick, as is the Epiphone logo - too thick. Whatever it is, it is also most likely not a 1970's Matsumoku product. It looks like a mid to late 1990's guitar to me. Also, Epiphone has never produced a guitar with a spalted top that I know of. If they did, it would be in the wiki. Lets see...what else? The control cavity is the wrong shape for a Matsumoku, no serial on the headstock, wrong color inlays for a Matsu (should have a reddish tinge), wrong tuners for a Matsu (should be stamped with "e"), short tenon, weird bar & screw thingy in the neck cavity, plate mounted controls with a circuit board? (Epiphone didnt start making guitars like that until 1991 and would indicate active pickups), the bottom truss screw is mounted really high, the heel is the wrong shape (at least for a Matsu). Here are some heastock pics to compare. I've also attached a composite pic of a real Matsumoku Les Paul for comparison. It is high-res, so you can save it and look at it in better detail. Deluxe in question Matsumoku Les Paul JDM Standard JDM LQ Series JDM Elitist Matsumoku Les Paul composite pic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aoresteen Posted March 25, 2014 Author Share Posted March 25, 2014 Thanks Robin! I see the points that you make and I will defer to your expertesse. Strange that Gibson wouldn't say one way or another given the points you made. The sheilding in the control cavity and the lack of a serial number were red flags to me but Gibson didn't seem to be phased by them. I still might make an offer as you don't see very many Epi LPD at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobinTheHood Posted March 25, 2014 Share Posted March 25, 2014 Thanks Robin! I see the points that you make and I will defer to your expertesse. Strange that Gibson wouldn't say one way or another given the points you made. The sheilding in the control cavity and the lack of a serial number were red flags to me but Gibson didn't seem to be phased by them. I still might make an offer as you don't see very many Epi LPD at all. Most CS reps at Epiphone dont have the knowledge or time to figure out a guitar like this. I've been studying this exact guitar for months. No lie. The higher-ups at Epiphone wont acknowledge the existence of Matsumoku Les Pauls at all. But there are enough red flags on this one for them to know that its not legit. One thing to note is that the Matsumoku Les Pauls were actually Burnys rebadged as Epiphones. The best way to tell if a Les Paul is actually a Matsu is to compare it to a Burny of the same era. This guitar isnt even in the right decade. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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