harmeet45 Posted July 15, 2014 Share Posted July 15, 2014 Hey guys. Was trawling through the local classfieds when I come across a $900 SG classic in white. It seems oddly cheap to me, especially when people on Ultimate Guitar are paying above $1000 for it (cheapest was 990). Take a look at the pictures and please tell me if you think it's a fake or not. Also, does anyone know what makes a fake Gibson/what to look out for? Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigKahune Posted July 15, 2014 Share Posted July 15, 2014 . I'm seeing some red flags there. The pics aren't good, and there's a pic of a different SG headstock back mixed in there - also suspicious. Too many concerns for me, I would stay away. Gibson Spotting Fakes - http://www2.gibson.com/News-Lifestyle/Features/en-us/CounterfeitGibsons.aspx Gibson warns Guitar Dater gives misleading info - http://www2.gibson.com/News-Lifestyle/Features/en-us/beware-web-sites-722.aspx Gibson submit counterfeit URL http://www2.gibson.com/Support/Report-Counterfeits.aspx . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capmaster Posted July 15, 2014 Share Posted July 15, 2014 Either SG and LP clearly are counterfeits. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the dog Posted July 15, 2014 Share Posted July 15, 2014 I saw the same back of the LP in another thread and it was said to be fake. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
damian Posted July 15, 2014 Share Posted July 15, 2014 That SG is not a Gibson. . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sg50 Posted July 15, 2014 Share Posted July 15, 2014 Holy pickguard, batwing! Look at all the extra plastic and curves! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pippy Posted July 15, 2014 Share Posted July 15, 2014 On the 9th July in the Les Paul section you posted links to a fake LP advertised on a Chinese website asking if it was real and then asking, repeatedly, how we knew it was a fake. Today you are posting links to a fake SG advertised on a Chinese website and are asking us if it is real and how we know it is a fake. So the common factors seem to be; You; the guitars; the fact that they are all Chinese fakes; a request from you to point out how we know these are fakes. Hmmm.... My polite answer to you would be to avoid buying a Gibson guitar from any Chinese website. There seem to be a lot of unscrupulous - not to say criminally-minded - people out there. P. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capmaster Posted July 15, 2014 Share Posted July 15, 2014 ... My polite answer to you would be to avoid buying a Gibson guitar from any Chinese website. P. ... or what the website may call a Gibson guitar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyingfrets Posted July 16, 2014 Share Posted July 16, 2014 By any chance, are your local classifieds TradeTang or DHGate? That looks like the ads that run on those those sites day in & day out. Same photo from 20 different sellers. They're ALL bogus. You won't find a legit SG for $300 with free shipping from EMS or ChinaPost. GIBSONS are NOT made in China (Epiphones are, but LEGIT ones will say "Epiphone" on the headstock). They're a scam. You may get the guitar...it may even be playable. But you'll never fool anyone but yourself. IT IS NOT A GIBSON!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harmeet45 Posted July 16, 2014 Author Share Posted July 16, 2014 On the 9th July in the Les Paul section you posted links to a fake LP advertised on a Chinese website asking if it was real and then asking, repeatedly, how we knew it was a fake. Today you are posting links to a fake SG advertised on a Chinese website and are asking us if it is real and how we know it is a fake. So the common factors seem to be; You; the guitars; the fact that they are all Chinese fakes; a request from you to point out how we know these are fakes. Hmmm.... My polite answer to you would be to avoid buying a Gibson guitar from any Chinese website. There seem to be a lot of unscrupulous - not to say criminally-minded - people out there. P. I know that you would suspect that I am a Chinese seller, I almost expected that. But I live in Hong Kong where the classifieds are all in Chinese so there is a great risk of picking up one like this online. The classifieds I use is called taobao, and has many "copy"(not fender or Gibson but a different brand ) guitars for very cheap. Occasionally you find a Gibson for around the right price and sometimes even less. I've seen some worse Gibson knockoffs for 80 dollars with a hard case and shipping. My friend in Malaysia bought one and thinks it's actually quite good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyingfrets Posted July 16, 2014 Share Posted July 16, 2014 I know that you would suspect that I am a Chinese seller, I almost expected that. But I live in Hong Kong where the classifieds are all in Chinese so there is a great risk of picking up one like this online. Yeah, that's an uphill climb. You live at "ground zero" where 99.9 % of the counterfeits originate. The classifieds I use is called taobao, and has many "copy"(not fender or Gibson but a different brand ) guitars for very cheap. Occasionally you find a Gibson for around the right price and sometimes even less. I've seen some worse Gibson knockoffs for 80 dollars with a hard case and shipping. My friend in Malaysia bought one and thinks it's actually quite good. That's why I said it "might even be playable." I ended up with one of them 3 years ago (long story...I was aware of what it was, the seller claimed he was not, but was in a big hurry to sell it "for his uncle" so I took it off his hands for $90). Was it terrible? No. About on a par with a Squire Affinity quality wise. Playable and actually not bad with a proper set up & fret level. Electronics were absolute garbage and wired incorrectly. Replaced the pickups, harness, pots & caps so now it actually sounds pretty good. Refinished the front of the headstock (unadorned, plain gloss black). Downside? Total cost was about what a new Epiphone would've cost, and it would've played & sounded better right out of the box. And I can legally resell an Epiphone without losing my shirt (I can usually resell a Gibson for what I paid, and once in awhile, at a profit). Not even worth what $$ I've got in it because of what it is, but I wanted to know what the reality of those things was. Trust me, all the youtube videos singing their praises aside, they'll never fool anyone. My son occasionally uses it for a "beater," but it mostly collects dust in his closet. If you want the real deal, find a reputable dealer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harmeet45 Posted July 16, 2014 Author Share Posted July 16, 2014 Yeah, that's an uphill climb. You live at "ground zero" where 99.9 % of the counterfeits originate. That's why I said it "might even be playable." I ended up with one of them 3 years ago (long story...I was aware of what it was, the seller claimed he was not, but was in a big hurry to sell it "for his uncle" so I took it off his hands for $90). Was it terrible? No. About on a par with a Squire Affinity quality wise. Playable and actually not bad with a proper set up & fret level. Electronics were absolute garbage and wired incorrectly. Replaced the pickups, harness, pots & caps so now it actually sounds pretty good. Refinished the front of the headstock (unadorned, plain gloss black). Downside? Total cost was about what a new Epiphone would've cost, and it would've played & sounded better right out of the box. And I can legally resell an Epiphone without losing my shirt (I can usually resell a Gibson for what I paid, and once in awhile, at a profit). Not even worth what $$ I've got in it because of what it is, but I wanted to know what the reality of those things was. Trust me, all the youtube videos singing their praises aside, they'll never fool anyone. My son occasionally uses it for a "beater," but it mostly collects dust in his closet. If you want the real deal, find a reputable dealer. Of course, 99.9 percent of counterfeits DO come from China, but technically not Hong Kong. Only thing is most of the classifieds are Chinese, and therefore a bit more cryptic. I bought an iPod from the same seller and it was real, saved around 5 dollars on it but hey, who cares. There's also slightly less risk in getting burnt because if you speak chinese (I do) and you contact the seller, they are a lot more up front with everything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg1967 Posted July 16, 2014 Share Posted July 16, 2014 Hey guys. Was trawling through the local classfieds when I come across a $900 SG classic in white. It seems oddly cheap to me, especially when people on Ultimate Guitar are paying above $1000 for it (cheapest was 990). Take a look at the pictures and please tell me if you think it's a fake or not. Also, does anyone know what makes a fake Gibson/what to look out for? Cheers Looks fake. The serial # and made in usa are a bit too clear. I may be mistaken but doesn't Gibson stamp the year on the back of the head stock as well? And the stickers on the pickups...when did they start doing that? Only seen that done on Epiphones. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjsinla Posted July 16, 2014 Share Posted July 16, 2014 Both the SG and Les Paul are fakes, $900 is way too much to pay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyingfrets Posted July 16, 2014 Share Posted July 16, 2014 Of course, 99.9 percent of counterfeits DO come from China, but technically not Hong Kong. No offense or nationalistic jingoism intended. Just stating that due to your geographic location, sorting the wheat from the chaff is probably going to be a bigger P.I.T.A. than it is for most of us. Still say a reputable dealer is your safest bet. According to the website we're on right now, there are 26 authorized Gibson dealers in, or around your area. I'd check with one of them. Good luck... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pippy Posted July 16, 2014 Share Posted July 16, 2014 In which case the best advice I can give you is to learn as much about how to spot a fake in the first place. There are a great many places on the web which point out the most commonly seen 'mistakes'. Even here, on the Gibson site, there is a section which deals with how to recognise a fake Gibson. As you say, you live in an area where most of the fakes originate so you'd be well-advised to learn the basics. Once you know this stuff the counterfeits aren't too difficult to spot. At the same time try to track down some definitely real Gibsons in any dealerships you can find and have a really good look at them. Once you have handled a few examples of the real thing then spotting fakes becomes even easier. Good luck. P. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidblast Posted July 16, 2014 Share Posted July 16, 2014 just go to the gibson site, or ebay, or anywhere, and look at other SGs (form the date this serial number would indicate ) and then tell us if you still think it's the real deal. Small things say a lot... screws on the top (pg) where there should not be any, and other things that are on there, (hint: plastic things) that don't look at all correct. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
'Scales Posted July 18, 2014 Share Posted July 18, 2014 seems it might be best in that situation not to buy a Gibson on-line unless you buy it from Gibson or their authorised dealer, or are quite prepared to risk the money on fakes. what if the seller was sneaky enough to photograph a real Gibson and then send you a fake after folks here may have looked at the photos and said that, yes, the the real one indeed looked real - what are you going to do about it then? Some excellent, and generous, advice from all provided above. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hawkesman Posted July 23, 2014 Share Posted July 23, 2014 I agree with all the above. Fakes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjsinla Posted July 23, 2014 Share Posted July 23, 2014 Stop telling this guy how to fix his fakes. He keeps posting pics of fakes here and on MyLesPaul.com and asking exactly why we think they are fake. He's trolling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaicho8888 Posted August 4, 2014 Share Posted August 4, 2014 Why wouldn't you think unauthorized manufacturer's don't already have the real products? Bottom line... fakes (unauthorized and illegal) are built to optimize profits and fall within a certain price range. If fakes are built identical to the real ones, then production cost will be much higher. The higher price range will not attract as much buyers wanting fakes. So, readily available cheap components, shortcuts in building, etc. are used to make it look similar to the real product but a lot cheaper! The problem is how would a first time or average buyer know if a guitar is fake? If we do not point out tips on spotting fakes. Honest buyers could be scammed. U.S. Customs have recently, but infrequently confiscating contraband items; but it's not limited to only guitars...it's an almost impossible task of enforcement. If people want and buy fakes(unauthorized)...then somebody (Chinese, Indonesian, Korean or others) will make them. Similarly, ever noticed that Gibson makes expensive replicas of famous guitars called "Collector's Choice" with all it's dents, dings, wear, etc? ... can you call these authorized reproduction of the real thing or authorized fakes? ...these are also copies of the real originals; but at a much lower price...LOL. Obviously, these "collector's Choice" guitars are made for certain buyer's market. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidblast Posted August 5, 2014 Share Posted August 5, 2014 From now on we should just say yes it is, or no it looks real. I thought that was the more or less, "rules of engagement"... but I don't think we are all on the same page. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rct Posted August 5, 2014 Share Posted August 5, 2014 I thought that was the more or less, "rules of engagement"... but I don't think we are all on the same page. I don't think it's the same page as much as it is the same level of sheer panic and terror. I don't care how good any fakes are or aren't. If a person wants to buy a Les Paul for 400 dollars, they can. The fakers don't need me in any way to "help" them make "better" fakes. In my life with guitars, long time now, I've only run into three complete fakes in real life, but seen maybe a few dozen on the internet. I'm sorry folks, there just aren't cigar smoke filled back rooms ordering the guys out front to crank out another few thousand fake Les Pauls. It just isn't happening. rct Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidblast Posted August 5, 2014 Share Posted August 5, 2014 Self made hysteria. also just ppl trolling, to see if what they have can be passed off as something it isn't, why I do think it's best to just as rule, either ignore them, or say yes, it's not real.. or better send them to customer service, where the chances are about 50% of them would never do this cuz they know full well what they have. gotta love the innernet.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Natural Posted September 6, 2014 Share Posted September 6, 2014 ... either ignore them, or .... No "or"; just ignore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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