rkm456 Posted May 19, 2020 Share Posted May 19, 2020 Title is probably self explanatory. I'm looking at a used on in TV Yellow on a local buy/sell site and to me everything looks good, but I can't help but be suspicious. Under normal circumstances I'd bring it to my local luthier to give it a once over, but Covid has put the brakes on that plan. But this has got me thinking, I've seen lots of various full fat Les Paul fakes, but not Les Paul Specials is it just because they aren't a thing? and if they are, what should I be looking for? Thanks in advance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brad1 Posted May 22, 2020 Share Posted May 22, 2020 There are a ton of knowledgeable folks around here. How about posting some pics of the guitar? And I believe there are people in China that will copy anything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wmachine Posted May 22, 2020 Share Posted May 22, 2020 35 minutes ago, brad1 said: And I believe there are people in China that will copy anything. Yes, that is pretty much it. But the Specials otherwise are not worth counterfeiting. If it is a Chinese knockoff, it will not be a very exact copy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pinch Posted May 22, 2020 Share Posted May 22, 2020 7 minutes ago, Wmachine said: Yes, that is pretty much it. But the Specials otherwise are not worth counterfeiting. If it is a Chinese knockoff, it will not be a very exact copy. There are fake Epiphones out there, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt. Pepper Posted May 22, 2020 Share Posted May 22, 2020 9 minutes ago, Pinch said: There are fake Epiphones out there, though. Those prolly cost $49. A full price new Epi can be had for $600. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mihcmac Posted May 25, 2020 Share Posted May 25, 2020 (edited) On 5/19/2020 at 1:02 PM, rkm456 said: Title is probably self explanatory. I'm looking at a used on in TV Yellow on a local buy/sell site and to me everything looks good, but I can't help but be suspicious. Under normal circumstances I'd bring it to my local luthier to give it a once over, but Covid has put the brakes on that plan. But this has got me thinking, I've seen lots of various full fat Les Paul fakes, but not Les Paul Specials is it just because they aren't a thing? and if they are, what should I be looking for? Thanks in advance. There are quite a few copies of LP specials on Aliexpress and even some on eBay, be wary of a guitar seller that does not show you a clear photo of the headstock as it will most likely be using an unauthorized trade mark and a US serial number.. There are many other brands of Specials that the design has been modified slightly to make them legal like Firefly on Amazon, for example. China for example makes copies of any guitar brand they want and sells them. China does not recognize international copywrite or trademarks. Note: Fakes are metric and tend to not use Gibson brand markings on their components like, tuners, bridges, pots and pickups. Also the Gibson truss rod uses a special socket style wrench where copies just use a hex key. Edited May 25, 2020 by mihcmac Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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