Stevie Nazarenie Posted July 22, 2008 Share Posted July 22, 2008 i can see some getting uptight over the title. and yes it's an epiphone so it's a fake gibson. yadda yadda. i saw an epiphone from the uk and the guy had a good few to sell and he had an ebay shop so i thought ah seems ok. it was a cheap buy it now price. but nothing arrived for a long time and others thought he was a scammer. i have an open ebay dispute. now it seems the guy is from china. i didn't get stuck with import charges. but i have looked at some of the fake guides... http://www.mylespaul.com/forums/epiphone-les-pauls/12286-fake-epiphone-thread.html some things are off. like the volume knob positioning. i'm not sure about how light coloured the fret board should be. but this is very light. i am open to any other guides please! also i have just seen the "chinese gibson" on youtube which is practically flawless though. other buyers do claim he is selling fake guitars and i have contacted them. but my guitar does have faults even if it were not a fake. all round it looks ok but the nut slot has been cut too deep for the b string and it sounds like a sitar! i have done some truss rod ajusting but i think it needs a new nut. also and this is the worst bit. it has "microphonic" feedback. which is basically a nasty unwanted feedback at low levels. so the pickups need re wax potting. i can not do these jobs as i am no luthier. how much would it cost to get done by a proper luthier... what should i do otherwise? thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pohatu771 Posted July 22, 2008 Share Posted July 22, 2008 Do you have the guitar? Do you have photos of the guitar? We can't really tell you anything without being able to see it. Is it a Les Paul, or an SG, or something else? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RotcanX Posted July 22, 2008 Share Posted July 22, 2008 Hopefully you can get your money back. Even the crummiest Epi shouldn't have problems with microphonic pickups. You've been had. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
28v6r Posted July 23, 2008 Share Posted July 23, 2008 Its an excellent link you put there, I think it should be made a "sticky" to try and end the theme of "Fake" Epiphone guitars... Great find, thank you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ricochet Posted July 23, 2008 Share Posted July 23, 2008 Its an excellent link you put there' date=' I think it should be made a "sticky" to try and end the theme of "Fake" Epiphone guitars... Great find, thank you! [/quote'] Well....unfortunately it's not a definitive guide. First I find the second headstocks logo really wierd( with sharp and pointy elements that should not be there) alltho I'm sure it's real... Also with discrepancies between factories on the placement of the knobs makes it hard to make a definitive call on whether it's a fake or not judging by knob-placement alone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
28v6r Posted July 23, 2008 Share Posted July 23, 2008 Don't take me wrong here, but its better that anything that anyone else has to offer, It might not as you say be definitive but at least its on the right direction... unless of course you'd care to create the "Definitive guide"...As they say "a little help goes along way... or better still "any help gratefully received.." Overall, a good start I'd say........ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevie Nazarenie Posted July 23, 2008 Author Share Posted July 23, 2008 ah sorry. it's a white epiphone les paul custom. i will try to get a picture up but my camera is not too good. after seeing that chinese replica though i think the fakers have learnt all the tricks... i saw a this: http://www.guitarnuts.com/technical/electrical/index.php but it might take the gold off the hardware? besides i don't fancy taking it on. i was wondering if a luthier usually does it and put a cost to it and the nut job. then i could tell ebay of the cost to fix it. the seller as usual doesn't respond i did ask him beforehand about the quality of the guitars etc and if there was any faults but had no answer. on a side note i had an sg standard in 87 i decided to take the pickup covers off for a cool look. i didn't know there would be wax on the top of the pickup so i removed it anyway i suffered from microphonics as a teenager. i never had them fixed. i still have them. i still don't get why some have to have pickup covers and wax on the top and some are open pickups and are fine... but if i got them repotted do you think the would be worth putting in my epiphone g400? i'm not sure if it's worth the hassle... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ricochet Posted July 23, 2008 Share Posted July 23, 2008 Don't take me wrong here' date=' but its better that anything that anyone else has to offer, It might not as you say be definitive but at least its on the right direction... unless of course you'd care to create the "Definitive guide"...As they say "a little help goes along way... or better still "any help gratefully received.." Overall, a good start I'd say........ :) [/quote'] It's certainly a highly commendable initiative... but strictly IMO, you're better off doing a simple search on fakes in here... Any halfassed or incomplete attempt at writing a guide is prone to add to confusion and paranoia. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
28v6r Posted July 23, 2008 Share Posted July 23, 2008 He...He...He.... Fair play to sir! I take your point.:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
antwhi2001 Posted July 23, 2008 Share Posted July 23, 2008 microphonic feedback is usually caused by the cavity between pup and cover. Wax-potting fills the cavities and solves the problem. Or, take the cover off and feedback problem should be solved. All Epi humbuckers I've messed with have been wax-potted from the factory. The cover is usually attached to the baseplate by a couple of blobs of solder. If you want to do your own wax-potting try googling Lindy Fralin wax potting.....there's a one-page guide out there by him. If buying an Epi on uk e-bay, don't buy if they say it's being shipped direct from the factory. It's almost certainly dodgy, either fake or stolen. If they say it's in UK, tell them you're a serious buyer and you want to drive over for a look at it (even if you have no intention of actually going). If they are legitimate they will have no objection. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnpaulgeorge Posted July 23, 2008 Share Posted July 23, 2008 +1 ant. I always find it a bit dodgy when the listing states ''allow 7-10 days for delivery'' Why ?!! If they have the guitar in stock, it should take 2 days tops in the UK. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevie Nazarenie Posted July 23, 2008 Author Share Posted July 23, 2008 i just took a look at the pups. the backs are stamped epiphone. anyone have a link to the stamped pickup logo. one seems to say epiphone "f" the other has epiphone and an "R" in a circle. ie registered trade mark. maybe just a week stamp "R" and came out as "f" as it's not in a circle. are the pups in an epiphone the same at the bridge and the neck? the pots have no markings on the tops. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ken361 Posted July 23, 2008 Share Posted July 23, 2008 F..ck ebay! they might have some good deals, But there are alot of scamer's out there! I just buy from a store atleast I got the real deal! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevie Nazarenie Posted July 23, 2008 Author Share Posted July 23, 2008 haah! i think this must be a fake i was looking at one of the other threads and it was saying how it was not sprayed in the jack plate and was too light to be mahogany. well i had a look at the jackplate mine is sprayed so i decided to have a go with a knife where no one will see. i used the bottom part to knife at as i know some have maple tops but i don't know how deep. (but it can't be this deep.) anyway it's maple coloured!!! the same with the screw dust on the pup holders. i must try to find my camera... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ricochet Posted July 23, 2008 Share Posted July 23, 2008 i just took a look at the pups. the backs are stamped epiphone. anyone have a link to the stamped pickup logo. one seems to say epiphone "f" the other has epiphone and an "R" in a circle. ie registered trade mark. maybe just a week stamp "R" and came out as "f" as it's not in a circle.are the pups in an epiphone the same at the bridge and the neck? the pots have no markings on the tops. Here is a pic of the ones I took out of my 2004 Unsung LP. Mine didn't have a ®-symbol. But do have the big F(ront) and R(ear). Whether the PU in neck and bridge are the same or different depends on the model. Pots are usually marked with their Ohm-values. I.e. A500O or B250O. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevie Nazarenie Posted July 23, 2008 Author Share Posted July 23, 2008 well i can't find any batteries or my charger. i was about to get some shots but it needs some batteries. BUT while putting it in the light i see a square block around the word epiphone like it was a sticker although it feels like one piece! i looked at my g400 and it has no such marks. also the truss rod cover is a bit smudged where it says "les paul." you can also see a dot on the headstock that is the dot in the letter "i" of epiphone further up on the headstock. so there are 2 dots although one is sprayed over. it also seems the gold on the screw heads on the back of the guitar have lost the gold after one session! i will be asking for my money back from paypal! they are usually very good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lpdeluxe Posted July 23, 2008 Share Posted July 23, 2008 Epiphones are made in a number of factories in a number of countries and variation is common. Sheratons, for example, sometimes have larger f-holes, sometimes smaller; the knobs are always in a diamond pattern, but sometimes with the left side higher, sometimes with the right side higher. Apparently there are variations in the same model from the same factory, in different years. I can spot many differences between my Epi Sheraton II and photos of others that have been posted here, including the fact that mine has no in-the-body label. For that matter, Gibsons vary a lot: to take just one example, the horn shape of the ES-3XX series has taken many forms over the years As it happens, I traded for my Epi with the dealer who sold it new in 1995, so I never give its legitimacy a second thoughnt. I think it's a lot more likely that upscale instruments are being faked rather than Epis. There ain't much profit in putting all that work into a counterfeit that has a top selling price of maybe a few hundred bucks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevie Nazarenie Posted July 23, 2008 Author Share Posted July 23, 2008 well i have had fake sd memory cards off ebay and fake ps2 memory cards. how much profit in them then? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lpdeluxe Posted July 23, 2008 Share Posted July 23, 2008 well i have had fake sd memory cards off ebay and fake ps2 memory cards. how much profit in them then? There's no comparison in the volume of cards that be produced. Making a guitar involves a whole lot more, much of it handwork. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pohatu771 Posted July 23, 2008 Share Posted July 23, 2008 I think it's a lot more likely that upscale instruments are being faked rather than Epis. There ain't much profit in putting all that work into a counterfeit that has a top selling price of maybe a few hundred bucks.Actually, that makes more sense. People buying cheap guitars are less likely to be aware of fakes, or be able to tell the difference even if they were. You're less likely to suspect a $600 Epiphone that sells for $500 of being fake than a $2500 Gibson that sells for $500. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevie Nazarenie Posted July 23, 2008 Author Share Posted July 23, 2008 when i get my pics up tommorow you can at least see it's well done. i had an epi box. stickers on pickups. booklet and guitar tag. the pups are stamped and the headstock looks right. the tone and volume knobs are at all angles and not parrallel to each other or the neck. but the thing is. gibson and epiphone make guitars out of mahogany. this stuff is white like bare maple. ( when unvarnished.) i have no doubt in saying it's a fake. i have a broken sg and i know the colour of the wood. and it's much much darker. i am prepared to get my ebay claim finished. and i shall not change my feedback. it was put up before i thought i'd get anything. but it'll stay. fakers costs? ebay listing and fees £5. postage £25 although it took 2 weeks to get. maybe half that. hardware and parts £50? to my way of thinking each guitar gets £100. maybe 10 hours labour. don't forget how poor some of these countires are. thats big money to some... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sixstring19682 Posted July 23, 2008 Share Posted July 23, 2008 Don't feel bad while I was looking into getting another double neck I ran into the same problem I bid on what looked to be an Epi G-1275 in white I placed my bid then while looking at it I thought there was something strange first the cavity cover on the back for pots looked funny to me. This was just one thing that looked funny once I stole the pics from the auction site I looked closer there was something else to be found the headstock's said Gibson on them you couldn't read this without enlarging the pics I immediately filed a claim with paypal and went on the look for information concerning this situation I had no idea that there were,or was,and is a problem with couterfeit guitars till that day. Now it seems that at least one out of every five new guitars on Ebay is counterfeit and there seems to be no end to the name brands being counterfeited I have to agree that if your going to buy any guitar that you go to a reputable source or its a crap shot as to what you get,this afternoon found me ordering a brand new white Epiphone G-1275 double neck from an online warehouse that I know to be reputable hope to have pics up within the next week or so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevie Nazarenie Posted July 24, 2008 Author Share Posted July 24, 2008 i have bought several from ebay but they were "special" guitars that you couldn't fake. a fretlight so i can download tab and learn the songs. i was nieve when i bought it as the owner took months constantly having problems. if it happened now i would have assumned he was a crook! but after 2 months or so i did get my guitar. also i bought a line 6 variax. a cheapy wesly jasper as a travel guitar. and a cheapy "vintage" goldtop. no one would bother faking these. so this is my first fake. i will buy my next one from a shop. although no one may be able to fake a les paul ultra 2 yet i have seen the back of the headstock stamped "used." whatever that means. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevie Nazarenie Posted July 28, 2008 Author Share Posted July 28, 2008 just to continue on here for anyone in the same boat. i solved the problem with the microphonic pickups by taking the covers off. and guess what. absolutely no wax at all! shame it spoils the look even for a fake but it actually sounds pretty good. nice and clean with distortion even with some of my chordal work that would need a cleaner setting. and it has to be said while the serial holds up on the website. the first 2 letters are larger than the rest. i feel sorry for some of the guys who have left feedback as "nice guitar" from this guy. i did email them telling them mine was fake but they haven't replyed to me yet... my paypal dispute is still ongoing and i'm pretty hopefull. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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