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i may have been duped today


JabbaHursty

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Not sure how to answer as I don't know the question. You refer to two Epis you purchased off'n CraigsList, but posted a link to a resonator epiphone on Fleabay.

 

Epis are rarely faked as there isn't enough money in it.

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Not sure how to answer as I don't know the question. You refer to two Epis you purchased off'n CraigsList' date=' but posted a link to a resonator epiphone on Fleabay.

 

Epis are rarely faked as there isn't enough money in it. [/quote']

 

the resonator was exactly the same as the one shown on ebay. it has more frets and a different truss rod cover than the Biscuits you see being sold at US dealers. could just be some kind of asian or european version that was refurbed in the US and sold to the sorts of guys who sell lots on ebay.

 

but it's really a mystery to me. i bought 2 epiphones and 1 fender last night. i emailed fender and they say everything looks legit to them on their guitar and am still waiting for a reply from gibson.

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1. truss rod covers mean little as they often change over time and sometime vary from factory to factory

2. model specs change over time

3. on the contrary, there have been many instances of fake epiphones being produced in China in the last few years

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the resonator was exactly the same as the one shown on ebay. it has more frets and a different truss rod cover than the Biscuits you see being sold at US dealers. could just be some kind of asian or european version that was refurbed in the US and sold to the sorts of guys who sell lots on ebay.

 

but it's really a mystery to me. i bought 2 epiphones and 1 fender last night. i emailed fender and they say everything looks legit to them on their guitar and am still waiting for a reply from gibson.

 

Pics are in order, when you take delivery. In the early years... maybe early months of Norlin's moving Epi to Japan, they simply slapped an Epiphone name tag on Aria models. One incongruous dreadnaught I've seen had, what appeard to be classical tuners turned on their sides in the folk guitar fashion. Eventually, they had their 'own' look. The flat tops had model numbers, four digits long beginning with 6. Again these were early Matsumoku made guitars. They may have had trouble ramping up production and used whatever parts were available until Epiphone specific parts could be made available. These later were replaced with the 'FT' models. Not sure what the resonators looked like, but there could be some odd ducks out there with Epiphone names on them.

 

I can't wait to see your pics.

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1. truss rod covers mean little as they often change over time and sometime vary from factory to factory

2. model specs change over time

3. on the contrary' date=' there have been many instances of fake epiphones being produced in China in the last few years [/quote']

 

I have to agree with you on the new stuff. But I've seen few 'vintage' Epis of this era faked. I have seen a few FT145 Texans offered for sale as a John Lennon model, which was a FT79-Texan. Two totally different guitars, obviously. Not a 'faked' guitar per se, but a, shall we say, fudged bio.

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Just my 2 cents here, but I can't imagine anyone producing fake Epi resonators. If you are gonna ramp up a production of 100-500 units and fake something, wouldn't you fake something that sells fast, in good quantity? I'd fake a Les Paul or a Masterbilt long before a resonator.

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In the early years... maybe early months of Norlin's moving Epi to Japan' date=' they simply slapped an Epiphone name tag on Aria models.[/quote']

 

 

I do not think a resonator with the Epi logo appeared until after 1993 because Gibson did not produce resonators (other than a banjo resonator) until they purchased OMI (although I have heard that a guitar believd to be a 1930s era Gibson resonator has been uncovered but has not yet been authenticated).

 

Epi resonators are among the least expensive on the market - there would be no money in faking them so I am guessing you do not have anything to worry about.

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Just my 2 cents here' date=' but I can't imagine anyone producing fake Epi resonators. If you are gonna ramp up a production of 100-500 units and fake something, wouldn't you fake something that sells fast, in good quantity? I'd fake a Les Paul or a Masterbilt long before a resonator.

 

 

[/quote']

 

you are correct and it is not a fake. it is a chinese factory discard that has been sold as scrap and refurbed for sale to pawn shops and ebayers. while this might make if worst than fake from a quality standpoint, but from my perspective it is a relief as i'm not comfortable at all with counterfeit merchandise. it is a child of epiphone, albeit a disowned chinese child.

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Are the tuner gears enclosed? If not, check the screws holding the gears on the spindles for tightness. Make sure the tuner frames are screwed tightly to the head stock. Make sure the truss rod cover is tight.

 

If the tuner gears are enclosed, make sure the enclosure is tight. Some are really chinzily crimped together and could be loose.

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