Grog
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+1.............. My 2013 Les Paul Recording II (Iridium) has frets going over the binding. I read somewhere that it was done that way for playability, it more likely was a cost consideration.
Concern over Chinese Les Pauls
- Thread starter islandjimmy
- Start date
ajay taylor
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They say that removing the nibs and overhanging the fret ends widens the usable fingerboard width by 20 thousandths of an inch. Kind of hard to believe that the change was made for playing comfort.
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Big Al
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It is quite a bit harder to do than with the nibs. I have all my Les Pauls refretted with jumbo wire and NO NIBS!! That tiny bit of extra fret instead of nibs is a BIG difference as far as playing goes. There is so much more to a USA Gibson guitar that focusing on one small thing is counterproductive.
Get familiar with how and why they are made, recognize hardware as well as it's placement, finish, and overall feel. The Chinese stuff is more on parr with Epiphone, at best.
JJ Jones
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Regarding the pictures on these sites, I have seen them use pics of Mike Slubowskis guitars
Recently very good Chinese copies have been getting into Japan. These have very high quality wood; solid mahogany and very good maple tops. These also have the correct fret nibs and bridge. Fit and finish is very good, you have to look very close to find any defects. The metal parts are more likely to be the giveaways. The only telltales are the pickups, which are still mainly Epiphone parts, and some still come with a two or three piece neck. They still haven't been able to copy the tuners properly, but if someone swaps in the tuners, pickups, and correct wiring, you would have a much harder time telling a copy from the real thing. Some of these fakes are surprisingly good players.
Nowadays, you can order a Chinese Les Paul body in any configuration, material, and colour you want, and install the hardware yourself. I haven't thought of buying any of these Chinese copies yet, here in Japan we have plenty of Japanese copies to choose from, and the quality of some of these rival (some say surpass) the real thing.
Nowadays, you can order a Chinese Les Paul body in any configuration, material, and colour you want, and install the hardware yourself. I haven't thought of buying any of these Chinese copies yet, here in Japan we have plenty of Japanese copies to choose from, and the quality of some of these rival (some say surpass) the real thing.
The music shop near my house in Australia busted two Chinese guys taking photo's of Les Paul serials on new guitars just recently.
Tylos
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Some Chinese copies are not horrendous.
Some are actually made with good solid wood.
Everything else (electronics and hardware) is crap
though.
An easy way to instantly spot a Chinese fake
(Chibson) is to loosen up a pickup
enough to see the back. If it's an Epiphone
pickup, it's a Chinese copy.
Another hint:
Inside the control cavity will
be cheap wiring with a plastic
connector linking the pickups to the pots
and caps. Both the pots and capacitors will be
cheap.
The #1 warning sign is the bridge
will have bridge posts that have a flat-
head screwdriver groove in the top
(like an Epiphone).
Genuine Gibsons have plain posts with no
screwdriver slots.
People who have bought decent "Chibsons"
have to then change out the pickups,
wiring including pots and caps, and tuners
(always crappy and undersized).
Basically. all hardware, and all electronics have
to be replaced. Then a good setup and intonation
is required to probably include dressing the frets.
Even then, it won't quite match up with
the real McCoy.
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cliffclaven
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No offense to jimmy, the op... But does anyone think he might be a troll to find out what actually differentiates the fakes from real, so they can fix those, and make it even harder to spot fakes?
66SuperTremMKIV
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Spot Fakes........... they're selling em at $225 !!! The Chinese makers aren't deceiving anyone. They're selling them as Gibson copies. Same as the dead bang copies of PRS they sell in China.
As the Customs Officer said, they declare the value at $225. Same as in China, you buy them at the equivalent price of $200 - $250, not as Real Gibsons but as cheap look alikes for those kids who can't afford the real thing, which in the case of Chinese kids that's the majority of them. Real Gibsons with the high tax added, cost $$$$$$$$$$$ way more than they can afford. The odd store who has a C/S Lester has them displayed in glass cases such is the price of them in China.
Anyone who buys these thinking they are Real Gibson LP's at $225 is delusional.
The problem is those in the West who take these guitars, change out the hardware , pups etc and re-sell them to the unsuspecting as Real Les Pauls for $2000 plus.
The factories in China are not making these to sell as real Gibsons, same as the tons of Luxury Brand goods they copy and sell to tourists everyday in Beijing, Shanghai etc. They're made as look alike's and sold for the tourist market. And the tourists by $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ worth everyday.
Factories down south in Guangzhou are pumping out quantities of EVERY Famous Designer Brand of Clothing and Footwear for the local markets selling to tourists in China by the millions each month. In Beijing the Silk Market , a 6 level building owned by one man, houses approx. 1000 sellers dealing in everything from clothing, footwear, jewellery , watches, precious stones, art work. EVERY Famous Brand is stocked that look the real deal. Tourists fill the place from 9am - 9pm 7 days a week. It is a major industry supplying 95% Tourists 5% Locals.
I've sat at Sarpino's Pizza at the Silk Market and watched guys open up bags containing dozens of models of Rolex watches and the US tourists are trying them on and buying them like hotcakes to take home for themselves and as gifts......... trouble is they don't realise the battery has a lifespan of 3 days at best :laugh2:
Russian tourists turn up with empty suitcases and buy up tons of Prada , LV , Gucci etc to take back to their home towns in Russia and sell these as the Real Thing to the locals....... that's where the problem lies !!!
The Chinese just fill the need, not intentionally set out to deceive. The Prada , Gucci and LV bags from the 1st grade sellers, are so good, I have heard some have been sold in the Real Stores as Genuine at the Genuine prices.
I know one such shop I've bought from many times which sells the first grade product, the Hermes scarfs come in the genuine look box and with a sales receipt from the Hermes Store in Hong Kong ! Just so you can impress the loved one when giving her that Special Gift
As the Customs Officer said, they declare the value at $225. Same as in China, you buy them at the equivalent price of $200 - $250, not as Real Gibsons but as cheap look alikes for those kids who can't afford the real thing, which in the case of Chinese kids that's the majority of them. Real Gibsons with the high tax added, cost $$$$$$$$$$$ way more than they can afford. The odd store who has a C/S Lester has them displayed in glass cases such is the price of them in China.
Anyone who buys these thinking they are Real Gibson LP's at $225 is delusional.
The problem is those in the West who take these guitars, change out the hardware , pups etc and re-sell them to the unsuspecting as Real Les Pauls for $2000 plus.
The factories in China are not making these to sell as real Gibsons, same as the tons of Luxury Brand goods they copy and sell to tourists everyday in Beijing, Shanghai etc. They're made as look alike's and sold for the tourist market. And the tourists by $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ worth everyday.
Factories down south in Guangzhou are pumping out quantities of EVERY Famous Designer Brand of Clothing and Footwear for the local markets selling to tourists in China by the millions each month. In Beijing the Silk Market , a 6 level building owned by one man, houses approx. 1000 sellers dealing in everything from clothing, footwear, jewellery , watches, precious stones, art work. EVERY Famous Brand is stocked that look the real deal. Tourists fill the place from 9am - 9pm 7 days a week. It is a major industry supplying 95% Tourists 5% Locals.
I've sat at Sarpino's Pizza at the Silk Market and watched guys open up bags containing dozens of models of Rolex watches and the US tourists are trying them on and buying them like hotcakes to take home for themselves and as gifts......... trouble is they don't realise the battery has a lifespan of 3 days at best :laugh2:
Russian tourists turn up with empty suitcases and buy up tons of Prada , LV , Gucci etc to take back to their home towns in Russia and sell these as the Real Thing to the locals....... that's where the problem lies !!!
The Chinese just fill the need, not intentionally set out to deceive. The Prada , Gucci and LV bags from the 1st grade sellers, are so good, I have heard some have been sold in the Real Stores as Genuine at the Genuine prices.
I know one such shop I've bought from many times which sells the first grade product, the Hermes scarfs come in the genuine look box and with a sales receipt from the Hermes Store in Hong Kong ! Just so you can impress the loved one when giving her that Special Gift
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frenchphil
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to the OP: with all the help from the people on the forum, you cant go wrong
take your time to read all the advice given here
i'm saying this, but when i bought my first historic i didn't have a clue
it was a used r8 , went to the guy's home, 250 kms from my town, spent 15 minutes playing the guitar unplugged, gave the cash and left!!!
i had been playing a les paul studio for 14 years prior to the r8, so when i put my hands on the r8 for the first time, felt the wood, the neck, played a few chords
it struck me when you put your hands on a real gibson, especially a historic, you 'll know
take your time to read all the advice given here
i'm saying this, but when i bought my first historic i didn't have a clue
it was a used r8 , went to the guy's home, 250 kms from my town, spent 15 minutes playing the guitar unplugged, gave the cash and left!!!
i had been playing a les paul studio for 14 years prior to the r8, so when i put my hands on the r8 for the first time, felt the wood, the neck, played a few chords
it struck me when you put your hands on a real gibson, especially a historic, you 'll know
Tokyo Mike
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Chinese copies don't have pink binding.
Big Al
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They are cheap ass attempts to fraudulently sell them as made in USA Gibsons, as that is how they are logo'd, even supplying counterfeit COA paperwork as well as cases and shipping boxes carrying the same illegitimate branding.
All the ridiculous assertions aside, and I read some heaps of steaming piles off bullshit trying to justify this blatant piracy in this thread, it is clear these are attempts to fraudulently sell turds as steaks.
There are not high quality made Chinese "Gibsons". The claims that there is solid quality wood is bogus. I could tell them apart blindfolded and unconscious. They are easily unmasked.:bigal:##
All the ridiculous assertions aside, and I read some heaps of steaming piles off bullshit trying to justify this blatant piracy in this thread, it is clear these are attempts to fraudulently sell turds as steaks.
There are not high quality made Chinese "Gibsons". The claims that there is solid quality wood is bogus. I could tell them apart blindfolded and unconscious. They are easily unmasked.:bigal:##