Fake or Real?

landminelenny · Sep 30, 2014

Ad_02Std said:
Relax LAARS, your Custom is legit.

How would he know? :rofl

Sorry, couldn't resist. I'm only joking LAARS.

LAARS · Oct 1, 2014

Haha. Thx guys. What you guys have listed though is all great stuff. I'm gonna go back and re-look at it to see if I can see that stuff.

.

Tom99SS · Oct 1, 2014

2nd pic shows a rosewood fretboard as far as I can tell.

Chuckie K · Oct 1, 2014

LAARS said:
Hey Guys,
I don't mean to play devils advocate, but it doesn't look fake to me. The Grovers look like the ones on my 1997 Custom, Logo looks ok, the top, back, what part of that guitar is screaming fake? The serial numbers look odd, but so do a lot of them. Sorry guys, I'm not an expert by any means, but I just don't see proof that its a fake yet. Can someone point to how we know?

Here is my 1997 LP Custom......

Thanks,

Your guitar is legit. The serial number of the fake has a few problems.

1. 02005xxx serial numbers are very popular with the counterfeiters,you can google "Gibson 02005560" and find numerous enquiries on different guitars and even new guitars from the Chinese distributers with that number. -

2. More importantly, in 2004 Gibson designated Customs to be "Custom Shop" and began using ink stamped Custom Shop serial numbers rather than the Gibson USA pattern serial numbers they had been using. Therefor a legit 2005 Custom would have an ink stamped serial number beginning with "CS 5".

As pointed out by other posters there are numerous hardware discrepancies and other obvious issues.

Pearly Grapes · Oct 1, 2014

The photos are blurry, but aren't the bridge pins adjustable? Are they using epiphone bridges?

LAARS · Oct 1, 2014

You guys really know your stuff.... At first look it seems to be fine. Once you pointed out those things, then you can see it. Well, I can't see all of it, but its a start.

I see the knobs are wrong and the bridge position is off.

If it had been re-fretted, that could explain the fret over hang.

Still can't see the headstock or the horn. Hasn't gibson changed the head stock slightly over the years, just like the logo? That makes it tough for the average person to spot.

I got to tell ya, you guys are damn good to be able to pick all that out. I've seen other chibsons that are not this good. That one would have totally fooled me. Thx guys for educating me

Xpensive Wino · Oct 3, 2014

Pearly Grapes said:
The photos are blurry, but aren't the bridge pins adjustable? Are they using epiphone bridges?

Aren't Epis basically Chibsons...?

:couch

Progrocker111 · Oct 3, 2014

Perhaps the 2016 USA production will look very similar to these Chipson fakes. :hmm

djangolad · Oct 3, 2014

To me the binding , tailpiece and pick up rings look wrong, it's an overall balance thing as well. Just not working. If it's real it's a dud!

Fake or Real?

landminelenny

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LAARS

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Tom99SS

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Chuckie K

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Pearly Grapes

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LAARS

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Xpensive Wino

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Progrocker111

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djangolad

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