How to spot a fake Gibson
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Gemini75
Active Member
Not like the broken/clumsy English is a tip-off either. 
Moose
Well-Known Member
Not like the broken/clumsy English is a tip-off either.
Broken English is not in indication of a fake.
Of course these are all fake. That's not the point. I was looking for explicit rather than implicit evidence.
Reductio ad absurdum
Gemini75
Active Member
Pontificate much? Get over yourself.
OK...so go ahead and get ready to stone me for admitting to this;
I have a Fibson SG Standard that I got maybe a year ago.
It was a spur of the moment decision and it was so cheap that I reasoned I could do a few cheap upgrades to and have a fun little POS that wouldn't cost me much.
Do I regret buying it now?
Well...yes and no.
IF I had it to do over again I would NOT have purchased it.
Like I said, it was a spur of the moment impulse buy and since I had never been terribly interested in SG models it was sort of meaningless to me at the time.
But here's the one upside;
It was just well made enough that I suddenly realized "Hey...this is pretty damn good...what would a REAL SG be like?"
So here I am about a year later and own 2 Gibson USA Standards, a '60's Tribute and a Pete Townshend 50th Anniversary Model.
I now have a hard making myself pick up any of my Strats or Les Pauls.
So while I do feel a little weird about having made the purchase to begin with it did lead me down the path of several legitimate Gibson SG purchases that have brought me great joy.
In all likelihood I will probably just give the Fibson away at some point since I almost never pick it up anymore but I do appreciate the joy I now get out of the real thing thanks to that one ill-informed purchase.
Oh and P.S.
As far as telling the difference between the fake and the real thing?
I'm sure that the eyes of the average forum user here are much more astute than my own but having said that, I HAVE sat the fake down next to the genuine article and on this one particular model I received they are so close to identical it's scary.
I have a Fibson SG Standard that I got maybe a year ago.
It was a spur of the moment decision and it was so cheap that I reasoned I could do a few cheap upgrades to and have a fun little POS that wouldn't cost me much.
Do I regret buying it now?
Well...yes and no.
IF I had it to do over again I would NOT have purchased it.
Like I said, it was a spur of the moment impulse buy and since I had never been terribly interested in SG models it was sort of meaningless to me at the time.
But here's the one upside;
It was just well made enough that I suddenly realized "Hey...this is pretty damn good...what would a REAL SG be like?"
So here I am about a year later and own 2 Gibson USA Standards, a '60's Tribute and a Pete Townshend 50th Anniversary Model.
I now have a hard making myself pick up any of my Strats or Les Pauls.
So while I do feel a little weird about having made the purchase to begin with it did lead me down the path of several legitimate Gibson SG purchases that have brought me great joy.
In all likelihood I will probably just give the Fibson away at some point since I almost never pick it up anymore but I do appreciate the joy I now get out of the real thing thanks to that one ill-informed purchase.
Oh and P.S.
As far as telling the difference between the fake and the real thing?
I'm sure that the eyes of the average forum user here are much more astute than my own but having said that, I HAVE sat the fake down next to the genuine article and on this one particular model I received they are so close to identical it's scary.
shreddy bender
Well-Known Member
Do you have pictures of a side by side comparison? That would be interesting to see.
Col Mustard
Well-Known Member
@pdxtom: you are forgiven, my son...
you have paid for your sins by paying Gibson prices four times over.
So now we really mean it! PICTURES, OR IT NEVER HAPPENED...
This thread is a cautionary one... begun way back in 2007, it's still current and
needs updating as much as possible. I just read a story about a guy who got caught
with a whole warehouse full of fairly decent fake Les Pauls and Strats. He'd taken
delivery from an import/export outfit under surveillance.
So if you're still visiting these boards, and if you're able to show us some
photos of your fake Gibson, we'd all be very interested... Not only us SG owners
but also those who might venture into dangerous waters looking to buy something.
I want to see detailed photos! Headstock, headstock angle... back of headstock, nut,
tuners, frets, inlays, fretboard radius, truss rod cover, truss rod nut, neck to body joint...
pickups, pickup cavities, pickup surrounds, wiring cavity, wiring, bridge and tailpiece,
bevels, body shape... a complete study. Not only am I curious, but others may be
helped a lot by seeing what's out there.
If you give us what I'm asking, we'll be very appreciative of your other photos of your
other guitars, especially your cool SGs. We never get tired of seeing those. We'll
make oooohs and aaaaahs over your legitimate guitars, just to get a close look at a good fake.
you have paid for your sins by paying Gibson prices four times over.
So now we really mean it! PICTURES, OR IT NEVER HAPPENED...
This thread is a cautionary one... begun way back in 2007, it's still current and
needs updating as much as possible. I just read a story about a guy who got caught
with a whole warehouse full of fairly decent fake Les Pauls and Strats. He'd taken
delivery from an import/export outfit under surveillance.
So if you're still visiting these boards, and if you're able to show us some
photos of your fake Gibson, we'd all be very interested... Not only us SG owners
but also those who might venture into dangerous waters looking to buy something.
I want to see detailed photos! Headstock, headstock angle... back of headstock, nut,
tuners, frets, inlays, fretboard radius, truss rod cover, truss rod nut, neck to body joint...
pickups, pickup cavities, pickup surrounds, wiring cavity, wiring, bridge and tailpiece,
bevels, body shape... a complete study. Not only am I curious, but others may be
helped a lot by seeing what's out there.
If you give us what I'm asking, we'll be very appreciative of your other photos of your
other guitars, especially your cool SGs. We never get tired of seeing those. We'll
make oooohs and aaaaahs over your legitimate guitars, just to get a close look at a good fake.
Hammer
Well-Known Member
Getting duped is one thing. Buying a Fibson/Chibson/fake on purpose is just contributing to the problem, no matter how anyone tries to rationalize it to themselves. 
Col Mustard
Well-Known Member
that's true... what you do with your cash makes a huge difference.
If you buy a guitar from a small store, you're supporting that dealer
in business... you do this because you want them around the next time
you need something.
If you buy a guitar from GC, or M/F, your business means nothing
and all you get is a price advantage, and you support these grinding
bulldozers of the music industry in their crusade to stomp out the
small guys.
If you buy a guitar from a swindler who sells fakes, you support him
in his criminal activities and encourage him to take more money from
young guys who've saved money from caddying and delivering pizzas to
buy their first genuine Gibson, or to take more money from the loving
girlfriends of musicians who want to 'surprise' their sweetheart with a
cool new Gibson and can't resist the deal they got out in the alley behind
where they work.
If you buy a guitar from a small store, you're supporting that dealer
in business... you do this because you want them around the next time
you need something.
If you buy a guitar from GC, or M/F, your business means nothing
and all you get is a price advantage, and you support these grinding
bulldozers of the music industry in their crusade to stomp out the
small guys.
If you buy a guitar from a swindler who sells fakes, you support him
in his criminal activities and encourage him to take more money from
young guys who've saved money from caddying and delivering pizzas to
buy their first genuine Gibson, or to take more money from the loving
girlfriends of musicians who want to 'surprise' their sweetheart with a
cool new Gibson and can't resist the deal they got out in the alley behind
where they work.
Hammer
Well-Known Member
You also encourage the counterfeiters to keep churning out crap forgeries because they see a market for it.
Zengine
New Member
Wonder how many of those truss rod covers went missing from a Chinese Epiphone factory, eh?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/USED-2003Gi...e-/181706452895?&_trksid=p2056016.m2518.l4276
Think this one might be fake?
;>)/
Hammer
Well-Known Member
That link doesn't pull up a specific auction for me, so I don't know if there was anything hinky in there, but the SG in the picture is legit.
That SG is for sale in this auction:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/261803401620
That SG is for sale in this auction:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/261803401620
DrBGood
Well-Known Member
Gotta be fake at that price ! Tell me if it is, I'll denounce him.
I asked for close-ups of front and back headstock.
http://www.kijiji.ca/v-guitare/long...de/1082326745?enableSearchNavigationFlag=true
I asked for close-ups of front and back headstock.
http://www.kijiji.ca/v-guitare/long...de/1082326745?enableSearchNavigationFlag=true
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Hammer
Well-Known Member
Of course it's fake. It says right in the title of the ad "Korea Made".
Stark Naked
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I'll try to post the pictures I sent to Gibson.
Last edited:
Stark Naked
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This is the only picture I could successfully post. There are two more I'll try later.
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ChubbyFingers
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Quote:
Check the control and pickup cavities for sloppy routing or wiring.
Unquote.
I think they meant to add:
and if it has these, plus a lousy router job and caked sawdust under the truss rod cover too it's probably genuine.
Check the control and pickup cavities for sloppy routing or wiring.
Unquote.
I think they meant to add:
and if it has these, plus a lousy router job and caked sawdust under the truss rod cover too it's probably genuine.
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Chibson
Inspired by Gibson but specs and bevels are not at all exact which is why I say inspired by and not a copy or replica. It's really a very well-made guitar at an amazing price that unfortunately has a bad choice of logo on the headstock. Other than that I have nothing super negative to say about the construction methods, quality of the hardware, intonation and tuning stability. Electronics are another story, but nothing a pickup and wiring kit upgrade can't fix.
