This Faux is for you
                                                         Fake guitars in the guitar market
 

                                                      The Vintage Guitar News and Views August  /  September Edition
                                                                                                   Greg's Guitars


This feature is concerning the fake or faux guitars that have been flooding the used and new guitar market . It is not meant to be all inclusive nor is it meant to say that the fake Les Paul guitars  that are in the marketplace are necessarily bad guitars or inferior made products. This article is meant to inform prospective buyers that they do exist and some of the points to look for when trying to decide if a deal is to good to be true for the advertised price. I hope you find it insightful and informative and the article helps you in your purchasing decision.Greg Mayo, proprietor of Greg's Guitars.

First up is the guitar case(s) themselves. Most of the fake Gibson cases that I have seen are of the generic build with the exception many carry the Gibson or Gibson Custom Shop logo on the top side. The latches are not as rounded as the Gibson latches, many have fewer latches and almost all have what I call fake stitching on the outside, that is the stitches are actually a part of the case and not a separate piece of fiber. Also you will see a lack of protector "buttons" on the outside of the case in question. The lining of the case is usually of a light blue fur fabric and not the same quality as an original Gibson guitar case lining.


The next item that you will want to look at is the headstock. The top of the headstock on a fake Les Paul is not cut as deeply as an original Gibson Headstock.The headstock pitch angle is getting surprisingly accurate though. The Gibson logo on a real Les Paul guitar is much clearer and the letters are not as crude or as closed up as on a fake Les Paul. The nut on a real Les Paul is much smaller and secures to the neck slot much better in fit and form.Also the back of the neck where the headstock joins is usually more tapered and shows superior craftsmanship on a real Les Paul guitar.




The fake Les Paul seems to have one of more scarf joints on the back of the necks.The depth of the heel is larger also.

There is also on the back of the headstock no evidence of the "wings" commonly found on real Les Paul guitars. Wings are the extra side mountings attached to either side of the back of the headstock blank during construction.

Knob placement is haphazard at best and are spaced incorrectly.


Spacing and placement for the tailpiece and  bridge also show discrepancies.


The neck body joint at the top of the guitar on a real Les Paul shows no neck material showing on top of the guitar itself ,whereas on the fake guitar some neck material is protruding out of the top of the body itself.



The body thickness and shape are very similar but the actual length of the guitar are different as well as a splicing of body woods showing.



You will also on a new Les Paul see fret "nibs" extending to the ends of the fret and the neck side dot markers are larger and more defined on an actual Gibson guitar than on a fake guitar.




There are also many other things that should set of alarms when looking at a fake Les Paul, such as really crude cavities routed into the body for the electronics to go into, the truss rod route and truss rod placement as well as the electronics themselves.





Also note on the picture above the selector switch ring has larger printing for the treble and rhythm positions.Also the wiring and pickups are of a inferior quality than you would normally find in a real Gibson Les Paul.

I hope you have found these pictures and descriptions insightful as well as helpful. All in all the fake guitar shown is a very good guitar if it is sold for what it is, a fake  and not sold by some unscrupulous individual  trying to pass it off as a real Gibson guitar. It feels rather nice and plays good enough , of course electronics upgrades are a must. So if you find yourself looking at one of the many fake models of guitars available on the market please do not confront the seller as that may end up rather unpleasant . Instead just walk away. As always this is just my news and views. So until next time may all your days be memorable , all your friends stay true and all your riffs be killer. Greg.
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