Guitar
One of my regular customers recently brought me a 'Les Paul Custom' to set up. It wasn't cheap (going rate) and I saw immediately it was a fake.
The hard part was breaking the news to him.
So here are a few things to look out for, there are many more but these are the obvious, easy ones.
On the fake the frets are placed over the top of the binding on the edge of the neck. Here are a couple more views.
I've borrowed a real Les Paul Custom from Bungalow Bill's guitar shop (cheers bill) to show you how it should be www.bungalowbills.com
The fret end butts up to the binding and the binding has been shaped to cap the fret end.
The 'Gibson" logo is slightly too 'puffed up', a bit fatter than the real one. Look at the "i, b" and "o". The serial number ties in with a real one so don't be fooled by that.
Here's the real logo.
UPDATE 27th Jan 2012
Just received a fake Les Paul for set up and they've changed the binding to look like the real thing.
This one was bought new as a Chinese fake. They haven't done as neat a job of the binding as Gibson but it's still convincing.
The truss rod, logo, electrics etc. were still obviously fake.
It's getting harder to spot them!
Glyn
………………………………………………………………………………………….
Feel free to contact me about repair work (if you are in NZ). I only check emails weekly so the workshop phone is always the best 09 307 6501.
- Strap Locks
Just a thought on Strap Locks. There are a lot of strap locks out there and most of them work well. My favourite of the 'bought' ones are Schaller. I don't use any of them though. I learned this little trick years ago: '98 Les Paul std...
- Hofnerarchtop - Neck Problems
I see quite a few old Hofners, it's amazing how many are still around. It is, however, unusual to see one that had not had a neck break at some time in its life. This one has not only had the typical break but it's been repaired badly....
- Guitar Cutting Out
A number of things can cause your guitar to cut out but the number one most likely is the jack socket. If a guitar hasn't been plugged in for a while or been left in a damp environment it can often develop electrical problems. Electrical component...
- On Tour - Tales From The Back Line
There are a few different aspects to guitar repairing. All my work happens in my own controlled environment - the workshop. Touring Guitar Techs have to work wherever they find themselves - they need to be quick, have magician like fault finding skills,...
- Les Paul
. There has been a lot said about the life of Les Paul recently. I'd just like to say - thanks Les It seems like a good time to show some pics of one of my customer's guitars.Its a Les Paul Custom that has been carved by hand into a stunning...
Guitar
Spotting a Fake Les Paul
One of my regular customers recently brought me a 'Les Paul Custom' to set up. It wasn't cheap (going rate) and I saw immediately it was a fake.
The hard part was breaking the news to him.
So here are a few things to look out for, there are many more but these are the obvious, easy ones.
On the fake the frets are placed over the top of the binding on the edge of the neck. Here are a couple more views.
I've borrowed a real Les Paul Custom from Bungalow Bill's guitar shop (cheers bill) to show you how it should be www.bungalowbills.com
The fret end butts up to the binding and the binding has been shaped to cap the fret end.
The 'Gibson" logo is slightly too 'puffed up', a bit fatter than the real one. Look at the "i, b" and "o". The serial number ties in with a real one so don't be fooled by that.
Here's the real logo.
I removed the truss rod cover to check the truss rod adjuster.
The adjuster is an allan key instead of a brass nut and the cavity is way too large. Here's the real one:
Finally I took the back cover off to take a look at the electrics. The cavity is the wrong shape, the pots are small Chinese ones, the wire coming from the pickups have coloured insulation, the capacitors are the cheap green ones and are wired up differently from the Gibson.
Here's the real one:
These are just some of the differences. If you're buying second hand ask to see these areas of the guitar.
There are a lot of fakes around, someone's making a lot of money.
There's a happy ending to this story - my customer contacted the seller who didn't know it was a fake and
gave him his money back. It doesn't always end this well.UPDATE 27th Jan 2012
Just received a fake Les Paul for set up and they've changed the binding to look like the real thing.
This one was bought new as a Chinese fake. They haven't done as neat a job of the binding as Gibson but it's still convincing.
The truss rod, logo, electrics etc. were still obviously fake.
It's getting harder to spot them!
Glyn
………………………………………………………………………………………….
Feel free to contact me about repair work (if you are in NZ). I only check emails weekly so the workshop phone is always the best 09 307 6501.
Workshop Hours
Mon……. 8-6
Tues……. 8-6
Wed…….. Closed
Thurs …..8-6
Fri ……….8-6
Sat/Sun ..Closed
Tues……. 8-6
Wed…….. Closed
Thurs …..8-6
Fri ……….8-6
Sat/Sun ..Closed
Mr Glyn’s Guitars
21a Khyber Pass Road
Auckland
New Zealand
http://www.mrglyn.co.nz/
www.facebook.com/MrGlynGuitars
www.mrglyn.blogspot.com
09 307 6501, 021 912678
- Strap Locks
Just a thought on Strap Locks. There are a lot of strap locks out there and most of them work well. My favourite of the 'bought' ones are Schaller. I don't use any of them though. I learned this little trick years ago: '98 Les Paul std...
- Hofnerarchtop - Neck Problems
I see quite a few old Hofners, it's amazing how many are still around. It is, however, unusual to see one that had not had a neck break at some time in its life. This one has not only had the typical break but it's been repaired badly....
- Guitar Cutting Out
A number of things can cause your guitar to cut out but the number one most likely is the jack socket. If a guitar hasn't been plugged in for a while or been left in a damp environment it can often develop electrical problems. Electrical component...
- On Tour - Tales From The Back Line
There are a few different aspects to guitar repairing. All my work happens in my own controlled environment - the workshop. Touring Guitar Techs have to work wherever they find themselves - they need to be quick, have magician like fault finding skills,...
- Les Paul
. There has been a lot said about the life of Les Paul recently. I'd just like to say - thanks Les It seems like a good time to show some pics of one of my customer's guitars.Its a Les Paul Custom that has been carved by hand into a stunning...