Gibson Guitar continues to protect its intellectual property rights and provide consumer protection against the growing problem of counterfeit instruments being shipped from and sold by outlets and individuals in China.
This is a ‘re-print’ of a popular article – there are still many people asking questions about how to tell if a Gibson guitar is genuine.
Originally published in April 2009, this article continues to get a lot of readers and people posting comments and questions below. We hope you find this useful if you’re wondering about a second hand Gibson you’re looking at buying, or even one that is being sold as new if it’s not from a regular Gibson dealer.
Several complaints from consumers who were sold fake instruments has prompted an aggressive move on Gibson Guitar's part to work with government officials and other instrument marketers in an effort to curtail the growing problem. Gibson Guitar advises all consumers to purchase Gibson instruments only from their network of authorized dealers.
Authorized Gibson dealers can be found on the company's website at www.gibson.com and should be referred to by consumers when purchasing their choice of Gibson instrument. A consumer is warned against purchasing any Gibson brand instrument outside of the authorized dealer network and the inevitable risk of purchasing what can turn out to be a fake.
The growing problem, originating out of China, has been reviewed by the U.S. Trade Commission and currently has the attention of Washington. China regularly defends its record in fighting piracy and counterfeit production of merchandise, however many pirated consumer products continue to be sold in various Chinese cities which affect a multitude of international manufacturers across many categories.
“We will continue to do everything in our power to protect our consumers and the integrity of our family of brands,” said Henry Juszkiewicz, Chairman and CEO of Gibson Guitar. “We hope that by issuing this warning our consumers will be armed with the right information to protect themselves and understand what they need to do to insure that what they are purchasing is, indeed, an authentic Gibson instrument.”
Consumers can check any of the references below when examining a Gibson guitar in an effort to insure its authenticity:
– Make sure the size is not undersized
– The headstock and headstock logo should match those of authentic Gibson guitars
– Pearl should always be inlaid
– Les Paul Model script is always in cursive
– If the guitar has a 3 screw truss rod it is not authentic
– Check the control and pick up cavities for sloppy routing or wiring
– Real Gibson guitars use one piece necks
– Many fake Gibsons have their pickup cavities painted black inside
– If purchasing a Gibson always ask for the Gibson's Owner Manual and Gibson/Warranty Inspection Card
– Check the wiring, if it is plastic it isn't a true Gibson
In a recent case in North Carolina, a man was charged with trying to sell counterfeit guitars after a 15 year old discovered the instrument he bought from the suspect was a fake. The man was arrested on two felony counts of criminal use of a counterfeit trademark, following an investigation by the North Carolina Secretary of State's Trademark Enforcement Section. The investigation was initiated by a complaint to the Secretary of State's Office from a victim who allegedly bought what appeared to be a Les Paul model Gibson brand electric guitar from the man. The man had advertised the guitars for sale in the local paper.
Auction websites currently have hundreds of instruments which resemble Gibson Guitars and other brands. Some even feature trademarked headstocks and logos. Many of these items carry a very low sale price but exorbitant shipping costs. Upon close inspection the guitars will not feel or sound like a true Gibson and most are not of good standard of quality overall. If a guitar is up for an auction for a straight price or a fraction of what one would cost typically, the consumer is taking a great chance in purchasing it. Gibson Guitar warns against such action. Consumers should be wary of such sales that also offer shipping prices that are more than the guitar.
Illegal merchandise entering the country offer great damages on many levels; and counterfeiting in the United States is a serious crime punishable in a court of law. By Federal statutes, selling and also owning counterfeit merchandise is a felony. By issuing this warning, Gibson Guitar hopes to educate its loyal consumers about such wrongdoings and protect them.
This is a Press Release
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Gibson has five factories in China. The first opened in October of 2002. Many supposed “Fake” Gibson guitars are coming from those factories. They are basically Epiphones with a headstock alteration. Gibson has had stuff made in Asian factories for a long time. As an American manufacturer, looking for increased profits, do you have your tooling made in USA for high costs or do you have it made in China for pennies? If you have your bindings and headstock overlays made by a vendor, how long before that vendor uses some for guitars they are selling? We buy everything else that is made in China . . . Why not guitars? Wake up, America!
gibson lp so overpriced,look on gibson website:$3500,$4000,7000..ectr Are they crazy??compare quality with chinese-not much difference, Adam Smasher is right 100% read his comments
Totally agree Gibsons are overpriced maybe good but not worth that much cash, buy a good looking chinese one and save the difference, people always say if you sell the guitar you will get your money back, why buy one intending on selling it, I would want to be playing it ?.Chinese 10/10 Gibson 10/10 Gibson cost $4000 Chinese ost $500 Take your pick ??????????????.
once herd a comment by rolex about fake watches.they said anybody who buys a fake rolex,knows if they had enough money they would buy a geuine one.moral of the story is if your gonna buy a fake gibson, its just a matter of time befor you will want a genuine one.Mr Gibsons happy to wait.Nobody wants to be second best.
If the fakes are quality guitars, then why do they have to steal the Gibson logo? Plain and simple, they are damned thieves. There have been many guitars made that appear similar to a Les Paul, but have easily identifiable logos. Those guitars are made all over the world, including China. But at least they are honest about it.
I hope that you make great music, write that one big hit, invest everything you have to promote it and then the chinese take all the money by selling forgeries of your cd. If it’s OK for them to steal from the public and companies, then it should be just wonderful for them to steal from you and your family.
The idea that anyone finds it acceptable to reward this thieving trash by purchasing their products is truly despicable. You can rationalize it any way that comforts you, but people who purposefully make, sell and/or buy fakes – suck.
Problem is not if what you buy is quality or not which clearly can be the case with some fake asian guitars. The problem is if you buy something advertized as a genuine made in USA Lespaul when its not. Its called false representation and has nothing to do with quality. I bought a Les Paul standard back in 1992 when they were still not overpriced and the seller told me I would be able to sell my axe anytime and never lose a single dollar I agree. I had to buy a backup for Live purpose but I could not afford a genuine LP. So I went the Epiphone way by buying from a local guy that had upgraded his axe with genuine 490r and 498t plus Grover tuners. I got such a nice Custom beauty for backup that can stand against my genuine LP Standard at the 1/6 of the price. But Epiphone is a legitimate trademark they are authorized by Gibson so…
What an excellent post by Adam Smasher. I have, too, found out that Asian guitars are getting way better in quality than the garbage Gibson guitars these days. I will NOT pay $4500 for a Gibson Les Paul which arrives flawed, with chambered bodies because they ran out of wood, with bad QC, they don’t even support replacement parts for guitars other than a Les Paul, and they are extremely overpriced. They are producing garbage like the infamous BFG, Orville must be rolling in his grave of anger at the monopolist Juszkiewicz. Look at Blueridge how it destroys Martin in quality. Ditto with the Ibanez Artcore guitars, excellent superior quality than Gibson. So, if Gibson wants to straight up things and stop the scam, then better get its act right, because there is always an excellent fake for an 1/8th of the price which, by just changing some parts and putting some Seymour Duncan pickups it will destroy the Gibson at any moment. Keep the fakes coming in!
I just purchased a fake Les Paul Special “All Gold” off of Craigslist for $350.00. The seller was upfront about it being a fake. Two screws in the truss-rod cover. P/U’s age good and to be honest, it’s the one I go to first. I love this thing.
Checking the serial number isn’t going to help you much, they copy those as well. Go to a site that sells fake Gibsons, write down a few serial numbers and then check them online, you’ll see what I’m talking about.
Adam Smasher & Jack, get your hand off it. Do you two even own a Gibson. Thought not.
Hi, Could anyone give me the contact details for Gibson? I’ve just bought a Firebird and would like to confirm the serial number with them. Thanks!
This info is okay if it’s a NEW guitar, but if you buy a USED Gibson, it doesn’t all apply. Gibsons from the 70’s and 80’s (Norlin era) didn’t have one-piece necks, had less severe headstock angles (14 degrees instead of 17), had larger headstocks (which would affect the over-all length of the guitar), and had slightly different “Gibson” logos. Gibson DOES use plastic-coated wire, so that part isn’t true at all. And sometimes people paint the cavities with black shielding paint.
I e mailed Gibson about seeing some of their guitars made over in japan,, he DID tell me that gibson has a place overseas that are making the epiphones for them,,
MMMMMMMMMMMMMM go figure. Guess its cheaper to have them make them for $1.50 pr.hr. than have our people make them for $15.00 an hr..
im not saying its good for china to copy gibsons logo and counterfeit there guitars but u gotta admit they are good value for money eg.
gibson studio les paul (cheapest) £1000
fake gibson 1970’s classic les paul (£1400 guitar) £200
all you need to do is upgrade the tuning pegs coz they easiy get out of tune and change the humbuckers for better gibson ones.
and it still has the gibson badge
so ure payin around £400 for a guitar that looks and sounds like a gibson
i rescently just purchased a bc rich platinum mockinbird of of kijiji…..its missing a few parts ….the guitar was ment as a project anyway….but afte looking atit closer…im starting to notice things that dont seem right……there is no serial number, in fact there isnt a number on i period, it does not say mockinbird on the headstock or bc rich on the pick ups…it has a double invert trem rather than a tune o matic bridge which all the pics ive seen have the tune o matic….and finally the logo…the swerve on the h almost reaches the tip of the headstock aswell there isnt a period at the end of the h as seen in some pics….ive searched the net tryin to find some resources that will let me know if it is real or not but i cant find a thing…so if any body has any info please contact me at [email protected] with ur information…..it would be most appreciated..cuz the last thing i wanna do is fix this thing up if its a piece of shit knock off
I’ve owned several gibson les paul’s over the years and a couple of epiphones.
I now am fortunate to have a china custom. Looks great,plays great right out of
the box.Haven’t had to tweak a thing.Say what you want about the (fakes)it’s the
best guitar I’ve ever owned.
I agree with you I too bought a 1958 re-issue that was from China and it looks great plays superb sounds great $300,
Regards
Bill.
Same here I play a chinese Les Pau7l looks good sounds good, and I have $3000 in the bank as well, Bill
I just bought a “replica” LP from a pawn shop that was very upfront about the fact it was a “replica” and not a real one. If it was real Custom, it would sell for $3100. I bought it for $400. This one even came with a fake Gibson case.
If clearly has a valid Serial number on the back of the neck with “Made In U.S.A.” stamped underneath.
On mine, the issues are, wiring, the truss rod cover, there is a Les Paul logo in the middle of the headstock and instead on a real one, there would be a pearl inlaid diamond, the covers on the back are cream instead of black, they are GROVER tuners (that’s the REALLY fast tip off — maybe on an Epi, but not a Gibson)
The pickups are also not stamped underneath so are definitely the other way to tell — they aren’t gibson pickups.
But the quality of the guitar overall is very nice. With $300 I can put in Gibson pickups and replace the wiring to make it close enough to a real gibson for me. I don’t care if it isn’t and the audience will not know.
I have in my possession, an Epiphone LP Custom Wine Red Flametop.Stunning to look at but I have some concerns and hope someone can help me.It came from a guy who claims they are “factory direct”.The 1st 2 things I noticed was the tailpiece studs have a rounded head,and the bridge is lacking provisions for the wire retainer.Then I found that the tuner washers on top of the headstock are curved like bell-cymbals leaving only enough room for 1 wrap of the strings between the nut and the string hole.I pulled the pickups and they are not stamped Epiphone.The routing is sloppy and the neck joint looking from the heck pickup cavity is very gappy.Also have issues in the wood on the sides of this thing.The s/n 9 digits following the 2 letter plant code and I thought there was only supposed to be 8.I have sent pics to Gibson and have not heard anything yet.Any comments???
Hey Eldie, there is an Epi factory in Qindao and had been running since 2002. (http://www.epiphone.com/FactoryTour/qdtour.html). But the messy wiring doesn’t necessarily mean it’s fake. It just so happens that the Chinese real Epis do have messy wiring, as several reviews I have read in Guitarist Magazine (on the Zakk Wylde, Supreme, Ultima) have noted that. So for all you know you could be hanging up a genuine piece. I dunno what price you paid, but sometimes even ridiculously cheap ones are real. I bought a Sheraton there few years back, physically picked it right outta the Epi warehouse and it was half the price of it here is Australia (AU$750 as opposed to $1500). Besides, I don’t think there is much a market for fake Epis as they are already cheap and the fake Epis cost the same to make as fake Gibsons.
I have called Gibson several times about the fake Epiphones and they would only say they will do something. After a while, I found out that the sellers on Ebay I reported to them continue to do their trade. Out of curiousity, I asked one seller if he can prove his ware are authentic. He sent me an invoice that appeared to have been issued from Epiphone Qingdao. I sent Gibson the copy of the receipt, had not heard anything since then and the seller continues on Ebay.
And heck, I ordered a Slash model from a Chinese website (I think based in Jinan) and it arrived five days later. Compared it with an Epiphone Vintage Tobacco burst owned by a friend and voila, perfect copy. Pickups used real Epis, Alpha pots, MOP inlays and even the feel’s the same. What gave away the fake Chinese guitar? The messy wiring. But hey, if they can do it right, Gibson will have a good fight.
The fake guitar has been hanged since and I am sticking to a Les Paul copy from another Chinese company. At least this one does not say it is Epiphone.
Many Gibson Replicas are better quality in terms of workmanship and materials, so its not all bad.
I’m being asked to buy one (a Supreme) right now…it looks flawless and the serial number checks out, but for the price asked, it’s gotta be a fake…what should I do next except not buy it?
Hi..I’m seeing a number of Gibson ‘Specials’ on eBay currently and the dot on the ‘i’ in the Gibson logo on the headstock is touching the ‘G’ in the logo. The real Gibson logo has clear space all around the dot on the ‘it’ in the log….it’s not smashed up against the ‘G’. Also these two ‘Specials’ have very downsized, skinny trapezoid inlays instead of the ‘dot’ inlays that I see on the Gibson site. The truss rod covers look okay, with 2 screws, but that logo just doesn’t look right to me. These seem to be fakes…one is going for $500.00 right now and I’m NOT buying. I also saw an exact duplicate of one on eBay on sale on craigslist out of Los Angeles…it’s like there’s a flood of these black lacquer ‘Gibson’ Specials on the market that are said to be years old (like 2001) but look brand spanking shiny new. Who buys a Les Paul and leaves it in the case for 7 years and never plays it??? Something isn’t sitting right with me and everyone needs to do their research before purchasing any high-end guitar because of the number of fakes out there.
Some Gibsons have three-piece necks. I own a couple, had them for years, NOT from China.
Be careful when using the Serial number on the Guitar for validation as the Chinese are using numbers that check out to be authentic.
I went into a pawn store today and was blown away to see an american strat for $250. but within moments of looking at it I started noticing something was not right. for one thing, the input jack was coming out of the pickgaurd straight. Not angled like a strat. There were only 2 knobs on the pickgaurd. the bridge was bolted into the body by 2 rusted wood screws. There was no tremelo, but some strats did not come with one. The tuning pegs were not fender and in fact you could see the factory screw holes next to the machine heads. It was definately a American strat neck though. I’m glad I took a closer look because I was ready to go up the the cashier and pay right away.
Not a fake… made in 1983-84 only, these 2 knob strats were actually very nice. Fender tried to save money by having the input jack out of the pick guard..
Indeed, those were nice guitars. But i can see how someone that has never seen one think it to be fake.
i recently bought a SG for my friend as a suprizeand i found somthin a miss when oi noticed the serial number bas exactly the same as my es 335 that i bought last year
i sent them both to gibson
both are fake
i spent some 25,000 on both of them
i can’t get my money back
dang
You should have kept the guitars you muppet instead of giving them to Gibson to break up for you.
Good call Jason. The Slope heads are best at ripping off the white man’s ideas and turning them against him. Difficult one for manufacturers to deal with. Probably Gibson needs to talk to the dog eaters about manufacturing guitars there and then perhaps their local enforcement can clean up the counterfitters.
I am old enough to remember when overpaid auto workers and unions were trying to get everyone in the 70s to believe that cars from Japan were “Junk” or “Cheap”. Same with guitars and definitely TVs and consumer electronics until both industries were producing better products that we Americans were making. It got so bad with guitars, that Fender HAD TO stop making their basic strat in Japan because they couldn’t sell American ones at a higher price. This bashing of the “counterfeiters” continued. While we called the Koreans, Indonesians, and everyone else’s guitars “Cheap” They were getting better. So much so that just about anything made in Japan is better, and a ton of stuff from Korea like the high end Agiles and Brian Moore’s and FAR better instruments to anything “American” at the price point.
We can continue to cry about “trademark” and insist that our American Zenith television is far better to any of that “Chinese junk” (Notice how we don’t make TVs in America anymore), or we can collectively tell Gibson that if they could figure out a new guitar design that can sell, that isn’t 50 years old and stop lacquer from creeping out the edge of $1500 guitars, then maybe they wouldn’t have to put their name on surge protectors (Made in China by the way).
If you think that the Chinese instruments won’t get better, and fast, you are fooling yourself. If you think they give a crap about trademarks, they don’t. If you think a Gibson logo is worth an extra $800, except in investment terms, then you have sold out to the man, and if you think that Gibson’s are “hand made” then you obviously don’t understand that a guy named Jones and a guy named Chin can both run a CNC machine.
the ideas you promote is what killed the american economy…….hope you are enjoying the new america.
we don’t make TVs because the foreign brands dumped them…………..it’s about price, you moron………it always is. you del;ude yourself it’s about quality………..
how’s things going in your american city? how’s the roads in front of your house?
Japanese ’62 Strat re-issues bring a pretty nice price these days…because they’re very nice guitars. Tokai, Ibanez and other “lawsuit” Les Paul copies are excellent guitars and hard to come by. I’ve seen and heard some of the Chinese copies marketed by Trade Tang and others and for the most part they’re very nice guitars, they play well and look great. The do indeed cut some corners on hardware and electronics but, you can buy a lot of pots, bridges, tailpieces and tuners for the $2,500.00 difference between a copy and a real Les Paul. The woods used for the Les Paul instruments I’ve seen are mahogany and maple…maybe a lesser grade of both but serviceable and with a nice veneer top it’s tough to tell the difference. The necks are for the most part two or three pieces with the headstock portion usually joined about three inches down the neck. Look at most Epiphones and you’ll see this “V” shaped joint. It seems to have worked well for them. I can’t address the issue of using the Gibson logo, etc. I’m not certain I think it’s right and I’m fairly certain it’s not exactly legal, but that said, with Gibson prices for a Les Paul in the $2500 to $3,500 and up range there’s going to be a market for these copies and you’re right…they’re going to keep getting better.
GEE IM NOT THE ONLY ONE WHO THINKS THE SAME!! A DIRTBAG NAMED ED ROMAN IN VEGAS!! SELLS FAKE GIBSONS!! AND EVERY OTHER BRAND!! AND NOT ONE US OR JAPANESE CO, HAS PREVENTED HIM FROM DOING SO!!!!! AND THAT GUYS IN THE USA!! ITS ALL BULLSHIT!!
I have dealt with Ed Roman and he repaired my Les Paul so good that you can’t even tell he is a saviour not a Con Man as you describe him look at his web site there are some cool guitars, Long Live Ed Roman you are the greatest.
Do you know any of Ed Roman’s background? Before you go and do your defamation of character rant, do some background history! Ed Roman use to work for Gibson guitars. Ed if you read this, I have on my wish list from Santa, a guitar from Ed Roman! Merry Christmas! fr: Steve
Ed Roman makes some fantastic guitars and I have dealt with him three times over the past ten years he always delivers what he says and boy are the guitars great. and handmade unlike some others.
Regards
Bill.
I dealt with Ed Roman once and I’ll never do it again. He cannot be trusted.
How can you spot an Epiphone fake? Is it the same as a Gibson fake.
Only asking because I can see an EpiphoneBlack Beauty on e-bay for $480AU but when I compared it to apicture on the epiphone website I can clearly see that the one on e-bay is a fake.
Cheers,
Jase
i recently bought what turned out to be a very convincing fake ’59 re-issue at a guitar show in valley forge, pa. i bought it to trade, as i’m really an sg player, and the $1500 price sounded like a great deal. when i went to trade for a nice 73′ sg, that dealer hipped me to the fake, so my friend and i found the con man outside after the show and “persuaded” him to return my $ after showing him the error of his ways. i don’t really know les pauls that well and the info out there available to spot a fake really is helpful,in this case 3 screw truss rod cover, 2 piece neck, and gibson headstock logo was horizontal and not on a downhill angle. this guy was a dealer and DEFINITELY knew it was a fake, so violence was justified. if someone knowingly tries to rip you off of your hard earned $, you should give them a good bash in the chops. maybe these pricks won’t be so anxious to screw people.
Hi no problems I just hope that any of your American Made Guitars are not a 1958/1959 Re-Issue as look at the bit that touches the guitar headstock on the supposedley “Kluson” Machine Heads they are Stamped “Made in Japan” What else don’t we know about as well and I have an old Les Paul so I am a Gibson Convert ?.
Hi I agree this guy should be hung from a tree by his testicles or taken out into the yard and shot.
This guy should have had his legs broken for trying this,
Regards
Ray.
He should be hanged by his bollocks
We should bring back hanging for these jerks, or castrate the guys who do this, I should have done this to Bill for his pleasure with Monica.
I second one of the previous bloggers. Always get the serial number and call the factory when buying any guitar.
Particularly used……..
You have no chance at all of getting any information out of Gibson, easier asking the Goverment for Social Security Numbers.
You will get no help from Gibson as they will never give any information out to you, they will want it in writing with your $100.00 for the privilidge to give you any help, when you think that it should be in their interests to help the poor potential buyer it is ad that they (GibsoN) don’t give a sh*t once they have sold these overprced mass produced intsruments to the ususpecting misinformed public, they say they are all handmade ???????????????, so what do they use the C.N.C Machines for ????????????????, no better than any other company churning as many as they can out for the most profit.
Regards
Bill C
I dissagree with contacting the factory with the serial number of any guitar before buying, as to be blunt they will not give a S**t they will not help unless you pay, as all they would be doing all day is verifying serial numbers I once tried and they wanted me to send $80.00 for the information good old Gib**n.
Regards
Ray.
Test Gibson
http://www.guitardaterproject.org/gibson.aspx
Yes I agree Gibson will not give out information freely. They want paying for information even after shafting,!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I mean selling you a Guitar,
Regards
Larr
you have good patensial of this website thank for helping
I just bought a Gibson Les Paul Standard. One way to make this a little safer is to take the Gibson product code and serial number and call the Gibson toll free number right in the store and check them out. I did it and the guitar was exactly what they said it was. If the store balks when you ask them to do this-go somewhere else!
You are joking me . Try contacting Gibson via a phone and you will never get through and you will be put on hold (if you ever get answered) and as for giving out information to you, they just won’t tell you anything I have tried and they gave me no information at all, they just want your “Bucks” then offer no backup, at all.
You are taking a very big risk buying a secondhand Gibson as there are guys making copies of these in their garages that are unmistakeable from the real thing so “caveat Avor” Buyer Beware,
At least when you buy a Chinese Les Paul you know what you are getting ???????????????
Regards
Larry.
How do you find the Gibson product code to register the warranty?
One thing most of us in the GuitarSite forums have found Chris is that eBay do very little about fake auctions. There are numerous threads posted about the problem. ’tis unfortunate 🙁
Good old ebay do not give a F**K and never did, they are only concerned with taking your money and as they now also own Paypal, they make a condition of sale that you Must accept Paypal as a form of payment or they kick you off ebay. ????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????,
Regards
Larry.
ebay don’t bother as they get fees from the sale and paypal fees as well, so why should they care they have got their cash they will say st**f you mate we are ok,
Regards
Ray
holy…I think I found the guitar you are talking about and I think someone is trying to sell it again…it still looks like a con!
http://cgi.ebay.com/Gibson-Eric-Clapton-ES-335-Crossroads-Electric-Guitar_
W0QQitemZ230118700734QQihZ013QQcategoryZ38085QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
someone report this please, as i don't know how to!
Also beware of a guy called Mickel Turner (false name, no doubt – uses a hotmail address) whom is trying to flog a Gibson ES-335 Eric Clapton. He is present on several local internet auction houses in Australia and overseas. He uses false UPS documentation to support shipping. He claims the guitar is No66 of 250, but it is all bull**** – just a con. He will request funds be transferred by MoneyGram or other dodgy means. Please be careful as he is very convincing.
I recently visited Asia and saw one of these fake Gibsons in a store. My first reaction was, that can’t be a genuine Gibson. As this article states, there was an obvious cheapness to the guitar, I didn’t even pick it up, just looking at it in the window I could see that it was wasn’t a high quality instrument. All of the clues mentioned above were there.
For people who are thinking of buying a Gibson, go to an authorized dealer and familiarize yourself with the the models, features, and price ranges. Or, if buying used, see if you can find info online about the general price range and features of the model you are interested in. If the deal sounds “too good to be true”, it probably is. You are far better off waiting and saving your money for a quality guitar, it’s well worth waiting a while for it.
Go to the Gibson factory and store in Nashville if you have a chance, they may still offer tours and it’s a cool place. Check http://www.gibson.com for details, also i think a virtual tour. Believe it, you’ll see a pretty great selection of Gibsons right there. Thanks Henry, keep on keeping on 😉
ITS A SHAME THAT COUNTERFEIT GUITARS ARE BEING MADE IN CHINA!! BUT GREEDY CO,S LIKE GIBSON,GRETSCH,FENDER, AND OTHERS!! SELL THIER GUITARS FOR WAY TOO MUCH MONEY! KEEPING THEM OUT OF THE HANDS OF EVERY GUITAR PLAYER WHO IS NOT SLASH OR SOME BIG RICH ROCK STAR! THE BEST GIBSON FROM THE US SHOULD COST 500.00!!MAX !! AND THEY WOULD STILL MAKE A HUGE PROFIT AND CURB THE CHINA COPIES !! I WANT A GIBSON ACE FREHLEY MODEL!! THE EPIPHONE GUITARS ARE PURE CRAP!!!!!!!! AND GREEDY GIBSON WANTS 3 GRAND FOR ONE!! SO FUCK EM, ILL GET A CHINA ONE WITH A HARD CASE, ALL THE LOGOS AND BE HAPPY! FOR 3OO,OO BUCKS! I HAVE A RICK AND A GRETSCH FROM CHINA! AND THEY ARE 1O TIMES BETTER THAN EPIPHONE OR SQUIRES! STOP BEING GREEDY AND THE COUNTERFEIT STUFF WONT BE AN ISSUE! I PLAYED A CHINA 57 BLACK LES PAUL!! IT LOOKED GREAT AND PLAYED GREAT! IT COST 250.00!! VS 3 GRAND!
Hi Guys,
Ed Romand R.I.P hit the nail on the head with Gibson Neck breaks he I quote said “I have repaired around 15,000 Gibson necks which always break at the same place, I have never repaired a China Les Paul Neck” what does this tell you, Gibson are great value and quality I don’t think so.
What you dont seem to get is that in china the labour costs nothing, wheras in the US you have to pay reasonable wages . You will probably find that the price difference between the cost of manufacturing an american compared to a chinese gibson is relative to what you pay , nothing to do with greed. Good thing that gibson try to make there stuff accessable to us low income dopes by manufacturing chinese epiphones eh …
I have a 1977 SG std and a 1964 SG Jr, have had countless real Les Pauls, and I even have a JIMMY PAGE eds 1275 VOS along with the angus young series hand signed by angus and malcomb. I have even owned and played the older epiphone LP’s. I am a GIBSON man hands down. I just bought what I was told was a GIBSON SG CUSTOM COPY. Hi flammed trasnparent green maple finish with gold hardware. BEFOREW I WAS TOLD it was a copy, I just looked at it settin in the stand looking brand new and perfect shape for 375.00 I thought?? WTF?? Remember I am a Gibson nut for over 25 yrs worth of playing and buying. Im waling around this thing looking and finally I asked the dude, whats wrong with this guitar? He said nothing its a copy,, and I laughed!! I said are you serious?? He said yeah its really a copy. I honestly could not tell by looking at it that it was a fake.
THEN I PICKED UP UP AND WRAPED MY HANDS AROUND IT!!! thats all it took was to wrap my hand around the neck, it was cheap feeling, maybe casue I was just told it was a copy? but regardless I pluged it in and fired it up and the seller(kid) was very honest and accurate he said the pick ups are weak and they were and the fake bigsby was apparently just for looks like the original bigsby !!! lol!! However It came home with me and its hanging on my wall right here in my office, and only I now and my gf knows its a copy none of my buddys can tell and I aint letting the cat out of the bag!! It would suck for someone tro buy one of these for much more and really expecting to get a real Gibson, but thats America thas what we do!! And I agree with the $500.00 max price for a real Gibson, and it would resolve the copy trade mark issues and they would be selling 10x the amount of wood insead of acting like its gold they would be able to gv more jobs back in TN and do right, I wont go there but Over all I got my moneys worth even if its a wall hanger!!!! BARGEMAN INDIANA.
You can’t cap most of those Gibson guitars at $500, because they are made in America by AMERICAN LUTHIERS who are paid more and build better guitars than their poorly paid Chinese counterparts. Also, the high dollar versions are made of better tone wood, and also include better hardware. If you want a good guitar, it’s not something that can be thrown together on an assembly line, it takes time and effort to make each one. like the title says. YOU’RE STUPID.
hey stupider..i bought a brand spanking new lp black beauty with gold hardware and had to go thru 10 to find a good one..anyway the bastards gold started rubbing off after 2 weeks!!!..this has never happened ever ever ever with even the cheapest ibanes or chinese guitar ever…so go back to the gibson bullshit board room and get back to your job robbing musicians that have been duped into the legend..the only good thing good about gibson is the shapes they designed..big deal
FYI Gibson USA are not made by craftsmen they are made in an assemble plant, the wood being cut by computer and put together and sanded by low paid uncaring students moonlighting that are college learning to be accountants they have the touch of a rhino! so look on youtube how their factory runs..only the obscenely priced great stuff is made in a speciality section and has nothing to do with the pauls etc
I don’t think you should be accusing people of being stupid. You obviously have not done your homework because Gibson outsources big time. Do you know how much of the guitar has to be made in america for Gibson to say “Made in USA”? 52% has to be made in the US, the rest is made in china, The hardware(excluding the pickups) is made in china. Also the Gibsons are made on assembly lines, the only part that isn’t is the neck, which is handmade. Gibson’s are extremely overpriced and aren’t made by “Luthiers”, it seems to me that the place you found this info is a Gibson.com, which is all bull. A average gibson takes 12 hours to make, which is much longer than chinese made copies, but the time makes no difference because the reason it takes longer is that the neck is handmade. Research more next time before calling people idiots.
RIGHT ON NOT TO MENTION THEY ONLY HAVE ABOUT FIVE BOARD FEET OF WOOD IN THEM THATS ABOUT 40 DOLLARS WORTH OF WOOD $3500 RIP OFFS
Hey dude!
Greetings from Brazil!
Can you add me on messenger? [email protected]
I wanna talk ’bout chinese guitars!
Can you send me your contact there? Or some chinese guitar website?
I’m looking for a G6120RHH!
Can you help me?
my mail is [email protected]
Thanx
I agree totally I recently bought a $500 Chinese 1960 Flame Top Re-Issue with Gibson Logo’ed case and it is awsome, I also have a 1960 Genuine Les Paul Standard Plain Top, which in comparison the top looks crap at the side of the Chinese counterpart, as for the quality the chinese one is spot on with a superb finish and the sound is gorgeous, so again Gibson if I was you I would be very worried indeed, all in all they are superb, so anyone that is saying they are all crap has not seen a good one yet. you are bound to soon though as they are flooding the market like the asians did in the UK,
Regards
Larry.
For all of you that buy the Chinese les Paul are not only fake
Musicians yourself. Everyone you buy is stealing a job
From a hard working Ameican. I save my hard earned money
And buy Ameican. I wish I could own a gibson but I don’t
Have the cash but I will save and save and it may take
Me five years but it will be made in America by a real American
And not some commy country ripping of the Americans left
And right. Right down to the baby bottle full of lead you
Let your son or daughter drink out of. One day my ship
Will come in and I will have a Gibson and when I do, it will
Be made in America to keep us strong. Ps: I drive a Ford,
With Ameican metal. My Ameican flag is up 365’days a year
Nope not a red neck. Long haired rocker that buys Ameican
My amps are American too. Good luck Gibson.
come on dude i love gibsons too i used to have a 71 j200 had to sell it to pay bills. its 2012 theres a recession were getting screwed every which way we can by our countrys im from liverpool uk but married a yank,do you think our governments care about giving us jobs or buying homegrown ,hell no our soldiers are in asia getting killed to save iraqi lives so they can have more asian oil to fill up there lexus (asian cars) .most of the parts that go in your (american truck) are made in china cause there cheaper than the american versions just like the chinese computer your writing on and the chinese tv you watch do i need to go on ? sure paul mccartney and slash can buy 5 grand gibsons but there not normal working men like you and me and gibson stopped being for the working man decades ago when that j45 that used to cost 45 bucks (hence the name) started costing 2000 dollars why? when they can be made for 200 ill tell you why so some other american can get richer and richer and buy more lexus cars while you work like an idiot (same as me for peanuts). the american dream died a long time ago in some asian jungle some where or some friggin afghani desert ,but our governments hope that we forget all that and keep on paying through our asses for some long forgotten dream ! rant over god bless america !!!!!!!
yanks are lazy unproductive leaches and everything they make are crap just like you…yanky doodle dandy and dont tell people what to buy you war monger jerk!
ps ford are shit and they fall apart!!!
Yep, were war mongers, just like you’re a waste of flesh. Oh, and by the way, my Ford runs on guts from fools like you. Have a nice day shitbag. PS. Yankee Doodle isn’t lazy, he’s quite busy fighting all the wars that others can’t fight for themselves, and you’re probably one of them. And if you’re from China, keep on doing what you’re doing, you are the most pathetic place on Earth, it is not possible for you to come up with an original idea that becomes an icon, like a real Gibson Les Paul, you spend all your time copying everyone elses ideas, and you have the worlds biggest military that doesn’t do shit but talk bullshit, hell you don’t even help out those 3rd world countries who can’t fight or compete in a war for themselves. I won’t buy your trash at walmart, and I won’t eat at your overpriced shit buffets. If its American, it is gonna be great.
YOU SHOULD TRY A MARSHALL BLAH!
woopdy doo for uncle sam !! who flys his flag 365 days a year, and drives a frigging ford !!! im an american too !! but shit still stinks, regardless who makes it, point being, if the guitar plays and sounds good, who cares how much it costs !! — hey buddy, im a real guitar player too, !!!! ps china makes american flags, and goods for our military !!!!—-i drive a CHEVROLET, AND OUR GOVERMENT SUCKS MONKEY BALLS !!! WHO CARES, SHUT UP AND PLAY YOUR GUITAR !!!!
“OUR GOVERNMENT SUCKS MONKEY BALLS!@#%$” grow up already.
What a retard, try telling that to the families of soldiers, firefighters, police officers and other Government volunteers that have died in the line of duty, you douchebag. I’ve been through 2 deployments and one of the things that kept my head up was the goal of buying my FIRST NASHVILLE MADE GIBSON LP CUSTOM. If you don’t like America, go live somewhere else…
Hey gi jane !!!! gee, you joined the service, and your calling me a retard !!!! W.T.F. – AMERICA IS GREAT !!!!! it,s the land of the almost free and home of ass kissers-LIKE YOU !!!!—-THIS IS FACT… 95% OF YOUR NASHVILLE GIBSON WAS MADE IN CHINA, — TRY A TEISCO GUITAR FROM JAPAN!!! THEY R.O.C.K. !!!
Given an equivalent choice, I’ll buy American, but I’ll not by shoddy and/or overpriced American products just because they’re American. MOST guitars are made in China now– if I have to pay $2500 more for a Gibson, and the quality of a $500 Chinese-made guitar is just as good, SCREW Gibson, they just need to learn how to compete in a world marketplace.
All your paying for with that extra $2500 is the NAME on the headstock, Gibson is resting on their laurels. I like some of the Gibson guitars, but I buy guitars for how they play and how well they’re made, and WHAT I CAN AFFORD, not for what name is on the headstock.
Gibson themselves are having their Epiphones made in China. How American is that? As a result, they are giving their expertise, tooling, engineering, etc to a future competitor for the almighty dollar. They are going to China themselves to make more money. Who is the hipocrit??????
BS all of you that are saying the quality on the copies and epiphones are the same as the real gibsons are full of bs. It is easy to type that, and if you really think that then you are just a fool. buy what u want, play what you want, think what you want , but dont spread your bs around me.
good info only thing is dat i dont have gipson…..i have kapok
I have a hard time feeling sorry for Gibson or anyone who has has spent a fortune on one and is mad that there might be cheap copies out there. Everybody wants to blame the Chinese or anyone else who sells affordable copies, but the real people to blame are the ones who sold out America and made all this possible. This includes companies like Gibson who outsource work.
The first thing outsourcing does is make a market for cheap products. The copycat gibsons would not exist without a market.
The second thing outsourcing does is destroy the job market at home and make the working class poorer. Joe wants a Gibson guitar, but Joe makes 9 dollars an hour and his company keeps him from getting overtime. His rent is 1500 a month, his utilities 400 a month, his car payment 350…. you get the idea. He could make more money if companies like gibson refused to outsource work and he could find a skilled trade job. So what can Joe afford? A chinese copy of a Gibson… so he buys one, thus driving the market… and who can blame him?
Pissed off American companies like gibson only have them selves to blame. America sold themselves out over 40 years ago and we are reaping the consequences. Bring work back to Americans… and they might be able to afford to buy American products.
Good Morning, I have owned a few Real Gibsons, and still have one a Old Les Paul, I also own a Real Strat, I also bought a 1958 Re-Issue Flame Top Chinese to see what the Chinese guitars are like, and all that I can say is that it looks superb, plays great, and the only “Faults were the truss rod cover although it had two screws was slightly not the correct shape (real one cost me £16.00), the other job that I did was to polish the frets with rubbing compound where the frets meet the binding because this was not finished quite good enough for me, although most people would have thought this was ok, my opinion, as for the sound well all I can say is “Wow” absolutely beautifull, and it even has Epiphone 57 Humbuckers on it as well, so much tone variety in the pickups best I have ever played in any guitar, and I have played guitars for the past 45 years as well, so all in all I spent £260.00 and have got the equivalent of a £3500.00 Gibson, and I got a free leather case as well, just look at this quote from the guy at gibson, he is so wrong,
“Though some guitars are especially deceptive,
Gibson’s Customer Service Manager Jason Davidson says, “Usually we can
spot a fake right away. They’re absolute garbage. They play terribly,
they feel terrible. They are only made to look like a Gibson, and they
do a poor job of that.”
How wrong you are Mr Jason Davidson,
RegardsDavid Roberst. UK
Hi Guys if the Les Pauls of the 70s were so good why did they have a “Valute” or lump at the back of the neck ?????????????????, because without it the necks kept breaking and this is what you call Quality ??????????????????????,
I rest my case. As for the guy with the 1972 Les Paul Custom with Cherry Sunburst have a look at the neck and ask yourself why is that “Valute” or lump on your guitars neck ???????, The Chines guitars don’t have them on.
Regards
David.
Hi Guys what a load of “Bolony” or if you like Crap, I have played Gibsons and Fenders for years, I own a 1957 Goldtop (real one), and a real Fender American Standard Strat, and have just aquired a Flame Top Chinese Les Paul, Absolute belter fitted with Epiphone 57 Alnico Humbuckers, not only looks great with a nice flame top, and a nice neck on it and the detail is perfect, all it required was a little fret dressing which took me 1 hour, and a $20 dollar real truss rod cover although it had two screws on it, it was not quite the correct shape, and the sound and feel is as good as the real thing, but the best thing is the $2600.00 change that I have for not buying the real thing, wood is wood, and at the end of the day, it is down to the guy or girl that is playing the guitar, if you are not a good guitarist, buy a $30000 gibson, and buy a $500 chinese les paul, you will sound the same on both of them, so guys wake up as we are now in the real world, Give Slash a chinese copy les paul, and he will sound the same as he always does believe me.
I rest my case.
just another point, when I was a kid growing up we had motorbikes, I had a Japanese Suzuki 125cc Twin, and a friend of mine had a British BSA 250cc motorbike, I could leave him standing with a passenger on mine, and the cars used to be the same, buy a Japanese car and you got electric windows etc etc, and they are faster than the english equivalent, or buy a british car and pay for the extras, all I can say is that Gibsons are now overpriced and very good, but I bet they are very worried about the Chinese Guitars as they are now taking over as they become better, look at the “Orville” Les Pauls built in Japan and play the same and are probably better built than an American Gibson mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm Makes you think does’nt it ?..
Regards
David R
:0 word up …..remeber kiddies appetite was recoreded on les paul copy …..and its still the main squeeze LiII;)”:
First off, David R., you’re clearly missing the point of the thread and probably don’t own a real LP anyway. Listen, it all comes down to the law, laws that protect law abiding copywright owners. I’m 34 years old, and have owned more guitars than most women have owned shoes. I never once been taken by some copy of any guitar, where my common sense and good judgement was impaired by the “good deal” pitch. I look at guitars like I do a woman, I’m in no hurry, just because she looks like a good deal doesn’t mean she’s worth a damn. The good ones need a good moment to get to know and of course, you never blind date. You hold the guitar in your hands before you pay a dime, and if it feels wrong, let it go and no harm done. So you shop around and when that special one shows up, you can feel it, see it, hear it, she’s beautiful all around and regardless of price, she’s the genuine article and you are quite proud to have her in your arm. Unlike the cheap, broad that smells cheap, looks cheap, feels cheap, and wreaks of cheapness. Oh, and might I remind that the genuine Gibson LP line has its uniquenesses within itself too. Each one is a hand carved work of art that is unique unto itself; I have 4 Gibson LP Custom Ebony guitars and each one is unique and a little bit different from the others. All in all, you get what you pay for, so pick your lady carefully.
Get real—the only thing—-Hand carved at Gibson is the top of a Super 400——–so much for your years of expertise.
you are right they all are different but sometimes that cheap piece of ass is the best you ever had
I agree the roughest piece of ass is usually the best.
Come on guys, you have to up your game. If all you’ve ever had was the worn out broad that has been pounded out like wet garbage, and you call it the best, what the hell are you gonna do when the tight gal that has it all and knows it crosses your path? Like I said, guitars are like women. You have to up your game a bit. Ill tell you about another two girls I have. Sometime in 1995, I was passing through Clarksville Tennessee, and stopped in at a Pawn Shop. I looked around a bit and noticed this “Hummingbird” copy hanging up in the corner for $100.00. It was made by Ibanez, made in Japan, and had the name “Concord” on the trussrod cover. Nice looking guitar, parallellogram inlays, heritage cherry sunburst finish, the works, bought it on the spot. This Ill dub the Japanese Geisha. With new strings and setup, she played beautifully. With a bit of research, I found that she was made in 1976 as a direct copy of the real thing, diring the Lawsuit days of Ibanez and Gibson. Fast forward to 2005. I’m in Colorado Springs CO, at a major music retailer checkin out the new Gibson Music Rising LP that the Edge had just released a few weeks earlier. So I step into the Acoustic humidor and start to eye this used Gibson Hummingbird. I had the salesman tell me a bit about her and he tells me she’s a 1974 Hummingbird made at the Kalamazoo MI plant. I played with her a bit and she was spot on in every detail. She went home with me for $1800.00. Once I was at my home I compared the two models as anyone would. I figured that with the Ibanez being a 1976 and the Gibson a 1974, their dreadnought shapeshould mirror eachother perfectly, since this era of Hummingbird was more than likely used for Ibanez to copy. Aesthetics first, the Gibson looked played more, compared to the Ibanez that must have spent most of its life cased. The mother of pearl inlay on the Gibson was eye-popping though, where as the inlay on the Ibanez was pearloid, not mother of pearl. The neck on the Gibson felt slightly thicker than the Ibanez. And the hardware on the Gibson had a sturdier look than the Ibanez’s which was excellent in and of itself. Both guitars woods were identical, sitka spruce top, and mahogany neck, back, and sides. But this is where the similarities ended. The Ibanez’s voice was bright and silky, all the notes in any bar-chord rang beautifully, not much bass I might add. But the Gibson had this, projection with its voice that I can only describe as a hearty exhale, if that makes any sense. When I strummed the Gibson I felt soundwaves coming out of the soundhole like someone turned a small fan on! The Ibanez didn’t respond like that. The Japanese Geisha had a nice voice no doubt, but man, my fingers made that Hummer moan! I use the Geisha as a backup incase I break a string on the Hummer now. Maybe I’m one of those guys that have never owned a bad USA Gibson, perhaps. Again, guitars are like women, Ill only surround myself with the best.
First Off I have owned 6 “Real Gibsons” in my lifetime, I still own two, I also own a Fake 1959 Les Paul Flame Top, which looks and plays as good as the 1960 “Real Les Paul” I own, but it looks a heck of a lot better, The Flame is awsome I have real “Kluson” Tuners on it and it has Epiphone 1957 Burst Bucker Pickups, so I do know the real thing from the “Fake” but You couldn’ tell the fake was fake, I have also had this guitar to many gigs and people just don’t believe it is NOT “Real” , I appreciate your rants about Copyrights etc but this is the real world and you pay your money and takes your chance, I have owned and played many real Gibsons, some great, and some Crap, I have also seen and played a few Fake Gibsons, again, some Great and some Crap, so don’t prejudge without trying one,
Best Wishes,
David R.
Gibson themselves are having their Epiphone guitars made in China in order to increase their margins in selling guitars. So who is the hypocrit here? It’s OK for them to save money in order to manufactuire their guitars in China but not OK for anyone else to do the same? I am a Gibson buyer and love their guitars but I fail to see how this makes in a logic whatsoever. So if you are outsourcing your business and giving away the tooling, engineering and knowledge that is yours, how can you be surprised when they use it to compete against you? Kind of looks like karma to me.
Not only that, from what I’ve seen, the Chinese-made Epiphones are not as well made as other Chinese guitars. I bought several budget Chinese guitars and was pleasantly surprised by all of them (even the SX that cost $100 on eBay), until I got a new Epiphone– had to go through three to find one that didn’t have problems. I suspect Gibson has instructed their supplier not to make them quite so good because it makes their regular guitars look bad. I recently got an Italia Maranello (similar to a Les Paul), and am still awe-struck by its quality. And my Chinese made Ibanez ART100 is killer.
I do agree however that labelling them as real Gibsons should not be tolerated, but otherwise so what? I don’t care what name is on the guitar if it’s a well-made well playing guitar. Modern “authentic” Gibsons are grossly overpriced, and frankly, the last good model they made in my opinion was the LP Custom Fretless Wonder (still my favorite guitar which I bought new in ’73), that they haven’t made for decades.
That is the most incredible example of a run on sentence I have ever read. Nice work!
Your a dick so shut up!
Same to you buddy you are a legend in your own mind Like a used Toilet wipe usefull but not often wanted