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Topic: Buyers Beware! Lot's of Imitations! |
Niels Andrews
From:
Salinas, California, USA
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Posted 20 Mar 2012 2:08 pm |
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There are a lot of fake, Gibson's, Fender's, all major brands, being sold as the real deal on the internet. Just remember if it is too good to be true it probably is.
No steel's yet, but wouldn't be surprised to hear about it. Ebay is full of these Chinese fakes. I heard someone got busted in the midwest selling them, like maybe Nashville?
These are two fake Les Paul's, a friend bought. |
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Lonnie Wells
From:
The Buckeye State
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Posted 20 Mar 2012 4:47 pm
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| I recently had a guy call me telling me he had a nice D28 for sell for $800. I went to his house to look at it and it had the Martin name and markings but guitar was a fake. it looked good from 10 feet away but if you look closely you see the shoddy workmanship and differences. The serial number sequence was even copied according to Martin's number series. Everyone needs to watch out for these Chinese fakes. these are being sold on the internet for $300 and $400. hard to believe this stuff could even enter through US customs. |
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Patrick Strain
From:
Binghamton/Gilbertsville, NY
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Posted 21 Mar 2012 6:47 am
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Yep. Gibson has a page on their website dedicated to identifying fakes.
_________________
Sierra Crown D-10 8+4, Sierra S-10 3+4, Carter D-10 8+7, Carter Starter 3+ a lot of engineering problems |
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David Mason
From:
Cambridge, MD, USA
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Posted 21 Mar 2012 8:32 am
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These are the obvious ones, though - there are some extremely good ones out there in the higher end of the market, it's no wonder when 50's Les Paul JUNIORS, early 60's Jaguars and Jazzmasters are selling at $4,000 or $5,000. You can look online or in the back of "Vintage Guitar" magazine and find four or five people who are selling carefully aged or "relic'd" parts "to complete your restoration" wink wink. At least two of the body and neck makers offer an option of totally authentic wood, with the right router humps, neck pocket etc. - and no logo anywhere (yet  ). The major pickup companies now offer a "aged" finish.
There's a famous illustrative story about the "Les Paul" that guitarist Slash used on Guns N' Roses "Appetite for Destruction." It's well-known to be a fake, but the experts aren't sure which one of the Les Paul forgers in Los Angeles made it, because there were FOUR of them making 1958-1960 Les Pauls in that city alone! And this is in 1987... before the idea really caught on. When the Japanese makers were forced to "stop" selling their high-grade Burny Les Pauls and Tokai Stratocasters, where did all the old jigs and templates go.... |
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chris ivey
From:
california (deceased)
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Posted 21 Mar 2012 11:00 am
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what with the authentic reproduction parts, necks, pickups etc. many of these are probably actually as good or better of a playing instrument than the originals. the prices of 'vintage' are ridiculous and don't represent quality of performance.
of course that's not important to $alesmen. |
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Niels Andrews
From:
Salinas, California, USA
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Posted 21 Mar 2012 12:07 pm
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| I have only played the Chinese knock offs, and they are junk. Besides the workmanship the weight of them is a give away. |
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steve takacs
From:
beijing, china via pittsburgh (deceased)
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Posted 23 Mar 2012 1:01 am
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| Niels, I think I'm getting better Chinese junk guitars than you are. For the price, I've been very pleased with what I have found here in Beijing, but there are a number of instruments that are indeed junk! stevet |
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steve takacs
From:
beijing, china via pittsburgh (deceased)
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Posted 23 Mar 2012 1:02 am
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| Niels, I think I'm getting better Chinese junk guitars than you are. For the price, I've been very pleased with what I have found here in Beijing, but there are a number of instruments that are indeed junk! stevet |
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steve takacs
From:
beijing, china via pittsburgh (deceased)
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Posted 23 Mar 2012 1:04 am chinese junk
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| Niels, I think I'm getting better Chinese junk guitars than you are. For the price, I've been very pleased with what I have found here in Beijing, but there are a number of instruments that are indeed junk! stevet |
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Niels Andrews
From:
Salinas, California, USA
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Posted 23 Mar 2012 2:29 am
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| I am not slamming Chinese workmanship. I have a Guild F-40 made in China that I will put up against any current production acoustic. But it is not a fake, it is built in China by Guild. The issue is fake guitars, not the real deal. |
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Dave Hopping
From:
Aurora, Colorado
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Posted 23 Mar 2012 7:51 pm
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Gee...I wonder whether someone selling a fake would accept counterfeit money.  |
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Ron Davis
From:
Lake Arrowhead, California... We're a mile high. ;)
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Posted 27 Mar 2012 3:01 pm
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| Dave Hopping wrote: |
| Gee...I wonder whether someone selling a fake would accept counterfeit money. |
_________________
Emmons 12 p/p, Revelation, Black Widows, (& way too many assorted goodies...)
Drummer with a pedal steel fantasy.
www.LA-Zep.com
www.Desperado1.com
www.CMWChicagoTribute.com |
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Chris Schlotzhauer
From:
Colleyville, Tx. USA
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Posted 28 Mar 2012 9:09 am
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| Haha... I bet if the Chinese had a captured predator drone and a captured D10 pedal steel on lab tables to figure out how they're made, the drone would an easy choice. |
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Dave Hopping
From:
Aurora, Colorado
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Posted 28 Mar 2012 10:21 am
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| Chris Schlotzhauer wrote: |
| Haha... I bet if the Chinese had a captured predator drone and a captured D10 pedal steel on lab tables to figure out how they're made, the drone would an easy choice. |
I'm certain it would be...While a Predator drone would be substantially more expensive to replicate than any PSG,the Peoples' Liberation Army and its client military establishments are a much larger and more lucrative market than all the steelers on Earth.  |
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Stephen Cordingley
From:
Ontario, Canada
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Posted 30 Mar 2012 7:14 pm
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CL Toronto has a rash of vintage "Gibsons" for sale at suspiciously low prices. The ad usually has only one picture - a 5 ft away shot looking up the neck, or cut off so the headstock is unviewable.
Best to stay away from anything "too good to be true," I figure. |
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