A Guitar And Gear Support Forum

This was offered to me in exchange for my 2016 Les Paul Tribute T (I'm asking a somewhat speculative $900 for it w/ a hard Gibson case) and presented as a Les Paul Custom.

I backed away from it but just wanted confirmation that I avoided being duped and didn't miss the trade of a lifetime: This is a counterfeit, right? It looks like a rosewood board with abalone (or plastic?) trap inlays, no 1st fret inlay, bridge height adjustment screws, serial number looks weird to me, he said it had some kinda barenuckle hot pickups in it and the tuners had been swapped. the cavity covers also look aftermarket/cheap.

he helpfully sent a close up of the bridge which i think clinches that it's not a gibson? those height adjustment screws don't look right and the saddles look sorta... low-profile? i dunno.

zooms of back and front of headstock:

Fakearoni Pizza

Yes, definitely a Chibson. The metric/asian bridge, silkscreened serial and wrong fretboard material are pretty obvious indicators right off the bat. Even if it were a Gibson it wouldn't be a custom - wrong inlay shape and material, no double binding, the list goes on and on. Run, do not walk away.

No inlay on 1st fret? Trapezoids on a "custom"? I don't know anything, but it smells like a Gibsung

That's a fake. There are all kinds of problems with this guitar. You made the right decision

I don't claim to be very good at this game, but the headstock shape looks slightly off to me as well.

glasshand wrote: ↑Mon Nov 09, 2020 1:29 pm I don't claim to be very good at this game, but the headstock shape looks slightly off to me as well.

I agree, the middle seems raised too much, just another visual red flag. Oh and I was just thinking also: who would trade a genuine Gibson LP Custom for a tribute? Nothing wrong with a tribute, I'm just saying "why"?

Gear_Junky wrote: ↑Mon Nov 09, 2020 3:11 pm

glasshand wrote: ↑Mon Nov 09, 2020 1:29 pm I don't claim to be very good at this game, but the headstock shape looks slightly off to me as well.

I agree, the middle seems raised too much, just another visual red flag. Oh and I was just thinking also: who would trade a genuine Gibson LP Custom for a tribute? Nothing wrong with a tribute, I'm just saying "why"?

yeah that was kinda the first red flag.

voodoorat wrote: ↑Mon Nov 09, 2020 3:13 pm

Gear_Junky wrote: ↑Mon Nov 09, 2020 3:11 pm

glasshand wrote: ↑Mon Nov 09, 2020 1:29 pm I don't claim to be very good at this game, but the headstock shape looks slightly off to me as well.

I agree, the middle seems raised too much, just another visual red flag. Oh and I was just thinking also: who would trade a genuine Gibson LP Custom for a tribute? Nothing wrong with a tribute, I'm just saying "why"?

yeah that was kinda the first red flag.

I could see that someone intentionally passing a fake gibson would incur far less legal flak by doing a trade than trying to sell it. "Hey, we just traded guitars". But it's not any better to the person swindled, of course.

Send Gibson the serial number and pictures, they will know.

mozz wrote: ↑Mon Nov 09, 2020 3:36 pm Send Gibson the serial number and pictures, they will know.

Or better send gibson the contact info and let their lawyers deal with him.

With those fret markers it's a no brainer.

Bridge looks like it has locking screws, which would be odd for a clone, and yes it does look like those abilone fret markers.