Are Counterfeit Guitars a Thing?

CABilly

Splitter
I've been wanting to get back into guitar playing. I was never that great but I want to work on a creative outlet.

I really like the looks, sound, and rock roots of the Gibson Les Paul and SG guitars. I obviously don't want to pay the prices for a new one so I was looking instead to Epiphone.

But on craigslist there are plenty Gibsons that aren't that much more $$ than the Epiphones I've been considering. But I don't really trust people. Are counterfeits of these guitars a thing? How can I be sure I'm getting the real deal? Or am I worrying about something stupid?
 

TylerW

Agitator
I don't know what pricing scale you're looking at, but I know that genuine Gibson Les Paul is an incredibly heavy guitar. I've known more than a few players who got rid of theirs because the instrument was giving them back problems.
 

CABilly

Splitter
I don't know what pricing scale you're looking at, but I know that genuine Gibson Les Paul is an incredibly heavy guitar. I've known more than a few players who got rid of theirs because the instrument was giving them back problems.

Ideally less than $1k
 

kelsodeez

2wheels good 4wheels bad
Trogly's guitar show on YouTube is a great resource for info on spotting a fake gibson. He also does consultations for like 50 bucks where he'll look at the guitar you're interested in and he will be able to spot weird issues with the guitar that might be problem.
I just bought my les paul new because I wanted something that I knew for sure what was up with it because people do some fuckin weird shit to their guitars
v1AUfQW.jpg
 

CABilly

Splitter
Trogly's guitar show on YouTube is a great resource for info on spotting a fake gibson. He also does consultations for like 50 bucks where he'll look at the guitar you're interested in and he will be able to spot weird issues with the guitar that might be problem.
I just bought my les paul new because I wanted something that I knew for sure what was up with it because people do some fuckin weird shit to their guitars
v1AUfQW.jpg

Ah that’s a beaut. If I weren’t also needing an amp I might go for the Gibson. GC has a pretty good financing deal right now 48 months zero interest.

Right now I’m looking at the Marshall DSL40 amp it looks like I can do a lot with it. I was thinking about that new Spark amp but it seems so small.
 

kelsodeez

2wheels good 4wheels bad
My buddy who lives in a condo has a dsl40 and he says nothing but good things about it. It's one of the reasons why I bought the dsl100.

Also check out Sweetwater and musicians friend. Sweetwater has made online shopping for a guitar a lot less painful. They take detailed pictures of the actual guitar they're selling and they're pretty good about taking a guitar back if you don't fall in love with it. They just have you pay shipping which is like 30-40 bucks. Musicians friend is awesome because of the reward points. I bought my marshall from musicians friend, had them price match it, and they still gave me the full price reward points, which came out to like 160 bucks in store credit.

Buying used is awesome if you know what you're buying, but if you fall in love with a guitar and you buy it under false pretense, it can be a costly mistake. Caveat emptor
 

kelsodeez

2wheels good 4wheels bad
Oh also check out reverb for used gear. There's some good deals on there and a lot of stuff is returnable
 

CABilly

Splitter
Shit just researching guitars and amps I feel like I need a degree in electrical engineering just to understand what these people are talking about :afm199
 

Butch

poseur
Staff member
I have a big awesome amp that is just taking up space. Pic to follow.

Edit... do you really have an R5?
 
Last edited:

CABilly

Splitter
I have a big awesome amp that is just taking up space. Pic to follow.

Edit... do you really have an R5?

I do. I made a thread about it in the vintage forum. The left cylinder isn’t working at the moment but other than that it’s pretty sweet.
attachment.php
 

bojangle

FN # 40
Staff member
I've been wanting to get back into guitar playing. I was never that great but I want to work on a creative outlet.

I really like the looks, sound, and rock roots of the Gibson Les Paul and SG guitars. I obviously don't want to pay the prices for a new one so I was looking instead to Epiphone.

But on craigslist there are plenty Gibsons that aren't that much more $$ than the Epiphones I've been considering. But I don't really trust people. Are counterfeits of these guitars a thing? How can I be sure I'm getting the real deal? Or am I worrying about something stupid?

Anything and everything of value is counterfeited.
 

CABilly

Splitter
I had an R5 but it had drum brakes.
Edit. That IS sweet.

My dad had the parts around and asked if I’d rather have a disc brake. I didn’t grow up with them so 100% original isn’t as important to me and I like the look of the disc more than a drum.
 

Kornholio

:wave
Could just be that people are desperate to sell quick. But yeah, there are a lot of counterfeits out there.

Honestly, just go with the Epiphones. Gibsons are overpriced and the head angle is way too severe. Screws with the tuning too much, IMO.

I picked up a Epiphone Les Paul Modern a few weeks ago and my setup guy was even commenting at how well it was made in comparison with the American Gibsons.
 

fraz

Well-known member
I really like the looks, sound, and rock roots of the Gibson Les Paul and SG guitars. I obviously don't want to pay the prices for a new one so I was looking instead to Epiphone.

There are plentiful LP kits out there for people with woodworking tools and skills. StewMac sells them for pretty cheap and you can get them even cheaper from ebay/China. Then you can get the wood style and color finish you want. Not to mention spend good money on quality pickups and hardware and such. Of course if you want a real LP... by all means, get it. I have heard that well-made kits sound and feel legit played back to back. Lots of TY vids talking and showing all of this if interested.

https://www.stewmac.com/kits-and-pr...uitar-kits/lp-style-electric-guitar-kits.html

This is DEFINITELY on my project list to build.
 

kelsodeez

2wheels good 4wheels bad
I built a solo kit as my backup guitar for when we can start playing live again. This is the one I built :
https://www.solomusicgear.com/product/solo-lp-style-diy-guitar-kit-basswood-solid-maple-top/

It turned out pretty nice. It was super easy to put together, but all of the hardware is garbage on it. The wood pieces are well built, quality woods and construction is top notch, but the bridge, tuners, controls, pickups, etc were all super low quality. So if you buy one of these and want to upgrade everything, you could end up spending way more than buying a spec'd out used epiphone for cheaper. Something to consider
 
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