Watch guitar experts reveal how to spot a fake Les Paul – and saw a counterfeit in half in the process
Spotting a fake Gibson might seem easy to some, but first-time buyers in search of a cheaper deal can often fall victim to fake models being sold online.
In a new video by guitar YouTuber Robert Baker, a team of guitar experts examine and take apart a counterfeit to reveal just what sets it apart from the real deal – and they even saw it into chunks to really get an idea of just how different these guitars can be under the hood.
READ MORE: How to spot a fake Gibson guitar – practical advice to avoid getting scammed when buying a used guitar
For the mini investigation, Baker is joined by blues boss Joe Bonamassa, session guitarist Tom Bukovac, and relic and ageing specialist Phil Jones. Master Artisan (and namesake of the Murphy Lab) Tom Murphy is also on hand, plus Joe Glaser and Nick Drushel of Glaser Instruments.
Upon revealing the fake, there are a handful of features noted by the dream team straight away – the Les Paul logo on the headstock appears to be a decal and not a silk screen, and the binding around the guitar is awfully thick and in a stark white colour that Gibson doesn’t use. The control knobs are also similarly off-colour. They also notice that the body finish doesn’t look right, and estimate that it is a veneer or decal, or even the result of a robotic paint job, though upon completely sawing through the guitar, they later settle on a veneer.
Pretty much all elements of the guitar are off to some degree – including its wiring, woodwork, and a very dodgy truss rod. Take a look in the full video below:
The video arrives off the back of news that over 3,000 counterfeit “Gibson” guitars were seized on their way into the United States in November last year. It was described as the “largest counterfeit musical instrument seizure on record”, and if the guitars had been authentic, they would have been worth $18,742,820 in total.
The post Watch guitar experts reveal how to spot a fake Les Paul – and saw a counterfeit in half in the process appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
Source: www.guitar-bass.net
