note: This guide is written by an former buyer and appraiser of guitar related equipment for the 2nd biggest music store chain in the USA, and also previous 2 time "National Sales Associate" for that chain. He is factory certified by Peavey, Fender, Gibson, Taylor, Martin, Takamine, Ovation, and Larivee'. He still brokers vintage instruments and collections as well as buying, selling and trading.

Now more than ever Gibson guitars are being faked and copied with complete logos and all. Fender guitars have been copied and replica knock offs are so well made and common that it has affected the vintage market on those guitars. Thankfully there are a few telltale signs that a Gibson Les Paul or a Gibson Les Paul Custom are fakes ( and usually just knock offs made in China ).

BE CAREFUL! The recent fakes I have seen on eBay are so good that some had high bids on them before myself and other experts flagged them, I imagine some get through, and an uneducated buyer might never know until they try to resell their investment. Loosing $1000 or more on a fake is painful and can be avoided.

The following are some clues to catching recent FAKE Gibson Guitars.

1. FINGERBOARD, TRUSS ROD COVER & HEADSTOCK INLAYS - Gibson Les Pauls have specific inlays on the finger board and / or headstock per model. Become educated on this, specification sheets and photos of the real guitars should be easily located via Google. If a Gibson 57' Black Beauty Custom is supposed to have real mother of pearl inlays in block shape  in a ebony fingerboard (they are)...and the one in the photo looks like it is made out of dull white celluloid plastic (like other inlays and fake mother of 'toilet seat' as they call it) in a fingerboard with wood grain then the guitar is definately a fake. ( I have seen several examples of this). The fingerboard and inlay should always match the spec sheet for the specific model of guitar you are looking at. I have not seen a single Chinese made fake that has the correct inlays with the correct board in the correct body. Headstock inlays are the other major and easy to spot telltale sign. Once again, on models that have the logo in mother of pearl on the headstock (Custom shop guitars and other re-issues, as well as "standard" models) the inlay should look to be real mother of pearl, and not some strange multi colored plastic, or ripply iridescent plastic or just plain white. This can be a bit hard to differentiate, but after viewing some real instruments, you should be able to quickly tell the difference. The TRUSS ROD COVER should be a two screw type and it should NOT say GIBSON on there. No GIBSON guitar has a truss rod cover that says GIBSON on it. The shape of the Truss Rod Cover is also important. View Gibson's web page for the shape and markings on the real ones.

2. FINISH, HEADSTOCK PITCH (angle), and TRUSS ROD BOLT- Gibson guitars are still FINISHED in lacquer.They should not look like they have a thick candy coated finish like Epiphone guitars (with the exception of a few examples from the mid 70's - 80's but as these are worth less money they are not often faked). The lacquer finish of the guitar should appear thin and enhance the warm look of the finish. Any signs of thick 'candied' looking lacquer (as found on cheaper Korean guitars) should be highly suspect, particularly on "Mint" or "Brand New Guitars". The guitar was either re-finished or may be a fake. The HEADSTOCK PITCH of a GIBSON guitar is different from almost all other brands, and requires a particular way of manufacture which the majority of copies do not replicate. View a picture of an Epiphone guitar and then a Gibson guitar and you will see the difference. The Gibson headstock is tilted backwards at a 17 degrees. This is a noticeable difference from replicas, and it will be a tell tale sign. The TRUSS ROD BOLT or NUT on a GIBSON is an actual brass nut with a rounded top that requires a socket to adjust. It is easily visible when the truss rod cover is removed. A replica has a recessed hexagonal female adjustment socket that does not stick up as far into the headstock (usually recessed into the neck under the truss rod cover). These are totally different and also a tell tale sign.

3. PRICE- Unless severely damaged, a Gibson Les Paul Custom should never be found for a $1000 or less Buy It Now. That is unrealistic. I hate to bring up the idiom- "...if it's too good to be true..." But this definately applies for something ridiculously cheap on a "New" buy it now item.

4. CASE and PAPERWORK - Often, knock offs are marketed as brand new in case, with a "GIBSON" logo sticker on the face of the case (even though it says Gibson on it these are not Gibson cases, a fake case means a fake guitar inside.) Also, all real Gibson Custom Shop guitars that are new should have all the hangtags, the paperwork and a CERTIFICATE of AUTHENTICITY from the factory with the same serial and model # of the guitar.  I have seen fakes with fake hang tags and even a fake Gibson guitar brochure. So become at least familiar with what the real things are supposed to look like. If you see a "Gibson" case that has all the right logos but in a wrong color and shape and plush interior, then you should be suspicious.

5. SERIAL NUMBERS - Gibson Custom guitars typically have a specific ink stamped serial code on the back of the headstock that should tell you everything you need to know about the guitar. Contacting Gibson via their webpage should give you any details you may need. The same goes for non-custom Gibson guitars. They have an indented logo, where the 1st and 5th number represent the year. When looking at serial numbers make sure that they look like the serial numbers on other authentic Gibson guitars. I have seen several fakes recently with faked indented serial numbers, but the size and shape and date code were wrong.

6. STICKERS- Gibson does not have big gaudy stickers on their pickups when you get them from the factory. They do sometimes have a clear thin plastic film that is easily peeled off to protect from scratches. Several recent fakes I have seen in 2008 have fake gibson logo stickers on the pickups, and also on the back control cavity cover on Les Paul models. I do know for a while Gibson included stickers with their guitars but as of the date of this writing, I have not seen examples of this with authentic ones.

7. HARDWARE - Certain models come with certain bridges, and particular strap buttons, and also screws. Something as simple as a few screws looking way to big can be an easy indicator of a fake guitar. Also on re-issue models the bridge should be the correct vintage style bridge and not a new heavy duty looking model (like on an Epiphone). Tuners are never an indication of authenticity. Some re-issues have the original tuners and some more modern tuners from the factory, and since most of these tuners are made over in China there is really no way to tell. The plastic binding of the guitar is another good indication, as there are specific ply and  color and size for specific models. Once again, always refer to pictures of what you know to be real and a spec sheet.

8. ELECTRONICS - Electronics should be the correct ones per the model, unless they have been changed, and if they were changed they are typically changed to better, USA or custom made electronics that have correct logos on them. Pickups are easy to tell if they are correct or not. Regardless of name brand they will have all the details on make and model on the bottom side of them. Sometimes they have a series of particular numbers on them that can tell you when they were made and where. Potentiometers or "pots" are the volume and tone knobs on a guitar. Gibson Pots are usually made by CTS and sometimes have the Gibson Logo on them. Generally speaking, if the seller refuses to let you see inside the guitar or 'what kind of pickups are in it', and the guitar looks a bit suspicious, it is probably a fake.

9. SELLER HISTORY -  This is one I can't stress enough. LOOK AT THE SELLER'S HISTORY. If they mainly sell random items, many of which were obviously imported, then be suspicious. If the seller has no history of selling musical instruments and gives a bad description, be suspicious. These guitars often cost thousands of dollars new, and the occasion of someone knowing "nothing" about where it was bought and when is very unlikely. If a seller has all private feedback, pass them by. If a seller can't tell you the specific city / zip code that the guitar is being shipped from after you email them be suspicious. If a seller is unable to send you additional pictures of a guitar (that you request the 'pose' of the guitar to make sure it is real and not just a stolen set of photos off the web), be worried.


I hope this helps prevent fraud. I have not read a guide of this sort on eBay and I feel it is needed. Not all fake guitars up for sale are in auctions based in China. There are plenty of these fake guitars already here for sale in the USA. Be careful and safe and be educated.

All the best,
Shawn, Retroaficionado.