counterfit Les Paul

[petrus61]

I couldn’t care less about the fact that it’s counterfeit, but the minute you roll that thing out in real life in front of people that know better, they’re going to pick you apart much worse that TB ever could. Guitarists are a feral lot. I hope it was worth it.

Also, you paid around $200 for this thing and feel like you got a deal for less than $600? What kind of math is that? If the difference was laid into the setup to get this thing up to snuff, you would have been better off with an Epi to begin with.

 

[bassstrangler]

Ok, you got new tuners, but, bridge, and pickups, and paid a Luther. How much did everything cost, including the guitar and shipping?

I think they said close to 6 bills.

 

[bassstrangler]

The bridge is crooked.

I thought it was too, looking at a real Les Paul, this is now very obvious.

Should of bought an Epiphone, nice ones start at $500.

 

[Cliff Colton]

If I cut the Levys tag off an old bass strap and sew it onto a strap I made myself, is that ok?

 

[bassstrangler]

If I cut the Levys tag off an old bass strap and sew it onto a strap I made myself, is that ok?

Sure, you can even take the red tag off of a pair of Levi's and make yourself a Levys Levi's.

 

[AboutSweetSue]

I’ve got a Fender Jazz Bass that has an assortment of brands on it at this point. I swapped the neck out a year ago. I thought about putting a Fender water slide on it, but I feel that I’d be misrepresenting the brand. I guess it’s personal preference, but I do feel that it takes a lot to build a brand, and I have to respect that.

 

[buldog5151bass]

I think they said close to 6 bills.

Thanks. Was looking, didn't see it.

Really sad.

 

[BadSanta1281]

 

[micguy]

If you think Gibson is “gouging” people for their basses, why would you want their name on your guitar? If I don’t like a company’s business ethics, I certainly wouldn’t go out of my way to pretend that I own one of their products.

I own basses that I built, using licensed parts. I don’t fake decals to pretend someone else built it; I go out of my way to reshape the headstocks and sign them so noone will ever get the wrong idea. I also think of it as a theft deterrent - thieves aren’t as likely to walk off with a bass that has an unrecognizable brand.

What it says on your headstock will never impress me. The sounds your fingers pull out of it are all some of us care about.

 

[jdthebassman]

if you really want to impress your friends smash that Chinese fake at your next gig, they will think, wow he destroyed an expensive les paul

 

[Fialka]

Shouldnt you impess your friends with your playing rather than with a name on a headstock? Arent musical instruments about making music rather than bragging with your acquired new whatever? I dont give a damn about anyone buying and making counterfeits, but it just fels silly to me. You can get very decent epiphone these days, or used gibson and be honest, cant you?

 

[Cliff Colton]

I’d like to buy that guitar and when I’m 85 years old, I’m going to put it up for sale on CL with an ad that reads:

“My son (R.I.P.) worked for Gibson and left this guitar at my house before he ran off with that Chinese girl. I see similar ones on eBay fetching a pretty penny but this one doesn’t work too good so I’m willing to take any reasonable offer just to get it out of here. No trades.”

Then I’m going to sit on my porch and wait for buyers to show up with their complaints about scratchy pots, low ball offers, and broken pedals to trade, trying to rip me off. You gotta have some fun in retirement, right?

 

[AboutSweetSue]

Gotta give it up to Gotoh, that nickel bridge is nice (Or is it really light gold?).

Kinda like the chrome nickel combination. Apparently that occurred quite a bit on early Fenders and whatnot, the mixing of chrome and nickel I mean.

 

[MordBass]

the thing is, the les paul became popular partly because of its sound. you aren't going to get that sound with a counterfeit. btw, my husband bought his less paul in rat condition for $800 used here in l.a. (a 1971 black beauty) and gradually did minor repairs and replacements. it was never pristine - it had mojo, it had wear, it sounded a-freaking-mazing.

Im willing to bet money that you couldnt pick a gibson les paul out of a flock of copies while blindfolded.

 

[The13thFret]

By definition, Its not counterfeit unless you make it counterfeit by doing something shady with it.

 

[MordBass]

Oops. Well their financial troubles have been well documented. No one can claim that they are making bank. I’ll edit my post

Just because the company is failing (from a bunch of stupid ideas they wanted to branch out to)... doesnt mean that they arent greatly overcharging for what they slop together and call a standard les paul.

 

[quindecima]

New strings, tuners, pickups, pots, switch, fret level,I did a lot of the work myself, I'm into it for less than $600.00

 

[pcake]

Im willing to bet money that you couldnt pick a gibson les paul out of a flock of copies while blindfolded.

you could be right, but i know my husband could.

 

[ashtray]

I bought one of the Chinese Les Paul's for $215 shipped... I think that after all this work I probably have a 1K guitar but I don't plan on selling.

Good thing you don’t plan on selling it, because:
A) That would be illegal as it is counterfeit.
B) It’s a $200 guitar. Do whatever you want to it, but it’s still a $200 guitar. If the pickups and tuners are worth more than that, sell those separately - bc attached to the guitar, they lose most of their value.

And point B isn’t because it’s a cheap copy. If you took a $3k Gibson, and put in vintage PAFs and got it Plek’d and whatever else done to it, it wouldn’t be worth more than $3k. In fact, $3k would get you a new one, so a used one, even “upgraded and set up” would be worth less than $3k.

 

[AboutSweetSue]

Im willing to bet money that you couldnt pick a gibson les paul out of a flock of copies while blindfolded.

I don’t know, that crooked truss rod cover is a dead giveaway.