Post a picture opost a picture of your fake gibson

**woodyboyd** · Dec-31-2007, 12:08am

Just my 2 cents, but Gibson© has bigger problems then this thread and whatever fake mando's may be in/or on the market, like...Quality control and price:D. Most of the "fakes" I have heard and/or played were far better then new ones at ten grand a pop.

**Desert Rose** · Dec-31-2007, 1:23am

LOTS of voodoo and mis information here

This is NOT Nazi Germany and no matter what Gibson would like to float about voodoo if anyone thinks the mandolin police can come knocking at your door and demand your mandolin

They better take a LONG read at a couple of related documents

The Constitution of the United Statede of America

Bil of Rights

For starters, these trump anything dreamed up in Nashville

Its quite illegal to make a copy, once it is in the hands of a customer, its still an illegal copy BUT Henry must abide by the above documents no matter what he thinks

You can post the pictures all you want of YOUR copy without fear.

You can even say you have a copy, nobody has the right to enter your home and ask, look or question withour legal search warranty and due process

End of story

Just to add a bit of bona fides to my statements, between 1980 and 1984 I was the senior masterbuilder of Fender Musical Instriments

One of my jobs was to work closely with the CBS Patent and Trademark legal authorities (VERY elite group)When ever a fake Fender was aquired it was my job to instruct the legal minds of the exact points about the instrument in order to asses the legal proceedings to be taken

I learned from the Trademark holders side exactly what they can and CANT do, and what the worrys are from these lawyers side if the copyier gets a smart lawyer what they better not try and do

**f5loar** · Dec-31-2007, 3:03am

I see there was a genuine "fake" Loar F5 made by MKKirk stolen here in NC yesterday. Looks like his fakes have gotten considerably better after 25 years of practice. Photo posted in the cafe ads if someone can repost it here. Sure hope the theif doesn't try to pass it off as the real deal. How do you spot a fake in 1000 words or less? Don't think I could do that.
Once you've been around over a hundred of the real ones it becomes easier to spot the fakes from a distance. The hardest fake to detect these days is the new Gibson DMM models but I guess they aren't really fakes. But that may be determined by your definition of the word "is" is!

**nolady** · Dec-31-2007, 4:06am

mandolins and guitars are like teenage girls. they all look alike to me. wouldn't know a fake from a real

**MikeEdgerton** · Dec-31-2007, 9:05am

Originally Posted by (nolady @ Dec. 31 2007, 04:06)

mandolins and guitars are like teenage girls. they all look alike to me. wouldn't know a fake from a real

I ain't going there. In actuality darn near every F5 copy is a fake Gibson in a sense, if Gibson isn't chasing down the private builders and the pacrim builders, I don't think they are going to be concerned about a few copies made over the years, then again I do have an eraser on my pencil.

**Tom C** · Dec-31-2007, 9:47am

They are not fakes. -Just replicas.

**f5loar** · Dec-31-2007, 1:10pm

Geniune authentic exact duplicates

**woodyboyd** · Dec-31-2007, 7:20pm

Originally Posted by (f5loar @ Dec. 31 2007, 13:10)

Geniune authentic exact duplicates #

...but better

**wantaloar** · Dec-31-2007, 8:08pm

Since this thread was started to show how to tell a fake Gibson from a real one I am going to post a number of Real Vs. Fake photos so you dont get duped. These are a few areas to look for, but certainly not all of the ways to detect an impostor

-Peghead Front and Back should be Maple Dyed Black. Not EBONY WOOD like this fake.

-The" Modeling" of the carved shape of both front and back are not correct.
The circle that is formed at the end of the scroll should continue its "circle like shape", not oblong or egg shaped such as this fake

-The scroll begins to "rise" at the sides farther from the end unlike a real Gibson

-The linings that secure the top and back to the sides are mahogany instead of basswood which Gibson used during the 1920's

-The label appears to be tampered with, note the changed numbers and the 8 which appears to have been added

-The top and back were removed at one point (look next to the binding on this side view)

I hope this is just the beginning of more detailed photos documenting these fakes. Good Luck and always have it checked out by an expert whenever in doubt. Thanks Sam
Here is the Fake F Scroll

**wantaloar** · Dec-31-2007, 8:09pm

Real F scroll

**wantaloar** · Dec-31-2007, 8:11pm

Fake Headstock with ebony wood

**wantaloar** · Dec-31-2007, 8:13pm

Real headstock with Dyed maple wood

**wantaloar** · Dec-31-2007, 8:15pm

Scroll beginig at the sides rather than at the 12 oclock position Fake

**wantaloar** · Dec-31-2007, 8:16pm

Real scroll on a real Gibson

**wantaloar** · Dec-31-2007, 8:17pm

Side of FAKE top and back removed

**wantaloar** · Dec-31-2007, 8:19pm

Side of Real Gibson

**wantaloar** · Dec-31-2007, 8:19pm

Fake label

**wantaloar** · Dec-31-2007, 8:21pm

Back of FAKE headstock (Ebony)

**wantaloar** · Dec-31-2007, 8:22pm

Back of headstock (Real)

**wantaloar** · Dec-31-2007, 8:25pm

Fake label Close-up

**wantaloar** · Dec-31-2007, 8:32pm

Lining FAKE with mahogany instead of Basswood.

Last one Thanks Sam

**wantaloar** · Dec-31-2007, 8:51pm

FAKE Gibson Script

**wantaloar** · Dec-31-2007, 8:52pm

REAL Gibson Script

**f5loar** · Dec-31-2007, 10:39pm

Standing the 2 side by side would be of great help in seeing an overall difference. With a label like this one it was meant to fool someone. You are comparing a mid 20 Fern fake to an early 20's flowerpot so harder to compare details in inlay however I see the fake did not use the "tit"on the "T" or the dot over the "i".

**Stephanie Reiser** · Jan-01-2008, 5:50am

Boy, I never realized that some of those fakes went so far as to make a counterfit label. To me, it is one thing to build a Gibson "look-alike" for your own amusement, or whatever . It is totally different to counterfit that label in an attempt to actually fool someone for capital gain. Hopewfully THOSE days are over with.