one for the fake police...

underdog

ICBM;469342" said:

I'm not sure about the fingerboard inlays or the contouring on the back - I've never seen those on a Gibson. (Which doesn't mean they've never been used!) The headstock shape looks wrong in the front photo but OK from the back so it may be a photo artifact.

As well as I can see in those pics on a phone, the switch and the bridge (even though the intonation must be horrendous!) look OK, and they're some of the usual giveaways.

The mark on the back near the heel looks like it might have been made by the top edge of an A-frame stand reacting with the finish, which would indicate nitro and hence probably genuine.

All guesswork to an extent, without better pics or the guitar in hand though.

I've seen the inlays before, and the contour, I think this could be what they called a junior special at one point, a combination of both models.

ICBM

Possibly! I thought they all had dots or small blocks not small crowns, but I may be thinking of one of the other models.

I missed the bit about it being resprayed too, so you can't infer anything from the finish, or even the contour - it could have been done aftermarket if it isn't normal. (And it might be!)

WezV

Its very similar to the junior lite or specal DC (obviously SC though).  

 

You never know with gibson though.   I had a 335 here I knew to either be a genuine gibson or a very very good copy, all the gibson forums claimed it was a potential fake as it had an unusal serial number and the wrong label inside actually applied twice to look especially dodgy.  Gibson themselves said the serial number was not one of theirs

 

I did more research, it turned out to be a special run for Yamato (japanese dealer) and I found a few other examples from the same run.   It was only after I had found all this evidence that gibson actually admitted the serial number was genuinely one of theirs and the guitar was "probably genuine"

 

 

impmann

Gibson did do a run of LP specials with 'half crown' inlays - I can't remember for sure about the belly cut though. Like ICBM says, without it in my hands I wouldn't like to say for sure.

GuitarMonkey

@10thumbs said:

What about this one ?

Looks iffy to me.

Genuine Gibson there, might be worth stripping and oiling at that price?

10thumbs

It was the inlays that made me think it was a wrong`un .

Anyway , Gibbo or not , I don`t like it ,

 a bit like a Les Paul with a maple board ............. just wrong !

Garthy

WezV said:

You never know with gibson though.   I had a 335 here I knew to either be a genuine gibson or a very very good copy, all the gibson forums claimed it was a potential fake as it had an unusal serial number and the wrong label inside actually applied twice to look especially dodgy. 

 

 

I've found with a few Gibson/Epiphone forums that the membership are constantly calling anything owned by a newbie as a fake. It reminds me of some car forums with the members worrying themselves and potential buyers into a lather about funny noises, not quite matching panels and something not looking right in the engine bay and the badge on the back is ever so slightly wonky. It's funny how clicking that big red X in the top right hand corner cures that mystery rattle on left hand turns.

WezV

Oh yeah, I expect it on forums. But the fact Gibson themselves couldn't identify a 3 year old guitar by the serial number had me worried for a while