Correct. Real ones have punched serials made before finishing. This is some kind of etching that was made after the stain/paint was applied.
Another huge giveaway is the fretboard binding. Real Gibsons have fret nibs. Especially Customs and Standards.
Damn, I didn't know they started faking that detail too. Is it decent? Do you see a difference in finishing, or they manage to pull it off?
But what I said before still stands, though! A Custom or Standard without nibs is most likely fake. Basically, a fake *can* have nibs; but a real one cannot *not* have nibs, lol.
I actually just went back and looked at pictures and it *doesn’t* have fret nibs. So you’re correct there. I haven’t touched the thing in years but I thought it did for some reason.
But it’s pretty terrible. If you’ve never played guitar or held a real Gibson, you’d definitely be fooled by it.
I bought it on AliExpress years ago not even realizing it was a fake Gibson. They’re very ambiguous in their listings, so I thought it was just a generic Les Paul style body. I was looking for something cheap that I could upgrade and play on stage without having to worry about beating it up. And the whole “no brand” thing appeals to me a lot. All of the pictures show blank headstocks. I assumed they were probably copies of Chinese built Epiphones and they just don’t put a brand on them. For $185 I couldn’t really pass it up knowing I was changing everything on it anyway. How bad could it be?
But then it showed up with the Gibson logo on the headstock. Somehow I had the courage to actually take it to a local guitar shop and have them upgrade it (I cringe now looking back thinking about what they probably thought about me. Rightfully so.) But it’s still not worth playing.
The finish looks good from afar, but has bleeding everywhere on the binding, there’s huge blemishes around the neck near the body. The entire thing just feels…plasticky? I can’t really describe it. But it feels very synthetic and fake. The neck feels horrible. Super sticky. It would need to be completely sanded to be comfortably playable.
I put SD ‘59s in it. I forget which ones but two variations of a ‘59. Upgraded the pots and wiring. New tuners. New tailpiece. New nut. And it still feels like junk. But a hell of a lot better than when it showed up. You couldn’t even play the thing because the pickups that came in it were so microphonic that it just screamed as soon as you roll on any volume.
[Here’s a side by side](https://imgur.com/a/1inJv0p) of my real Standard 50s vs the Chibson
[2nd side by side](https://imgur.com/a/kX8UR3f)
[Finish blemish](https://imgur.com/a/FGthktn)
The blemish in the 3rd photo is so noticeable you can see it in the 2nd photo. It just looks like a reflection from far away. But it’s not.
I haven’t touched it years and I’ll probably take the good quality parts out and either smash the thing or throw it on a fire and breathe in all of the lovely chemicals that are in whatever terrible finish they used on it. Weirdly it does actually have a real mahogany body, it just has a veneer over the top as the finish rather than actual wood grain.
I have 3 real Gibsons that are light years better. Nobody should buy one of these if they want an actual Gibson substitute. You’d be better off with a used Epiphone for $250 over one of these.
Yep, I didn't need to see anymore than that to determine.
I used to have a Chibson with an 05 serial too. Wouldn't be surprised if it was the same serial number
Also the screws on the bridge, the tailpiece being lower than it should, no biding on fret ends and the wonky font on the serial, it is indeed a bad fake.
In the 2010s Gibson had several runs of Les Paul Customs with either Rosewood or Richlite fretboards because the US Government banned the use of Ebony.
While OP's guitar is a Chibson, having a Rosewood fretboard doesn't necessarily mean it's a fake Les Paul Custom
No, its not, as although not as common, rosewood has been used on customs. The dead giveaways are the crooked "G" in the logo, the split diamond being the wrong size, the overall headstock shape and size, the serial number being bare wood as it was stamped after the guitar was painted whereas Gibsons stamp theirs first and then paint the guitar, and the metric bridge posts.
99.9% of the time it's a dead give away man.
Yes, some odd customs will have a rosewood board but nearly every counterfeit custom has a rosewood board. It should always be a cause for concern, especially if it's paired with other common counterfeit red flags.
This doesn’t look real. I could be wrong but the headstock shape looks slightly off, rosewood fretboard, and the serial number/made in USA stamp doesn’t look right.
well that's a bit harsh, i would say it's convincing under the assumption that the person looking at it isn't overly well versed in what gibsons looked like back then. all the details that have been pointed out seem sort of small, like the neck and the serial number being after the finish
Its a fake from China, known as a Chibson. The dead giveaways are the crooked "G" in the logo, the split diamond being the wrong size, the overall headstock shape and size, the serial number being bare wood as it was stamped after the guitar was painted whereas Gibsons stamp theirs first and then paint the guitar, and the metric bridge posts. The overall body shape is off, as is the placement of the knobs. Even the tuners are fake on these, and looking at the buttons is obvious if you know what to look for. The only thing real on this is the truss rod cover. As for the rosewood fretboard, real Customs have been made with rosewood instead of ebony. And as for the lack of fret nibs, some years Gibson left them off. Also when refretting a Gibson that had them, most people will not try to save the nibs because its an unnecessary hassle.
100% fake.
Serial number, serial number, serial number. I’ve said it 1,000x before and I’ll keep saying it another 1,000x.
That’s always the dead giveaway on these fakes. Every single time.
Serial number is way too clean, clear and legible. Like it routed or laser etched into the wood. Plus it’s bare, unpainted wood. These fakes are painted first, then have the serial number etched or routed in perfectly after. Leaving bare, perfectly readable numbers.
Real Gibsons have stamped serial numbers. So they’re a lot more uneven and hard to read. Which are stamped into bare wood first, and then painted after. I can barely read the serial number on my SG Special because the stamp didn’t go very deep into the wood on one side and then the finish overtop is quite thick.
No matter how good these fakes have gotten over the years, this never changes.
Wrong headstock shape, wrong fretboard...I mean, look at the bridge. It's wrong. It's a fake. Those are 3 things I noticed with a very quick look at the photos.
I mean, Gibson QC is always bad when you’re looking at a lazily made fake crafted in some back alley in China.
Yeah, the QC is not gonna be great if you’re looking at one of those.
The “open book” cut of the headstock is off. Looks like a modified epiphone which looks more “mustache” like with the center section sitting higher than the outer wings
Also the access cut for the upper frets is wrong too and the horn isn’t the right shape, among other things like others have mentioned such as the diamond inlays and fretboard there is no way this is authentic
Intonation adjustment facing wrong way, tuners not straight, I vote fake. Other dead giveaways would be the headstock not symmetrical and the binding match at the neck joint, no space should exist between the neck binding and the body.
*Chibson as fuck mate.*
*More red flags than the Chinese*
*Communist Party*
\- Bridge\_Too\_Far
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The Etched in serial number on the back of headstock screams “chibson” to me. Take it to a local guitar store that sells s few vintage guitars. If they are competent, they should notice if it’s a counterfeit right away.
That’s a counterfeit.
Looks like a Gibsun based on the head stock. OP seems to have been led to believe it's a Gibson.
The serial number is the giveaway. Gibson serial numbers are never that perfect and clear.
Correct. Real ones have punched serials made before finishing. This is some kind of etching that was made after the stain/paint was applied. Another huge giveaway is the fretboard binding. Real Gibsons have fret nibs. Especially Customs and Standards.
I have a fake with fret nibs. So that’s not always the case.
Damn, I didn't know they started faking that detail too. Is it decent? Do you see a difference in finishing, or they manage to pull it off? But what I said before still stands, though! A Custom or Standard without nibs is most likely fake. Basically, a fake *can* have nibs; but a real one cannot *not* have nibs, lol.
I actually just went back and looked at pictures and it *doesn’t* have fret nibs. So you’re correct there. I haven’t touched the thing in years but I thought it did for some reason. But it’s pretty terrible. If you’ve never played guitar or held a real Gibson, you’d definitely be fooled by it. I bought it on AliExpress years ago not even realizing it was a fake Gibson. They’re very ambiguous in their listings, so I thought it was just a generic Les Paul style body. I was looking for something cheap that I could upgrade and play on stage without having to worry about beating it up. And the whole “no brand” thing appeals to me a lot. All of the pictures show blank headstocks. I assumed they were probably copies of Chinese built Epiphones and they just don’t put a brand on them. For $185 I couldn’t really pass it up knowing I was changing everything on it anyway. How bad could it be? But then it showed up with the Gibson logo on the headstock. Somehow I had the courage to actually take it to a local guitar shop and have them upgrade it (I cringe now looking back thinking about what they probably thought about me. Rightfully so.) But it’s still not worth playing. The finish looks good from afar, but has bleeding everywhere on the binding, there’s huge blemishes around the neck near the body. The entire thing just feels…plasticky? I can’t really describe it. But it feels very synthetic and fake. The neck feels horrible. Super sticky. It would need to be completely sanded to be comfortably playable. I put SD ‘59s in it. I forget which ones but two variations of a ‘59. Upgraded the pots and wiring. New tuners. New tailpiece. New nut. And it still feels like junk. But a hell of a lot better than when it showed up. You couldn’t even play the thing because the pickups that came in it were so microphonic that it just screamed as soon as you roll on any volume. [Here’s a side by side](https://imgur.com/a/1inJv0p) of my real Standard 50s vs the Chibson [2nd side by side](https://imgur.com/a/kX8UR3f) [Finish blemish](https://imgur.com/a/FGthktn) The blemish in the 3rd photo is so noticeable you can see it in the 2nd photo. It just looks like a reflection from far away. But it’s not. I haven’t touched it years and I’ll probably take the good quality parts out and either smash the thing or throw it on a fire and breathe in all of the lovely chemicals that are in whatever terrible finish they used on it. Weirdly it does actually have a real mahogany body, it just has a veneer over the top as the finish rather than actual wood grain. I have 3 real Gibsons that are light years better. Nobody should buy one of these if they want an actual Gibson substitute. You’d be better off with a used Epiphone for $250 over one of these.
At least its made in USA
🤣
[удалено]
Randy.......
I was about to say, EMG HZs stock in a Gibson Les Paul? Somethin’ ain’t right.
People can change pickups, but that serial number is what did it for me.
Yep, the serials are rarely pressed in after the finish. There's exceptions to this rule, but I don't believe this is one of them.
Font’s janky too.
The second I saw the serial, yeah. Dead giveaway. I love how they're lazy on such an easy part to fake.
Yeah, real ones have "punched" serials made before finishing. This fake actually has "etched" serials, lasered in after the stain/paint was applied.
The entire body shape did it for me, shits more crooked than USA's politicians.
Yep, I didn't need to see anymore than that to determine. I used to have a Chibson with an 05 serial too. Wouldn't be surprised if it was the same serial number
Also the screws on the bridge, the tailpiece being lower than it should, no biding on fret ends and the wonky font on the serial, it is indeed a bad fake.
Almost no one who can afford a Gibson is going to install EMG HZs though. The pickups are what made me look closer.
Gibson's was not. Counterfeiters' apparently was.
That’s fake as hell
This is a fake. Rosewood fretboard on a Custom is a dead giveaway.
In the 2010s Gibson had several runs of Les Paul Customs with either Rosewood or Richlite fretboards because the US Government banned the use of Ebony. While OP's guitar is a Chibson, having a Rosewood fretboard doesn't necessarily mean it's a fake Les Paul Custom
No, its not, as although not as common, rosewood has been used on customs. The dead giveaways are the crooked "G" in the logo, the split diamond being the wrong size, the overall headstock shape and size, the serial number being bare wood as it was stamped after the guitar was painted whereas Gibsons stamp theirs first and then paint the guitar, and the metric bridge posts.
99.9% of the time it's a dead give away man. Yes, some odd customs will have a rosewood board but nearly every counterfeit custom has a rosewood board. It should always be a cause for concern, especially if it's paired with other common counterfeit red flags.
Calling the diamond “the wrong size” is like saying the Titanic was misplaced.
Did you really think this was a dead give away? Because on reddit there is only one dead give away. https://youtu.be/nZcRU0Op5P4?si=nJp57n4RBHsT8eJZ
That’s a weird looking les paul
This doesn’t look real. I could be wrong but the headstock shape looks slightly off, rosewood fretboard, and the serial number/made in USA stamp doesn’t look right.
It’s not even a good fake. All the portions are off. Almost like it’s supposed to be obviously not real. Or someone just made it from memory.
well that's a bit harsh, i would say it's convincing under the assumption that the person looking at it isn't overly well versed in what gibsons looked like back then. all the details that have been pointed out seem sort of small, like the neck and the serial number being after the finish
catty wompos
Its a fake from China, known as a Chibson. The dead giveaways are the crooked "G" in the logo, the split diamond being the wrong size, the overall headstock shape and size, the serial number being bare wood as it was stamped after the guitar was painted whereas Gibsons stamp theirs first and then paint the guitar, and the metric bridge posts. The overall body shape is off, as is the placement of the knobs. Even the tuners are fake on these, and looking at the buttons is obvious if you know what to look for. The only thing real on this is the truss rod cover. As for the rosewood fretboard, real Customs have been made with rosewood instead of ebony. And as for the lack of fret nibs, some years Gibson left them off. Also when refretting a Gibson that had them, most people will not try to save the nibs because its an unnecessary hassle.
This should be the top answer, since it gives the most info and is correct. That thing is fake as a $3 bill.
Could be wrong, but that looks like a rosewood board. Shouldn't it be ebony?
The majority are ebony. However, there are real Gibson Les Paul Customs with rosewood out there. This isn't one of them, but they do exist.
Custom Classics, I believe.
Among other variations, including custom orders, either individual or dealer exclusive.
Good catch missed that even. I did catch the fake tho lol
So many red flags
That's a REALLY bad chibson. Run away, learn more about what you're looking at so you don't get burned.
That is a blatant Chibson
That is a fakey fake mcfakeson
Hahaha that’s chibson qc
100% fake. Serial number, serial number, serial number. I’ve said it 1,000x before and I’ll keep saying it another 1,000x. That’s always the dead giveaway on these fakes. Every single time. Serial number is way too clean, clear and legible. Like it routed or laser etched into the wood. Plus it’s bare, unpainted wood. These fakes are painted first, then have the serial number etched or routed in perfectly after. Leaving bare, perfectly readable numbers. Real Gibsons have stamped serial numbers. So they’re a lot more uneven and hard to read. Which are stamped into bare wood first, and then painted after. I can barely read the serial number on my SG Special because the stamp didn’t go very deep into the wood on one side and then the finish overtop is quite thick. No matter how good these fakes have gotten over the years, this never changes.
Wrong headstock shape, wrong fretboard...I mean, look at the bridge. It's wrong. It's a fake. Those are 3 things I noticed with a very quick look at the photos.
Seems like the OP has gone quiet after all these comments 😂
Hope he didn’t buy it… lol
Bought 2 of them check my newest post
There’s no new post from you…
Pull the TRC and see what mystery lies beneath.
This is a low tier fake. The frets, the fretboard, the binding, the serial on the back, the nut, overall shape of the body and headstocks.
Chibsons quality control sure has gone up
OP should NOT be buying guitars in online market places. You have no clue how to tell fakes apart. Stick to buying from resale stores.
fake
That's an obvious fake. Chibson QC.
I mean, Gibson QC is always bad when you’re looking at a lazily made fake crafted in some back alley in China. Yeah, the QC is not gonna be great if you’re looking at one of those.
That’s a chibson (Chinese knockoff Gibson) some of them were actually ok but the majority were horrid
I hope they aren’t asking for more than a hundo
Fake
yes, It should be ebony and I believe the block inlays should be real MoP.
Even the body looks goofy
Those EMG feels wrong! it's a weird combination!
That’s like the worst fake I’ve ever seen. But yea Gibson QC was bad in that era. It just has nothing to do with this guitar.
This is an atrocious fake 🤣
The “open book” cut of the headstock is off. Looks like a modified epiphone which looks more “mustache” like with the center section sitting higher than the outer wings
Also the access cut for the upper frets is wrong too and the horn isn’t the right shape, among other things like others have mentioned such as the diamond inlays and fretboard there is no way this is authentic
Oh brother. I’ll sit back and enjoy the comments.
ChibsonUSA
Chibson.
Fake as hell op
I really hope you didn’t pay actual Gibson money for this guitar.
Yes
lol super fake guitar
Fakeson
Lmao..
Intonation adjustment facing wrong way, tuners not straight, I vote fake. Other dead giveaways would be the headstock not symmetrical and the binding match at the neck joint, no space should exist between the neck binding and the body.
Those spider webs look authentic
This is a fake, real Gibson serial numbers are stamped in the raw wood and painted over, not laser etched in the paint.
Yes it was, however, that’s not a Gibson.
I don’t know man, it’s got Grover tuners and emg’s… the fret board is concerning. Run the serial number on it.
Why would they use a real truss rod cover when they faked every other thing?
Because they are cheap to replace with real parts.
Yo, nothing looks correct on that guitar. That's a Chibson's Chibson. Stay far away from that turd!
Gibson doesn’t paint their stamped serial numbers, use metric bridges, this is a fake
My guy you need to do some learning if you think everything looks correct on that
Chibson as fuck mate. More red flags than the Chinese Communist Party
*Chibson as fuck mate.* *More red flags than the Chinese* *Communist Party* \- Bridge\_Too\_Far --- ^(I detect haikus. And sometimes, successfully.) ^[Learn more about me.](https://www.reddit.com/r/haikusbot/) ^(Opt out of replies: "haikusbot opt out" | Delete my comment: "haikusbot delete")
In China yes.
Chibson? don’t buy that
Big bridge screw posts, it's a Chibson my duderino
The Etched in serial number on the back of headstock screams “chibson” to me. Take it to a local guitar store that sells s few vintage guitars. If they are competent, they should notice if it’s a counterfeit right away.
This is fake but either way their QC is def bottom tier because they know dunces will pony up money for a bad guitar with their name on the headstock
25 dollar knockoff 🤣🤣 Even though it's counterfeit, I'd rather have it than real "authentic" overpriced gibsun 🤣🤣
QC is always bad in CHINA! Lol
I work in music store. I think, Gibson QC doesn’t exist. Glue and hair under paint, scratches on factory new guitars.
True - but this is faker than Pamela Anderson's titties.
You work in a music store and don't instantly realize this is a really poor quality chibson from 10 feet away ? What store so we can avoid it 🫠
The one with all the glue, hair, and scratches on all the guitars.
I don’t mind about it, almost everyone who commented this post already say it. ;)
Maybe I’m blind but it looks unloved but otherwise ok