Have Chibsons hurt the used market on Gibsons?

[Matt300ZXT]

I have always wanted a black Les Paul Custom or a triburst Supreme (those Supremes are just so sexy) but I'll never be able to afford/justify one. However, I could justify some Standards or Classics, maybe a Traditional. Anyway, with all the counterfeits and how good they've gotten, I'm afraid to drive 2 or 3 hours or more, or ship one in, on the off chance it's a fake and I catch it, or God forbid, I don't.

For those of you selling Les Pauls, have you noticed it being more difficult to sell one compared to maybe 9 or 10 years ago?

 

[Tim Plains]

They're not that much more than a Standard if you buy used. Personally, I think Supremes are a hard sell because they're somewhat gaudy and most people want traditional Les Pauls.

To answer your question, I think it's the opposite with less fakes being passed as real nowadays thanks to forums like this one. There used to be tons of NGD threads of fake Gibsons where the guy was horrified to find out he was scammed. Not so common anymore.

 

[webs]

I don't know that it would be possible to isolate the influence of those instruments on the used market against all the other factors that have changed in 10 years. We can speculate, but if it's harder to sell now there's a long list of reasons I'd suspect before fakes.

I will say, too, that I recall seeing more fakes 10 years ago than I do now. If you buy from a reputable shop I don't think you've got anything to worry about. Honestly if you do your homework and double-check by posting here or MLP you're not likely to end up with a fake buying from a private sale, either.

 

[67blackcherry]

Definitely buy used!
If you want a Custom, save your $$$ until you can buy a Custom; nothing worse than looking at your new guitar and thinking “I should’ve waited until I could afford what I really wanted...”

PS - call Gibson to verify the s/n of any used LP you’re considering!

 

[Boris Bubbanov]

Dunno if I am in the wrong circles, or something, but I am not seeing people buying fake Gibsons. This outfit called "McKays" in Tennessee trying to sell fake Gibsons and they weren't selling that I could see - only costing them customers who came intended to buy used books and left having bought nothing.

There's no reason to buy counterfeit. If nothing else, you become a Pariah here and at most other Guitar Boards. People excuse themselves and leave the room when you show with the fake. Don't be that guy.

 

[Matt300ZXT]

I actually go to McKay's now and then, I live like 15 minutes from the one in Chattanooga. There's one in Knoxville too, not sure if she opened up one anywhere else. I have seen they sell guitars/basses but have never looked at them too close, they just look like off name brands you'd see in pawn shops and stuff back in the day. I'm there to look at overpriced used DVDs/BluRays and CDs, and occasionally martial arts books or something, not instruments.

 

[Jayyj]

The fakes are usually fairly easy to spot, even if they're a bit better than they were. Basic rule of thumb, if it seems too good to be true then tread carefully, and if you're looking at buying from a platform with no recourse (Craigslist etc) and you're not sure ask on a forum before parting with cash. Reverb seem pretty good at blocking fakes, and Ebay take them down when they're flagged - both will back you up in the unlikely event you get lumbered with one. Shops selling fakes are very few and far between although watch for pawn shops where they're not specialists and due diligence isn't always their strong suit.

The bulk of the Chibsons are bought direct from China knowingly as fakes - the only issue is the odd one that finds its way into the food chain further down and those are your Craigslist candidates. I'm a buyer for a guitar store and I do get them offered to me from time to time, usually as the real thing but they're surprisingly lacking in indignance when I say, yeah, not touching that one thanks.

Basically, long story short buy used from reputable guitar shops or from online platforms with good customer protection and you're pretty safe.

For a budget friendly Custom, check out the Custom Lite: they're thinner than a standard Les Paul (think SG sort of thickness) but they have the look of a Custom from the front and they're fairly affordable. I have an 80s one but they did one fairly recently as well.

 

[PatriotBadger]

Have Chibsons hurt the used market on Gibsons?

Not in the least, but Gibson sure seems to think so.

 

[Boris Bubbanov]

I actually go to McKay's now and then, I live like 15 minutes from the one in Chattanooga. There's one in Knoxville too, not sure if she opened up one anywhere else. I have seen they sell guitars/basses but have never looked at them too close, they just look like off name brands you'd see in pawn shops and stuff back in the day. I'm there to look at overpriced used DVDs/BluRays and CDs, and occasionally martial arts books or something, not instruments.

Yup. The store just off I-75 at the "VW" end of town is the one I used the most. Followed by Knoxville, and then Nashville (over on the west side of town, by I-40).