How to Spot a FAKE Gibson in Seconds! 

The direction of the saddle adjustment screws is not an indication of anything. Lots of people turn them around to suit their preference.

It is very easy to know real from fake! What you do is pick it up and play it, if it stays in tune that means it is fake

I bet the pawn shop is still asking for 1800

Although they are usually removed during the process of refretting a guitar, a new Gibson Les Paul (that has neck binding) will have fret nibs. The neck binding has a little bump on each end of the fret that blends into the fret ends. It's the first thing I look for when checking out used Gibsons.

It probably stayed in tune - a dead giveaway

Informative and fun to watch. Great job, Ken. Thanks!

That is one of the worst headstock jobs, especially the very top, that I have ever had the misfortune of seeing. The curves on the top arent even symmetrical! Best thing to do with that guitar is to throw it in a burn barrel.

That guitar is a chibson from quite a few years ago. The newer ones are made better but still shit.

I liked the video! Thanks man. I noticed the inlays were off in terms of shape as well as the gaps between materials. Very helpful. Keep on rocking man -subscribed!

The biggest giveaway, is that there is no such thing as a Goldtop Les Paul Custom.

I bought a Chinese Gibson Les Paul Replica 1960 RO Heritage Cherry Sunburst from a Seller on Ebay and it is AWESOME! All the details are very accurate from the binding, the headstock shape, the fret inlays, the real flame maple top is 2 piece and nicely matched, the neck shape is right 60's slim taper. All I changed was the Tuning keys to Grover Vintage Deluxe with Keystone aged keys, and I had a complete Epiphone wiring harness installed with Epiphone Alnico Pro Humbuckers and full size pots.( my little secret) and a bone nut. I I could'nt be happier with this guitar. All in at $575 ish dollars. It plays really nice and sounds sweet. I could'nt be happier with this guitar. Very well worth the money I have put into it.

The counterfeiters viewed this video and stepped up their game.

Thx Ken for the great info with the Gibson and Fender guitars, alot of things i did not know, and will help me in the future, great vid,

Thank you. I learned a lot. I'll keep an eye out for you.

I lol'd when i saw the headstock

man that's not cool for people who don't know that fake guitars exist

My gibson has 3 screws on the top...... Wait a minute.... Aww crap!

Where do the Gibson Les Paul junior electric guitar have the serial number? does anyone know? Thank you

Inlays are also not traps for the Customs; they are supposed to be full rectangles. Good video.

great video, I learnt a lot. Thanks.

Thanks for the tutorial. It may help me from getting stung.

Good stuff, it's fun being able to reference the fake one to a real one i bought new from guitar center

You mentioned the binding where the neck joins the body. I have seen real Gibson's with very poor finishing around the neck joint. You should also have mentioned the fret binding, Gibson binding covers the end of the frets, but there was nothing to compare it with. Still a good video, and useful in spotting a fake. Thanks

Sir iwant to buy telecaster plj suggest me and is it psoble to buy direct from america to india

Thanks for the tips! I own an older Epiphone SG and it seems to be of higher quality of the knock off and the Epiphone in your video.

God bless you! I was looking in the moment about buying one Gibson that by the stuff you told on video, it has almost everything on it.

Thank you Kennis! Your video is very helpful. Peace, TC

Kennis, kick ass job. Here is my one comment on these types of videos. They are super helpful to the buyer and help them avoid being ripped off for serious coin. At the same time, we have pointed out the fakes and the fakers have improved the fakes! this is one where the fakers realized the logo problems, fixed one of them but introduced another. What is really stupid is why Gibson is fighting the fakes instead of just saying buy our guitars with a warranty. Gibson is creating their own problem here in a major way.

Good advice EXCEPT for his comment about the bridge on a fake and a authentic Gibson. He failed to mention that the bridge on a authentic Gibson can be easily put on backwards. My friend Carl recently bought a Gibson LP (1980) from a music store, then came across this video and freaked out really bad because everything checked out except for the bridge. He called me because I own several Gibson and Gibson LP's, to check it out. The previous owner had turned the bridge around backwards on the Gibson guitar. Easily fixed but this video needs a little more info added.

What if the "Standard" plate is blank? It's a 2020 Les Paul Standard with a plain black plate?

Good to know! Thank you Kennis Russell!

That headstock looks like Bart Simpson's hair on Easter Sunday. I hope to God you pointed this out to them, if they sold that to anyone gullible enough they could get in trouble for fraud at those prices. I wouldn't pay $ 200 for that thing.

You can flip those bridges and saddles, so that is not a good indicator.

Why is the dot above the "i' on the red Gibson logo badly misaligned on the real one??? Is that normal???

Cheers for this. I was brought here because of someone selling a Gibson Les Paul Classic 1960s re-issue. His very cheap asking price however, had me doubting whether it was a real gibson or not. Now after watching this, and flicking back and forth between this video and the sellers photos, I can say with some confidence that it is a real gibson that he is selling 👍

What would you find out if you tried matching the serial number?

Most of these examples are obvious, but the neck binding not meeting the body binding I've seen on lots of Gibsons surprisingly. In the last few years every time I've checked, the Gibsons I've tried with binding have had some kind of weirdness whether it be not meeting at all or meeting at the very end. These were all from 2013-2016 models though (I only checked for a short while after I noticed my Epiphone did it perfectly) and I haven't had the luxury of trying a vintage Les Paul nor have I checked on the newest ones.

In the last two years the Chibsons got WAY better. With some of them it's almost impossible to tell if they're fake or not.

Would this also work for spotting a fake SG?

I had no idea thank you for the lesson.ive been dreaming about a Gibson 339. For over 2years.love from Dekalb Co Tennessee

Helped a lot, thanks man

Thankyou heaps. Great video.

That Epiphone Custom is a better guitar than that Gibson. Oh, and a little side note, the Chinese are notorious for stealing the serial numbers from real guitars in videos just like this to use on their Chibsons, so blurring out serial numbers, or at least a part of them, is a kindness to the manufacturers that they're ripping off. Good video, sir, subscribed.

If I am not mistaken, a Les Paul "Custom" has block inlays (like the Epiphone in the video) and also the large decorative inlay (also like the Epiphone.) The fake Les Paul in the video was a copy of a Les Paul Standard with a truss rod cover that says custom.

Fret edge binding is another thing to look for as well, though Gibson are doing some models recently that haven't had the nibs on the fret ends. That headstock though, at least somebody didn't get stung by paying the price that was on it before you noticed this.

at 0:32 , that blonde looking les paul with black binding and inlays, what model is that?

Thanks for the info.

I know a place that sells fake gibsons which is not the main problem. The main problem is that they claim that they are real gibsons. Where can I report that ?

Quickest way to tell is that the binding on the edges of the fretboard overlays the fret wire ends. This is on all Les Paul models except the cheaper models. The binding is put on over sized then filed down to the fret leaving a little nib on the end of the fret wire.

what pawn shops are you going to that have nice amps? the ones here in utah always have trash 10W solid state amps

thanks for this, very helpful

Gibson 'Nashville' T-o-M bridges have the screws facing rearward but Gibson ABR-1 T-o-M bridges - which is the type copied for the counterfeits - have the saddle adjustment screws facing forward.

Couldn't the bridge be turned around and set up tho? because I have a Classic and everything checked out except for the bridge is on backwards.

If the truss rod cover has only one screw, is it fake?

I recall that a genuine Gibson Les Paul’s neck binding covers the fret ends. The exception to this would be the Studio model or the unusual models, e.g., the BFG Les Paul from about 10 years ago, with no binding on the guitar body or neck. Since Curle and company rescued Gibson from the Mad King Henry J., that binding over the fret ends may have changed. I mention this as I’ve been told that not all sub models of the Les Paul cover the fret ends with the neck binding, however I’ve not seen any where the fret end was on top of the neck binding.

I used a Broomstick as a Guitar when I was a kid...and now i'm saving for a fender precision!!

Also a LP Custom has a pearl inlay at the first fret!

I think the easiest way to tell is the pickup ring screws. Even Epiphone has regular pickguard screws that you would find on a fender on the pickup rigns. The gibson ones are most of the time black, and the head of the screw is flat. I think thats the fastest way to tell and it is often overlooked.

Thank you for this info. I was checking mine just now as I watched this and am glad to say mine's real! Whewww I bought it online and just wanted to make sure. Thanks a lot.

Can you make a video on how to spot a real Dean Dime-bag ML from a fake one?

When I lived in Houston, I used to have an Epiphone LP Custom that really, really looked like that one on the video. All the same scratches and oxidation on the gold pieces. It would be funny if it was the same one! Good video.

The direction of the intonation screws on a Tune-o-matic bridge isn't necessarily a sign a guitar is fake. They come from the factory with the screws facing the neck and are sometimes flipped during a setup to give the saddles more travel space.

I agree with all of your comments with the exception of the bridge. In some cases, people flip the bridge if the US made guitars have intonation problems and run out of screw travel. Also, take a look the fret ends. The binding should cover the fret ends. The biggest blunder on the one is the logo. It looks as if it was made on a copy machine.

How can I make my epiphone Les Paul into a Gibson Les Paul by changing the headstock?

hey thanks for the valuable information !

Is the blonde next to the voodoo a Gibson?

How much were they selling it for?

if someone was to buy a used Gibson what year should they be looking at ? I've heard some people say that the newer Gibson aren't made as well. I have been trying to decide between a high end epiphone LP or a bottom end Gibson. I don't have 2k to spend on a guitar.

The Mandalorian's voice... thanks for the valuable information!

Don’t all Les Paul Custom models have block inlays starting on the first fret as opposed to the trapezoid starting on the third? That caught my eye right away.

Can you make a video to show a real ibanez jem and a fake jem ?? Can you do it please

I go to that pawn shop all the time. Nice. Glad to come across some one that lives to close to me.

I play a PRS, so I didn't study a lot of other guitar types. I'm looking for a backup guitar just in case a string snaps on my SE 245 before a concert again.

Really great video, thanks very much.🇬🇧🎶😎

Also, if no one else mentioned or noticed, a Gibson Les Paul Custom has block neck inlays (see the Epiphone Custom for your example), NOT trapezoid!

First things you should look at are the bridge posts then the position of the control knobs then the truss rod cover...

The open book shape on the headstock looks like it was cut by a blind turkey !

The truss rod is a good indicator of real vs fake as well. The pots too.

Very educational vid. 👍

Really enjoyable Kennis, is it too much to ask to cover a few Bass Guitars please?

i wonder if you called the people in the Pawn Shop out on it being fake

Yes your channel is back

Great video man

Wish for a review on that Voodoo!!! Thanks for the info

All GIbson truss rods have a nut on them, not a allen key. That is the fastest way to tell. remove one truss rod cover screw and take a look swinging the cover to one side. If it has an allen key, it's a fake!

You forgot about the Gibson neck binding runs even with the fret or is part of the fret end, and dressed

I have a 70$ knockoff Les Paul jr. and I have upgraded with a Seymour Duncan new tuners and strap locks it plays great and has been upgraded and is a different guitar in general

This makes me feel relieved

A lot of folks will flip the bridges so they can access the adjustment screws to their preference. Of course this requires that the intonation be re-calibrated. So, that may not be the sure sign of a fake in and of itself. Thanks for the video.

Very informative

What did the pawn shop owner say when you were making the video. Did he take the fake off the shelf and cut his losses?

great video man!! 🖒🖒

I have a 2009 Les Paul standard, the twin of No.2, proper factory fitted Grovers which were an option, no pick guard, I hate ‘em on LP’s. I spotted the fake straightaway. For me the binding was all wrong, I’ve never seen an LP like that. Don’t forget the binding colour as well. The original binding and pick-up surrounds of Gibsons were slightly pink in colour due to the fact that at the time that was the only colour plastic you could get as it was a new thing. Since then Gibson have faithfully recreated that colour, why I don’t know, other colours would look good too. The inlays were bad I dunno, it just didn’t look right to me. If I saw it in a shop I’d either walk right past it or ask why they stuck £1000 on the price of a £300 guitar.

Great video! Definitely came in handy when I ordered my LP custom! The quickest way I've noticed for spotting a fake is the bridge screws, the real LP are flat and the fakes have flat head screws in them. Did you tell the owner it was a fake? If so I bet he was PISSED!

So are these differences worth $1000+???

Great info, but the orientation of the bridge has nothing to do with if it's fake or not. Traditionally, ABR-1 Bridges point upward and the Nashville bridges point down.

As a proud owner of a Gibson Les Paul Classic, I could tell just by looking at the headstock logo.

i have bought several real les puals new, 2 had the screws on the bridge pointing towards the pickups, 1 was facing away, and all 3 were the real deal and fresh from gibson. that is 100% not a way to tell if it was a fake. also, most owners switch the bridge so the screws are facing away from the pickups when they change strings for the first time.....cause it makes sense to have it that way.

you missed that gibson have a 18° angle headstocks vs the chipson and epiphone prob. be 14°

This guy reminds me a little bit of a certain Glenn Tilbrook (Squeeze) No bad thing cos Glenn is a British legend, great song writer and underrated guitarist.