The older copies of the Les Paul Supreme, (see here, here, here and here) were very easy to spot if you could see the back of them as they had pot cavity covers, (the bits of plastic you see on the back of a Les Paul), the real ones do not.
The newer breed of fake Les Paul Supremes have now adopted this design, though how that makes it financially viable to these grifters is beyond me, I guess the wood underneath the photo copied flame top laminate must be pretty average. Fortunately most have a flat back like the one pictured above. Some though do not, (see further down) but they share many of the same flaws that a regular fake Les Paul has so picking them out is still fairly straightforward.
John, a Lt. in the United States Naval Academy, (who’s full name I am happy to reveal if he wishes), sent in one he spotted on eBay (above).
As you can see the back does not have the tell tale covers on it and it also appears carved, but there are other inconsistencies we can look at that tell us it’s a fake.
As John says, “…the fretboard looks to be rosewood”, not the case on a real Supreme. Also look at that headstock (above left), now look at it again and compare it to the picture of a real one next it. You see, it’s different.
Thanks for the tip off John, a lot of people find these new fake Supremes harder to spot.
