March 27th, 2010
While commenting on these fake Gibson guitars I often mention frets going over the binding being a giveaway, or the wiring being really bad or the hardware placement being incorrect, but be aware that that is not always a giveaway. The guitars I have pointed out have been advertised for sale as new and therefore it’s easy for me to say that one of the many reasons that such and such is a fake is the bad wiring, or the hardware is wrong etc. However, If the guitar is getting on a bit, maybe a re-fret is done and the new frets appear over the binding. In the world of guitar customisation/customization, people like to rip the guts out of their gear and install new pickups, a different bridge, hell, maybe slap a Floyd Rose tremolo system on there, so you can’t rely on these differences when deciding the authenticity of a used instrument.
The really easy way to know if your looking at a cheap, mass produced, fake Gibson is not always possible from a photo, because it’s all about the angle of the headstock.
A real Gibson guitar should have a headstock angle of 17 degrees, there is however always an exception to the rule, in Gibson’s case there was a period where the angle was reduced to 14 degrees. Be aware though that a replica Gibson built by a professional luthier probably does have this angle, so the angle rule should not be used to authenticate, just to refute.
There was going to be a joke here based on a double entendre; ”it’s all about the angle”, but quite frankly it was childish and not that funny, I’ll just leave it at that.
Posted in Acoustic, Blueshawk, Custom Shop, EDS-1275, ES 335, Explorer, Firebird, Flying V, Les Paul, SG | Comments Off
June 10th, 2009
The Gibson Flying V, seen by many as a metal guitar but loved by those in the know because it is a rock n’ roll machine. Don’t forget Hendrix used a V, he had a few of them, the king of UK glam rock Marc Bolan used to spank one and blues legend Albert King loved his V so much that it is etched onto his tombstone. Apart from the great tone that can be coaxed out of these guitars the prices are usually pretty good, due partly to people thinking they are not cool, for me it’s about the tone and feel of that v profile neck that got me into them, a greatly underestimated guitar. This Flying V was doing the rounds on eBay.
From a distance all seems good, a late 70′s or 80′s style headstock, (over the skinnier ’67 reissues that are currently produced), 70′s style knobs, a nice heritage red finish (sadly not available at the moment) and what appears to be a much older style case. All appears to be pointing to a 70′s model.
A look at the truss rod cover starts to show signs that all is not well. The Gibson logo is not correct, the logo should be the usual one you see on nearly all Gibson guitars. On the back another pointer to this being a fake, this Flying V has a bolt on neck, now contrary to popular belief there have been some Gibson guitars with bolt on necks, the Marauder (with Flying V style headstock) and the Challenger spring to mind but the Flying V has never had this configuration so it’s easy to tell that this is a fake. For lots of great information on the Gibson Flying V check out The Gibson Flying V Website.
Posted in Flying V | Comments Off
