Francis and the fake Bullseye Les Paul

December 27th, 2011

Here’s an email from Francis;

 

So, here’s where my story started:

I want a Zakk Wylde Les Paul badly! Found this link on a national CL search.
Turns out they’re a pawn shop NY. I’m in NC.Thought $2500 was a fair price  - one just sold on eBay for $2250.
Called the number. We agreed on $2150 including shipping, and he said we could use eBay and PayPal.
That night, I stumbled across Fibsons, and noticed a Zakk Wylde section, and the large serial # of a fake one caught my eye. Funny. I thought it looked like the same serial # of the one I’m going to buy. I checked, it wasn’t, but I immediately realized mine looked almost identical to this fake one.
Called the next morning, and instead of giving my credit card, I asked them to send me photos – especially of the headstock. (I’m attaching those photos in this email.)
Here’s the email I sent them. Haven’t heard back.
Thanks for saving me, Fibsons!!
- Francis
(PS – if my story makes your blog, please let me know – love to tell this pawn shop they’re famous)
Not sure about making the pawn shop famous Francis, infamous maybe. You are right, the guitar is a counterfeit and is still, (as of Boxing Day 2011) listed for sale at a Gibson price, they often sell for $300 new from the Chinese factories. Buyer beware.
There’s plenty of info on the counterfeit Gibson Zakk Wylde guitars, for a start they should have a three piece neck, which this copy does not.

Posted in Les Paul, Les Paul Custom, Zakk Wylde

Zakk Attack! Another Zakk Wylde Bullseye.

September 5th, 2009

Sometimes it feels like I should call this website fibs-zakkwyldecustom-ons.com due to the huge amount of fake Zakk Wylde Les Paul Custom guitars I get told of and see online. It’s got to be at no. 3 in my chart of things I think are being faked the most, (2 being the Les Paul Supreme and 1 being my wife’s interest as I ramble on about that vintage Les Paul Jr I just have to have).

Anyhoo, bear with me while I plough/plow through this once again.

fakezakk49

The knobs should be speed dials, not top hats with silver inserts, I suspect the EMG’s are fake but anyway there should not be a pick up selector switch surround, (the plastic circle with Rhythm and Lead on it), the fretboard should be ebony, not what appears to be rosewood. Looking at the back we see the “Gibson” decal on the pots cavity cover, this may as well say, “This is a counterfeit Gibson guitar, bad luck, you’ve been had, don’t you feel a goose”. Why? Because a real Gibson guitar does not have that sticker on it, but most of the fakes do.

fakezakk49headstock

Looking at the front of the headstock; The Gibson logo is in the wrong font and at the wrong angle, the split diamond inlay looks like it was done in fourth grade shop, the tuners are fake and the truss rod cover is too close to the nut. Over on the back we see that it has a fake serial number and has Made In USA imprinted into it, (it should not), Zakk’s Silhouette isn’t quite right and the shape of the headstock is incorrect. The truss rod cover is also a giveaway as the fonts are wrong and the words on it are wrong.

Check out more Zakk Wylde fakes on Fibsons.com by visiting the Zakk Wylde category, (link at the top of the page at the bottom right of the banner).

Posted in Custom Shop, Les Paul, Les Paul Custom, Zakk Wylde

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