Spotting PRS fakes...

[Elliot]

Seems a lot easier than spotting Gibson or Fender fakes. I just spent a good amount of time on the Gibson/Epiphone forum investigating a frankenstein looking half gibson/half epiphone Hummingbird. My god it was an exhausting chore looking up serial number decoders, clues about this and that... Hundreds of threads on fake gibson and epiphone guitars

I was immediately thankful for PRS quality control, serial number simplicity, and 70 less years of changes to consider. Seems pretty simple to spot PRS fakes... for now.

 

[alantig]

I'm a PRS fake. And easy to spot, due to my size.

 

[charliefrench]

And when we have spotted a fake, any fake guitar advertised for sale. What to do? Well, we are not duty-bound to do anything but there are other options. Reporting it to the website hosting the sale often requires that we have an account with them so this is not very encouraging but the option is usually there. On places like that famous auction site and similar I have reported countless Gibsons and Fenders. PRS, a good number although not so many as I do not see so many around. My take down rate is about 50 - 50 and decreasing. Where I am unsure or have doubts I leave it alone, or if it concerns me enough I will contact the company directly. Gibson have a 'Report Counterfeit' facility down below on its website homepage where anybody can report the sale of a suspected fake anonymously. I think more companies should do this.

Checking, double checking can be exhausting, like you say. I do occasionally become despondent when no action is taken following my submissions (and it even happens where the listings clearly state they are replicas) and sometimes I think to myself I am not employed by these rich guitar companies so why should I care?

 

[rugerpc]

My first question is... Why would anyone want to make a fake Epiphone??

As for PRS fakes, there are reasons to care. Fakes decrease the value and sale-ability of the real PRS guitars we own. I don't sell guitars often, I tend to keep what I buy. But when it is time to move something, I don't want the hassle of having to prove it is real and the possibility that I can't get it's full used value.

So, reporting fakes to eBay, etc. is absolutely the right thing to do.

There will always be fakes for things of value. Being vigilant is a never ending job.

I also subscribe to the notion that we shouldn't list the things that tell us it's a fake. That leads to revisions in technique by the scammers. Just label it a fake, assert that you are sure, and move in.

 

[Elliot]

My first question is... Why would anyone want to make a fake Epiphone??...

Haha I think its a fake Gibson but the seller is saying the neck is Gibson and the body is Epiphone because she knows something is up.

I agree with everything else you and Charlie said.

I think PRSi will remain the hardest guitars to copy. Even the SE line has so many intricacies and such excellent quality control that fakes will be easy to nail.

 

[charliefrench]

There is profit to made replicating Epiphones. Many people might feel safe buying say an Epiphone Les Paul but these are widely counterfeited too.