Fake? I think so.. whats you opinions?

[charliefrench]

@Cornish Paul Thank you for saving me the time

Note: Other than the regular changeable parts like the tuners and pickups there is nothing that says PRS or Paul Reed Smith on this guitar (on the photographs we have seen so far). I am thinking that the builder who made this did so without ever wishing to pass it off as anything legitimate and then it fell into the wrong hands. My preferable scenario anyway.

 

[Shawn@PRS]

This is NOT an employee guitar. Employee guitars have a genuine serial number and Paul signs each instrument. This one looks like it was cobbled together from dumpster scraps or it was refinished and someone added a poorly shaped headstock veneer. Why has the information inside the cavity been covered up?

 

[rugerpc]

Headstock and cutaways look terrible!

 

[Shawn@PRS]

Headstock and cutaways look terrible!

My gut tells me these areas became misshaped during the sanding and refin process. This is a perfect example of a non-authorized refin versus a PTC refin.

 

[rugerpc]

I would never have guessed that....

whoever did that butchered the poor thing!

 

[garrett]

Thanks, Shawn! So, I see two possible scenarios:

The best replica I've ever seen, yet still falls well short
OR
A refin gone bad on a CU22 of unknown year. Maybe it's pre-2002, which would explain the wings and lack of evidence of MODCAT sticker. The white paint could be covering up the original pen markings.

Either way, currently I would only value it at the sum of what the hardware, pickups, electronics, and case might go for on eBay or Reverb. That way, I could recoup my money on the parts, or save enough to make it worth sending to PTC for restoration.

If I were the current owner, I'd try to do a little forensic work and see if I can remove that white paint from the bridge pickup rout. It may be revealing.

 

[sergiodeblanc]

This is a perfect example of a non-authorized refin versus a PTC refin.

(whistling)

 

[Julian703]

Email PRS a link to the guitar and let them deal with it. Its their trademark.

 

[]-[@n$0Ma☩!©]

The fakes are getting better - but it's a fake, in my opinion.

I will not articulate the dead give-away because I don't want the asshats who made it to know what to change on the next one.

 

[Felipe]

This is wrong in so many aspects that is funny.
Headstock shape is off, truss rod cover too. Body carving off. Position of the knobs, bridge...geez, this is as legit as a 3.78 dollar bill.

 

[grausch]

Thanks, Shawn! So, I see two possible scenarios:

The best replica I've ever seen, yet still falls well short
OR
A refin gone bad on a CU22 of unknown year. Maybe it's pre-2002, which would explain the wings and lack of evidence of MODCAT sticker. The white paint could be covering up the original pen markings.

Either way, currently I would only value it at the sum of what the hardware, pickups, electronics, and case might go for on eBay or Reverb. That way, I could recoup my money on the parts, or save enough to make it worth sending to PTC for restoration.

If I were the current owner, I'd try to do a little forensic work and see if I can remove that white paint from the bridge pickup rout. It may be revealing.

Just remember that you don't know whether the pickups, tuners and other parts are actual PRS parts or whether those are fake as well...

 

[Bob Turner]

I just wonder how this guitar made it pass the band saw?

 

[flimbo]

The guy selling it is Andy Smith from Braintree, Essex.
It's advertised here http://www.preloved.co.uk/adverts/show/116112470/2004-prs-employee-guitar.html
Seems strange that he's put in on preloved and pulled it from the much wider audience of ebay.
Looks as fake as f*** to me.
And there's a couple more pictures on his flickr https://www.flickr.com/photos/132058954@N08/

 

[charliefrench]

Andy Smith? Maybe he is related? I had to change my location to UK to see the sale he pulled from ebay. 'This listing was ended by the seller because there was an error in the listing.'

On Preloved he says "Up for sale is my PRS made in 2004 by a guy there in his spare time."

Next.

 

[HighGain510]

This is NOT an employee guitar. Employee guitars have a genuine serial number and Paul signs each instrument. This one looks like it was cobbled together from dumpster scraps or it was refinished and someone added a poorly shaped headstock veneer. Why has the information inside the cavity been covered up?

My gut tells me these areas became misshaped during the sanding and refin process. This is a perfect example of a non-authorized refin versus a PTC refin.

Yep I think you're spot on here, Shawn. If you look at the close up of the fretboard, it actually looks like a very nice piece of BRW from the grain, but the inlays are definitely not original as the shape is off and you can see they did a crappy job putting them in. My guess is this might have originally been an actual PRS that someone decided to refin and add a headstock veneer and a bunch of gaudy abalone accessories everywhere. I'd imagine during the refin process and adding the veneer they botched some of the sanding and of course if they did the back, the serial would be gone (clearly they added it back, and did so rather poorly... they may have even tried to use a new fake serial number hoping to claim it was an employee build or whatever this guy's shady story is...). The frets higher up also look wonky, so it could just be a fake altogether. Either way, I'd steer clear of this one!

 

[garrett]

Just remember that you don't know whether the pickups, tuners and other parts are actual PRS parts or whether those are fake as well...

Yeah it's a gamble at any price, really.

 

[Boogie]

First, I want to teach someone how to string-up using winged tuners. I also agree with the finish comments. The finish on the back of the headstock, above the low E tuner is either badly repaired or not PRS factory work.

 

[n24re]

I just wonder how this guitar made it pass the band saw?

I wonder if it was a scrapped guitar that was taken from the trash or maybe an amateur luthier working on a used guitar and has tried to make gold out of lead?

 

[John Beef]

I will not articulate the dead give-away because I don't want the asshats who made it to know what to change on the next one.

I was going to type it up but you're probably right, better not to point it out.

 

[Deli6505]

Genuine or fake, I wouldn't be caught dead playing that fugly thing.