Is this a fake singlecut SE? Need help!

[Alex Djuran]

Hey everyone!

1st of all, I don't want this to come across as spam, I just didn't know where else to turn to at the moment. I really need some help identifying a possible fake before I actually do business with this person.

Anyway, I contacted this person if they'd be interested in trading their PRS SE Singlecut for my LTD F-50 and they said sure, if I pay them an additional 100€, however upon further inspection, this struck me as a possible fake. The owner said he REPAINTED it, but that still leaves me with a few questions.

I really don't know enough about PRS guitars to be able to tell if any of this is legit or not, but the one thing throwing me off big time is the headstock logo...now it could just be a fake sig he made after he repainted it, but it does seem rather sketchy.

Any thoughts would be really welcome, please help me avoid a possible disaster! Thanks

 

[toothace]

What's the back of the headstock look like?

 

[Alex Djuran]

What's the back of the headstock look like?

as far as he told me, he replaced the tuners.

 

[drdoom8793]

It kinda looks like an old SE Singlecut that had the controls filled and re-drilled. Something like this:

At any rate, if it isn't fake, it's very heavily modded. I probably wouldn't get it if you wanted to have any chance at resale.

 

[Alex Djuran]

It kinda looks like an old SE Singlecut that had the controls filled and re-drilled. Something like this but heavily modded:
At any rate, I probably wouldn't get it if you wanted to have any chance at resale.

Thanks for the reply! He did mention he had done a few mods to it, but the pickup selector being where it is on that guitar vs the inlays/pot layout is what's really throwing me off.

Reselling isn't my biggest concern per se, but I'm not about to throw a guitar and 100€ at a fake.

 

[toothace]

as far as he told me, he replaced the tuners.

Does it look like this...

Dang...that's small...let me try again...

 

[bodia]

I'm not familiar enough with the SE line, but did any of them have recessed knobs and three way? I don't recall that. If I recall correctly, that would make this fake.

 

[Ovibos]

Fake or not, I wouldn't buy it. It's like someone modded it to be a solidbody version of a Zach Myers (or an SE 245), which you could probly find for real at a good deal also.

The electronics could be a total mess.

 

[AP515]

Its got some signs of being a legit SE245 but I would not consider it unless I wanted a guitar with an amateur paint job and relocated controls...which I don't. I don't know what your guitar sells for used, but I would not consider putting more than $150 US into that guitar, and forget any resale.

 

[sergiodeblanc]

Fake as hell!

 

[Mozzi]

If you haven't bought/swapped - walk away - in fact run away and do NOT buy/swap!!

It looks fake and its been resprayed so you have no idea at all whether what you are buying is junk or not. If they resprayed it, you have no idea if the PU's are junk or not - maybe not even wired back in well either, no idea if the electronics and wiring are good etc etc. It could be just a cheap pile of rubbish that the person bought from one of those cheap Chinese knock-off store and because its a pile junk, resprayed it and claiming its 'legit' - may of cost them less than $100 - inc the paint.

 

[Alex Djuran]

Thanks for all the replies everyone! The owner is coming to show it to me, but I will most likely if not 100% not take it. Thanks for all the tips

 

[garrettb]

Does it look like this...

Dang...that's small...let me try again...

The moment the information on the back of the headstock is gone, any hope of positively identifying the guitar is gone. Immediate no-go for me, even if it were legit and heavily modified.

 

[Wakester]

I'm not familiar enough with the SE line, but did any of them have recessed knobs and three way? I don't recall that. If I recall correctly, that would make this fake.

I agree, SE's did not / do not have recessed knobs or switches. Looking through The PRS Book does not show recessing on the core or PS models switch either. V&T knobs yes, switch No.

 

[AP515]

I agree with the observation that the recessed knobs and the slight change in location makes this almost certainly a fake. That is not the scary part. The scary part is the true to PRS entonated bridge, the correctly oriented moons, the pickups without covers, the correct style strap buttons, the true to PRS lower horn cutaway. Those things are hard to fake.

 

[jak3af3r]

Where the upper bout joins the neck is the dead giveaway it's a fake. The SE would have a 90° or less angle there and this has a weird dip in it and the picture looking slightly down looks like you took a picture of an SE and went to Walmart and had the bakery do their best to make a cake out of it.

 

[Antmax]

With all the stuff that seems to have been done to it, it might as well be a fake. Recessed knobs and switches, fake decal, repaint, Otherwise most of it looks similar to my Zach Myers. Same backplates and number of screws and positions.

 

[Alnus Rubra]

I’m curious to know how the toggle switch was relocated (if it was), as that is a channel that is routed through the mahogany back before the maple cap is attached!

Check out the rear of the neck joint. On an original SE, the body is a continuous curve from the upper bout, to where the cutaway begins. Pretty much mirrored by the heel of the neck. In the photo, it appears almost a flat surface from edge of each side of the neck joint.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/jHDEXuL6uJasrMiC7

Too many things different about this one. Not worth your guitar and a €100.

 

[Antmax]

I’m curious to know how the toggle switch was relocated (if it was), as that is a channel that is routed through the mahogany back before the maple cap is attached!

Check out the rear of the neck joint. On an original SE, the body is a continuous curve from the upper bout, to where the cutaway begins. Pretty much mirrored by the heel of the neck. In the photo, it appears almost a flat surface from edge of each side of the neck joint.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/jHDEXuL6uJasrMiC7

Too many things different about this one. Not worth your guitar and a €100.

After reading your post I looked more carefully and noticed that the side without the cutaway bends up slightly to meet the neck when on mine it's flat and runs parallel to the frets like the pic of the single cut someone posted above . To the right of the top strap button is flat not curved up like the OP's photo.

 

[dsenoj]

To me it actually looks more like an older core Singlecut than an SE. The only thing that really looks off is the back of the neck joint that looks like a flat surface. I can't tell for sure from the photos if that's really flat or an illusion. I'd really like to see better pictures of the neck joint and the front and back of the headstock. Photos of the pickup cavities would also be useful.