Please help identify this guitar!!

[Jtfisk]

Please help me! let me start by saying ive always been a Gibson guy. I own several LP's and SG's. Ive recently been in the market for a PRS. Anyways, i have an opportunity to buy one. The problem is because of the location, it will have to be sight/unseen and before this thursday (2 days). The person that has it knows basicly nothing about it, and being a gibson guy, neither do I. If you guys could help me put a model, and value to it, that would help me immensly. thank you in advance for any and all responses.


i cant seem to figure out how to post a picture, ill explain details as much as i can.

double cutaway, bird inlays, 22 fret. one volume one tone knob, what appears to be a 3 position toggle. Paul Reed Smith on headstock. headstock is not a flame maple veneer. serial number puts it somewhere in 1992. pickup rings but no pickup covers. strings rollover what looks like a stop bar tailpeice.


my main concern is that i found a post on a serial number VERY close to this guitar (only one off) and the general consensus was that it was a chinese fake.

 

[garrettb]

Based solely on your description, it would be a Custom 22, and an early one at that. They first came out for 1993, so it's possible the earliest ones could have had '92 serial numbers. If so, the SN would have a 2 followed by something probably in the later part of this range: 12601 - 15000.

That said, we'll really need to see some pictures. We can tell you right away if it's a fake or not just by looking at it.

 

[Jtfisk]

Based solely on your description, it would be a Custom 22, and an early one at that. They first came out for 1993, so it's possible the earliest ones could have had '92 serial numbers. If so, the SN would have a 2 followed by something probably in the later part of this range: 12601 - 15000.

That said, we'll really need to see some pictures. We can tell you right away if it's a fake or not just by looking at it.

 

[ElrytNamrogo]

I'm going to go ahead and say that does not look legit. Tuners aren't right, bridge isn't right, and the dip for the 3-way toggle is too dark, going into a different, darker maple than the thin vineer on top.

 

[sergiodeblanc]

Not real.

 

[garrettb]

Yep. FAKE. Walk away.

Wrong in sooooo many ways. Divots for the knobs/switch, bridge, tuners, truss rod cover, top carves. Geeze, you can even see orange peel in the clear coat on that close up shot of the top.

 

[Jtfisk]

okay, thanks for the quick responses! the serial number does fall in 1992 but above that range (2 15798) and it is stamped rather than written. I had a gut feeling it was fake but like i said, no experience with these guitars. Thanks again.

 

[JMintzer]

Fake, Fake, So Fake…

Damn, I hate counterfeiters!

 

[JRod4928]

Need more pics (specifically, the back of the headstock to see the tuners) - it looks fishy.

 

[Jtfisk]

 

[ElrytNamrogo]

Please don't tell me this person was asking for anywhere near the price of a legit PRS.

Several years ago I bought a guitar that looked similar to this one in terms of specs and build quality (bought it for a "beater" guitar that I wanted to customize and what not - was never advertised as a PRS) and it was complete junk. It had the same looking tuners on it, same body style, and those darker dips where the toggle switch, volume and tone pots are. Mine was $150, so I really hope this person isn't passing this off trying to get a whole lot of money for it....super shadey.

 

[vchizzle]

100% fake.

 

[Jtfisk]

not a person, its in an online auction. But yes, they have it listed as a genuine PRS. I just sent them an email with a link to this forum, and told them that i sincerely hope they dont sell this to an unsuspecting buyer for top dollar, and then he gets stuck with a fake guitar.

 

[Raven17]

Grover tuners? Really? Fake.

 

[László]

Not only fake, a bad fake.

 

[cjmwrx]

Definitely a fake.

 

[JRod4928]

Grover? Yeah - that's why I mentioned about the back of the headstock photo. Def a fake.

 

[Jtfisk]

Update: this guitar sold at auction yesterday. The auction company updated the listing and added "believed not to be authentic" and it was still purchased for almost $700. Somebody is gonna be upset, and have nobody to blame but themselves.

 

[garrettb]

Now, that's a damn shame.