real prs? Can you help me?

[stefano5981]

good morning i'm stefano and I write from Italy, I am going to become an owner of a PRS custom 24 that I should share with my les paul standard 1987 .
I have never had a prs before now but they are musical instruments that I have always fascinated.
May I ask if by the pictures is completely original? The owner assures me of it, but unfortunately even here there are many Chinese replicas and I would not trade an LP with a Chinese fake. thank you in advance

 

[shinksma]

Well, based on three images, it looks real enough to me. The Chinese would probably not bother with those bird inlays, and the headstock signature "inlay" is usually pretty a lousy decal/paint job on the copies, whereas that one looks legitimate.

The hang-tag also looks good, and matches the guitar.

It would be ideal if we could see the back of the headstock.

But at first glance, it looks genuine to me.

 

[bodia]

Well, based on three images, it looks real enough to me. The Chinese would probably not bother with those bird inlays, and the headstock signature "inlay" is usually pretty a lousy decal/paint job on the copies, whereas that one looks legitimate.

The hang-tag also looks good, and matches the guitar.

It would be ideal if we could see the back of the headstock.

But at first glance, it looks genuine to me.

Totally agree. Looks like a winner!

 

[alantig]

No obvious red flags. The only thing I questioned was the five-way switch, but that was introduced in 2011 for this model.

 

[stefano5981]

thank you so much tonight I should have other more detailed photos of the instrument and put it here on the forum , anyone can tell me the color ? I can't understand, The owner says Cherry Burst, back Red but is seems violet from pics

 

[AP515]

Yes, it's Cherry Sunburst. Here's another for comparison.

 

[alantig]

I can see the violet tinge, but I think that's just the pics - they're dark and a tad washed out. If you look at the top, the edge looks a bit violet as well. AP515's pic will give you a better idea of what to expect.

 

[shinksma]

I can see the violet tinge, but I think that's just the pics - they're dark and a tad washed out. If you look at the top, the edge looks a bit violet as well. AP515's pic will give you a better idea of what to expect.

Exactly - it is probably just a color balance thing. That hang tag is supposed to be white, but looks yellow, for example.

 

[garrett]

Looks good to me. Based on the pic, I'd guess that it is Dark Cherry Sunburst.

 

[CantankerousCarl]

That is a beautiful guitar...best of luck with your trade!

 

[G-Man]

A few things bother me on this one, mainly around the hang tag. The serial number on the hang tag is 71008 would make it a 2002 model so the first number should be a 2, not a 1. 2002 range was 62200-72363 which this guitar falls in between. Not sure if I would also consider the top a "quilt" and the pickups are Hrs and v-bas7's. Writing is usually pretty clear on the hang tags. there is another fault, i will not disclose. The date on the hang tag of 3-11-2001 looks funky based on the serial number being late 2002, not early 2001. Get a shot of the back of the headstock. Also do more research on the hollow birds. I thought they were first launched on the 2004 McCarty.

Again, I am not an expert but something seems funky here. I am also suspicious of these type of posts as easy ways to make the fakes better, therefore I've left out a few things that also look strange.

 

[bluenova]

I thought the guitar looked legit, but I agree about the hang tag info. It's not giving me the warm fuzzies...

 

[tonesofpgh]

Such a beautiful color, that's a hue of red I can dig on

 

[Paris Thalheimer]

I had noticed on Chinese copies that the tops a thin veneer and not the triditional maple top. Also they have a tendency to join several pieces of wood to form the body. There are several videos on fake PRS. These should help.

 

[AP515]

A few things bother me on this one, mainly around the hang tag. The serial number on the hang tag is 71008 would make it a 2002 model so the first number should be a 2, not a 1. 2002 range was 62200-72363 which this guitar falls in between. Not sure if I would also consider the top a "quilt" and the pickups are Hrs and v-bas7's. Writing is usually pretty clear on the hang tags. there is another fault, i will not disclose. The date on the hang tag of 3-11-2001 looks funky based on the serial number being late 2002, not early 2001. Get a shot of the back of the headstock. Also do more research on the hollow birds. I thought they were first launched on the 2004 McCarty.

Again, I am not an expert but something seems funky here. I am also suspicious of these type of posts as easy ways to make the fakes better, therefore I've left out a few things that also look strange.

These are very good observations, but I think the guitar is fine. The serial # is complete without the year. So it is actually a 171008 instead of 71008. That puts it in the 2011 time frame which fits both the tag and the 5 in line switch. The birds are not shadow birds, but the new birds that started in 2010 IIRC. It is not a 10 top so the quilt is probably just because the flame isn't straight. What you see as a 7 on the end of the neck pup designation I see as the last s on the end of bass.

I think the guy filling out the tag may have been new because I agree with you, they usually are pretty clear, but everything still checks out, for me anyway.

 

[garrett]

These are very good observations, but I think the guitar is fine. The serial # is complete without the year. So it is actually a 171008 instead of 71008. That puts it in the 2011 time frame which fits both the tag and the 5 in line switch. The birds are not shadow birds, but the new birds that started in 2010 IIRC. It is not a 10 top so the quilt is probably just because the flame isn't straight. What you see as a 7 on the end of the neck pup designation I see as the last s on the end of bass.

I think the guy filling out the tag may have been new because I agree with you, they usually are pretty clear, but everything still checks out, for me anyway.

What he said. The SN on hang tags doesn't include the year.

I have yet to see a copy that isn't instantly identifiable. There are so many proprietary parts and details, that to get it right would cost more than it's worth.

 

[Kazz]

The fakes I've seen have had the areas around the knobs drilled out with a sharp edge. Not that they couldn't also round them out, but since they're trying to keep their costs low I think they're likely to continue with that cheap method.

These pictures look like a real PRS to me.

 

[dsenoj]

This guitar is legit. I have a 2011 Custom 24 from February 2011 with a very similar serial number (I'm at work so I don't have the serial number handy). It looks just like this one except it's a different color. The birds are identical. The only difference other than color is that mine has 59/09 pickups so this one was either ordered with HFS and VB pickups or there's a mistake on the hang tag for the pickups. My TRC says "Custom 24" instead of "Custom" but I've seen them both ways.

 

[Jimi D]

I agree with everyone else; this one is genuine... The "lampshade" knobs are a pretty good quick indicator too - sure, counterfeiters can source some if they try, but they're expensive, and I've yet to see a Chinese fake PRS with the lampshade knobs... I wouldn't use them as the only indicator, but I'd look a lot more carefully at any PRS made post-2010 that doesn't have them

 

[dogrocketp]

The easiest thing to do is go to the website where you can match the serial number and check that. If you send an email to PTC, they`ll let you know if the specs match the Serial number. Other than that, it looks good to me. And you can always lift the pickups and check for the modcat.