Posted on 09/18/2007 5:14:02 PM PDT by Drew68
An Oakdale music store owner was arrested Monday for selling fake versions of the legendary Gibson guitar at his Montauk Highway shop, the Suffolk police said.
Investigators seized 15 fake Gibsons from the store, the police said.
Bernard Musumeci, 44, of 2 Domino Way, Centereach, surrendered to the police Monday night, and was charged with trademark counterfeiting.
After he was released, Musumeci turned over another 18 guitars from his home, and Gibson Guitar Corp. experts will determine whether they're authentic.
The arrest came after a two-month investigation by Fifth Squad detectives, working in conjunction with the Nashville-based Gibson company.
After authorities were alerted that Musumeci may have been selling fakes at Oakdale Music, at 925 Montauk Hwy., an undercover security expert from Gibson determined that several guitars from the store were, indeed, counterfeit.
Suffolk detectives applied for and executed a search warrant earlier this week and the 15 guitars, all of which were determined to be counterfeit, were seized at the music store.
Now based in Nashville, the original Gibson Guitar and Mandolin Company was founded in 1894 in Kalamazoo, Mich., by shoe clerk and musician Orville Gibson.
Gibson now produces what many consider the world's foremost guitars, especially reissues of the Les Paul model first manufactured in 1952.
Authentic Gibsons are pricey. An original 1959 Gibson Les Paul Flame Top guitar was listed on eBay Monday at a buy-it-now price of nearly $100,000. And a 2007 reissue of the same guitar was listed for $4,500.
(Excerpt) Read more at newsday.com ...
about = apart
I've seen a few of those as well. they have bolt on necks and "Gipson" stamped on the headstock. Only a beginner might confuse one of these cheap, plywood guitars with a real Gibson. They are the $40 Rolex of guitars. What this article talks about are knock-offs that are so good that it takes experts to be able to determine the guitar's authenticity.
My guess is that if you a musician and bought a $2000 guitar that was so convincingly copied from the real deal that it takes and expert to determine it was fake, you probably still bought a good guitar. Now if you are a collecter and you bought a bogus '59 Les Paul for $200,000, then that's a whole different story altogether.
“How can I tell the difference between an original Gibson Air Guitar and a cheap knock off?”
Chicom air guitars are easily recognizable due to a higher level of pollution.
There lies the problem....the Original Poster, no doubt selling chinese knock offs on EBay......would like you to belive it's just a mystery that chinese and koreans are selling guitars, that just happen to have every marking, down to the proofs...on the American market.......
What do you think a 1962 Vega acoustic would be worth today?
What I noticed was the Grover tuners seemed a little inaccurate, and the stamped letters on the back of the peghead seemed almost too clean! Also, the edge inlay around the headstock seemed almost too clean, compared to genuine examples. I’ve owned/bought/sold plenty of Les Pauls but I was never a big fan of them.
Beg to differ. They're all over this story on lespaulforum.com and on thegearpage.net. The guy was, indeed, selling Chinese LP fakes. They brought in an "expert" to make an airtight case against the guy.
Fake in the sense of counterfeit, not fake in the sense of "not real."
I beg to differ. They are made "after hours" in the Epiphone factories in China, but they use crap wood (usually plywood). They're not anywhere close to real Gibsons in terms of construction or playability. These things flooded ebay about a year ago, and it was just a matter of time before they started showing up in the US on resale.
Heritage is for sale due to a factory fire. Gibson never sued them because Henry J. rightfully realized that, frankly, Heritage wasn't their competition.
I don’t understand - why would they list it as an Epiphone when they’re trying to pass it off as a Gibson Zakk Wylde Les Paul?
The tuners are wrong though. They should be gold “kidney bean” shaped tuners, not gold keystone tuners.
It is hard to say what quality these instruments were. I've seen some Fender and Gibson fakes that were horrible instruments and very obviously fake in that they didn't even really look like the instruments that they were supposedly counterfeits of.
On the flip side, there are very convincing counterfeits out there that could easily command several thousand dollars from knowledgeable buyers.
Round hole or “f” hole? Kind of depends on body size and if an “f” hole, whether it has a cutaway or not. Ebay “completed auctions” are always a good source of mkt info. In original condition and not thrashed, it could be worth $800-$1200.
Here’s an older one that should sell in that range:
http://cgi.ebay.com/martin-vega-1939-c56-guitar-great-for-collecters_W0QQitemZ130152827262QQihZ003QQcategoryZ2385QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD9VQQcmdZViewItem
Almost looks like a Gibson body, perhaps from an L-48 or L-50.
Vega, after the late 50’s, was both a manufacturer and a “relabeler” of guitars made by other cos. So, a Vega from that era could be a relabeled Harmony or Kay (fairly cheapo) or a genuine Vega-made which would be worth a lot more. They also bought bodies from “X” and put their necks on, that type of thing. They had a good name but were never the Gibsons or Epiphones of their time.
This one is more “the real thing” ....from the 30’s.
http://cgi.ebay.com/1930s-VEGA-CARVED-ARCHTOP-GUITAR_W0QQitemZ330162933588QQihZ014QQcategoryZ2385QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD9VQQcmdZViewItem
Best bet is to obtain a model number, either from inside, looking thru the bass-side f-hole, or perhaps from the butt of the neck if it’s a round hole, and google “Vega XYZ333 guitar”. You WILL find one or more out there.
Is that a Hot Rod Deluxe or Deville you have in the corner?
It's a counterfeit of a LP Custom - they have the rectangular inlays, including one on the first fret. LP Standards have the trapezoid inlays starting on the 3rd fret.
“why would they list it as an Epiphone when they’re trying to pass it off as a Gibson Zakk Wylde Les Paul?”
Maybe they no speaky engrish?
The other guitar player in my current band has a couple of SX/Agiles, a Les Paul copy and a Les Paul Jr with p90’s. He dropped 57 Classics in the LP and it has a hot tone. The playability just wasn’t for me.
a person with skill in their hands and in their heart can make a daisy-rock guitar sing.
Negative, they command thousands of dollars from people that think they're getting the real deal......and the chinese and koreans have cashed in....
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