1 Answer

How to spot a fake Les Paul 

Instructions
1
Check the price. This is the number one factor in distinguishing fakes from real Les Paul guitars. Often the knockoffs will sell for a few hundred dollars; a real Les Paul, however, costs thousands of dollars. Occasionally a seller may not know what he has and undersell the product, but this rarely happens.

2
Check the logo at the top of the headstock. Genuine Les Paul guitar logos show a thin font, with the "G" in "Gibson" starting around the D-string. They also do not have a logo on the truss rod cover. The logos on Gibson Les Paul knockoffs will have a thick font, and an additional logo on the truss rod cover.

3
Check the guitar case. If it is not a genuine Gibson case, you won't see the word "Gibson." If the seller tries to use a different kind of case, there's a strong chance the guitar is a fake. All Gibson guitars come with specially-made cases. This is not a very good deciding factor if you're buying a secondhand Les Paul, because the seller may not have bought the case when they purchased the guitar.

4
Check the serial number. Although this takes a little work, it's usually a distinguishing factor. The fakes will have a genuine looking serial number, but it will not match up with the guitars production years. Write down the serial number and check it on the official Gibson website.

5
Ask where the guitar was made. All Les Paul guitars are manufactured in the United States, but many of the knockoffs are manufactured in China. If the seller does not know, check the back of the head stock under the serial number for "MADE IN USA."

6
If you are an experienced musician, play the guitar. Although this is not a good test for the inexperienced player, anybody who has heard the sound produced by a Gibson Les Paul knows it is unique. Most knockoffs cannot replicate the quality.

Read more: How to Spot a Fake Les Paul | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_6688909_spot-fake-les-paul.html#ixzz2MWqpqrUK