Faked Or For Real?

Yesterday evening I felt like one of those presenters on PBS' Antiques Roadshow. Its painful to watch their faces while awaiting the good or the bad news regarding the value of the item they brought to the show for appraisal. I always hold my breath during the awkward silence when the appraiser asks the two questions: 1) how much did you pay for it? and 2) what do you think it's worth? 

I answered the phone and my buddy John Scott from Bluesman Vintage Guitars here in Spring Hill asked if I was free to talk. It was about the Gibson Les Paul Gold Top I took to his shop earlier that day (I hoped he could fix the intonation problems I've been having). He asked me where I purchased it. I said I bought it brand-new in '05 from a reputable Gibson dealer. He paused and then said, "I've been looking at this guitar with Big Mike (Bluesman's repair guy and stellar blues picker) all afternoon and there's something weird about it." He went on to mention the quirky electronics routing, the neck binding and neck width; the color of the gold was even different than he'd ever seen before.

As John kept talking my heart began to sink. Its no secret that there are incredible Chinese fakes out there that have made it past many a discriminating eye into the the hands of unsuspecting players. John was leading me to the that very possibility: could this guitar I payed two grand for seven years ago be a fake?

John has a friend here in Nashville who works at the Gibson factory and knows all of the ins-and-outs of most every Gibson made. He also has a trained eye for fakes. John promised me he'd call his buddy and would let me know the next day what the verdict was on my prized Gold Top.

I spent the next 24 hours in suspension--at least the folks on Antiques Roadshow are only held over for a few seconds. I was afraid that my $2000 investment might turn out to be actually valued at $200...maybe. The fakes that have been floating around are said to be unbelievably well constructed, with papers, hanging tags and a real Gibson hard case! I was even contemplating casing it and shoving it way back into the corner of my studio closet where I wouldn't have to face the humility if the Les Paul was in fact a forgery.

I called John today and he played me a bit just for fun. It turns out that my Les Paul is a Gibson, confirmed by the serial number, proving that the store where I bought it was a match. His friend explained to John that the 60s-style necks are hand-sanded and that the funky differences between two necks of the same model are very possible. Different suppliers can explain the binding and the gold paint differences, too. All in all, my guitar is the real deal. Whew! That was close...I am sooo relieved!

Its easy to get duped these days. With all of the picker and pawn shows on TV, we're getting better as an audience at pointing out quirks that lead to suspicions and an item's true value. Thank God I've got great friends who stand in the gap for me when, even as a pro player, I can be so easily bamboozled.