# Gibson LP???



## ezcomes (Jul 28, 2008)

i'm not selling this...and i know most pawn shops are harbingers of stolen stuff...but this seems weird to me...

they call it a Gibson LP Studio...but they say its had its neck fixed...the guy did a good job cuz the pic's show no damage...and in fixing it, it looks like they took the serial number off the back...
i also think its weird that they don't show the whole headstock in any picture, showing the Gibson trademark...

this a scam?
http://kingston.kijiji.ca/c-buy-and...rs-Gibson-Les-Paul-Studio-W0QQAdIdZ274265354#


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## Andy (Sep 23, 2007)

The lack of a serial number is extremely suspicious. There's many, many Les Pauls out there...don't buy this one.


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## Hamstrung (Sep 21, 2007)

I agree, very suspicious! The most heinous of headstock breaks/repairs would never necessitate removing the serial number. Not only that I find it highly dubious to show multiple pics of a guitar and conveniently leave out clear pics of the front of the headstock, Especially when the serial is missing! I'd stay clear of that one!


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## bobb (Jan 4, 2007)

Andy said:


> The lack of a serial number is extremely suspicious. There's many, many Les Pauls out there...don't buy this one.


I have to agree. It looks legit but without a serial number it could be a very hot item.

The reassembly is interesting with the pickguard mounting bracket on the outside.


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## smorgdonkey (Jun 23, 2008)

Andy said:


> The lack of a serial number is extremely suspicious. There's many, many Les Pauls out there...don't buy this one.


I couldn't have said it any better than that!


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## fret15 (Feb 17, 2006)

Even the colour looks funny to me...hmm


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## J S Moore (Feb 18, 2006)

Probably re-sprayed the whole guitar during the repair or it could just be the photos. You could lose the serial number if it's a headstock repair but it's a lot harder with an impressed serial number. I could be stolen as there's really no reason to lose the number if it's fake. 

I don't see the usual tell tale signs of a fake but that could have been part of the "upgrades". From the back the headstock looks to be the right shape and the TRC has two screws but I can't see it clearly to observe how it's cut. Also, I've never in my life seen a guitar intonate properly with all the saddles lined up. It looks like the "upgrades" were done by someone with no real knowledge.

As a few other posters said, there's plenty more out there.


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## ezcomes (Jul 28, 2008)

i have no intention of buying this...the odds are stacked against it...fake, broken, not assembled wrong, its at a pawn shop...

it makes me nervous too that some kid could walk in and buy it not knowing any different


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## bobb (Jan 4, 2007)

Any chance you have the time to go take a first hand look? you've got the rest of us curious now.


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## Guitar101 (Jan 19, 2011)

I can't make out the names on these tuners. Are they tuners that you would find on a Gibson LP?


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## Gene Machine (Sep 22, 2007)

Guitar101 said:


> http://1394924416580857344-a-180274...ightfriendsofmusic/pics/PawnShopLPTuners.jpeg
> 
> I can't make out the names on these tuners. Are they tuners that you would find on a Gibson LP?


They are grovers. typical replacement for LPs.


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## Gene Machine (Sep 22, 2007)

Guitar101 said:


> http://1394924416580857344-a-180274...ightfriendsofmusic/pics/PawnShopLPTuners.jpeg
> 
> I can't make out the names on these tuners. Are they tuners that you would find on a Gibson LP?


They are grovers. typical replacement for LPs.


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## Gene Machine (Sep 22, 2007)

One possibility for the S/N is that it is partially covered by lacquer. I have seen gibbys with the indented S/N, and it is really faint because of the finish. If you hold it in the right light, you may see it. 

I have no affiliation, and am not generally interested in pawn shops, LP studios, or neck breaks (unless reflected in the price)

probably not worth the trip, but if your really looking for a neck repair LP studio from a pawn shop, fill yer boots.


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## ThePass (Aug 10, 2007)

It's a fake IMO.......

The horn is way to blunt on the cutaway and I've never seen a Studio with that weird 'adjustment' screw-bracket thingie installed on this.

Stay away.

EDIT:

When I say 'installed on this' I meant the pickgaurd.


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## Voxboy (Feb 14, 2006)

You can see a slight indent where it says "ma" as in made in the USA. Some mods to it as well...obviously pickups and the pickguard mount. Grovers are a usual mod. My first impression is a respray. Probably hot. But then again the pawn shop is advertising...maybe not even hot. doesn't look fake to me. Like Andy says...too many for sale out there....pass


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## vds5000 (Apr 14, 2008)

It may not be a fake LP. I've never seen a fake with an ebony board. I've never seen a fake with a board dyed darker to look like ebony. I've never seen a fake LP Studio. The fakes are usually higher-end LP models. It looks like the guitar was refinished, which explains the lack of serial number. I also noticed that you can almost make out the 'Ma' in 'Made in USA'. I suspect that the gold hardware is not original - the screws that hold the plates on the back are steel, not gold and the pickup pole pieces as well as the piece that holds the selector switch in place are also steel.

Odds are it's a real LP Studio from the early 90's that has been refinished. I'm guessing the person who put it back together was a novice (judging by the placement of the pickguard bracket).

Too many stories with this one - steer clear.


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## GuitarsCanada (Dec 30, 2005)

Very possible it's a fake


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## vasthorizon (Aug 10, 2008)

It's NOT a fake.

It has been refinished after the repair and it is typical for solid coloured Gibsons
with the impressed serial number to lose them when they are
over-sanded and/or over-sprayed/lacquered by just a hair.


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## bobb (Jan 4, 2007)

ThePass said:


> It's a fake IMO.......
> 
> The horn is way to blunt on the cutaway and I've never seen a Studio with that weird 'adjustment' screw-bracket thingie installed on this.
> 
> ...


That wierd 'adjustment' screw-bracket thingie is standard equipment but it is supposed to be mounted under the pickguard not on top. 

The bridge is usually the first giveaway on a fake, but in this case, it is correct for a US Gibson. Other than a possible refinish masking the serial number, the only weirdness is the mix of chome and gold parts. Makes the guitar look like a bit if a mutt.


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## Toogy (Apr 16, 2009)

FWIW, I've never seen a fake Les Paul "Studio". They usually stick to standards, customs and supremes.


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## blam (Feb 18, 2011)

those are grover tuners. they are OEM fit on most gibsons.


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## fret15 (Feb 17, 2006)

bobb said:


> Any chance you have the time to go take a first hand look? you've got the rest of us curious now.


Very true, very true...


I'm not a Gibson expert but I have seen those Grover "bean" type of tuners on Studios before. I was just thinking it was some of the new Studios but maybe that's been correct production for a while. Not all Studios have those (some have the "Tulips" I think they're called?) but I know some do, for what it's worth...


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## Tim Plains (Apr 14, 2009)

Andy said:


> The lack of a serial number is extremely suspicious.


That's a bad way of going about it. As mentioned in a previous post, the stamp doesn't always go all the way through the finish. I've seen several real Gibsons where you could barely see the serial number. Some sellers also hide their serial numbers for fear of getting ripped off.


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## fret15 (Feb 17, 2006)

Wow like 23842 people answered before I could, haha

Sorry about the delay


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## colchar (May 22, 2010)

ezcomes said:


> and in fixing it, it looks like they took the serial number off the back...


It might just be the way the guitar was painted at the factory. I was in my local L&M two days ago working out a deal for a Les Paul and one of the Gibsons I checked out while hanging around had a serial number that was virtually unreadable because there was so much paint on it (this was a brand new one hanging on the wall). And I am not 100% certain because I looked at a bunch of guitars that day but that one might have been a Studio too.


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## colchar (May 22, 2010)

Guitar101 said:


> I can't make out the names on these tuners. Are they tuners that you would find on a Gibson LP?



They look like Grovers to me.


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## bobb (Jan 4, 2007)

colchar said:


> They look like Grovers to me.


And the screwholes above the tuners indicate that they are not original. As mentioned before, with the mix of chrome and gold combined with the odd pickguard mounting assembly, it is a legit Gibson but it's a mutt. If it was a Fender, it would probably be called a partscaster.


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## Fane (Aug 23, 2008)

bobb said:


> And the screwholes above the tuners indicate that they are not original. As mentioned before, with the mix of chrome and gold combined with the odd pickguard mounting assembly, it is a legit Gibson but it's a mutt. If it was a Fender, it would probably be called a partscaster.


Yeah, that's what I'd say. Looks like the headstock from my SG, which apparently got switched to Grovers in the 80s. 

Personally I wouldn't pay more than a grand for it.


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## 4345567 (Jun 26, 2008)

__________


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## vds5000 (Apr 14, 2008)

Fane said:


> ...Personally I wouldn't pay more than a grand for it.


Seeing that all-original, non-damaged Studios can occasionally be had for $700-$800, I wouldn't pay a penny over $500 for it, and that's assuming it came with an original Gibson case.


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## jakeblues (Jan 14, 2011)

Hard to tell from the photos but remember that newer Gibsons can have very faint serial numbers - the finish often fills the impressions. I've seen many that you must hold the headstock on an angle to the light to make out the number... It could be very hard to make out on a white painted neck...


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