Guess The Real Gibson And The Fake Gibson - Can You?

[@papablue3015]

I'm guessing Red! Head stock no wings, hardware, paint job, Serial #? Thanks!

[@ericrichard5237]

The red is fake. Knob pattern, bridge saddles, visible wiring through f holes and the low E is WAY inboard. But I could be wrong.

[@WickedFesterBand]

2:46 The red one has large bushings with flat head screw adjustment on the tunamatic. . 4:05 Natural seems to be stamped "Not For Resale" but it had the correct bridge and had fret nibs. 4:39 Mr. Red showing his large bridge bushings and flat head screws again though ..... Asian feature! Our red friend is nib less too! No fret nibs. Gonna call Mr. Red a Chibson but puzzled about the not for resale stamp on the natural one. 5:32 Mr. red has signs of multi piece neck at the heel. The serial number and Made In U.S.A. don't look right on Mr. red. Painted in! Red is a Chibson!

[@glenpound9353]

The not for resale is probably b-stock

[@haydenhughey7818]

The red one, the body is slightly larger. The red ones decal on the neck has a slight more gold shine. Throughout the years i would think it would go away or doesnt even have it

[@jimbrennanguitar]

Bridge is the quickest give away with the height adjustment screw.

[@xaphan8581]

That and the pick gaurd. Lol I learned on troglys that on gibbons the far pick gaurd screw should be in line with the 24th fret. Usually rip offs get that wrong and #2 looked like it lined up better

[@frankaq3951]

Yeah, I noticed those slotted screws.

[@jimwoodard64]

Too many things about the red one jumped out right away, even though you tried to avoid the easiest, slotted bridge height adjustment, in the flyby. The poly coat made the glare awful. To someone who owns and plays the real thing in 60’s cherry, that one was an attack to the senses. Lol

[@Ranch5150SkinWalker]

Yeh the red is the fake!

[@xaphan8581]

@@Ranch5150SkinWalkerreally? Lol I watched troglys and he always said that on a Gibson the last screw on the pickgaurd should be in line with the 24th fret and I thought that one was closer so I was thinking the red was real. That actually gives me hope that someday I’ll be able to have a good Gibson.

[@jeffreyrivers1983]

It's the fretboard and headstock... and the knobs... Gibson would never do so small block inlays

[@MainPrism]

Same thing that gave it away for me.

[@SHENDOH]

Gibson did use small block inlays on some 335. Google it

[@mrpaiute9013]

The Chinese one stays in tune 😂

[@mikeh3851]

The red one is the fake. The headstock is a giveaway. The cream colored guitar's serial number comes back as built in Nashville on Friday, Oct. 23, 1987. The red one has 4 possible build locations, and 3 different dates of build. Ranging from 1963, 1976 in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and Bozeman, MT for an acoustic build, or Nashville, Tn for an electric build, on Monday, January 17, 2000. The tuners on the red one have the Grover name on them, and the wiring in the F-hole is exposed. But what got me was the center of the gull wings on the top of the headstock. Gibson would never do such a shotty job. Every Gibson I have seen the headstock is crisp when it comes to the gullwing, like the cream colored one is..

[@austinknowlton1783]

I had it right from seeing the headstocks in the thumbnail. I'm more familiar with spotting fake Les Pauls but it's good to see that some things carry over to the 335. On top of the slotted bridge adjustment screws there's a few other things; the pickup rings are wider, there are no fret nibs, the Chinese always put thier "made in USA" stamp too close to the serial number, and t serial number font isn't the same. Close, but not exact. Also the method of applying the number is usually different, and Gibson applies thier number before the finish is applied, not after. I bet in person it's pretty easy to tell it's fake.

[@sirbarryvee-eight6485]

At the start I thought it was the blonde one, but the block inlays on the red one had the wrong proportions. The close ups confirmed the red one for me. I was watching a video the other day about fake Gibsons and the screwdriver slots on the bridge were one indication. As soon as I saw the blonde one not having screwdriver slots I was convinced. The stencilled serial on the red one was another give-away, but the inlays were the most obvious clue. They just look wrong. There is 335 Dot, the 335 Block, but I'm yet to hear of the 335 Squad Block. My Les Paul is an Epiphone and it says so, proudly. If I can't afford a real Gibson, I'm not going to fake it!

[@paolunna]

Back of headstock: Gibson has side glued on wings. Pickup rings: the screws on Gibson are more in line. Bridge: Gibson Abr Style vs flattop screw. Fret Nibs on binding for Gibson. Serial number: Gibson not painted and fakes very often 0017... Truss rod cover: Gibson nice definite bell with bottom screw distanced from nut. Neck: Gisnon does not have a heel joint.

[@clarklanting9340]

I knew since the thumbnail that the red one was fake 😂

[@Ranch5150SkinWalker]

Yeh easy to tell if you know gibsons! 😁🍺🎵

[@jamesrexsannatracy8318]

The natural color one is legit. Cool video

[@timbuckxxi9690]

# 2 is the imposter.. Gibson would "NOT LET" any guitar get out the door with out the signature open 📖 book headstock.. But the curve ball on # 1 was the Not for resale stamp ? I haven't seen that before ..

[@erickaufmancustomguitars1351]

I was a bit thrown on that too. But about 5 years ago I grabbed a "used" stamped headstock squire telecaster at music go round. Funny, I went in to check out a pre owned guitar to laugh at the quality and NOT buy it. I bought it. It was sweet, what can I say? But was afraid it was a second. But 30 years ago I saw "2" stamped from Gibson in an authorized dealer store. Victory V bass I think. Busted trussrod. Big discounts.....not enough. My brother should have passed on it. Hard lesson. Glad I learnt it from him lol. A little research later became interesting enough to dive into it. But my best guess is its stamped like this to separate it from an "under warranty" guitar. I'm also guessing it's for one particular seller or chain of sellers to easily identify.

[@timbuckxxi9690]

@@erickaufmancustomguitars1351 Sounds logical...

[@BrianBrazilHarmonica]

To the best of my memory depending on the year Gibson never made an ES 335 with binding in the F holes or painted them. They did have block inlays on the fretboard in the late 60s ES 335s, but they were narrower. they weren't square. I had a used one in the early 70s. They have always had the Gibson orange sticker with model name and serial number on it inside the back of the body and visible from the F hole.

[@kennethhoneycutt4513]

I've really can't make it professional guess but just taking a shot I believe the red one is the fake because of the inlays and where it says made in USA it's too far down

[@sammyrothrock6981]

The pickguard mount is the give away on the red one immediately and the Fholes are different. The headstock book end is higher on the left one also

[@nbenning25]

Red ES-335 … the block inlays are way off (Trogley’s would be able to spot this a mile a way)

[@Jackie_Rosewood]

The red Es335 is the imposter because 1. didn’t have a Gibson sticker inside 2. The larger bridge screws is a big giveaway 3. The logo looks off Still a nice looking guitar🎸🎸

[@threshers3595]

I know nothing about es335s but im going to say red is fake. From just first glance the gap from jack to knob looks to small compared to pictures of other es335s. Also bound f holes got my attention. Serial is a 1976 and i cant find pictures of any with fret inlays that look that square. Head stock just looks kind of crappy to me as well. Yellow checks out with serial and images online.

[@jcamp148]

Anyone else notice how mishapen the truss rod cover was on red? Looked pretty jacked to me.

[@me.roderick]

The block inlays. Also the stamping on the back of the headstock. Red is a chibby.

[@chrisgaylor3663]

Yeah. I believe Gibson stamps their serial number before the finish is applied. The red one looks like it was stamped after.

[@geraldhartley]

The real one is the natural finish and the red is the counterfeit. They wouldn't stamp "not for resale" on a fake. But... the BIGGEST giveaway is the serial number. It's the exact same number as "my" chibson except the last number is only off by two!! 431 instead of 433 LOL

[@Ranch5150SkinWalker]

That’s hilarious about your serial #! 😂😂

[@Boyd1875]

I’m guessing that the red one is fake. The first thing I noticed was the inlays didn’t look right on the red one. Next, when you show the backsides the headstock on the yellow one had more of a book look than the red one.

[@Robert-Smith]

Red one no nubs on the end of the frets and screen printed serial # headstock looks too narrow as well.

[@frankcarter6427]

the red one has an epi bridge and no paper label - the neck is set to deep (I think) and I can't see wings on the h/stock

[@johnkay6619]

Clearly the red one. The serial #s on most Chibsons are 0017... and the slotted screws to adjust the bridge, and the yellow and black wires flapping around inside the body, and the fret ends are not covered...😁

[@WickedFesterBand]

Got another one. Nut on 3 way toggle is Gibson correct on the natural finish (recessed), Epiphone-ish on the red one. (raised)

[@erickaufmancustomguitars1351]

Me too. Seems everyone here knows what's what.

[@WickedFesterBand]

@@erickaufmancustomguitars1351 Yup

[@Nicegram_Rob_Scallon_Page]

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[@WickedFesterBand]

@@Nicegram_Rob_Scallon_Page Thank you kind scammer for try to steel from me. You broken English bring much happy joy to my butt hole.

[@davestadel]

Just seeing this video now, maybe the answer is already posted? The red one...small block inlays were first thing I noticed then the headstock has a number of issues...the open book carve is wrong, on the carve from headstock to neck is wrong, and the serial number font looks wrong. The flathead bridge adjustment is wring. Also, compared to natural finished...it hasn't been played! It looks too pristine. The red finish doesn't look like nitro either. I'm no 335 expert, at all, but the natural finish one looks like it may have a replaced pickguard bracket and I don't know if the neck would always be such a different color, but if it's mahogany that would make sense. I dig that it was a factory second, or whatever the 'not for resale' stamp was for. I'm a fan of getting good deals. I would play the heck out of that thing.

[@Ranch5150SkinWalker]

Yep red one was the fake! Yeh that not for sale was either a second due to a small speck on the wood (side) or it was a promo or sales guitar. 🙌

[@JeansBootsGuitars]

From the first shot I could tell right away, the pickup rings are black, and on most gibson guitars when the rings are black, so are the screws holding them to the body. And most importantly, the body looked off and the finish is way too thick with a hint of like purplish.

[@theoldnavigator9989]

The second I seen the 2 headstocks and their different angles I knew instantly the red one was a fake. On watch there were more tell tale signs. But had looked pretty convincing

[@paulsadoff3661]

Red 335 says 'Chibson' all over it. Slotted bridge adjustment screws , kind of goofy control layout , super bold serial number stamp, lack of 'wings' or additional pieces of wood on the headstock , the look of the pickup rings and screws-kinda cheap looking . All these things are red flags. The guitar still looks pretty nice, though- like an Epi 335 and most of those are very good guitars for the money but if there's a Gibson logo on the headstock and it isn't a Gibson there may be trouble ahead for the buying public if they aren't looking close enough.

[@kq6878]

agree the red is fake...serial number point outs are correct..too deep....yellow looks like had some refinishing done for sure and to me the dot inlays made my choice

[@dmjazz]

I'm guessing the red one is the fake one. The lower pickguard screw, never noticed one on a real 335. The slotted post on the bridge is a giveaway. Finally even the logo looked a bit angled or off from the way a Gibson would be but that could just be my eyes. But yeah, my guess is red is fake.

[@srh361]

I spotted the red one as fake before you even went over it with the cameras.

[@ccaamm1]

Red= fake. Flaws where body binding ends at neck joint. Stamp on headstock just too clean looking and overall look of instrument looked "just not quite right".

[@jackodejager9102]

In a few seconds I could spot the red one is the knock off

[@philipallen4230]

The red one is the fake. The paint gives it away, especially on the headstock. It looks like very thick shiny poly which gives a rounded edge to the headstock. The open book of the headstock doesn't look right either. The control knobs look cheap and the bridge has a flat screwdriver slot adjustment like the ones used on Epiphones and not Gibsons. The binding on the neck isn't raised at the frets as per the way Gibsons.

[@Ranch5150SkinWalker]

Yep … red is the imposter. Good call outs! But you know, it really plays and sounds good.

[@panavisionnot7180]

always look at the saddle first .. if it's plastic ( shiny, snowy white ) it's likely a fake..

[@john_air]

pickguard screws and stopbar placement 4bright screws around the pickup rings you don't even have to hear the sound to tell the difference

[@TheRealDanVerton]

The neck inlays are very strange to me on the red guitar. That has to be the Chibson.

[@jimreilley3417]

Red one is the fake. The gap between the top of the pickguard and the horn is a dead giveaway Even Gibson’s QC wouldn’t let that slip. Plus the block inlays are too small.

[@Ranch5150SkinWalker]

Yep it's fakes. The small blocks actually emulate the really old 335s. There are some from the 70'sni e played that have the really weird small blocks. But there's a lot of wrong with the red one. 😎👍🎵

[@jeffreyrivers1983]

The red...or I could be wrong hahaha

[@huguis]

I known it's late but I realized that the cherry us the fake. Paint job, knobs, electronics showing on the lower f, mix of woods on the yellow and the gigantic Gibson sticker on the yellow

[@OUTTATIMEMTL]

red is the fake: 1- its shinny, bridge post are from Epiphone, pickups wiring is blue and yellow( i could see from close up view) headstock is narrower from the yellow, block inlays, pick guard is not installed correctly.

[@erickaufmancustomguitars1351]

Nice video Marty. Help the next generations spot this stuff!

[@stevehaye]

i have a few very nice knockoffs. and a few very nice gibsons. the differences are subtle but obvious once you look close. red is fake.

[@jeffreygroesser1009]

The red is the fake. Large slotted bridge posts are the first giveaway, no wings on the headstock and the blocks don't look right for starters. The headstock looks surprisingly good for a change on the Chibson.

[@RJGuitar07]

335s don’t have bound f holes, and the Chinese ones always have a fake serial number of something like 0071or 0070 So the red one is fake. But it might be a better guitar than the other one, especially if the other one is a Memphis Gibson. I was a Gibson endorser, and had “real“ 335s that could not be intonated! And how much do they want for those things now?

[@powerswish]

The red one is the fake. Those TOM bridge posts, I haven't seen ones like those out of the box.

[@canonball1914]

Just came across this i thought the two of them were fake, no nibs on the frets , and the bridge seemed wrong on both its such a pain.

[@glenpound9353]

The red one is the fake, Gibson does not use slotted bridge posts, and they dont highlight the serial numbers either

[@Ranch5150SkinWalker]

Yep!!

[@DivusMeta]

I would guess the Yellow one is real and red is fake. Based on the (at least I think) real gibsons have the "wings" in the headstock while red one doesnt have those. Also to my knowledge in the tune-o-matic bridge used in the red one was never actually used by Gibson, only like the hexagon screw ones. Also I'm not sure if I see correctly, but in the yellow one the binding on the neck covers the fret ends while red one doesn't have that.

[@rodbelding9523]

I knew instantly the red one was the fake. Can't even really explain how I knew, something just looked extremely off about it.

[@Patsik]

Red is fake. Think the pickguard is too close to the body. The headstock inlay shows some glue at the edges. That's Gibson. :D

[@mesoanarchy]

The red one. The headstock gives it away. EDIT: (I noticed in your thumbnail)

[@stuckinchaselandia6427]

Red is the Chib. Bridge is wrong. Inlays are wrong. Gibson logo is wrong. Tuners are fake. No wings on headstock. Knobs are off.

[@rrdee8138]

They look identical but I think the red is the real one

[@nlaco-m1h]

Red=Fake. The bridge screws and headstock give it away. Still looks like a nice guitar.

[@ayeapprove]

Red one is screaming fake: Bridge, Inlays, Headstock and the Serial stamp are just wrong.

[@johncampbell-ou5ig]

I didn't read all comments but the first give away on the first look. The control pot spacing is wrong. Not properly alined.

[@bweeks8869]

I think the blonde colored one is the Gibson. Mainly because the fret inlays on the red one are too short.

[@tone19632]

Red is a fake, the block inlays are too square and small. Dead giveaway is the bridge posts. Most if not all Far East made guitars use Philip head posts and not Gibson

[@bobmanners8624]

Geez, there are better copies out there. That one has all the hallmarks. Large hole bridge, big pickup rings, headstock and graphic wrong, poly finish, no wings, flat sawn neck, CNC serial number, etc.

[@TheGiggingGuitarPlayer]

Red one is a Chibson.

[@Ranch5150SkinWalker]

Yep!

[@midreader]

As a person who owns a Gibson guitar, I think the red one doesn't look right.

[@Ranch5150SkinWalker]

Yep!!

[@johngarrett6472]

Red one is chibson, serial number and made in USA painted on. Bet the truss rod is a 4 mm rather than nut on a real Gibson

[@joecoach7268]

Red one is fake for sure! Bridge is dead giveaway based on slotted mounting screw heads. Markings on cak of headstock are wrong - real Gibson marking are pressed into the finish not painted on or painted in, truss rod cover is 2 screw but bottom curvatures do not appear accurate and log is not accurate in headstock, and pickguard is sitting on the body - just to name a few indicators. Thanks for a cool vid and the public service info that this represents. I will go so far as to say that people shouldnt be selling these even if they are advertising as NOT A REAL GIBSON. They put others at risk by potentially selling to someone that will not be so upfront and sell to someone else that is unsuspecting.

[@jonbasiloni4112]

The biggest give a ways I see in china knock offs is the quality of the wood used, paint quality, the Gibson logo position, the quality of the inlays, fret board, truss rod and the truss rod cover position, the hardware is big give a way and the serial number there are number of areas to look at on a fake vs a real Gibson.

[@christopherguzzi1316]

Red one is fake. The serial number shouldn't be white, but rather a dark red. The strap buttons are cheap looking. The hardware is aged but looks not quite right. Didn't get a close look at the fret nibs but that can be a give away

[@kibscott6096]

Just seen this video, well right away I have to say the red one is a fake Chinese knock off, the input jack was the first clue

[@johnnyrhythm9493]

The yellow one bridge was on backwards, but it was real. The red one's logo was fat & as soon as I saw th the back, the scarf joint heel on the neck screamed Chinese at me. & no, I don't want it.

[@davidisenberg125]

i played one of those chinese copies with seymore duncan pick ups and it sounded AMAZING !!!!!! if you want a bar room beater that you don't have to worry about being stolen you cannot do better..... that bitch sounded as good as my 76 LP custom that i bought new for 400 smackers ....

[@OddTimeMan]

It took me about one second to tell that the red one is fake. With black pickup rings, Gibson always uses black screws. The fakes almost always get that wrong.

[@gorlagOv]

Nice video, Mr. Red is the fake.

[@Ranch5150SkinWalker]

Yep!!

[@josephkemler4488]

50 yrs of Gibsons .. takes 5 seconds for me(in the ✋ hand) to realize..BUT..a "Chibson" can be really good..and IF you can really play(pro)..no big deal.. BUT.. don't fool anyone for $..then you break "the Code"..in other words.. better a "Chibson" than a stolen Gibson..

[@Ranch5150SkinWalker]

Very true. It you want one for fun and can fool with it a bit, you can get a really nice playing instrument out of them! This ES335 is solid man!

[@erickaufmancustomguitars1351]

I think the red is fake. Why? Front of headstock edges too rounded. Indicating thick finish. Back of headstock, no wings on sides. Neck joint screams import. The shape. Not rounded, but oval? Looks like an ibanez? Placement of input jack too close to knob. The binding in the f hole cutouts. Dosen't look like anything I've seen by Gibson to me. The reflection of the finish looks like a polymer, doesn't look like laquer in too many ways. Looks thick overall. Jeeze I got a ton more reasons too, I sure hope I'm right lol. I'm quitting now lol

[@craigpoole2602]

The red is the fake. The first shot gave it away. The fret markers....a 335 doesn't have those weird block inlays. The stop tailpiece is wrong, the bridge is wrong, the headstock shape is wrong, the truss rod cover is wrong......it's just all wrong.

[@matthewmartin7639]

Red. The head shape is all wrong. The adjustable bridge pins. No fret nibs. The S/N is too clean. Also almost every fake I've seen has a very similar S/N. They almost always start with 00. I've seen 4 of them have 00170432. The wiring is wrong in the F-hole.

[@unclefido6484]

The red one is the fake. Looks good but I noticed a couple flaws.

[@hairlab9646]

red one's made in china. But, as many watch collectors have learned the hard way, in about 5 years 99% of non hard-core collectors won't be able to tell the difference without a teardown, especially if bridges and electronics are replaced. I'm guessing they will even do some near Murphy lab-quality relicing, since it isn't rocket science.

[@MainPrism]

The red one's fake. The blocks are WAY too small. That alone is a dead giveaway. Also, they almost never fillin the stamping on the headstocks. Still a sweet lookin guitar though! Some of these can be awesome woth a little bit of work.

[@Arthagnou]

Red is the fake, the Truss Rod cover, didnt look like it had binding on the neck. The Chinese are never going to impress the "not for resale" on the back of the headstock. The natural also had the Gibson sticker in the body. The Chinese are probably never going to copy that. AND he never made a part 2....perfect

[@rocketpoolpki]

Real cooooool upload Marty... Come at it from a different perspective than the obvious, A real Gibson, made in USA, will be made using imperial measurements not sillimeters...which puts the bridge, bridge posts and bridge pick ups at a slightly different angle, spacing and thread size, it will also make a very small difference to the block inlays...should've stuck to the dots .... this said, I have never even played a real Gibson let alone own one and one of my fave guitarists of all time...Scott Gorham...earned his place in Thin Lizzy with a japanese Les Paul copy \m/ but you would not be pleased if you bought a juicy beef steak from the butcher and then realized it was horse meat when you plated it up for Grandma....actually I did have a Sonex for a short time in the 80's ... wow, how did I forget that...used to hire a train to transport it around from gig to gig...

[@Ranch5150SkinWalker]

Thanks man!

[@raleighparker7046]

For me, red is the fake, lacquer folks, poly ain’t gonna be on a 335, nitro would be. Then is the f-hole, nice look but again red one isn’t Gibson. The real Gibson had a cool “Not for resale” on back of headstock, I’m not familiar with that but I suspect no Chinese knock off is going to put that on there, seems like there’s a special story behind that.

[@Radco2000]

The red guitar looks more precision and polished.

[@ronl3793]

The red one is the fake. No wings on the head stock and the wrong bridge to name a few.

[@ziggylayneable]

My first guess was the red guitar

[@vincentrockel1149]

Natural. Red has wrong fret marker shape, bridge, knobs..

[@greenesak]

Red (model 2) is fake, serial number to crisp in detail, block inlays too small, and Gibson Logo looked off. No sticker in the f-hole. Bridge posts were also not correct.

[@jeffwagner2707]

Red fake block inlays

[@timtaylorguitarnut]

I'm gonna say #1 because it's stamped not for resale.

[@therightisright8276]

Epiphone makes the only authorized by Gibson fakes. Lol!

[@CurieBohr]

The yellow one is real

[@T0neXIII]

red

[@ThisOldGuy3]

Right off the bat the Red one as it has an import bridge it's fake.

[@leocalinawan8429]

The red is fake.. The serial nmber print said it and the overall look to it

[@ccaputa]

The red one is the fake. Too many things to list, and others already have below.

[@buffdaddy2032]

Yellow is real gibson . Red fake .