We found a site the other day that sells counterfeit guitars of many major manufacturers, calling them “Ibanez Style” or “Classic Style” in the case of Gibson. We’re usually interested in giving a very detailed point by point look at a guitar if we happen to have one in our hands, but in this case, we don’t. We have just a few photos that aren’t all that detailed. In this case, I’ve going to give you an idea of what we’d look at if we saw a guitar we suspected was a fake. Understand that these guitars are rarely seen in guitar shops. Dealers deal direct with the manufacturer or authorized distributor. These counterfeits make it into the market by direct order from consumer to the counterfeiter or via unofficial channels such as eBay. As always, if you discover an eBay seller is dealing counterfeits, you can notify us at Gearsecure, and we’ll publicize it across our social network, get in contact with the manufacturer and do what we can to stop the practice.

I’m not going to tell you the domain. We don’t want to give these guys any advertising or traffic. Rest assured we’ll be contacting our contacts at the manufacturers in question to make sure they are aware of the site.

No surprise the site in question originates in China. Undoubtedly some of these instruments are in the wild around the world, including the U.S. When you read the site, you can tell that the copy is written by somebody who isn’t a native English speaker, though the grammar isn’t horrible. There’s hardly any Engrish to make fun of, though the copy is far from brilliant or professional.

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The Band “The Randies” had their tour van stolen with all of their gear while on tour in Silverlake California on Sunday 4-12-09. They are currently on the Van’s Warped Tour. Please keep an eye out for any of this gear. This is a long list, so please check through all of it. Of course, if everyone who sees this could buy a song of theirs from myspace or itunes, it would certainly go a long way to helping them out as well….

Location: Silverlake CA.

Type of Equipment: Fender 800 Pro Bass Head
Serial Number: CR307685
Note: Spray painted gold

Type of Equipment: Fender 4×10 Pro Bass Speaker Cab
Serial Number:M1477772

Type of Equipment: Marshall Plexi late 60s/early 70s w/ modified master volume
Serial Number:Unknown

Type of Equipment: Fender Blonde 2×12 Tonemaster Speaker Cab
Serial Number:CR2xxx7031
Note:Well Worn

Type of Equipment: Marshall JCM800 50watt MK2 2204
Serial Number:U25750
Note: late 80s with bleach stain on grill

Type of Equipment: Marshall JCM800 1960A lead 4×12 Cab
Serial Number:unknown

Type of Equipment: Fender Jaguar Bass Black
Serial Number:S092605
Note: white pickguard Continue reading