Website verification wont spot fakes, Gibson warns

Tue, 21 Jul 2009

Websites such as guitardaterproject.org, which claim to allow purchasers to authenticate guitars sold privately, are not reliable in the case of Gibson and Epiphone models, according to Gibson Guitar Corporation. The company has issued a  HYPERLINK "http://www.gibson.com/en-us/Lifestyle/Features/beware-web-sites-722/" statement alleging that counterfeiters are loading fake serial numbers into databases run by organizations such as the Guitar Dater Project in order to trick customers.

The Project claims to provide users with ‘the information hidden in your guitar’s serial number in plain English’. It does, however, acknowledge that it is ‘a work in progress’ and that much of its data comes from user feedback.
According to Gibson’s Manager of Brand Protection Ric Olsen, counterfeiters have now taken to supplying that information themselves to ensure their fakes appear authentic, even referencing the site in their ads. He quotes the example of a craigslist.org posting which read: ‘I am selling this beautiful Silverburst Les Paul Custom. Please note that though the headstock says Gibson, it is NOT a Gibson, but rather an Epiphone. You can verify this by putting the serial # 08015553 into the following database: www.guitardaterproject.org.’
Although the serial number showed up as a genuine guitar, it was in fact bogus, Olsen says. ‘The only advisable validation method is to contact our  HYPERLINK "mailto:service@gibson.com" Gibson Customer Service department,’ he said, adding, ‘If you’re wanting a legitimate and quality new or used piece, find an authorized Gibson dealer.’