From a legal point of view they are counterfeit if there is a fake logo on them, so from that point of view it doesn't really matter how good they are.
From a potential buyer's perspective the difference is important though. The article states:
"After further investigation it was concluded that the collection had 27 Gibson, six Fender, two CF Martin and one Paul Reed Smith guitars that were allegedly autographed and played by famous musicians"
Autographed and played by... That's some pretty serious counterfeiting there, but I assume they mean signature models.
"The highest valued item in the bunch was a Gibson Ace Frehley that was set at a manufacturer's suggested retail price of $9,000"
Up until now it's been easy to spot the fakes but if they are now making convincing counterfeits that both look and feel like the real deal, it's a gamechanger for all of us. Would the seized Ace Frehely mentioned above be so indistinguishable from the real thing that it would actually sell for 9 grand if hung on a wall at GC? If that is the case we're seeing a whole new level (and quality) of fake guitars.
It could of course also be that the article over inflates the story and that it is the regular run of the mill, poorly executed fakes with slapped on logos. As someone who buys a guitar from time to time I'd be interested to know.
loudwire.com
if it’s f’n fake.
www.premierguitar.com
