Fake guitars in the market

I stumbled on an ad in a local online selling/buying site selling guitars and what caught my attention was its cheap price. I found out that the seller is selling fake branded guitars. Gone are the days where only fake branded handbags and clothing romp the market. Now the market is being plague by fake branded guitars.

For an avid guitarist, fake guitars are spoiling the market. There are many fake guitars carrying famous brands such as Gibson, Fender, Epiphone, ESP and Ibanez.  Many unsuspecting buyers get conned by the low price. One should not buy a fake guitar because it is of inferior build quality, sub-par sounding and poor workmanship. You can spot a fake guitar by its headstock, material used, finishing and also its sound. The fonts on the headstock maybe wrong, the finishing of the guitar is poor and the materials used aren’t the same as the original ones such as the pickup and the wood. If you are still uncertain on the authenticity of the guitar, you can ask an experienced friend to tag along when you buy a guitar.

For your peace of mind, it is advisable to go directly to the authorized distributor to get your axe as you are rest assured that the guitar is genuine. Below are the lists of authorized distributor that distributes original guitars in Malaysia:
Bentley Music: Fender, Ibanez, PRS, Jackson, Takamine, Taylor

The Guitar Store: Godin, Maton, Norman, Cort

The Guitar Collection: ESP, Seagull, Art & Lutherie, Martin & Co.

Ultimate Music: Schecter

Menuetto Music: Gibson, Epiphone, Cort

If you are in a tight budget, there are many decent quality guitar that are not branded but worth looking at. You just have to ask and scout around. Happy jamming!

Picture Source: Takamine semi-acoustic & Ibanez RG Series. Both of my guitars are original.