Doubt about 59' humbucker, real or fake?

[Tomasignacio]

Hi guys I hope some of you know enough to let me know if this is a good sd humbucker(bridge) or a fake one. The screws for leveling are different from the ones on pictures, the poles seem not to match the strings exactly as they do on the neck p.u. which is a sd 59 aswell, and finally, the tape or ribbon that should wrap the hb is missing.
The guitar is a gibson lp studio

 

[ToneFiddler]

There is nothing wrong with it.
the screws are not original but Philipps head is better anyway.
alignment has nothing to do with it.
the tape is always this way on one side, all normal.

could still be a fake though.
the bottom plate would be more telling…

 

[jeremy]

its hard to tell from those pics. is this your guitar?

 

[Wound_Up]

There is nothing wrong with it.
the screws are not original but Philipps head is better anyway.
alignment has nothing to do with it.
the tape is always this way on one side, all normal.

could still be a fake though.
the bottom plate would be more telling…

What would the bottom plate show? Not all 59s have a logo on the baseplate if that's what you're looking for. Mine doesn't.

 

[eclecticsynergy]

What would the bottom plate show? Not all 59s have a logo on the baseplate if that's what you're looking for. Mine doesn't.

It will have a sticker. And unless it is quite old it should have a logo stamped into the baseplate.

 

[playas]

...also the colour of the baseplate and wires can be giveaways too.

 

[Mincer]

There are lots of clues to look for in this thread.

 

[GuitarStv]

The only way of spotting a fake is if the manufacturer of the fake made an easy to see mistake. This was once often easy to spot, but is getting pretty hard. There are plenty of these pickups out there where there aren't any obvious tells . . . which means that realistically there is no way of knowing.

Fake '59n:


Real '59n:


Or looking at the front . . . real on top, fake on bottom:



Good fucking luck!

 

[Clint 55]

You can also use your ears. Does it sound like a 59 or a pos?

 

[Masta' C]

You can also use your ears. Does it sound like a 59 or a pos?

As if those are the only 2 options, LOL

 

[Clint 55]

LOL

 

[Mr. B]

If you like the sound of it, it is real. If you don't like the sound of it, it is fake.

 

[Mincer]

Is this a guitar you are going to buy? Make the seller prove it or offer a discount. If you have doubts, stay away or budget for a genuine SD pickup from an authorized retailer.

 

[Tomasignacio]

Thanks everybody for your answers

 

[Wound_Up]

It will have a sticker. And unless it is quite old it should have a logo stamped into the baseplate.

Hmmm. I bought mine within the last 2 years from a manufacturer/builder & authorized dealer who was selling their overstock. My guess is they were ordered that way.

I guess I could be recalling wrong. That's always possible. But I swear I don't remember there being anything on it.

 

[beaubrummels]

I've never seen a 59 without one of two different logos stamped on the plate, depending on the year of manufacture. There are only a few very specific Duncan models with plain baseplates. The tape that goes around the pickup on a 59 should wrap once all the way around and then wrap onto the baseplate on each side, if it never had a cover. I don't believe the bridge is a 59.