Fake EJ-160E?

Deaf Eddie · October 3rd, 2006, 12:21 PM

So, I eBayed a used Epi EJ-160E - or, at least, I THOUGHT I did.

The issue is that I haven't seen an EJ-160E in person, so I don't know if the anomolies I sense are real, or just a case of the yips. It's an OK axe, I guess - needs a LOT of setup work before I'll be happy with it, but that's alright, it's one of my hobbies. However, there are a few things that trouble me.

UNLIKE the pictures on the Epi website:

1 - tuners have metal buttons (not the Gibson-style "ivory tulips")
2 - trussrod cover is blank - no stylized "Big E"
3 - body shape just seems a little goofy - like, not quite enough "pinch" at the waist

... And NOWHERE does it say country of origin. It has the correct label, and an Epi sticker on the back of the headstock, but...

Here's a pic:

So, did I get some unauthorised Chinese copy of the Korean copies?
Or, are the new ones just funky like that?

Has anybody heard of somebody faking an EPI?
Fake Gibsons and Fenders, fer sher, but a fake EPI???

kludge · October 3rd, 2006, 12:35 PM

My guess is it's more likely a factory second.
(edit)
Another thought is that it might be a prototype. I think that guitar is normally made in Korea, but Epiphone makes a lot of guitars in China. Perhaps it's a sample from a Chinese manufacturing test. Which would make it sort of grey-market, rather than a bootleg.

Deaf Eddie · October 3rd, 2006, 01:40 PM

Thanks for your opinion. That prompted me to do a little more research.

After some careful eyeballing of a few more fleaBay offerings, I believe I have determined that it is indeed NOT a Korean Epi (as the originals where), and that it IS in fact a Chinese Epi - the dimensions of the body and layout of the controls are consistant with another fer-sher Chinese EJ-160E listed (the MIC sticker is visible in a pic)...

It's NOT a fake - it's just not the old MIK model. Although it's still a fully sanctioned and "authorized" model, I am very disappointed. It just don't look quite right to me. Oh well, I DID get it for VERY cheap - about half of what that model is typically going for. Might make a nice Christmas present for one of the nephews, if I can get it to play decently. Oh, yeah, it might be a keeper - the wife just loves the look of it.

So, here's a word to the wise - IF you are tempted by the thought of one of these, don't get a NEW one! I betcha they are ALL gonna be from China, from now on, and for me, the "vibe" suffers quite a bit from their straying from the "template" - yes, in the seventies, I had a Gibson J-160E, and this ain't no-way a copy of that axe, not by any stretch. It's just and axe with a nice finish, the same neck inlay shapes, and a similar control layout. Just like my VW is a fair approximation of a GT-40.

So, could this be another case of the MIK model becoming a "classic"...?

Man, whodda thunk that would happen - MIK classics - in my lifetime!

October 3rd, 2006, 12:21 PM	#1 (permalink)
Deaf Eddie Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Sunny San Diego, CA Posts: 1,302 14 Photos	Fake EJ-160E? So, I eBayed a used Epi EJ-160E - or, at least, I THOUGHT I did. The issue is that I haven't seen an EJ-160E in person, so I don't know if the anomolies I sense are real, or just a case of the yips. It's an OK axe, I guess - needs a LOT of setup work before I'll be happy with it, but that's alright, it's one of my hobbies. However, there are a few things that trouble me. UNLIKE the pictures on the Epi website: 1 - tuners have metal buttons (not the Gibson-style "ivory tulips") 2 - trussrod cover is blank - no stylized "Big E" 3 - body shape just seems a little goofy - like, not quite enough "pinch" at the waist ... And NOWHERE does it say country of origin. It has the correct label, and an Epi sticker on the back of the headstock, but... Here's a pic: So, did I get some unauthorised Chinese copy of the Korean copies? Or, are the new ones just funky like that? Has anybody heard of somebody faking an EPI? Fake Gibsons and Fenders, fer sher, but a fake EPI??? __________________ YMMV - I been wrong before...

October 3rd, 2006, 01:40 PM	#3 (permalink)
Deaf Eddie Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Sunny San Diego, CA Posts: 1,302 14 Photos	It's Chinese! Thanks for your opinion. That prompted me to do a little more research. After some careful eyeballing of a few more fleaBay offerings, I believe I have determined that it is indeed NOT a Korean Epi (as the originals where), and that it IS in fact a Chinese Epi - the dimensions of the body and layout of the controls are consistant with another fer-sher Chinese EJ-160E listed (the MIC sticker is visible in a pic)... It's NOT a fake - it's just not the old MIK model. Although it's still a fully sanctioned and "authorized" model, I am very disappointed. It just don't look quite right to me. Oh well, I DID get it for VERY cheap - about half of what that model is typically going for. Might make a nice Christmas present for one of the nephews, if I can get it to play decently. Oh, yeah, it might be a keeper - the wife just loves the look of it. So, here's a word to the wise - IF you are tempted by the thought of one of these, don't get a NEW one! I betcha they are ALL gonna be from China, from now on, and for me, the "vibe" suffers quite a bit from their straying from the "template" - yes, in the seventies, I had a Gibson J-160E, and this ain't no-way a copy of that axe, not by any stretch. It's just and axe with a nice finish, the same neck inlay shapes, and a similar control layout. Just like my VW is a fair approximation of a GT-40. So, could this be another case of the MIK model becoming a "classic"...? Man, whodda thunk that would happen - MIK classics - in my lifetime! __________________ YMMV - I been wrong before...

October 3rd, 2006, 12:35 PM	#2 (permalink)
kludge Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Minneapolis Age: 43 Posts: 1,026	My guess is it's more likely a factory second. (edit) Another thought is that it might be a prototype. I think that guitar is normally made in Korea, but Epiphone makes a lot of guitars in China. Perhaps it's a sample from a Chinese manufacturing test. Which would make it sort of grey-market, rather than a bootleg.