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Post by LG Martial Arts on Feb 9, 2015 18:38:20 GMT
I am also a guitarist, and this is an increasing problem among guitars as well. There is a distinction between a knife/guitar that copies a design but uses a different brand name or logo, and one that is counterfeit that not only copies the design but that also is falsely labeled with the original's brand name - often going so far as to lie about what country it was made in (to reflect where a legit product would have been made). It's one thing to copy the design of a Gibson Les Paul or a Fender Stratocaster, but when you also label your products as Gibson or Fender you are flat out engaged in intentionally misrepresenting the products. Suho, I've seen those knockoffs as well. I remember when I first got into playing guitar in the mid 80's and bought a cheap Les Paul replica... it played ok, but definitely not a real Gibson. Like you mentioned though, I've seen lots of guitars posted (again, mostly on Alibaba and other similar sites) as the real deal, which is really bothersome. It's really sickening how low some people will go just to cheat others out of their hard earned money.
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Post by Suho on Feb 9, 2015 19:18:46 GMT
Sure, my first electric was a Gibson Explorer copy by Cort, which clearly doesn't play the same as the real deal, but was also not trying to fool anyone (clearly labeled as Cort and didn't use any trademarked headstock shapes, and if you want to get more technical it was a bolt on neck and had a strat-style trem which the originals certainly don't have!)
I think a lot a people get fooled and buy a counterfeit guitar, learn it's counterfeit, and then try to recoup their losses by selling it to someone else who is just as ignorant as they were. The thing is, it is just as illegal for that little reseller to sell a pirated/counterfeited item as it is for some Chinese factory overseas.
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Post by LG Martial Arts on Feb 10, 2015 2:31:55 GMT
Man, that brings back the days when I was in school learning to play my Fingergut Les Paul look alike (don't remember the brand name), and then later, a Cort (almost like a Fender, except it had two humbuckers and built in electronic effects) I bought at Sears... like you said though, they weren't marketed as Gibson or Fender models, just replicas of the more expensive guitars. Even though I was around 14 at the time, I knew exactly what I was buying, and it sure wasn't a knock off guitar marketed as a real Gibson or Fender. Today though, you see too many counterfeits passed off as the real deal.
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Post by Adrian Jordan on Feb 10, 2015 2:41:55 GMT
Man, a trip to Alibaba was eye opening. I didn't know that fakes had become so sophisticated, brand names and packaging and all. It's hard to believe that they can sell on a relatively known site like that. I'd seen ones that look almost exactly like an original, but with some small detail changed to make it legal and under a different name, but the direct copies look extremely convincing. As such I voted Not That I Know Of. Distressing, to say the least.
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Post by LG Martial Arts on Feb 10, 2015 4:07:10 GMT
Man, a trip to Alibaba was eye opening. I didn't know that fakes had become so sophisticated, brand names and packaging and all. It's hard to believe that they can sell on a relatively known site like that. I'd seen ones that look almost exactly like an original, but with some small detail changed to make it legal and under a different name, but the direct copies look extremely convincing. As such I voted Not That I Know Of. Distressing, to say the least. That's the distressing part - unless you buy from reputable dealers or get the help from people who have lots and lots of experience, you don't know if what you're getting is real or a counterfeit. I don't think I've ever bought a counterfeit myself, but am wary of buying from smaller businesses (which is ironic, since I own a small business selling knives, swords, etc. myself) and places like Amazon - I found a vendor there selling counterfeit Buck knives that looked a lot like real Buck knives except they didn't have the correct stamping on the blade (very minor mistake). I've bought lots of stuff from people on forums too... unfortunately though, its getting to the point that unless the person is very well known, I'm wary of buying/trading like I used to. There was recently a post on one of the FB groups I belong to where someone had been offered a Microtech Jagdkommando knife (usually sell for over $850) as part of a trade deal, but after asking around, it was found out that the knife was actually a Chinese knockoff because the Microtech logo was upside down and the knurled handle was slightly different than the real model. Here's the real one Here's the one on Alibaba
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Post by Afoo on Feb 10, 2015 5:48:11 GMT
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Post by Suho on Feb 10, 2015 6:10:58 GMT
But are they just look-alikes, or are they also falsely branded as a well known maker?
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Post by LG Martial Arts on Feb 10, 2015 12:24:29 GMT
But are they just look-alikes, or are they also falsely branded as a well known maker? I agree that the sword is probably not that good from the description/pictures, but like Suho said, there's nothing in the description or title that makes one believe it's a sword made from a well known maker... (probably) bad sword from India=yes. Probable knock off=no.
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Post by Afoo on Feb 10, 2015 15:18:11 GMT
But are they just look-alikes, or are they also falsely branded as a well known maker? I agree that the sword is probably not that good from the description/pictures, but like Suho said, there's nothing in the description or title that makes one believe it's a sword made from a well known maker... (probably) bad sword from India=yes. Probable knock off=no. True, but it does bear a striking resemblance to the Windlass German Bastard Sword does it not? The fact that they coincidentally chose the same name as the Windlass product does make you wonder as to what their intent is. I would argue it is at least in the grey area where its not outright counterfeit, but the intent might be the same
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Post by Suho on Feb 10, 2015 16:21:38 GMT
True, but it does bear a striking resemblance to the Windlass German Bastard Sword does it not? The fact that they coincidentally chose the same name as the Windlass product does make you wonder as to what their intent is. I would argue it is at least in the grey area where its not outright counterfeit, but the intent might be the same It might even be from the same factory that makes the Windlass swords. They could be seconds or rejects or just someone working late making a few extra for personal sale. I have seen similar situations.
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