Fake Taylor 912ce?

[Mystery123]

Left is real and right is something not Taylor according to the ad.
Asking $800. Too much for a copy?





More pics and information here:
https://denver.craigslist.org/msg/d/...499633826.html

[ManyMartinMan]

For me, supporting Chinese fakery, forgery or theft of intellectual property - at any price - is too much. If there is nothing about it that says Taylor and it's being sold as an import guitar that happens to look like a Taylor, then someone might feel they are buying in good conscience. Even at that, I would never pay $800 for an unknown copy when I could buy a used Taylor 314 or Larrivee OM-o3 or New Martin GPCPA5 or ........(known commodities) for less.

[pukematrix]

In my opinion $800 is a lot of bones that could be put toward an authentic Taylor or any other legit maker, so I wouldn't bite. Seems kind of high for a Chinese knock-off, but I'm no expert on how much these things are typically going for straight from the source. I, for one, wouldn't be tore up if the market for these counterfeits dried up, though.

Austin

[DenverSteve]

Yeah, I've seen these on Ali for closer to $300. Get the real-deal and be happy instead of probably left with a guitar you'll want to dump on someone else in 2 weeks.

[bil40272]

A coworker/friend bought two fakes this past summer.
the first was a 000 45 fake.
When it arrived, it was labeled just like a martin. it even had a serial # from the 40's.
Playability was ok. the sound was Martinesque. when he put some playing time and a new set of strings, it really did sound nice. Not bad for a guitar that cost less than $300.
The second was a Taylor 914 copy. once again the playability was ok, but the sound was pretty **** good. once again after some playing time and a new set of strings, it sounded very good.
Once again not bad for a guitar that cost less than $350.
My friend has no intentions of selling these guitars as the originals, or at all.
These guitars were not sold as originals, the add was very clear.
They were advertised as Chartin, and Chaylor.
Here is my question, if they were not labeled, blank headstock, not internal label, would this be any difference than any of the other Martin copies out there?
Blueridge, Morgan Monroe, and many others have been doing this for years.
I recently sold a Morgan Monroe M-20 V. it was an exact copy of the Martin HD 28.
Once again Martinesque sound and playability.
Where do we draw the line.
BTW the Chartin did not come with CITIES paperwork, and the back and sides were clearly some type of rosewood.
WHat do you guys think.

[bil40272]

Last year there was a Martin Copy for sale on Louisville Craigslist, for over a thousand dollars.
Some one placed an add calling out the fake martin, and both ads disappeared quickly.
Makes me wonder if the owner got duped on his Chartin, or if they were trying to pull a fast one.

[ifret]

I wouldn't buy a fake anything, regardless of the price. But, that's just me.

[vindibona1]

I dunno... If you're buying it sight unseen it's too much. I wouldn't touch it even for $400. If you're played it and it knocks your socks off, it's still too much, but my guess is that the seller got it for around $400 and there is some negotiating room in there.

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/2016...ceBeautifyAB=0

Originally Posted by ManyMartinMan

For me, supporting Chinese fakery, forgery or theft of intellectual property - at any price - is too much. If there is nothing about it that says Taylor and it's being sold as an import guitar that happens to look like a Taylor, then someone might feel they are buying in good conscience. Even at that, I would never pay $800 for an unknown copy when I could buy a used Taylor 314 or Larrivee OM-o3 or New Martin GPCPA5 or ........(known commodities) for less.

In terms of "forgery" or "theft of intellectual property" there are shades of gray here. No Taylor logo. Different fingerboard pattern. Got to be different bracing patterns and/or construction. The guitars share the same shape. So what? You shop for an SUV lately? Mazda, Nissan, Lexus, Hyundai, Ford, Chevy... they all are so similar unless you are right on top of them close enough to read the logos one can hardly tell them apart. Same thing with watches. You can pay $6k for a Rolex Submariner or you can buy an Invicta that looks just like it for under $100. Obviously the FTC doesn't believe that copy-catting is TOIP. https://www.amazon.com/Invicta-8926O...invicta+8926ob

Are Chinese guitars as good as the models they're knocking off? Acoustics are generally not even close for obvious reasons. But are they better than other retail model in their price range? It depends. But if buying sight unseen it is a real craps-shoot.

[Big Band Guitar]

Why buy a look alike something when you can buy a genuine Eastman?

Nobody is trying to fool anybody with Eastman.

Way back when I built my own banjo the craze in home built banjoes was (and maybe still is) to make it look just like a Gibson. Not for me mine does not look like anyone else's banjo. It can be seen in this video. (shameless plug)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pY9WL-leIlc

[ManyMartinMan]

Originally Posted by vindibona1

...In terms of "forgery" or "theft of intellectual property" there are shades of gray here.

Not at all. That's when you move on to my next sentence about when there is no Taylor logo. Two different thoughts there and both are covered.

[vindibona1]

Originally Posted by ManyMartinMan

Not at all. That's when you move on to my next sentence about when there is no Taylor logo. Two different thoughts there and both are covered.

I missed the second part. I'm not such a good reader sometimes (most of the time :0 ). That's why I studied music rather than English Lit.

[ManyMartinMan]

Originally Posted by vindibona1

I missed the second part. I'm not such a good reader sometimes (most of the time :0 ). That's why I studied music rather than English Lit.

That's alright, it's early.

[Rmz76]

Originally Posted by DenverSteve

Yeah, I've seen these on Ali for closer to $300. Get the real-deal and be happy instead of probably left with a guitar you'll want to dump on someone else in 2 weeks.

Yep, all you're buying with a guitar like this is the Taylor look. It's probably a solid top on laminate b&s, but missing Taylor's unique relief route, missing Taylor's unique bolt on neck-joint, Taylor's unique fit and finish, the wood was not conditioned the same way as it would be in Taylor's warehouse, etc... The list goes on.

The best you can hope for with a replica is for it to have a unique sound of it its own... A Taylor 114 would most likely be a much better sounding and playing guitar.

[BT55]

The Chaylor 914’s are about $360 with laminate sides and back. An all solid wood Chaylor is about $660. You can order them with counterfeit logos, your own logo or no logo. Not all buyers are educated so no one should ever sell one with a counterfeit logo.

At $660 it’s probably a good value. Chaylor is one of the more respected names in the clone market. Chinese guitars have been produced for a number of years and their quality improves as time goes on. You should be aware that everything on the guitar is counterfeit. That Fishman pickup or Gotoh tuners are not the real thing.

Save your money and buy a genuine pre-owned Taylor.

[bil40272]

The Chaylor that my friend bought is solid back and sides.
We pulled the end pin and it was solid wood. the back wood grain matched on the inside and out. although that is not a true test. The guitar was surprisingly lightly built, unlike the Chartin he bought, it was a tank.
The guitar really did sound good even with the crap strings they send them with . it did not have the Taylor neck attachment.
The truss rod was adjusted through the sound hole. If it did indeed have a truss rod, may have just been a hole. It did have a truss rod cover on the head stock.
Not sure what the inlay material was, but it was well done.
When he ordered it we teased him that the fret board inlay would wind up being stickers. we were wrong.