Fake Gibson J200

How much did he pay for it?
If he got it cheap, and its a good guitar.. can't really say much. If He paid U.S. made price, he needs to go after somebody, and kick himself in the arse a bunch of times.

He came out OK, as long as it's a good player, should have known that it couldn't be real.
There are all kinds of ways these days, to research this stuff.

Re-read your post: He already knew what it was, and bought it anyway?
I might do that, if I had actually played it and it was a really good sounding and playing guitar. I wouldn't want to pay more than like 200 probably.
No way I would take a chance online though, knowing it's fake.
Chinese are building some good guitars now though. I really like The Epiphone Masterbuilts, but they are rare to come across.
I had a really great Masterbuilt AJ500 once, that thing boomed, but I did a trade on something that I regret.

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Looks like they used a buck knife to notch out that brace space.

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It was China. Probably a Bat Knife.

That said, I have seen some nice old guitars with some jacked up looking work inside, but you could tell that it was old, and the guitar still played well.
Adding to that line of thought, one of the most favorite things that I own, is an old Gentleman's chest, made out of oak. It's probably a couple of hundred years old It's been in my family for at least 100 years.
On the side of it, plain to see, is a warped piece of bracing, but it was dovetailed by hand with a chisel and made to work, and the 2 panels that had to fit in, had to be specially cut to work. You know, I love that about it.
Back in the old days, it probably cost 2 dollars at Ye Olde Factore Reject Store.

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I hate the ethics behing the backdooring and black marketing, the blatant counterfeiting like your buddy's Gibson, the theft of IP, etc., but hey, it is what it is. I got paid to install the bootleg Fishman, so he did "buy American" on the back end at least haha. 

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Yeah I was actually very impressed with whatever pickup it is. He bought the thing cause he always liked J200's but would never buy a real one and like I said, thought itd make a cool wallhanger if nothing else.

Kinda scary that someone could accidentally buy a fake though.

I've only seen a real one in person once and didnt really study it, how does it look compared to a real one?

I've saw Chinese knockoffs before that were easily distinguishable but maybe they're getting better?

The guitars that have come to me from those Chinese counterfeit shops look good from five feet away. But upon closer inspection, about half I've experienced have had serious structural issues that inhibit what I can do them performance-wise, and/or issues that will disappoint a competent player. Usually it's horrid fretwork that restrict good playing action. Some could draw blood. Loose craftsmanship elsewhere and lackluster woods and components are also prevalent.

The other half were decent enough to say the buyer got what he paid for. I have yet to experience a counterfeit that really impressed me. I prefer not to even have them on my premises. They are illegal, infringements on trademarks and copyrights. I could potentially get in trouble, just as I could if I had fake $20 bills in my cash box I erroneously took in good faith as payment for services. I'm fortunately doing good enough with my business that I can turn down jobs I don't want. If I know a forgery is coming, I decline the job.

FYI, there is a HUGE difference between Eastman, Blueridge and the other legit Chinese guitar factories versus the ones that put out the forgeries. These blatant counterfeit factories respond to market demand as far as what they produce. If designer imposter American guitars for global markets are hopping, they make designer imposter guitars. If cloning a popular American car safety seat and getting it to European markets for a fourth of the going street price is doable, they're making those. They may be pressing this summer's Hollywood blockbuster on bootleg Bluerays for the Asian and Australian markets. It's not about making any particular product, it's about making money and not caring on whose copyright or trademark toes they trod upon.

And it shows in their guitars. I have a real SJ-200 in my shop right now a client brought me this week. I'll share pics of it after I share them on my shop's Facebook page next week. Side by side, from every sensory standpoint, it's not even apples to oranges. It's apples to turds.

Thanks for the public service announcement.

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and thought it'd make a cool wallhanger if nothing else.

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However supporting thieves that rip off others hard earned work is bullshite... whether it be their reputation or intellectual property. The tariff on this type shite should be in the thousands and apply to the buyer.