Gibson Superstrat

[Cederick]

This had me thinking about recent happenings with Warmoth/Gibson... Haha!

Was this made under Fenders "blessing"?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Gibson-Super-Strat-1990-electric-guitar-/261313184006?pt=Guitar&hash=item3cd77ac106

 

[Strat Avenger]

I met a guy several years ago that had 2 of those.

 

[SustainerPlayer]

These were "better" ...

:toothy12:

 

[Super Turbo Deluxe Custom]

With the Strat (and Tele, and Jazz Bass, and Precision Bass, and etc., etc....) shape, there is nothing to steal.  It's out there and un protected.  The reasons it's unprotected are largely the same reasons Warmoth can't do the Gibson shapes; they didn't protect them.

 

[rapfohl09]

Well also realize that those guitars were made over 20 years ago, so chances are Fender got angry and told them to stop making them.

 

[Super Turbo Deluxe Custom]

Well also realize that those guitars were made over 20 years ago, so chances are Fender got angry and told them to stop making them.

It doesn't matter though.  Everyone makes a Fender copy, and everyone legally can.  Those shapes were Fender's to protect, and they didn't.

 

[bagman67]

I reckon the market told Gibson to knock it off by not buying very many of them.

 

[Super Turbo Deluxe Custom]

Exactly. 

And believe it or not, the market even told Gibson at one point to not make Les Pauls.

 

[m4rk0]

I remember they also made really awful epiphone tele's and strats!

 

[Super Turbo Deluxe Custom]

The Epiphone Tele had an Explorer headstock.  I call it a Telephone.

 

[SustainerPlayer]

The Epiphone Tele had an Explorer headstock.  I call it a Telephone.

:toothy12:

 

[AutoBat]

The Epiphone strat-acoustic with the Explorer headstock was called the Demon.

 

[Ace Flibble]

Poor Gibson/Epiphone. If they just make what they've always made, people say they're out of touch with the times and irrelevant. If they make something modern, people call say they've lost their mind. If they stick to the same designs they've been making since the 50s and 60s, everybody yawns. If they lift a design from elsewhere they are called heathen thieves; never mind that there are a thousand 'copy brands' out there doing the same thing much more shamelessly. They're not allowed to make progress and they're not allowed to stand still.

I find it especially bizarre that no other brand is treated like this. Nobody blinks when Fender puts out yet another attempt at a 'metal' Tele and yet another vintage reissue this time in a slightly different shade of blue. When PRS suddenly makes a 25.5" scale, neck-through Floyd Rose super-Strat everybody celebrates. ESP just launched a new line of pre-reliced Strat copies and still makes LP copies that aren't even legal to sell outside of Japan and a few east-European countries, and nobody comments.
Gibson releases an Epiphone SG with the bridge volume knob moved 2mm further forward and the internet has a fit :dontknow:

 

[Strat Avenger]

Gibson gets no respect (apart from their faithful cult followers) because they are so litigious. The Les Paul, ES-XXX, and SG will always be popular. Aside from that, they have no business copying anyone. They sue everybody for the slightest resemblance to one of their designs.

I personally won't buy a new Gibson. My ESP single cutaway looks and performs every bit as good, thanks.

 

[sixstringsamurai]

Gibson gets no respect (apart from their faithful cult followers) because they are so litigious. The Les Paul, ES-XXX, and SG will always be popular. Aside from that, they have no business copying anyone. They sue everybody for the slightest resemblance to one of their designs.

I personally won't buy a new Gibson. My ESP single cutaway looks and performs every bit as good, thanks.

Ditto, I just sold off my last Gibson to finance my current build.

They feel like sloppy kids toys to me now, and I was a devout gibson fanboy....
Until I bought a Warmoth.

I still spec my necks to 24 3/4, 59' profile, 12 in. rad.
But I like the bolt on option, and be able to cull the best of both worlds.

 

[Ace Flibble]

They sue everybody for the slightest resemblance to one of their designs.

You realise they have to do that, right? Fender never took out the right claims on their designs so they can't take action against people copying them, while Gibson did protect their inventions and so they have to take action against any known infringements otherwise they lose their own rights. PRS do the same as Gibson and ESP, Schecter and Ibanez also do, for certain designs.

You might as well complain that a movie production company doesn't like people pirating their films or that bands shouldn't be annoyed when everybody downloads their album rather than purchasing it.

 

[Jumble Jumble]

Gibson gets no respect (apart from their faithful cult followers) because they are so litigious. The Les Paul, ES-XXX, and SG will always be popular. Aside from that, they have no business copying anyone. They sue everybody for the slightest resemblance to one of their designs.

I personally won't buy a new Gibson. My ESP single cutaway looks and performs every bit as good, thanks.

They sue everybody for the slightest resemblance to one of their designs.

the slightest resemblance to one of their designs.

the slightest resemblance

:icon_scratch:

 

[Cederick]

Haha i'm sorry but I don't get that post

 

[Jumble Jumble]

Cederick, I just think "the slightest resemblance" is a bit of a disingenuous description of the reason why Gibson gave Warmoth a call.

 

[Cederick]

Ah. Yeah they look practically exactly the same

I guess the Explorer was the most "non-Gibson" looking shape they had. A bit pointier and the lower horn was thinner