HOW IS THIS ALLOWED??
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 6 ต.ค. 2024
- Guitars of the Day! MIJ "Lawsuit" guitars is a term that gets thrown around way to much so let's take a quick (way oversimplified) look at what happened with Japanese-made guitars where there are so many brands (Tokai, Burny, Edwards, Greco, Navigator, Grassroots, etc) that use the "proper" Gibson Les Paul shapes including the iconic "Open Book" headstock.
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The easiest way to tell A Gibson from a knockoff: Turn it over, then trace a straight line up the back to the headstock. Once there, turn the price tag over, and if it's 3 to 5 times more expensive than every other comparable guitar, it's a Gibson.
Or tap it gently on a wall, if the headstock shatters it's a Gibson
Or you can submit multiple photos of it to a guitar forum and watch while dozens of strangers argue back and forth...
Facts
😂😂😂
So true. You’re a goddamned genius, Gump! 😂
One thing a lot of people miss is musicians in Japan wanted to buy guitars from Gibson and Fender but the quality was patchy in the 70s/80s, and the costs prohibitive for most so the local guitar factories stepped up to make excellent guitars at an affordable price. This let more people play good instruments, more bands, more music in the world, how cool is that?
I have a fake strat from China that actually says "Stratocaster" on the (beautifully matching) headstock. I put Burns Trisonic pickups and 6 switches in it like Brian May. It kicks ass and cost less than $120. 🎉
All of the Japanese guitars are probably significantly better than their pricey Gibson counterparts
My japanese fender strat that I paid 500 euro bucks new is better than my standard mexican and american strat.
I guess this is why there are so much quality music from Japan. So much so that it is even said that the music industry in Japan is about as big as in the US. Which is very impressive, those folks are the smart bastards
Import copies were always more budget friendly and still packed with quality features. Metallica used Fernandes guitars on the first few records because that's all they could afford, Yngwie was an Aria endorsed artist for a while and played an Aria. ETC
If my memory serves, Gibson sent Ibanez a “cease and desist” letter, not an actual “lawsuit”, but yeah, one sounds more badass than the other. 😂
That's the path to litigation, it's letting you know that you're on your way to being sued. In cases where there are legal grounds to send one, you should - it greatly helps out later when you establish that contact was made... and ignored... documented on both sides.
Also kinda a slick way of doing the 'intent to sue' without going all of the way when you haven't built a good enough case to grandstand on em.
It's also just better for the sender if the recipient abides the C&D. Saves em both a tonna cash in legal fees. For companies like these, battles are best won before going to court, even if they will be going to court anyway. They'll go to court with YOU any day. Other companies can actually go toe to toe on a level where sometimes you lose even when you win. So often they avoid it until the payoff is all but guaranteed.
I heard from owners their lawsuit era Ibanez guitars were better built and better sounding than their Gibson counterparts, specially the flying V
I have a 1976 lawsuit Les and it’s a dream
I don’t think there’s a guitar company around that Gibson hasn’t either sued or threatened to sue. If Gibson‘s going to be around for much longer they had better get their heads out of their asses and look for ways to make their guitars more affordable.
These days, you pay for a Gibson just for the name.
Meanwhile here in Brazil I can think of at least 6 totally different guitar brands making budget Les Paul models left and right
Mas não é o mesmo headstock
@@bladeoflucatiel pagando 1800 numa les paul barata de qualidade, sinceramente eu não ligaria pro headstock ser diferente
@@coldgutomesma coisa com as Harley Bentons na Europa. Marca propria da maior rede de lojas de lá, que criaram a partie de fabricas regionais das marcas grandes, fabricam coisas de qualidade e vendem por preço super acessível pq não tem que pagar lucro de fabricante, logistica internacional e marketing, já que é tudo deles mesmo.
nenhuma delas é exatamente igual. Nenhuma tem o mesmo headstock e a maioria tem o desenho do cutaway diferente.
Sem o headstock fica feio, não combina, dá pra ver a 1km uma epiphone porcausa justamente do headstock mesmo sendo tudo igual.
"How is this even legal?" What I actually wonder how is legal is a company trademarking the "shape" of a guitar
This video was full of inaccuracies Gibson never restricted US companies With shape restrictions in fact it wasn't until Gibson went bankrupt about 6/7 years ago when they started trying to Sue US guitar manufacturers over supposedly trademarked shapes, Dean has been making Les Paul guitars for 30 years, This video needs to be taken down and redone
There's only so many shapes that work
You ARE allowed in the US to copyright "a design". That is simple. A corvette is a design, a painting by a famous artist is a design, a shape of a coffee maker is a design.
@@OFR Not copyright, trademark, both are under the general umbrella of "intellectual property" but they are very different in scope, intent and enforcement.
The Lanham act states that the list of things which may constitute a trademark may "includ[e] any word, name, symbol, or device, or any combination thereof." The latter two creates a lot of space for copyrighting shapes (Coca-Cola bottles), shapes (Miluwakee red for power tools) and more, although notably it's limited to the purpose of avoiding consumer confusion, hence why you can paint a car or a box of tissues Miluwakee Red, but not a toolbox or powerdrill.
Good job, Japan. Keep making great guitars!
ngl i prefer the japanese guitars rather than the original american ones
@@scuffedcovers I wanna try one!
@@porkypile its worth it. i hope you get to try one
@@scuffedcovers Thank you. I know a store locally that might have some in as they sell mostly second hand instruments when it comes to electric guitars ^_^
And cars.
So Gibson is Apple of Guitar.
I always thought of it as the Harley Davidson. Hasn’t made a product anyone under the age of 40 has wanted since the early 90s.
or Nvidia
@@workdesu nvidia is in a league of their own...a rare kind of evil. Nobody on earth sells their products for 900% profit, not apple not gibson..no one but nvidia
Or traxxas
or Microsoft
I never noticed that the headstock looked like an open book. I always thought it was just a nice wavy shape. Thanks for the info!
It looks like a music sheet booklet on an easel
wild that you've never heard the term "Open Book Headstock" before! but now ya know!
@@billyghostal "Bible Headstock" used to be a common term in rural areas.
Another interesting fact, some Schecter headstocks are perfect negative shapes. If you set the two headstocks together, they fit perfectly
Just admit it, Gibson is the equivalent to the spoiled brat who doesn’t like others doing their work
Or like the older brother who’s mad because the younger brother just does things better.
@@galenmarek8287 bingo
*better than they can do it too.
The fact that 9 times out of 10 the Japanese brands actually tend to have better quality control, and playability
Its like a kid copying another kid’s homework and the kid gets mad…
Oh wait doesn’t that sound completely reasonable?..
Ofcourse its easier and less expensive to just copy someone else, which also means you can spend that time and money elsewhere.
Fuk yeah Japan, think I’ll go Les Paul shopping there.
Lol... without Gibson design and innovation most of these guitar companies wouldn't exist.
@@damone70Womp Womp better guitar for a fraction of the price
@@damone70 true. Too fkn expensive though.
The quality of Japanese guitars triumphs way over any American models. I kinda want to sell all my electric guitars just to get a pink japan built tele
@rodrigo4728 Lol... ESP's, which are top notch guitars, prices far exceeds pretty much anything put out by Fender/Gibson
Gibson needs to learn. If there are companies out there making the products better now than before. It makes sense to get a chibson. Or something equivalent at a much more reduced price. Made in the US. Honestly doesn't mean shit anymore. We all STILL shop at Walmart and other places. To get the same cheaper. Quality died once things became massed produced.. see. You can go to Papa Ginos and get a pizza. But it's expensive now. Verses that mom and pop shop that still shows unmolested corporate greed and puts out a better product. So buying an off brand and achieving equal to superior quality of a name brand, just speaks volumes to me. It's a no brainer 😂
Don’t forget Yamaha had their studio Lord and Lord player Les Paul shape guitars made in Japan. Yamaha deserves the same amount of respect as you give ESP/Edwards/Grassroots.
And dont forget those ultra high end Hondo's! lol jk jk My first electric ever was a Hondo bol[t] on and I loved that thing, wish i still had it
And at that time, the Yamaha Super Guitar (SG) was higher quality than the equivalent LP or Double Cut and even with it being more expensive, musicians still preferred it over the Gibson ones.
I firmly believe ESP makes the best guitars from top to bottom. Every guitar I've played from them from budget models to custom shops is just so silky smooth and nice
Agreed. I have a E2 horizon 3. What a freaking guitar. Neck is super comfortable , the body shape and binding make it look classy. Fret job is smooth, fretboard is ebony polished to a shine. Definitely a keeper.
@terran236 I've got, amongst others an LTD H3 in White with gold hardware and the thing is just beautiful and drippy!
@@zodi9783 just looked it up I can't believe how much they cost nowadays. What you paid for that LTD is what I paid for my Japanese e2 to about 7 years ago. Inflation man. Beautiful guitar newho!
Agree 👍
best guitar will always be the random unamed copy
Wife just surprised me with 77 "Lawsuit" Ibanez "Les Paul Custom"
Got it pretty darn cheap too.
I'm not a Les Paul or Gibson guy, but this guitar is freaking awesome.
As someone who owns 3 Grecos, I can say with complete confidence that they play better than the American versions they're based off of.
Those are beautiful man yeah! I'd love to own one someday soon.
Same with my Burny
@@StevieZero I have a 78 Gibson LP Standard that was my first guitar, had it 40 yrs. Couldn't ever find another guitar with that feel till i found my first Burny. I have 4 now and will keep buying them. Burnys... fucken LOVE them.
Shit yeah I have several Grecos basses, including a 1974 RB850 fireglo that I wouldn't trade for any "real" Rickenbacker 4001 or ever sell. No matter the offer. JV's were likely the best production instruments being made in the world during that period.
I just bought a 1973 Greco F250 acoustic last week it sounds amazing and plays beautifully...
In Australia we love the Japanese versions.. we don't share the same patriotism obviously for USA made guitars as our American friends
I have 4 Burny Les Pauls. Absolutely superb guitars that are as close to the original 58-60 Gibson LPs...
Not all of us!
I'm a Jackson man, myself. I do have an early 90's Custom Shop prototype(early 90's), for the higher end MiJ line (Rhoads). It's a heavier wood and has a much thicker sound than the USA Rhoads. I had a USA King V...but after getting a MiJ "Demmelition", I sold the USA King. The rest I have are all MiJ.
😂 I expect that's due to the fact Australia gets the 500% increase in price right !?
Well, originally Gibson Les Paul’s were prized because of quality Mahogany wood for the body and Rosewood for the Necks with Pearl inlays. Those early vintage models are all sought after now especially the early Sunburst models. Then the quality started to slip and Gibson came close to bankruptcy in the seventies. Now they have returned to form with limited runs of special models with old high quality finishes and wood grains. The price of Gibsons is still high just like Apple IPhones 📱 are. You are paying a lot more for the name as well as the design. It’s renowned Brand.
Much to my regret I had the chance to buy a genuine black Les Paul for $300 which was a bargain back then and now. It had dings and cuts to the body but it was twice as heavy as my Les Paul copy which didn’t sound or play like a Real Les Paul does.
I noticed the difference immediately when I played it. All I cared about was the sound and the black color covered up the damage fairly well. But I hesitated and he who hesitates is lost! Now I think about that fat and heavy guitar 🎸 tone I could have had.
So then I bought a Fender Strat made in Mexico. It played fairly well and sounded pretty good but only after I played a real Fender Stratocaster and Telecaster in a Pawn shop did I find out the difference. These guitars cost $800 each and they were both Pristine condition and off White color. The minute I played them it was like a dream! Brilliant clarity and tone and I noticed smooth the action was not the guitars. The Telecaster had that clear precise sound perfect for fingerpicking and solos! The Stratocaster has that smooth, jazzy Rhythmic sound which only the Strat has. If you play Rhythm guitar 🎸, you know what I’m describing. Beautiful, strumming and fun to play! I swear my playing improved by 50 percent just because the guitars were quality made.
I should have put them both on a 3 month layaway. But I hesitated and once again, I lost out. I learned a bitter lesson. You can’t go wrong if you buy quality. But I missed the boat! 😢
I just watched a documentary on The Beach Boys last night, and the bass player with the Wrecking Crew they brought in to record a ton of their material was currently, like in modern times like whenever they recently recorded her interview, was playing an Aria Pro II bass. I’m sure this person could have chosen any instrument in the world, and had decades of recording experience behind her, but chose this bass. For a reason.
me sitting here with my lawsuit era Hondo II lol
Me sitting here with my CHIBSON because the American ones are way too overpriced and the quality is not there.
I own two lp Burnys, and I love those guitars. They from the 80s. Great quality
Same. One 1980 and one 1986
As long as they’re not trying to pass it off as a Gibson then what’s the problem. Their branding on it makes it their own, not the shape, it’s called competition!
Grass Roots and Edwards are the hidden gems of guitar brands, I have one and highly recommend them over LTD if you don’t have the budget for E-II series
That "open book" design dates back to the Sellas workshop in the 1640's!
This Video inspired a purchase of a Burny from Japan, I wasn’t looking and I wasn’t trying but this was the video responsible for my purchase! I can’t wait till it arrives
I tried Grassroots for metal but it seems it will choke when I crank up the gain. This guitar is for all around purposes, not for extreme metal genre
Skill issue
@@NeZversSounds you dont know, you dont own one
Personally I think Ltd have a better single cut shape, limitation breeds innovation I guess
I would buy one in a heartbeat if they had the 4 knob les Paul layout
@@bread6085 There are several ESP eclipse with 4 knobs. Just not LTD iirc.
@@d3ath18 no wayy
Intellectual property and patents don't necessarily promote innovation because no one is allowed to improve on the design except the patent-holder because they'll be sued.
I had an LTD EC-256 in cherry sunburnt finish until passing it along to my kid when he decided he wanted to start learning. He played for two weeks and now it's where he hangs his hoodies in the corner of his bedroom. 😑.
I've got a MIJ Tokai from 2004 and I recently picked up a 1981 Greco Super Real EGF850, both brilliant guitars.
I played a Burny LP about 15 years ago and i still think about it and wish id bought it
to be fair, they don't realllly have a tight grip on the shape in the US either. ESP makes my favorite 'copies' with the Eclipse lineup.
FENDER: OK
I have a 1974 Greco LP and it plays buttery smooth!
I live in Russia and American guitars are very expensive here, but we have nice access to the great amount of Japan clones. I’m a guitar teacher, three days ago my student bought a nice Burny white Les Paul custom
Gibson allegedly won a lawsuit against ESP over the Eclipse/single cut and EX/Explorer models. Most seem to agree this is why Americans can't get a true replica of the ESP EET F** Explorer James Hetfield model with that oversized headstock combined with the Explorer body.
Also, Gibson sued PRS over their SC single cut model and lost, thank God.
There was a video on You Tube about five years ago describing allegedly Kiesel Guitars were given some sort of "Cease and Desist" order to stop making or change their single cut models because it was too close to the Les Paul. What exactly happened I don't know but I vaguely remember Jeff Kiesel saying something in that video about Kiesel is not going to change their single cut model because Gibson had decades to pursue Trademark claims.
What happened to Dean is terrible. Just imho, the Dean prong headstock should have been enough for exemption. Gibson had decades to pursue this against Dean and the jury still sided with Gibson.
Many people on these public forums have agreed how greedy Gibson is. Gibson has oceans of money to employ law firms to sue the universe, aquire Mesa Boogie and Kramer brands yet not enough money to be able to keep their Memphis factory open to keep people employed or fix those Firebirds X guitar to donate them to some poor folk who can't afford them. Instead Gibson drives a bulldozer over them, unbelievable.
Well, good on Japan! Keep making those killer and affordable guitars please.
I have a 77 Ibanez Les Paul black beauty. It plays like butter and screams. My bro bought it in 82 from a local shredder. Years later he saw my bro and said his missed it. Said it sounded and played better than a genuine LP he bought to replace it. I play it for hours everyday. Its my favorite ax.😎🌴🎸
Great, i found myself a lawsuit era strat which lead to me getting a genuine strat. Now i have to do the same thing for les paul
I have one Givson SG 1979 left. Have found Aria Pro II and a number of other Japanese brands to exceed anything Gibson has built in decades. A 1980 Gibson will cost me stupid money, an APII about 800 bucks. I'm not here to collect crap, I'm here to play music.
Currently trying to cut a Les Paul pickguard to fit an unbranded LP-style guitar. Considering the standard LP specs generic is far better for consumers.
Me too! 😂 I have some old MIJ Les Paul copies without pickguards. I bought a scroll saw to cut them out of wood. It's a little trickier than I thought.
I had one of those Japanese Les Paul's as my first decent guitar, while I was taking lessons. Bought from my instructor, who also had a guitar store, as was his recommendation.
Beautiful craftsmanship, potted pickups, ebony fingerboard, almost indistinguishable from the Gibson, except for open-geared tuners, which was an easy replacement with proper sealed Klusen tuning machines.
Idiot me sold it for less than the $300 I paid, because I was trying to buy a car, which was probably worth less than either would sell for today.
That one with the silver pick guard and hardware is so pretty
I have a MIJ Encore N9 lawsuit LP. I bought it because it's a natural finish. and I'm addicted to natural finishes. and it's a really good guitar it was one of the best deals I have ever made on a guitar.
I owned a Greco in the late 80's and it was a lovely guitar to play, sadly it was stolen many years ago but I remember how nice it was and what great tone it had.
Edwards 130CD Black Beauty is a dream purchase of mine
Same here.
Oooh, that black one at the end! I don't play anymore but I still see guitars I want. 😊
Samick actually makes most of the Japanese, Korean, and Indonesian guitars for other companies, they also have their own Samick branded guitars. The Greg Bennett line are pretty darn nice and quiet affordable
I have a Monoprice Route 66 that is very much a Les Paul with a slightly different shape at the top of the headstock. The current Indio 66 have a more unique headstock design and cost almost double what I paid for mine 10 years ago. The new headstock shape looks like less bend in the string from the nut to the tuning pegs, but it also looks like they went from a carve top on the older models to flat top on the new models.
I wonder if that means Monoprice got in trouble selling these in the US market and if that explains the redesign and increased cost or if they had any other modifications that got them past the Gibson licensing issues.
My guitar set up pretty well, and it was a good project platform to upgrade tuners, and. I've just updated the tuners, changed pickups and added a pick guard. It even fits snuggly in a Musician's Friend LP hard case.
A friend got a Chinese knockoff that copied Gibson logos and everything. I tried to perform a setup, and it was terrible. The upper frets were still not completely playable after fret leveling, and the electronics were poorly wired. If I remember correctly, they had some type of circuit board in the control panel that made made tracing and repairing loose solder joints very difficult. I'm not sure how much he paid for it, but at least it looked pretty and had a nice "Gibson" case.
I’ve always wanted a Tokai LP style guitar.
Unfortunately due to Gibson’s lawsuit, they are unavailable for purchase in the USA and many other countries (including where I live).
The biggest thing that is different between Gibson and knock-offs is the wiring so if you want to know how to tell unscrew the back plate if it’s a mess and looks like there’s a lot of extra wiring it’s a knock-off if it’s clean looking and looks like there’s just the right amount of wiring then it’s a Gibson. Sometimes there are codes underneath the wiring on knock-offs if there ever is it’s definitely a knock-off but that’s not too common anyways though normally the wiring is the best way to tell not all the time it works cause of when people upgrade knock-offs or Gibson then that trick doesn’t work but another way that people use all the
time and is always true is the lettering “Gibson check how it’s spelled and looks best way is go on line search for a Gibson logo and see if it matches if it looks weird or fancy it’s a knock-off if it’s clean and almost identically match’s the logo then it’s a Gibson
I've been playing Japanese copies for most of my guitar playing life. Best guitars I've ever owned. It's worth noting is Japanese 'lawsuit' era acoustics are also of excellent quality. I have an old Yamaha, Takemine and a Morris 12 string that are brilliant and purchased at a third of the price of the Martins they're based off.
Gibson eventually relented and just opened their own shop in Japan under the moniker Orville.
They also produced Epiphones for the Japanese domestic market with the open book headstock for a short period at the end of the '90s into the early 2000s. Those were quality instruments that were made in the same factory as the Elitists.
One of my Bucket List guitars is the Burny LP style body with the Floyd Rose and a sustainer system.
Did Fender never attempt to similarly protect the strat and tele shapes? To my eyes, lots and lots of guitars that look identical to the originals until you see the headstock
Similar tale. Fender left it too late and the USA courts ruled strat/tele body shapes by that time were generic. Fender were granted trademarks on the names and the headstocks, but not the bodies.
Also fender made a deal with the Japanese factories instead of Gibson,
That’s why and how the first Japanese fender guitars were released
Aria is a great Japanese guitar brand
“The Tokyo court found that customers were smart enough to know the difference” if only we had this kind of faith in people here in the US
It's has nothing to do with trusting in the wisdom of customers and everything to do with japanese courts siding with the japanese companies.
@@akaRicoSanchez There’s probably an aspect of that, sure, but Japan is generally a much less litigious culture than the US. People rarely bring lawsuits, and when they do they rarely win. It’s part of why Japanese tv has those super dangerous game shows - people there just don’t sue
Levi tried it too with Japanese selvedge denim brands. Courts in both the US and Japan ruled they have no rights to claim the style or cut of jeans as copyrighten or trademarked. Repros were 100% legal and were obviously not Levi branded because the companies very clearly had their own logos and branding on them. The only thing was the Japanese brands could no longer use the red tab tag on the back pocket or copy the arcuate designs because those were actually a trademark.
Bought me a nice grassroots explorer recently love Japanese guitars
Burny or Grassroots? What's better quality for the money?
Fernandes/Burny are top notch. Their Fender/Gibson copies from the 70s/80s are at least as good as the originals.
Gibson did use one of the Japanese manufacturers as a house brand in Japan, they called them Orville. I'm not sure which company made them.
My stepbrother had one of the Ibanez Les Pauls and it was one of the best guitars I've ever played!
you and your grassroots bro. love it haha
I WANT THAT PINK ONE
GRASS ROOTS LET'S GO
I came across a 1976(?) Ventura a few years back that had beautiful tone....I think it was kind of..tiger striped..cool sound, easy to play
It's almost like Japan has free competition and the US doesn't allow competition to happen!
Got my Schecter Solo-II single-cuts. They play and sound fabulous, are gorgeous, and cost much, much less than paying for a Gibson logo.
😂 Gibson waited too long is an understatement !
So how did a judge even hear the case in the usa when Gibson clearly waited too long to later law suit Dean guitars !?
Absolutely love les Paul's shape. Been wondering lately why i haven't really seen any new designs. Everybody just give up on looking unique these days?
I have a MIJ Memphis (a GLP shaped guitar) that I got for free from a pawn shop like 20 years ago shorty before going to Iraq-it was originally $50, back when pawnshop prices were actual bargains-and I didn't know this, but that pawnshop was participating in some program where they sent free guitars to guys overseas, since it was the height of OIF/OEF, and without my knowledge, while i was on the other side of the store checking out the guitars, my dad told the lady that I was leaving soon, and she teared up and when I brought the guitar to the counter it's okay, she told me I could just have it, and that's when she mentioned the guitar giveaway program.
Edit: TLDR, Memphis guitar quality vs modern day GLPs; my B y'all.
Kinda off topic, but Anyway, that is probably my favorite guitar to play actually. I think that it is built very well, and seeing as it was already a pretty old guitar whenever I got it, and since it's been 20 years since that day, I mean who knows how old this thing could actually be...
And since I don't really know a whole lot about that company (Memphis), I couldn't tell you when it was made, but I think if I remember correctly from what some other guy told me back in 2019, I think he said that Memphis was bought out by Gibson? Something like that.
But compared to other LPs that I've played, I think this Memphis is again, like just quality and craftsmanship from the build down to the electronics and the other smaller finer details, again, I really think that the quality is much better than most mid-tier and even some higher tier Gibson's on the market today.
Got an ESP guitar. very good, but the switch seems a bit cheap when switching between pickups. Hard on 9V batteries too so don't leave it plugged in.
I once played a Greco from 1970 at.... school. Yes, one of the personnel had this guitar, it was a very nice instrument. It is on my channel
The old Japanese Epiphones used to have Gibson headatocks
Ebony fretboard for $300 is mindblowing
My first electric guitar-1st purchased myself was a Fernandez copy of a strat (bc at 12 I’d read that’s what BillieJoe Armstrongs iconic blue guitar is) it absolutely looks like a strat and even now so many years later I still have it and would never dream of paying $600 more to have a fender instead.
Gibson though that’s another story. I was gifted a Gibson bass which I played and still do. The circumstances were very sad though as I was given that bass after a friend passed away. He actually had been in the same band I was playing in then and the case already had my bands name spray painted across it. I did NOT replace him bc he died though. He moved away and that’s when I began playing with them. Glad I’d gotten to talk to him about that a few times after he’d moved before he died too.
I'm not a Gibson guy, but from the ones I've played, Japanese knock-offs are seemingly always nicer and have a sound closer to what I look for (though I'm a single coil/P90 guy so that may not be representative.)
I live in Japan. Always wondered about that. Thanks.
I had the Gibson V shown here. The one with the heart-shaped pick-ups. Mine was blonde wood with gold hardware. About an 82 I believe. Great axe! The Atomik sends. Peace ✌. 😊
I have a Hondo II from the Lawsuit era, 1975 or so. It's a BEAST, chonky and heavy. I love the warmth that comes from it when I play, though, phenomenal instrument. Not bad for $275 at a used gear shop. 😂
The Japanese Matsumoku guitars where of exellent quality in 70ies up til 1987 when the factory got destroyed.
Dunno what any of this means but I live in Tokyo and bought my very first guitar, one of these cheaper Ibanez things, and am beginning to learn and practice playing! Wish me luck✨
I think it should be open here in the US. If you make the better quality instrument, you will get the consumers.
The only reason Gibson didn’t sue Ibanez is because Ibanez changed the headstock design. The body style Gibson could not sue for as Bigsby and O.W. Appleton had the single cutaway design way before Gibson built the first Les Paul. Yes, it’s true, Les Paul did not build the first electric guitar. Rickenbacker built the first electric guitar. O.W Appleton built the first viable solid body electric in 1941. Appleton took his guitar to Gibson to see if they were interested and they told him that they knew nobody that wanted a solid body electric. See the website about Mr. Appleton’s guitar. Notice that Fender doesn’t sue anybody. Imitation is the best form of flattery.
I got a grass roots LP for like 20K yen (150ish usd i think) used, probably the best fingerboard I've ever touched on any guitar under the 100K yen mark. I sold it and got a schecter tele, but holy hell I miss it so much. If only LPs were more comfortable to play on for long periods of time
sitting a room right now with 7 late 70's aria pro 2 les pauls and 1 explorer.
There is many Japanese Les pauls I would love to get my hands-on.. The few that I played play better than the Gibson's Is I've owned
Thanks for clarifying that but I always thought it was something like that...
It also helps that copyright law in Japan isn't nearly as BS, if it even exists at all.
I collect JV basses (1986 and earlier). Wouldn't trade them for their proper US counterparts. Also have an Epiphone EB-3 from 1999, made at the same factory that previously made the replicas by Greco (Fujigen -- legendary quality for vintage among collectors). They also made Fender Japan after making copies during prior decades.
I kinda want a playlist with all these songs but I'm too lazy to make it myself
My dad actually has an Ibanez Les Paul from 1977. I believe it’s the model 2350.
I have a couple Burny's, one MIJ and one MIC. The MIJ one has an unbeatable warm and resonant tone, and is surprisingly lightweight. The MIC isn't quite as good tonally but has a nice thin profile neck and low action
Meanwhile, the start shaped guitar! 🎸
Japan had a Gibson licence back in the 80's.... Samick SG was another copy. I had a cherry red Samick SG. They are ace.
Thanks for not putting music in the background.
Japan makes awesome and good quality guitars wether we like it or not. I do have a 1975 Pro Martin W-200 acoustic guitar that is believed to be a copy of the Martin D-28 and it sounds great.
I have an Avon from the 70s. It's amazing.
Tokai and Burny are classic.
Can't not think of Ryan Bruce/Riffs Beards & Gear when I hear Burny Les Pauls mentioned.
I agree with the ruling, how is the design restriction so aggressive in north america? We’re plenty smart enough to identify the maker
My EC models are awesome guitars, yeah they’re referred as a Les Paul body style but they aren’t Les Paul’s. I own both ESP and Gibson Les Paul’s. I actually use my ESP’s more for recording purposes
There are some sleeper les paul style guitars for sure. The early Jay Turser LP style guitars made in Korea are excellent.
I've got Burny 335. It's pretty good and fun to play. Paid about 400 usd.
That largely explains how Yamaha was able to come up with a near exact duplicate of the 335 or 345 that doesn’t exactly contain that same headstock shape but gets really close. The guitar I own matching that description is from 1980 when the corporate ownership of Gibson was still in the works.
I love Japanese guitars I have a Yamaha SG2000 guitar and it sounds so amazing.