What a "Lawsuit" Guitar Actually Means
Posted: Tue Mar 31, 2009 1:00 pm
If you've happened to see my post on the guitars currently in my "stable", then you may have noticed that I have two Westone's (soon to be 3, God help me!). I'm a huge fan of these guitars which came out of the Matsumoko factory in Japan in the 80's, especially their fantastic necks.
(They're also a tad easier to find locally than El Degas--sorry Charles!)
While browsing the definitive site on these guitars:
http://www.matsumoku.org
I found a helpful reference to the oft referred to and abused term, "lawsuit guitar".
Since the claims do get confusing or even down right misleading at times in online ads I thought the readers of this forum might find it helpful. I confess that I also got a bit carried away believing that El Degas was "sued" as well for infringement. They weren't, as Charles rightly pointed out elsewhere.
(They're also a tad easier to find locally than El Degas--sorry Charles!)
While browsing the definitive site on these guitars:
http://www.matsumoku.orgI found a helpful reference to the oft referred to and abused term, "lawsuit guitar".
Since the claims do get confusing or even down right misleading at times in online ads I thought the readers of this forum might find it helpful. I confess that I also got a bit carried away believing that El Degas was "sued" as well for infringement. They weren't, as Charles rightly pointed out elsewhere.
Something to keep in mind if you're considering a purchase which seems hyped along these lines.A note about the "Lawsuit"
It is a common misconception that the famous Gibson/Norlin lawsuit was filed against a number of Japanese companies. It is also commonly said it was over the exact copying of American designs. Neither is true. The lawsuit was filed by Norlin (Gibson's parent company) against Elger/Hoshino (Ibanez's American division) over the use of the "open book" headstock design which Norlin claimed as a Gibson Trademark. It was not over the exact copying of body dimensions or construction. These guitars were metric! Don't believe me? Just try putting your Gibson stop-tail posts in one of those "exact" copies! When's the last time you saw a bolt-neck genuine LP Custom?
The lawsuit was not "won" by Norlin, but settled out of court. Most of the Japanese companies, as a precautionary move, turned away from close copies but many still offered their "version" of the classic American designs with at least minor departures in design and appearance.
Often I see the term "lawsuit" tossed around rather freely. Most often it is either hype to raise the price of the copy someone trying to sell, or they simply don't know what the "lawsuit" was all about. Too often it really isn't a lawsuit model at all. DON'T FALL VICTIM TO THE HYPE! I see a lot of this in on-line auctions and on-line guitar dealers advertisements. I have seen guitars go for much more than they are actually worth simply because the purchaser has fallen for the hype or actually didn't know what constitutes a "lawsuit" model. Remember, the best customer is a well informed customer.
