Re: Hollow Body Electric



> From: Tony Meloche <bombarde@xxxxxxx>
> Newsgroups: alt.guitar.beginner
> Date: Mon, 19 Sep 2005 23:28:36 -0400
> Subject: Re: Hollow Body Electric
>
> Roger E. Blumberg wrote:
>>
>>> From: "Roger E. Blumberg" <rblumberg@xxxxxxx>
>>> Organization: EarthLink Inc. -- http://www.EarthLink.net
>>> Newsgroups: alt.guitar.beginner
>>> Date: Tue, 20 Sep 2005 00:30:26 GMT
>>> Subject: Re: Hollow Body Electric
>>>
>>>
>>>> It's been that long??
>>>
>>> ya, it started (at least) with the mid 70's Japanese knock-offs. You'll see
>>> lots of them (or claiming to be them) on eBay.
>>>
>>> Roger
>>>
>>
>>
>> search eBay: musical instruments / guitar / lawsuit (I get 82 hits
>> currently).
>> http://tinyurl.com/ba8h8
>>
>> I guess Fender must have largely given up at some point, but they too were
>> suing the Japanese makers in the 70's for Strats at least (and Teles too I
>> assume). I don't know many of the specific details of those lawsuit
>> histories, nor really how many major waves there've been, but we're probably
>> in the midst of another one again. There were a bunch of (again)
>> good-looking copies in the last 5 years or so, so I guess Gibson felt it
>> necessary to flex it's muscle again. The threat alone is enough to prevent
>> copiers for maybe a decade or so, and then people try again to see if they
>> can get away with it, it seems. Tony probably knows more details.
>>
>> Roger
>>
>
>
> A few, but not too many. Common sense tells me Fender has at least
> licensed the original Strat body design, or else has "given up", as it
> is ubiquitous now. But one of their big lawsuits was against Tokai
> years ago, for "copying our design". I don't think it was copying the
> design of the Strat that bothered them as much as the fact that the
> finished product was every bit as good - or better - than an American
> made Strat for only a portion of the cost. The 1970's Tokai Strat copy
> was the first one to really shake Fender up.
>
> More recently, Rickenbacker (who has great lawyers) squawked to Rogue
> about their ripoff 360 design. I don't know what was in the wording,
> but Rogue dropped it like a hot potato.
>
> Mosrite's designs and patents are now owned by Fillmore of Japan, and
> they faithfully reproduce excellent Mosrite copies. It's legal - they
> own the patents. But they were also silkscreening the famous "The
> Ventures Model" logo on the headstock (I got one of the last of those).
> Don Wilson and Bob Bogle of the Ventures own the rights to that name,
> and they brought suit. That was the end of the "Ventures" logo on the
> headstock, but everything else is the same.
>
> The industry is full of similar stories.
>
> The Old Guy
>


Thanks for the additional bits Tony. The Tokia Gibsons (335s) of the period
are supposed to be very nice too. They must have been a force to reckon with
for US makers in general.


> I don't think it was copying the
> design of the Strat that bothered them as much as the fact that the
> finished product was every bit as good - or better - than an American
> made Strat for only a portion of the cost.


that makes sense, across the board. The Japanese were making very good
quality products generally by that point, and in many markets and fields,
and at good prices. Tough to compete with that. Their inroads into the US
auto market had already put a bit big pinch on the economy if I recall
correctly. I believe that's were and when the whole "Buy American"
sloganeering began -- in response to the Japanese-products threat generally
in the 70's.

Roger






.

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