Page 1 of 1

How legit are counterfeits?

Posted: 26 Feb 2016 9:37 am
by Todd Monroe
Just this morning I found this website:
http://www.rareelectricguitars.com/

I'm about five minutes away from requesting a price or two. Yes, I realize this isn't the real thing. Yes, I realize they skimp on pickup quality. How can they use copywritten/trademarked logos? How haven't the big guys shut down a place like this?

For $300 to $600 I could have-
The J. Yuenger Iceman?
The Buck Owens Tele?
The Artist formerly known as Prince's whatever?

Just to have it on my wall is worth $300-600. Spend a few more dollars on some EMGs or Schaller tuners, et. al. Boom! Teenage Fantasy Realized!

I know you purists would scoff, but, boy, I'm interested. What say you?

Posted: 26 Feb 2016 1:19 pm
by Larry Carlson
Well, since you asked............
I don't care who owned a guitar. It is still just a guitar.
I realize these are just Chinese copies but the maker thinks it will make them easier to sell by copying someone's guitar.
I never understood the fact that "Billy Bob Bighead" owned this or that guitar so it's worth 10X what it used to be.
Same with cars, jewelry and whatever else. The most important person who owns a particular object would be me.
And it would still just be a guitar.

Posted: 27 Feb 2016 9:10 am
by Lane Gray
By selling out of China, they can avoid trademark cops.
They're not claiming that Slash/Satriani/Mustaine played or owned these.
That's just the model name. Unless Hal Rugg trademarked his name, I could make a pedal steel and legally call it the "Hal Rugg Edition Graysteel" and Tammy couldn't stop me.