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Bye-Bye Fender, Hello PRS (Though It Don't Look Like It To Me)


crunchee

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Doesn't surprise me.  John's always been a strat guy, but had a falling out with Fender a few years ago and picked up a PRS sponsorship.  Seems as though John still prefers the feel of a strat and PRS was willing to go there, no hurt no foul.  And at this point, who hasn't made a strat copy.  Personally, I don't like strats or PRSi, so this does absolutely nothing for me, but I'm sure there are some Fender hating strat lovers out there that are giddy as I type.

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I wonder why Fender has never sued over this?

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The look is as iconic Fender as the headstock shape, which they did go to court over.

What is it that Gibson used - "causes confusion in the marketplace"? If I were Fender, I'd tell other manufacturers that they could build all the three-pickup guitars with a tremolo they wanted, but put three knobs like that, with a pickup selector switch right there, an angled input jack right next to a large pickguard, and the bridge position pickup angled like that, and you'll need to pay a licensing fee or come up with another design.

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I was skeptical when I saw the announcement and I am even less impressed now that I have seen the guitar. The headstock shape is so wrong for the S-Type body. It would have made more sense for Mayer to work with G&L on a signature model. Best of luck to PRS with this one.

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2 hours ago, G Man said:

Personally, I don't like strats or PRSi, so this does absolutely nothing for me, but I'm sure there are some Fender hating strat lovers out there that are giddy as I type.

Yeah, they’re called Daytona owners. 

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nice enough...  think PRS does a very nice job on imports too... but the headstock

on these.... ooofffaaa!!   whatever the hell that means, howard stern used to say it. 

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3 minutes ago, DaveL said:

nice enough...  think PRS does a very nice job on imports too... but the headstock

on these.... ooofffaaa!!   whatever the hell that means, howard stern used to say it. 

To me the headstock is the least objectionable element of this guitar. At least it's somewhat original. The direct rip of a Strat's pickup and control configuration, pickguard shape and input jack is just lazy and silly.

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2 hours ago, Lockbody said:

I wonder why Fender has never sued over this?

image.png

The look is as iconic Fender as the headstock shape, which they did go to court over.

What is it that Gibson used - "causes confusion in the marketplace"? If I were Fender, I'd tell other manufacturers that they could build all the three-pickup guitars with a tremolo they wanted, but put three knobs like that, with a pickup selector switch right there, an angled input jack right next to a large pickguard, and the bridge position pickup angled like that, and you'll need to pay a licensing fee or come up with another design.

They have, and they lost.

https://www.musicradar.com/news/guitars/fender-loses-guitar-copyright-case-201886

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"If it please the Court, there is only one Fender!"

"Well sir, then how do you explain my Toyota? It has FOUR! Case dismissed!"

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1 hour ago, RobB said:

That actually looks pretty cool, haha!

Certainly looks better than the actual Mayer signature PRS.  Still cannot believe that Fender and some of the pros whose iconic instruments were Teles or Strats never came to terms on signature models, particularly Brent Mason and Vince Gill.

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3 hours ago, LucSulla said:

Taking a quick look at the findings, it appears Fender went for a trademark on the body shape alone. That was a stretch, and they got turned down. There are lots of dual cutaway guitars, like a PRS Custom or McCarty, for instance, that have two cutaways and a tremolo that look nothing like a Stratocaster and therefor couldn't be confused for one.

But a Suhr Classic Pro or a Hamer Daytona?

image.png

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Would you know any of those weren't Fenders without seeing the headstock? Fender should have gone for the design elements that make a Strat or Telecaster, but instead saw dollars and tried to trademark anything with a double cutaway.

That said, how many people just see the three pickups and tremolo and go buy themselves a Fender because they don't know any better?

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20 minutes ago, Lockbody said:

That said, how many people just see the three pickups and tremolo and go buy themselves a Fender because they don't know any better?

Many, if they are novices.

I actually heard a 20-something say recently at a jam session (I'm paraphrasing): "Can't go wrong with a Gibson. "

I retorted, "You've never owned one, have you?"

He replied, "Uhhh....no."

 

Moral of the story:  Youth is wasted on the young.

 

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6 hours ago, Lockbody said:

I didn't know that. I have to agree that it appears generic because they've been copied so much over the years.

I think the main problem is waiting almost 50 years to try and establish copyright, if this was the first case.  

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