Is that the same guy from the ad in the Jimmy Page guitar thread?I assume everyone has noticed they even copied Guild's advertisement style and font.
I had a Takamine F340S for a while, and it was their Martin D18 clone. The "S" in this case stood for solid top (sides and back were laminated), and there was a version with no "S" that had a laminated top. It looked just like a D18, and was actually a surprisingly good guitar.I have the Guild-ish Takamine 12-string brother to those guitars and I can tell you that the difference is more than the price!
It's a funny ad -- I always assumed that those early Takamine Guild and Martin copies were ones that they surreptitiously snuck onto the marketplace. But it appears they were marketed as lookalike budget versions of the models they copied. Surprised to learn that.
People refer to them as "lawsuit guitars" -- did Guild or Martin actually file lawsuits, or cease-and-desist letters, I wonder?
Here's one of their Martin 12-string copies for sale in Providence, RI:
Takamine 12 String Acoustic Guitar - musical instruments - by owner...
Model F400S With Case Body Shape: Dreadnought 12-String Rosette: Top: Solid Spruce Inlays: Dots Back: Rosewood Sides: Rosewood Fingerboard: Rosewood Electronics: None Tuners: Gold Platedprovidence.craigslist.org
The ad shows:I thought this ad was pretty funny! And pretty brazen! I wonder if one them is really a Guild or if it's two Takamines?
Yes I think it was mainly about electric guitars. Keep in mind that in the 70s both Fender and Gibson were owned by other corporations and quality of their instruments was low. The Japanese clones were way better at a lower price point. I still cherish my mid 70s Ibanez Telecaster Deluxe copy. Even on the acoustic side when I bought my first "good" guitar I picked a Suzuki D42 copy over the three Martin D18s in the store that were just marginally more expensive, as it just seemed to sound better to my untrained ear. Of course a poor decision in hindsight as the D18s would have several times the value of it now. But I still have a soft spot for old Japanese guitars.Didn’t Gibson sue Ibanez? I’m too lazy to look it up.
Didn’t Gibson sue Ibanez? I’m too lazy to look it up.
Norlin (Gibson's parent at the time) sued Hoshino (Ibanez's parent)... As far as I know, that was the only real lawsuit that occurred during the era, but I'm sure the threat was real to all the Japanese companies doing this. Norlin and Hoshino settled out-of-court, by the way.Didn’t Gibson sue Ibanez? I’m too lazy to look it up.
Boy, that sure *is* brazen! Although, I must say, that's the kind of advertising I like! Go for the jugular!
Those Tak F-512 copies fetch pretty good prices these days, too. Having said that, I'm sure Glenn's right about the comparison... If you're gonna' take on the king (F-512), you better know what you're doing! Anyway, certainly good for a chuckle!