Not only do the guitars now look more reminiscent of their gibson counterparts, epiphone have also taken a page. For many players, the openbook headstock design that appears on vintage epiphone models and modernday gibson guitars is classier than the slightly blockier epi variant that tops off the majority of the lowercost companys range. Some kg32 oriole guitars were sold with the roof peak headstock design and others had the gibson open book headstock design. But its different from either, the es390 takes the cleverly compacted dimensions of the popular es339, making it a more comfortable playing proposition for those used to having smallerproportioned solidbodies in their hands. Allegedly gibson had threatened to sue elgeribanez for a long time regarding the use of the headstock which norlin claimed as. If one day or another i decide to buy a gibson style guitar, i want it to have at least the open book and a brand logo that looks good on it. Gibson says youve been warned page 9 a guitar forum. Other instruments choose to angle the entire headstock back to accomplish this. Its certainly effective but, depending on how the neck and headstock is constructed, it can introduce problems. Lawsuit guitars have a headstock that is known as an open book headstock, copied from gibson.
Gibson does use the open book shape on the maestrobaldwin etc. The epiphone elitist series includes features such as real abalone and pearl inlays, bone nuts and saddles, handrubbed finishes, usa strings and meticulous adjustment and setup. Some greco open book headstock gibson replicas starting from around 1988 had no serial numbers. Vintage morris dove acoustic guitar w hsc 1970s japan. Along with a new lineup of gibson copies came the block font logo in 1976, followed by the introduction of the classic hondo ii script logo in 1978. Cmon are slight divits missing from the gibson open book headstock really that much of a tone or build or playability factor. Speaking of which, in 1977, gibsons parent company filed a lawsuit against ibanez essentially the hoshino corporation for copying their open book style headstock. Mosrite copy sunburst es335 style with open book headstock. Speaking of which, in 1977, gibsons parent company filed a lawsuit against ibanez essentially the hoshino corporation for copying their openbookstyle headstock. The sloped dovewing headstock silhouette certainly looks cleaner. The new headstock follows gibsons famous open book design.
They didnt even start working with gibson until 1985. Gibson is planning a major change to the entire epiphone. In 1998, gibson and yamano gakki decided to end the production of the orville models to focus on the expanded production of the epiphone line, which was designed both for the japan domestic market as well as exported models destined for faroff lands. Gibson open book headstock and tokai guitar discussions. The headstock was topped with the kalamazoo logo decal and below it was an orange oriole bird decal. This headstock shape i think of as a bit like a lazy open book style or a dali melting headstock. Itll be easier once there are more and better pics of the new headstock, which seems to be an amalgamation of the gibson openbook and the old old old kalamazoo headstock. Selling my 1970s morris wd25 dove acoustic guitar in cherry sunburst. Here is a strange bird it has a gibson shaped headstock, es335 style body but.
I never minded the old epi headstock, but i think a lot of people are going to be happy about this. The thing is, those companies were able to get away with using the open book headstock because the guitars were never exported to north america. Upon introduction, it featured dot fretboard inlays, two opencoil humbuckers, green key tuners with the epiphone logo stamped on their backs, a differently shaped truss rod cover with gibson printed vertically, black speed knobs, and narrowopen book headstock. I dont have a problem with the epiphone logo, just the shape. The lower priced no serial number greco les paul and sg models were made by cortek cort and usually have cortek cort potentiometers. The gibson open book headstock was allowed only on the guitars built for the japan domestic market not for export. Whty does one equate the headstock shape to the quality of a guitar. Interestingly enough, this isnt a totally new headstock for them, some of the early mik epi les pauls had the same not quite gibson style open book headstock. I have a special blended guitar body design which i might pair ir with at a later date, in a later blog post here. The new headstock design even appeared in the 1976 catalog.
Lawsuit guitars japanese vintage electric guitars on ebay. Jan 10, 2020 fans of epiphone and gibson that have long wished for some headstock parity between the brands have reason to rejoice. An image of prelawsuit ibanez left and postlawsuit ibanez. A couple of decades ago, these were considered the ugly ducklings of gibson banjos, but are really coming into their own with increasing value. Many people have criticized the gibson open book styled headstock for not having straight string pull. The true story behind japanese lawsuit guitars soundfly. Common features found on most epiphone gseries guitars include a doublecutaway mahogany body with humbucker pickups and a rosewood fretboard. After the lawsuit, copy guitar manufacturers had to change their headstock design. Upon introduction, it featured dot fretboard inlays, two open coil humbuckers, green key tuners with the epiphone logo stamped on their backs, a differently shaped truss rod cover with gibson printed vertically, black speed knobs, and narrow open book headstock. Mahogany neck plays beautifully and the action is low, good for fingerpicking or. Speaking of which, in 1977, gibson s parent company filed a lawsuit against ibanez essentially the hoshino corporation for copying their open book style headstock. Is the issue that it isnt the exact same shape as a gibson headstock, or that people find it inherently unattractive. For updates on what gibson is doing about covid19, click here.
Epiphone 2020, ft openbook headstocks and mia lines page 2. One notalble difference between the epiphone melody maker and the gibson counterpart, is the absence of a melody maker pickup in the neck position. Jun 14, 2019 someone on the gear page posted that gibson didnt invent either the open book headstock or the les paul bodyshape. Epiphone les paul standard headstocks, for reference. Its much uglier than the current epiphone headstock. Mosrite copy sunburst es335 style with open book headstock shape made in japan. Introduced in 1989, the epiphone gseries is a line of gibsonauthorized copies of the famous gibson sg. Im living in two cities and this guitar is away right now, so this is clipped from an old snapshot. Etsy is the home to thousands of handmade, vintage, and oneofakind products and gifts related to your search. Gibson open book headstock and tokai guitar discussions on.
Gibson could be putting their classic headstock shape on. To cap a sweet build from the skilled luthiers at gibson memphis, the es390 is finished in highgloss nitrocellulose lacquer in a luscious dark burst reminiscent of the finest vintage arcthops, with vintage colored binding. This 1965 gibson firebird is a very rare bird indeed. The absolute monstrosity that is gibson reaches back through the advent of american pop culture, 2 world wars and several regional, prohibition and mccarthyism. Ive seen epiphones with the gibson open book headstock at ishibashi in japan too, but again, those were never available in north america. This is an experiment i did to reshape an epiphone headstock to look like a gibson shape. In 2006, gibson ended its relationship with yamano music. Jan 11, 2020 the traditional gibson headstock is the open book. From the gibson lawsuit era open book headstock, it is a deadon, very well made guitar. Plus, we all know it is an epiphone and currently, in my opinion, they are making better guitars than gibson anyway. The classic open book gibson headstock design would sell more guitars, i feel.
It features a solid spruce top with rosewood back and sides. Freddie fry open book headstock 89 epiphone youtube. Was deciding between this and a early 90s gibson les paul studio for the same price. Gibson guitars are neck repairs waiting to happen and, to continue the bad news, theres not a huge amount you can do about it. Jan 11, 2020 itll be easier once there are more and better pics of the new headstock, which seems to be an amalgamation of the gibson open book and the old old old kalamazoo headstock. I mean they have different finishes, and different wood so isnt that enough to distinguish between the. The new headstock is not the same as gibsons open book. This 1977 lawsuit was not over ibanezs copy of the les pauls body shape, but instead for their use of gibsons open book headstock shape even though ibanez had redesigned their headstock to be a nearidentical copy of a guild headstock in 1976. Announced at winter namm 2020, epiphone followed gibsons lineup restructuring and streamlined their instruments into the inspired by gibson collection. Mar 05, 2020 not only do the guitars now look more reminiscent of their gibson counterparts, epiphone have also taken a page from gibsons famous open book headstock, something which many fans have been hoping for for years. Gibson to make sloped dovewing headstocks standard on.
A corrected gibson headstock 1998 gibson les paul dc. Generally, a guitar is only considered to have a matching headstock if the guitar is usually produced without. I cant afford another gibson atm, but i dont want to go with an epiphone cant get over the headstock shape. Does the headstock resemble that of a gibson les paul. Inside the cavity, the holes are now surrounded with solid, cured epoxy. Sep 15, 2019 the new headstock is not the same as gibsons open book. Read up a lot before making the decision and i think i made the right one. Epiphone 2020, ft openbook headstocks and mia lines. Jackson pointy headstock, 1981 made for randy rhodes who supplied the. Epiphones new inspired by gibson collections will drop the sharp angles of epiphones recent headstocks and soften their curves into the open book style, while still being differentiated from gibsons own design.
Action is set up low like an electric, but can easily be raised if you desire by changing the saddle. I personally like the epi headstock on my lp custom. Allegedly gibson had threatened to sue elgeribanez for a long time regarding the use of the headstock which norlin claimed as a gibson trademark. The regular line as well as their elite line of guitars were all made in the same. Dec 20, 2016 this is an experiment i did to reshape an epiphone headstock to look like a gibson shape. Take a close look at the logos and headstock configuration. Gibson style headstock for the epiphone lps page 4. Oct 25, 2007 this is an old epiphone 335 copy with a copy of the gibson open book headstock.
This firebird is now repaired and ready for refinishing. View attachment 76428 at one point epiphones had the same headstock when they were still mij. Lastly, sophisticated psychological testing has shown that the shape acts as an intense aphrodisiac, with 68% of women seeing the headstock being inexplicably aroused by the person manning the guitar as opposed to 1. Japanese domestic market elitists use the gibsonstyle openbook headstock instead of the tombstoneshaped headstock. Jan 14, 2018 the blues scale minor pentatonic and the major pentatonic scales on the guitar duration.
I dont know if this bothers anyone else but why do epiphones have that weird version of the open book headstock in america. This is one of very few models that have corrected the original design to. The article explains that the new headstock from the old kalamazoo branded guitars from the late 60s. Feb 11, 2018 the thing is, those companies were able to get away with using the open book headstock because the guitars were never exported to north america. With a straight headstock, like the fenderstyle, stringtrees are one method used to increase the nut break angle. This is a rare example of a top of the line korean epiphone acoustic this version features the rare gibson openbook headstock that is very desirable. Its the one in the massive picture embedded in the article, if you didnt notice. The slotted headstock design on the eb series basses didnt pan out for gibson because many of these basses seemed to have suffered from dead note issues more so than eb basses with a conventional solid headstock. And just as importantly, a move away from the more figured but blockier epiphone headstock that has been standard across most epiphone models sees the brand align more.
The differences are overall minor, but im sure some folks with hate either. Diy luthier reshaping an epiphone les paul headstock youtube. I would rather have an eb bass with the conventional headstock from a collectors perspective. I think this would go great with a gibson style but slightly offset body. Theres a new headstock in town, and its not just this new shape were excited about. Some of the original golden mist paint is still visible here. Some say they are comparable to gibson standards but i wouldnt know cuz i dont have. The main argument in trademark infringement cases is usually brand dilution the idea that having an inferior product with the same look damages the real brands image and reputation. View attachment 76429 the article explains that the new headstock from the old kalamazoo branded guitars from the late 60s. Went with this instead since its a lot prettier and rarer. Most of the greco open book headstock gibson replicas were made by fujigen gakki. Classic open book headstock ties in to es tradition.
Sep, 2019 for many players, the open book headstock design that appears on vintage epiphone models and modernday gibson guitars is classier than the slightly blockier epi variant that tops off the majority of the lowercost companys range. Epiphone with gibson headstock aprile 19th, 20 a couple of weeks ago i have found, in my favorite guitar shop in shanghai, some strange epiphones, two les paul one special and one standard one 339 and one sg that instead of the normal epiphone headstock had the traditional open book gibson headstock. At one point epiphones had the same headstock when they were still mij. The previous model would have had a guitarstylei call them flyswatterheadstock.
Ironically, by the fall of 1976 ibanez had redesigned their headstocks to look much like those found guild guitars. Introduced in 1989, the epiphone gseries is a line of gibson authorized copies of the famous gibson sg. A couple of weeks ago i have found, in my favorite guitar shop in shanghai, some strange epiphones, two les paul one special and one standard one 339 and one sg that instead of the normal epiphone headstock had the traditional open book gibson headstock. Thats a bit flippant, but most instrument repairers will tell you that gibson headstock breaks form the bulk of their neck repairs.
Instead of the openbook headstock for the melody maker, epiphone china used the traditional melody maker headstock also found on the gibson version. This ingenious redesign follows the form of the seminal es330, a fully hollow archtop electric with a thinline body depth like that of the semiacoustic es335. Selling because i have too many guitars and im having a clearout because i need money. Though i never really hated the current epiphone headstock as much as. Fueling every genre of music, from folk to djent and everything in between, gibson, along with fender, were, hell. I see a lot of people react negatively to the epiphone headstock. There are rumors that samick had a contract with gibson allowing them to make copies, but this is untrue. No matter what youre looking for or where you are in the world, our global marketplace of sellers can help you find unique and affordable options.
Last fall i had a complete pro setup done, including fret level and recrown, and having a bone nut and saddle installed. Anybody playown an mij epiphone lp w gibson headstock. He said the open book headstock existed on oldworld instruments, and the les paul shape was based on the bigsby merle travis guitar. Epiphones new inspired by gibson collections will drop the sharp angles of epiphones recent headstocks and soften their curves into the openbook style, while still being differentiated from gibsons own design the plan to move toward the openbook shape for epiphone. Furthermore, extensive sonic testing has shown that the shape of the openbook gibson headstock provides 29% more sustain compared with the epiphone models. Someone on the gear page posted that gibson didnt invent either the openbook headstock or the les paul bodyshape. Mahogany neck plays beautifully and the action is low, good for fingerpicking or strumming. Fans of epiphone and gibson that have long wished for some headstock parity between the brands have reason to rejoice. Its a 99 mij gibsonyamano gakki epiphone es335, made in the terada factory after gibson and yamano gakki ended the orville and orville by gibson production.
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