I’ve recently been pushed into thinking a lot about the brand and the name of a guitar and what it really means…
 
Let’s step back a few decades to begin this discussion.
 
By the late 1970s, and through the 1980s, guitar customization was the name of the game. Particularly with electric guitars.  People would have coil splitters and phase switches added to the pickup electronics on their guitar. All kinds of pickup changing and replacing; adding and removing of pickups and various other configurations was taking place. I thought it was a really fun time as music was still in its analog stage and getting new sounds, by these various methods, was an adventure.
 
Hand-in-hand with this era came the fact that a lot of luthiers were creating guitars and guitar parts for their clients.  My friend, Jim Foote did all kinds of crazy stuff for me back in the day. I remember on this one birthday he ever gave me a guitar he had made for me. Very cool! Thanks!
 
At least in the field of rock music, the Stratocaster style guitar was king. If you look at music videos from that era, you will notice that there are names, other than the most known of say, “Fender,” becoming obvious on the headstocks of many guitars. Plus, as a lot of luthiers made specialized necks for the guitar bodies of their clients, many a guitar and no name on the headstock at all.
 
Some guitars were made from scratch, as well. For example, my friend Kris Derrig made what has become probably one of the most famous, “Replica,” guitars ever created. He made a 1959 Gibson Les Paul, with the actual, “Gibson,” logo on the headstock, of which Slash ended up with, and used it to record some of the music on the seminal Guns and Roses album, Appetite for Destruction. Kris unfortunately passed away way too young in life, at the age of only thirty-two, and never got to know about or experience any of the success of his name or his guitars. But, I won’t speak of that right now. You can read the piece I have about him and his guitars on this website, if you feel like it.
 
Anyway… And, to the point of this piece… The guitars he made were not true Gibson Les Pauls. Some people, at least back then, would call them, “Fakes.” And, I guess they were. Had people like Slash and Lenny Kravitz and Charlie Daniels not used them, he and the guitars he made may have faded away in history with no mention.
 
The thing is, there are a number of people who are at that level of luthier craftsmanship, like my aforementioned friend, Jim Foote, (who Kris worked for), and they can make excellent reproductions. And, many have throughout the years. In fact, when a craftsman is putting the energy into make one guitar at a time, they are oftentimes much better than a factory-made instrument. But, that does not mean they become a true Gibson simply because someone puts a Gibson logo on the headstock.
 
The few guitars that Kris made during his lifetime have gained astronomical value. But, again, though they the Gibson name on the headstock, they are not a Gibson. So, what are they?
 
I was driven to thinking about all of this via my nephew, who I have come to be very impressed with. I have mentioned him in this blog before. He is still a young teenager, yet he already has created a lot of music, and he got it out there on the music services. He is now moving away from keyboards and onto electric guitar. His mother, (obviously), came to me to see if I had a guitar to give him, as he is currently borrowing a Charvel from her boyfriend. This put me in a bit of a pickle, however. What guitar should I give him??? She doesn’t want it to be too high-end, as she puts it, “He’s just a beginner.” But, I don’t want to give him a piece of junk.
 
This caused me to go over to my studio and go through my collection. You know, I am certainly no luthier, but through my many decades of playing, I have gained a certain, (minor), skillset in guitar repair and construction. I was looking through a few Strat style guitars I have put together, throughout the years, with, as mentioned, necks that came from various sources. A couple of them, I put a logo on that says, “Fucker Stratocaster.” 
 
There was this guy on Esty a few years back that was selling that decal. I thought it was pretty funny. So, I grabbed a few. 
 
I jokingly suggested to my lady that I give him one of those, “You can’t do that! He takes the guitar to school,” she exclaims.
 
I also looked through a few guitars that I had put a Fender Stratocaster decal on the headstock and then strayed lacquer over it. They look original. But, they are not.
 
Some of those guitars are really good players. But, times have changed since the 80s, and things that aren’t the Real Deal, aren’t the Real Deal. I mean, everyone isn’t slapping decals and logos on headstocks anymore. Well, maybe some people are. But…  
 
Certainly, all of the fake Gibsons coming out of China have overwhelmed the market. Some of which are pretty good guitars, however. But, again, I couldn’t give him one of those…
 
So, I was stuck. What to do? His mother doesn't want be to give him a high-dollar instrument and I can't give him one of my guitars, created for my very specific specifications. Answer: I ended up buying him a guitar from a respected brand at Guitar Center. I ordered it online. Throw in a nice practice amp and they’ll be here in a few day… The guitar, it’s real. It’s good. It’s not super high-end. I guess that checks all the boxes???
 
But, what does all of this mean to you and why am I boring you with all of this nonsense?

Ask yourself, “What is real?” I mean, really, “What is real?” Particularly on the internet and on the opinionated news networks, I hear so many people saying so many things that just are not true. They base their speak on some reality conjured up only in their own opinionated mind, based upon opinions with little or no foundations. Yet, it is said and it is believed.
 
Just like a Kris Derrig Les Pual with a Gibson logo… Was it a better constructed guitar than one that came out of the Gibson factory? Maybe. Does the logo you or I put on a Strat make it a true Fender or just a Fucker?
 
Everything is deceiving. Looks are deceiving. …As the old saying goes. So, what is real? And, if it is real, does that mean that it is necessarily better? I don’t know??? What do you think?  
 
Real or Fake, it is a very fine line.