“Trump Guitars is not in any way officially connected with Gibson”: Trump Guitars backtracks after Gibson cease and desist and takes Les Paul-style guitars off the market
Gibson's cease and desist stated that Trump Guitars' designs infringed upon the guitar giant's exclusive trademarks, particularly the iconic Les Paul body shape
(Image credit: Trump Guitars)
Trump Guitars – the series of guitars endorsed by the incoming 47th American President – has made changes to the models advertised on its official website after Guitar Worldbroke the news that Gibson issued a cease and desist order to Trump Guitars owner 16 Creative.
“We can confirm a cease and desist has been issued against 16 Creative as the design infringes upon Gibson’s exclusive trademarks, particularly the iconic Les Paul body shape,” a Gibson representative confirmed on November 25.
The statement referred to the line's initial single-cut electric American Eagle and Presidential series models, which infringed upon Gibson's trademarks and the legacy brand's Les Paul design.
As a result, Trump Guitars updated its Presidential series. The new 22-fret design, available in black, gold, and red, features a mahogany body and neck, a rosewood fretboard with “Make America Great Again” inlays, and, keeping in line with the brand, “Magabenders” strings and Maga 45 “Trumpbuckers.” The guitars are currently available for pre-sale.
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(Image credit: Trump Guitars)
(Image credit: Trump Guitars)
Regarding the actual designs, the website states: “All of the guitars featured on GetTrumpGuitars.com were custom designed and developed by a veteran-owned company with the help of a master luthier.” It also asserts that the guitars have been manufactured by multiple providers and “include parts/features that are both domestic and international.”
The previous, contentious models have been marked as sold out, with large banners entirely obscuring the guitar mockups. Furthermore, photos of Trump with the LP-style guitar seem to have been photoshopped and now feature the line's acoustic guitar instead.
Additionally, a disclaimer has been added to the website's FAQ section, stating: “GetTrumpGuitars.com is not affiliated, associated, authorized, endorsed by, or in any way officially connected with Gibson Brands Inc., or any of its subsidiaries or its affiliates, nor does it represent itself as a dealer, manufacturer, or distributor of Gibson, Les Paul Standard, Les Paul Custom, or any of their products.”
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Guitar World has reached out to Trump Guitars for comment.
Janelle is a staff writer at GuitarWorld.com. After a long stint in classical music, Janelle discovered the joys of playing guitar in dingy venues at the age of 13 and has never looked back. Janelle has written extensively about the intersection of music and technology, and how this is shaping the future of the music industry. She also had the pleasure of interviewing Dream Wife, K.Flay, Yīn Yīn, and Black Honey, among others. When she's not writing, you'll find her creating layers of delicious audio lasagna with her art-rock/psych-punk band ĠENN.
