Nepco Guitars has been forced to halt production of its V-shaped designs after it was issued a cease and desist letter by Gibson’s lawyers.
You might recall we featured the Danelectro-inspired V-shaped guitar builds in a recent interview with Nepco player Julia Steiner (frontwoman of the excellent Ratboys) and Nepco builder/owner Ian Williams.
Within weeks of the piece’s publication, Williams took to Instagram (on August 28) to inform customers that he’d since been contacted by Gibson’s intellectual property lawyers, Bates and Bates, and issued with the cease and desist order.
The details of the letter have not been shared publicly, but it reportedly points out that Gibson holds the rights to both the V body shape and Flying V name.
As Williams noted in his original post, this means “no more V-style body” builds from Nepco – including for those still on the waiting list – and the luthier has also agreed to remove images of the guitars from Instagram.
“The whole situation is obviously disappointing, but it's due to my own negligence,” Williams tells Guitar World.
“I’d been operating under the false notion that headstock shapes were the only trademark-able shape on a guitar, but had I done a little research I would’ve found that’s not the case. I respect Gibson’s desire to protect their intellectual property and am behaving as the cease and desist ordered.”
Setting aside the shape, the rest of the Nepco construction has more in common with the classic Danelectro build than that of Gibson’s iconic Flying V.
“The essence of what makes it Danelectro to me is the fact that it's made out of a frame with a Masonite top and back,” Williams explained, back in August. “It's pretty hollow, it's got lipstick pickups, and the rosewood slab for a bridge saddle – and I'm doing all of that.”
Now the luthier says he plans to take that spec in a new direction, utilizing different shapes in the process.
“The silver lining to the situation is that I’m being forced to do other things,” says Williams. “I’m excited to try a few new body styles and see what ideas seem to grab people’s attention.”
The first one on the list (and the one that Williams says shares “the most DNA with the old body shape”) comes in the form of the Nepco Astro – a fin-like design that recalls the guitar industry’s most space age design inspirations.
“I’ll be posting them unfinished, with the opportunity for anyone to purchase it and pick their own paint job,” Williams tells GW. “I’m excited to try this approach with a few different body shapes and give people the chance to grab something without a waiting period.”
The first Astro only debuted yesterday (September 5), but sold “within about three seconds,” so you’ll need to be quick off the mark to bag future models.
However, the builder suggests there’s more on the way and also hints at some new hardware he’s been “slowly prototyping,” though we’ll have to wait to see what he’s got planned on that side.
In the meantime, if you’re interested in seeing what Williams does next, head over to Nepco Guitars' Instagram page. And if you happen to have a Nepco V-style under your bed, well, hang on to it…
A Gibson representative was approached for comment for this piece but did not respond.
