The dilemma for any guitar maker – large or small, new or old – is whether they, ahem, borrow someone else’s design or plough a new furrow. Many brands do both, of course. We’re not talking about creating a counterfeit, but the classic shapes from the 50s and 60s have always held an allure that is increasingly hard to shake. Combine one of those classic outlines with a new headstock and a different pickup set and off you go. But get too close to the flame and many makers have run into trouble with Fender or Gibson obviously taking issue. For a small maker, receiving a cease and desist letter from a huge heritage company is enough to make them subtly – or
