My two cents, since I started the thread:
There is ZERO justification in a company using another company's logo to market their own instruments. ZERO. That is blatant plagiarism and falsification of product. So I am in full agreement with Addison on this. But logos aside, here's where it gets a little gray:
1. Yamaha doesn't make a lefty Attitude bass; Gibson doesn't make a Ripper; Fender doesn't make a '51 P bass; etc. If you're lucky, said company might make you one of those basses...for at least 4X the price a righty would pay for a stock instrument readily available. Should I shed a tear for said companies that don't respect me enough to offer their instruments in left handed models or will only do so for an astronomical price? How, exactly, is a lefty buying a knockoff eating into their bottom line when it's a product they don't even make? (Unless we're talking about those knucklehead righties from another thread who love to buy lefty instruments to play upside down). The fact is most of these companies offering knockoff models are targeting those unique designs that the model's origin companies are not willing to offer. That's why Dillion made a T-Bird, that's why SX made their Taurus/'51 P bass knockoff, that's why Eastwood made an Ampeg scroll (Hell, ALL Eastwood does is repackage other people's designs), Gaskell targeted Gibson's T-Bird, Explorer, and V models, etc. There is a market there, albeit a limited one, that the big boys aren't bothering to target. 99.9% of these knockoffs have enough variation in their designs to avoid infringement, but we all know what they're attempting to do.
2. Regarding the argument that cheap inexpensive Chinese made instruments are pure crap, well sometimes yes, sometimes no. I've owned several instruments made in China that blew me away and also a few that were garbage. (My Spear S2 bass is in my top 5 favorite basses I own/owned). Now this particular company in question has Chinese, Korean, and Japan made instruments at various price points. There's also enough subtle variation in their instruments to make the argument that they're not doing a perfect ripoff of the instruments in question (Though the blatant use of other company's logos is absolutely wrong). But it's unfair to assume that everyone in the world has your skill set, budget, needs, or conception of what is quality and what isn't. Case in point, let's take the flip side of the argument: what about the overpriced upscale knockoffs like Lakland, Sadowsky, etc? Great instruments, no doubt, but I personally don't see the point of paying 2 to 3 times more than a Fender for one when the real deal gets the job done fine, IMO. So I'll NEVER consider owning a Lakland or a Sadowsky. Different needs, different budget. Likewise on a Hofner. Way overpriced, IMO, especially when I consider the el cheapo Rogue I bought is perfectly fine for those times when I need a Hofner-esque tone/look. But a full time Hofner player might feel differently, and that's okay too. But that is exactly why Hofner started making their own inexpensive instruments, because other companies out there were selling more affordable instruments and they wanted in on the action. So I don't see how low cost cheap instruments with mediocre quality eats into a big company's bottom line unless the instrument is actually good enough to compete with their product or it's reaching a demographic that they aren't, in which case maybe it's time for them to start rethinking their price point or business plan.
3. I finished my first build a few months ago. It's a lefty Nashville Tele. Fender doesn't make a lefty Nashville Tele. (Surprise!), so I bought cheap parts online and spent a little extra on quality PUPs and electronics. As a first build, I was happy to put together a very playable good sounding instrument for a little under $500. It;s not as high quality as my '52RI Tele, but its fine for the purpose I intended for it. But I learned a few things along the way and if and when I do another build I'll know what to avoid. Little thing like neck pockets, PUP routs, pick guard screw holes, etc. on Asian made instruments don't always line up or work well when modding for improvement. I also have an Ibanez Iceman bass kit I bought over a year ago that I need to get around to. Again, Ibanez never made lefty Iceman basses. Now here's the kicker: what was the last thing I did to the Nashville Tele to complete it? I put a Fender logo on the headstock. Why? Because nothing satisfies more than honoring a company that refuses to make this instrument for me...and I'm an idiot.
And I have every intention of putting an Ibanez logo on the Iceman when that's done too. I see nothing wrong with building replicas for your own satisfaction. I'm not passing it off as the real thing or trying to sell it as such.
