Les Paul Imitations

Although most imitations differ visibly from Gibson’s design, some companies have come close to perfecting copies. For instance, in the early 1980s, Japanese manufacturer Tokai made an imitation Les Paul called the “Love Rock” that featured such a perfect reproduction of the neck that Gibson Guitar Corporation sued them. The lawsuit ended with victory for Gibson with a court-mandate that the necks on Tokai models for the U.S. market had to be replaced. Additionally, in the late ’70’s, Ibanez also made very high quality Gibson imitations. These imitations were marketed during a time period when guitars of Japanese make were both affordable and painstakingly precise, but lacked the reputation of their US forebears.

Many guitar aficionados feel that the early- and mid-70s marked a low point in the quality of guitars from the major manufacturers including Gibson, which helped contribute to the popularity of the Ibanez copies. These guitars have become known as “lawsuit” guitars and have become somewhat collectible. The actual lawsuit referred to was brought by the Norlin Corporation, the parent company of Gibson guitars, in 1977, and was based on an Ibanez headstock design that had been discontinued by 1976. Ibanez settled out of court, and by 1978 had begun making guitars from their own designs.

ESP Guitars makes two types, the EC series and the Eclipse II, that are based on the Les Paul design. Certain EC models have 24 fret necks and active electronics using EMG pickups instead of the standard passive pickups and 22 frets found in the traditional Les Paul.

Heritage Guitars, founded in 1985 by four long-time Gibson employees when Gibson relocated to Nashville, continues to build high-quality guitars in the original factory at 225 Parsons Street in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Many of their models evoke memories of Gibson’s late-50s/early-60s “golden years.” The H-150 and H-157, for instance, are reminiscent of the original Les Paul and Les Paul Custom, while the H-535 is a modern version of the Gibson ES-335. Because Heritage guitars are built in the original factory, by some of the employees who helped manufacturer the most sought after, vintage Gibson models, some don’t consider them imitators at all, but a continuation of the Kalamazoo legacy.

The music retailer Rondo Music imports several popular models that are similar to the Les Paul, under the Agile brand.