“Meticulous” doesn’t even begin to describe Chibson USA’s attention to detail, but it comes quite close. So readers will not be surprised to learn that when the Chibson team took it upon themselves to redesign one of the most iconic guitars of the 20th century, they didn’t spare any expense - legal, or otherwise.
“How many times can we reinvent the wheel before someone begins to take notice? When will we be sued into oblivion?” These questions, and more, have plagued Chibson’s CEO, Jason USA, for years. Again and again, his company has flooded the market with everything ranging from a guitar that makes fresh pasta, to a tremolo bar-shaped shoe, and even a folding guitar pick, and again and again, their products sell out within days. When it came time to release something new this last year, the company drew inspiration from the classic 1970s Eddie Van Halen “Frankenstein” guitar. “We figured we should take a chance and do something fresh. Something no one’s seen before,” said Jason USA when asked to comment. The guitar body features an exact replica of Frankenstein's criss-cross stripe motif, but with one subtle twist that Chibson’s legal team claims will help them dodge yet another copyright infringement lawsuit - all of the signature white lines on this guitar are straight. “Straight lines are actually cheaper to paint,” said Jason USA, who added that he hopes to pass the savings along to customers by offering the new model at the low, low price of $51,500 Introducing the Chibson USA “OCD” Frankenstein model. As Chibson representatives have stated, repeatedly, there is absolutely no connection to the iconic guitar god, Eddie Van Halen, nor has there been any attempt by Chibson to obtain permission to profit from the likeness of Mr. Van Halen’s guitar.
When pictures of the OCD Model were initially released on social media, Eddie Van Halen’s son, Wolfgang, shared positive comments about the new OCD Model. And similar to other celebrity “collabs”, a like and a comment are all Chibson needs to consider a product “endorsed”, as such they are considering incorporating Wolfgang’s likeness into advertising related to their new instrument. All of the excitement generated by the OCD Model has Chibson planning for an exclusive series of “re-inventions,” otherwise known as reinterpretations of well-known, successful products made and trademarked by other brands. “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” has become a mantra around the Chibson HQ of late, with designers, engineers, and their own CEO seeing dollar signs as they consider all of the “new and improved” products they can “borrow” over the next several years. Time to take your meds and jump on the bus, because these Chibson OCD guitars ain’t gonna last long!