Musoland site down

[Collie Ransom]

Oh Nooooo, Musoland is down. Where am I gonna buy my $200 Gibsons from now ?

[vrm]

LOL!

[Runn3r]

...a mysterious and disturbing message has been revealed...

2008-12-30 10:26:35 good ok!

...now just what sort of 'sign' is this?!...

[Stachelschwein]

Oh Nooooo, Musoland is down. Where am I gonna buy my $200 Gibsons from now ?

You can find Musoland guitars at

http://www.made-in-china.com/showroom/bobostarxd/product-detailgeomzsqyXxYh/China-Gibson-Les-Paul-Standard-Guitar.html

prices have doubled....:facepalm:

[Scafeets]

You can find Musoland guitars at

http://www.made-in-china.com/showroom/bobostarxd/product-detailgeomzsqyXxYh/China-Gibson-Les-Paul-Standard-Guitar.html

prices have doubled....:facepalm:
..................and they're cloning PRS now too.

[Stachelschwein]

But they´re doing it badly and quite out of proportions ...
They do the Gibsons quite well; they even featured binding covered fret ends lately..
B.t.w: The biggest "joke" on their website was : they sold copies of Epiphone guitars and "real Epiphone" guitars as well . Which brings me to the conclusion, that there possibly could be a connection between the chinese branch of Gibson/Epiphone and the manufacturer of Musoland guitars: Making a little extra money with faked originals....??:idea:

[Collie Ransom]

I'm sorry but I find it hilarious that the counterfeit fake guitars have risen in value.

[catalinagoose]

:lol:
"Come with beautiful box, easy to carry and safety enough for guitar"

[Collie Ransom]

Not to worry, I got am email from Dan Li, they are back with several great sites. And now they even use the right bridge posts. Next stop... frets over binding..:thu:

[sktn77a]

Not to worry, I got am email from Dan Li, they are back with several great sites. And now they even use the right bridge posts. Next stop... frets over binding..:thu:

I'd be surprised if Dan and Teresa will be selling many more guitars:

Fight Against Counterfeit Guitars
January 15, 2009 by NAMM

Increasing reports and complaints from music stores and musicians about the explosion of counterfeit guitars spreading like plague, four of the top known names in the musical instrument business, Ibanez, Gretsch, Fender and Paul Reed Smith (PRS), teamed up in March 2008 to develop the Electric Guitar Anti-Counterfeiting Coalition (EGACC) to petition government authorities for enforcing their intellectual property laws against unauthorized counterfeiting.

Sources tell us that complaints were pursued with the Public Security Bureau (PSB) in Beijing, China concerning the activities of two Chinese companies operating as paylessguitar.com.cn and musoland.com.cn. The two companies were believed to be in violation for distributing and sales of counterfeit guitars through several websites targeting overseas consumers. The four members of the EGACC had all received several complaints about the sites from both consumers and musical instrument retail stores, many of who were on the receiving end of acquiring instruments that turned out to be illegal counterfeits.

The four guitar manufacturers of the EGACC are also collectively working with the international intellectual-property and antitrust law firm, Baker and McKenzie. Baker and McKenzie petitioned the Chinese enforcement authorities for law enforcement assistance. Following numerous months of intensive investigations, the Xuanwu District PSB in Beijing, initiated simultaneous raids on November 26, 2008, against the retail operations and warhouse of both Paylessguitar and Musoland in Beijing.

During this intensive operation, the PSB seized over 1,200 counterfeit guitars and other musical instruments not only counterfeiting all four EGACC group member brands but also those of several other renowned electric guitar manufacturers. Sources tell us that a number of individuals including the owners of these businesses were detained by the PSB during the raids. The EGACC is collaborating with the PSB and prosecutors in their follow-up investigations and prosecution. Should the prosecution prevail, those convicted could face extensive fines and jail time.

[Collie Ransom]

It's interesting that it even got this far. I love the fact that Gibson is not involved. It will be even more prevalent now that American companies are actually having guitars produced in China. I told Dan I don't want anymore guitars unless you ship them in a Louis Vitton case. And oh yeah, throw one of them Rolexs you make there in the case too.....

[thermionic geek]

I find it hilarious that Ibanez is involved. After imitating Gibson and fender for years. In Japan in the 60's and early seventies Matsumoku and Fuji gen Gakki made instruments with the fender Logo to sell to uninformed GI's stationed there.

My take on this is that the Chinese raids are symbolic, No real action will be taken. Whether or not there is, China will not shut them down. Any business providing decent paying jobs is highly valued there.

If the guitars said anything else but gibson they would still be poorly made imitations. But as they progress I have actually seen the quality improve. If they survive 20 or 30 years from now there may be a Musoland brand name that is as respected as Ibanez is today.

It's scary when you think about it.

[Collie Ransom]

I just took delivery of another China Gibson. This one is pretty good overall. I was really surprised when I pulled the pups to find that this one has Epiphone pickups in it. They have the stamped metal baseplate and the stickers on them. They don't sound too bad. I have to think they are real as why would someone go thru all that trouble ? Even the tuners are good on this one. They are stamped Grover , but that's probably BS.

[marcellis]

I said this in a different thread. But I offer it for guitar-shoppers' consideration.

According to the story,

A. Two Guitar dealers in China have been raided by the Chinese police.

B. According to the report, the owners are being questioned by the Chinese police.

C. Is it possible that one of the questions might be "Who did you sell to?"

D. Might the Chinese police be examining the shipping records?

E. Baker-McKenzie is one of the biggest law firms on the planet.

F. Is it possible the Chinese authorities might turn over the shipping information to Baker-McKenzie?

G. Baker-McKenzie could then sue the recipients of counterfeit guitars in the same way the RIAA has sued hapless MP3 downloaders.

Maybe it won't happen. But maybe it will.

All for a stupid name on a head stock?

I don't get it.

Fight Against Counterfeit Guitars
January 15, 2009 by NAMM

Increasing reports and complaints from music stores and musicians about the explosion of counterfeit guitars spreading like plague, four of the top known names in the musical instrument business, Ibanez, Gretsch, Fender and Paul Reed Smith (PRS), teamed up in March 2008 to develop the Electric Guitar Anti-Counterfeiting Coalition (EGACC) to petition government authorities for enforcing their intellectual property laws against unauthorized counterfeiting.

Sources tell us that complaints were pursued with the Public Security Bureau (PSB) in Beijing, China concerning the activities of two Chinese companies operating as paylessguitar.com.cn and musoland.com.cn. The two companies were believed to be in violation for distributing and sales of counterfeit guitars through several websites targeting overseas consumers. The four members of the EGACC had all received several complaints about the sites from both consumers and musical instrument retail stores, many of who were on the receiving end of acquiring instruments that turned out to be illegal counterfeits.

The four guitar manufacturers of the EGACC are also collectively working with the international intellectual-property and antitrust law firm, Baker and McKenzie. Baker and McKenzie petitioned the Chinese enforcement authorities for law enforcement assistance. Following numerous months of intensive investigations, the Xuanwu District PSB in Beijing, initiated simultaneous raids on November 26, 2008, against the retail operations and warhouse of both Paylessguitar and Musoland in Beijing.

During this intensive operation, the PSB seized over 1,200 counterfeit guitars and other musical instruments not only counterfeiting all four EGACC group member brands but also those of several other renowned electric guitar manufacturers. Sources tell us that a number of individuals including the owners of these businesses were detained by the PSB during the raids. The EGACC is collaborating with the PSB and prosecutors in their follow-up investigations and prosecution. Should the prosecution prevail, those convicted could face extensive fines and jail time.

[HaloJem]

:lol:
"Come with beautiful box, easy to carry and safety enough for guitar"

prease excuse poo engrish, I new to enterwebz, as-oooo!

[Runn3r]

I said this in a different thread. But I offer it for guitar-shoppers' consideration.

According to the story,

A. Two Guitar dealers in China have been raided by the Chinese police.

B. According to the report, the owners are being questioned by the Chinese police.

C. Is it possible that one of the questions might be "Who did you sell to?"

D. Might the Chinese police be examining the shipping records?

E. Baker-McKenzie is one of the biggest law firms on the planet.

F. Is it possible the Chinese authorities might turn over the shipping information to Baker-McKenzie?

G. Baker-McKenzie could then sue the recipients of counterfeit guitars in the same way the RIAA has sued hapless MP3 downloaders.

Maybe it won't happen. But maybe it will.

All for a stupid name on a head stock?

I don't get it.

...i'm with you 99% of the way ...marcellis....

...except...(uh oh here it comes)

...i am one of those recipients having been in receipt of a few PRS Santana 'look-alikes'...

...the reason why i got it is not because i wish to own PRS counterfeits (though it must be admitted i have a few if guitars from musoland are all labelled as thus) but because of the material and construction used...

...truth be told ...

///these yellow guitars are 25.5" scale length...made from all maple body with maple neck and rosewood f/b...AND construction of neck + body is parallel to back of body (unlike real PRS)...

...not sure but i dunt think this is a PRS proper specced guitar (they are typically 25" scale length/mahogany material is usually present either in body or neck and the construction of neck to body is at a 'slant' to the back of body

sure they have the birds inlays and the bird on the headstock but i would have got it even if it had just dots

of course i should have made them if i wanted guitars with these specs but have i actually bought a PRS guitar given the substantial differences in specs?!

///now as far as spec-accurate counterfeits are concerned and sold as real thing ...well the persecution against tht ...i support fully

in AND outside of CHINA :D

[marcellis]

I don't know anything about PRS guitars. I don't know what their
head stocks look like. I know almost nothing about them.

I was directing my post to intentional trade name/mark infringement
and intentional misrepresentation of a brand name by a manufacturer. So the two questions are:

(1) Did the manufacturer represent it to be a PRS?

IF YES, (2) Did you know it wasn't a real PRS when you bought it?

Gibson is an easy case. They have a certain head stock. They have a name
on that head stock. So the manufacturer would know the guitars were counterfeit.
The only question that would remain would be, "Did the buyers know they were counterfeit?"

Baker-McKenzie is an international law firm. They are very huge.
They're in the US. I'm not sure if guitar makers would sue buyers
the way the RIAA sued downloaders. But the possibility is very real.

[Runn3r]

yes...points taken ...

but a counterfeit is an exact replica

and if the supposed 'replica' is significantly different in the specs (to the original) tht define a guitar, would it still be considered a counterfeit?

[marcellis]

I'd say no. But I don't know.

I'm just talking about trade name & trade mark infringement.
Designs can be patented or copyrighted. But that's a more difficult question.

There are at least two actors, the manufacturer and the buyer.
It's an easy question if the manufacturer counterfeits a Gibson,
Gretsch, Fender, PRS logo and misrepresents it.

But I've seen lots of off-brand guitars that look like Martins, Gibsons,
Fenders, whatever. I don't know if that is infringement or not.

[ChineseKnockoff]

Yes, it is. A trademark covers "trade name and all related indica". That includes a companies logo, distinctive color combinations or unique design details. The Fender headstock is a textbook example of "unique design details". In fact- if you have a Hardrock Cafe nearby take a look at their sign. 2 years ago that sign had a Fender headstock on it. Today it was looks like a Gibson HS. And now you know why.

[Runn3r]

I'd say no. But I don't know.

I'm just talking about trade name & trade mark infringement.
Designs can be patented or copyrighted. But that's a more difficult question.

There are at least two actors, the manufacturer and the buyer.
It's an easy question if the manufacturer counterfeits a Gibson,
Gretsch, Fender, PRS logo and misrepresents it.

But I've seen lots of off-brand guitars that look like Martins, Gibsons,
Fenders, whatever. I don't know if that is infringement or not.

...yeah it is a grey area for sure marcellis

...in fact i consider the whole 'patent'/'trademark' situation a grey area

...it'll be all about 'test cases' and 'precedents' for a while methinks :D

[Collie Ransom]

Yeah, I guess the Government will be sending out a lot of buses to go round up all the Tokai, Orville, Greco, Burny, Edwards, and Fender Japan owners because none of those guitars are supposed to be in the USA either. :cop: