By Katherine Sayre
Phillip McKnight's love affair with Stratocaster guitars started at age 15 when he got a counterfeit version of the Fender icon -- and an amp -- for $120. Today, the former guitar shop owner's prized instrument also looks similar to a Strat, but is made by a custom builder.
"My favorite Fender is not a Fender," said McKnight, who now runs a guitars-and-gear YouTube channel.
Fender Musical Instruments is trying to stop that and claim control of the iconic shape.
Earlier this month, Fender sent cease-and-desist letters to other guitar builders, telling them to stop production of any Strat-shaped guitars and to recall and destroy such instruments. The targets range from a boutique builder in California to well-known brands including PRS.
Emboldened by a recent European court ruling, Fender is trying to gain control over what is by far the world's most popular electric guitar shape more than seven decades after it was released. The curvy design came to define the instrument, played by famous artists including Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughan. Other guitar companies have crafted their own versions over the years, some as cheap knockoffs and others as coveted customized instruments that sell for thousands of dollars.
U.S. sales of electric guitars have cooled since a surge during the Covid-19 pandemic when consumers aspired to learn to play. The number of electric guitars and basses sold declined an estimated 4% last year in the U.S., according to data from industry publication Music Trades.
Fender Chief Executive Edward "Bud" Cole said Fender respects independent builders and the larger guitar community, but Fender has "a responsibility to protect the iconic designs and brand identity associated with its instruments around the world."
"We believe competition and innovation is healthy for the industry, and we encourage the creation of new and distinctive designs that push guitar innovation forward rather than relying on direct copies of Leo Fender's pioneering work," Cole said.
Small builders, who have long considered themselves to be legally in the clear to sell Strat-shaped guitars, say Fender's actions could put their business in jeopardy.
Family-owned builders LSL Instruments in the Los Angeles area posted a GoFundMe seeking donations for attorneys fees. Fender's demand, if successful, "would establish a monopoly, limiting sales and restricting choice for musicians everywhere," owner Lisa Lerman wrote online.
Fender lost an attempt to trademark the shapes of its Stratocaster and Telecaster electric guitars and Precision electric bass guitar in 2009. More than a dozen companies challenged Fender's attempt, arguing that the shape had become generic as it was widely used over several decades. The federal Trademark Trial and Appeal Board agreed.
But earlier this year, the Regional Court of Düsseldorf in Germany ruled in favor of Fender in its copyright case against a Chinese musical instruments company, which never responded in court. The court issued a default judgment and said the Stratocaster was a copyrightable work of art.
Fender said the ruling gave the company enforceable rights against any guitars using the Stratocaster body shape that are manufactured, sold or distributed in Germany and the European Union "regardless of where those guitars are produced."
PRS Guitars, a company endorsed by the likes of John Mayer and Carlos Santana, confirmed that it is among the companies that received a letter. The company said it disagrees with Fender's assessment and declined to comment further.
On Tuesday, Fender said it isn't currently asking for the companies to recall or destroy products. "Rather, Fender is working with the manufacturers to redesign the shapes, while the manufacturers sell off existing unauthorized inventory," the company said.
In Germany, Fender argued that Leo Fender, who founded Fender in 1946, artfully designed the Stratocaster to reflect the curves of a woman's body. Lawyers for the guitar builders say the guitar was actually designed by a few people, who landed on the contoured shape for comfortability.
Last week, a lawyer representing some of the guitar builders issued their own letter responding to Fender's claims, pointing to the 2009 decision and arguing that Fender's Stratocaster origin story is invented.
The longtime "unopposed" use of the Strat shape "demonstrates that [Fender] has no basis for claiming that it is, or has the right to be, the exclusive manufacturer of guitars in the Strat body shape," the May 21 letter said.
McKnight, who has visited guitar factories around the world to better understand how various models are manufactured for his YouTube channel, said he thinks Fender's actions are hurting its brand, especially among musicians.
"I think a lot of the companies are going to stop making copies because Fender is making their Strat not cool," McKnight said.
Write to Katherine Sayre at katherine.sayre@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
May 27, 2026 11:50 ET (15:50 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2026 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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