Fender escalates legal campaign against S-style guitars

Fender’s latest legal move has hit the guitar world like a smashed amp on stage. The company is reportedly sending cease-and-desist letters to smaller guitar makers over S-style guitars — the familiar double-cut shape most people recognize from the Stratocaster. One small US builder, LsL Instruments, has gone public and says it now needs help paying lawyers just to survive. That instantly turned this from a dry legal story into a full-on David vs. Goliath drama, and the comments are absolutely on the little guy’s side.

The strongest reaction? People think Fender is trying to shut the barn door 75 years after the horse bolted. One commenter said this would feel very different if it were a brand-new design, but going after a body shape that inspired a whole cottage industry for decades feels downright brutal. Others were even harsher, accusing Fender of using a case against a Chinese maker as a “trojan horse” to come after US builders — a twist commenters found rich with irony.

And because this is the internet, the hot takes got spicy fast. One user bluntly declared Fender doesn’t even make the best Strat anyway, while another joked that if classic shapes are becoming dangerous territory, maybe it’s time to let a thousand bizarre headless guitar designs bloom. There’s also nervous side-eye aimed at big sellers like Harley Benton: if Fender is serious, commenters are wondering who’s next. In short, the community sees this less as brand protection and more as Fender declaring war on a tradition players thought belonged to everyone.