June 24, 2026
Strat fight hits a sour note
Thomann takes legal action against Fender
Guitar fans erupt as Thomann fights Fender over who owns the iconic Strat shape
TLDR: Thomann is suing after Fender tried to claim tighter control over the famous Strat-style guitar shape, a move Thomann says could hurt competition and innovation. Online, many readers are piling on Fender with angry complaints, old grudges, and jokes about the website crashing from all the drama.
This isn’t just a guitar business spat anymore — the comments turned it into a full-blown Fender roast. Thomann, the giant music retailer behind Harley Benton, says it’s taking legal action after Fender tried to crack down on copies of the famous Stratocaster body shape. Thomann argues this shape has inspired decades of new guitars, and that locking it down now could hurt choice, fairness, and creativity across the entire guitar world.
But the community? Oh, they came in loud. The harshest reaction painted Fender as a company with nothing left but its lawyers, with one commenter sneering that the brand has “already destroyed the name” and is now just squeezing money from intellectual property. Another went straight for the jugular, unloading years of rage over pricey left-handed models and poor quality, turning a legal debate into a deeply personal anti-Fender therapy session. In other words: for some readers, this lawsuit didn’t create the bitterness — it just unleashed it.
There was comedy too. Thomann’s page reportedly crashed under traffic, prompting the instant classic joke: “502 Bad Gateway, the HN kiss of death,” a nod to the site getting hugged to death by curious readers. Others brought popcorn and Rick Beato’s rant, because of course no internet guitar drama is complete until YouTube has entered the chat. The vibe is clear: this is about much more than one guitar shape — to fans, it’s a battle over whether a music legend is protecting its legacy or acting like the villain in its own encore.
Key Points
- •Thomann says it is taking legal action against Fender over cease-and-desist demands related to Stratocaster-style guitar body shapes.
- •The article states that Fender obtained a default judgment at the Düsseldorf Regional Court against a Chinese company selling S-style guitars.
- •Thomann argues the judgment was based on missed deadlines and did not involve a comprehensive review of Fender’s legal claims.
- •According to Thomann, Fender is asserting copyright claims over the Stratocaster body shape against dealers and manufacturers in Europe, with effects also reaching US manufacturers selling into Europe.
- •Thomann says the dispute affects not only its retail business and Harley Benton brand but also broader issues of competition, innovation, and design diversity in the guitar industry.