Ran guitars

[jacksonaxes]

check the gallery out, these guitars look killer.http://www.ranguitars.com/agallery.php Anybody got one, or played one? I see they don't have a problem doing other companies headstocks or body shapes.

[Fender]

I remember researching the company in early 2005. Something about how copyright laws can be worked around legally if the company is based on another continent than the one it is mimicking. These are made in Poland, so there isn't much fuss from BC Rich, Jackson and others. Again, i don't believe the shapes are licensed or paid for. However, they are more popular over seas as they fabricate seemingly high quality guitars and provide them for a population that has less access to american made guitars. You can have a USA jackson for over 2 grand in poland or a custom made copy for 1500$. It's a hard pill to swallow, but i guess it all makes sense after you've played one. I don't see myself paying to have one shipped here, but i'd love to take one on a test drive

[Venomboy]

Nice looking, but they steal other people's designs. I know some of the designers of the shapes they copy who get paid by other companies for their designs. Ran doesn't have permission to do this. They are stealing. Doesn't matter if people on Mars can't get a Jackson. If I design something and sell it at a certain price for whatever reason, it's my decision. Not everyone can have everything.

[ozzuk1]

The other shapes/heads are less of a they dont have a problem doing it to more of they are running a business and have a market for their stuff, and they wont turn money away People will always want copies.

So companies like Agile etc will step in and make gutiars that people want the orignal builders are stupid to not make money on the ESP MXII comes to mind Gibson could make a bucket load of cash on a rear loaded Explorer with an Ebony board and decent quality like the 84 reissue but no they let ESP make a shit ton of cash selling the mx-II's for a whole lot more than gibson could sell them for...

Other than the fugly BCR/Moseresque designs people demand, the standard superstrat shape is quite commonly used ESP's Mirage is near identical to a soloist and I dont think they pay grover or FMIC any money...

They do have a pretty cool bodyshape of their own called the Cruiser, allthough most of the orders they seem to get now seem to be very extreme shapes...

I doubt it's economically reasonable for anyone outside of the EU to buy one unless your currency has better exchange rate than the euro...

Not too mention Prices have gone up as has the build/wait time...

I dont get why Ran has so much hate from people about the shapes and whatnot it's not like they are the only shop doing it Amfisound copies the RR and i've not heard one person bitch about them stealing Jacksons design, granted they've now designed anew headstock and I doubt copyright infringment is as easy to avoid in Finland or the UK...maybe thats why the head was changed as fender may have stepped in who knows...

They also were doing the bcr pointy at a time when bcr werent offering it, maybe that encouraged bc rich to use it again...

Very good guitars though had mine for a few years now, and the necks are really nice... A c shape which I prefer over most others i've tried....

But weather the guitar would be worth it compared to the prices of Jacksons and musicmans etc over in the states is something you'd have to decide...

[Venomboy]

It's probably too late for Fender or Gibson to do anything about copies. They never really went after anyone in a big way and they let it slide.

Other companies like Moser and BC Rich have done things to stop copies and have made it clear to Ran they don't like it, yet Ran continues to do it. They don't even put a spin on the copies, they're just blatant copies. Ugly guitars or not, it's still stealing someone else's ideas and designs regardless of the market for it.

[ozzuk1]

They arent the only company doing it, and it's more to do with moser being to small to do anything legally I doubt his operation could afford to take legal case and I dont think it's the same as Gibson suing PRS, something that was overturned as the singlecut isnt really like an LP, or a big company mass producing a copy people can buy anywhere.

I dont think Ran are making enough to dent Bcr's sales, smaller companies may be getting hurt, but it's the same copyright laws etc that mean some places can make a guitar body shape or head shape with out the original companies being able to sue which is why a lot of high quality japanese LP's are around...

Which is why shamray an Ran will keep making "copies" Dean have plenty of Gibson copies and people loved the GMW strat head charvel style guitars yet some companies seem to get less heat for stealing...

Hell people keep asking for Jackson Firebirds, and roundhorns and they complain about the copyright restrictions...

I think a big difference between Ran and other companies is they arent as happy about making copies I know shamray have bragged about being untouchable from lawsuits from Gibson or Fender....

But the next guitars I order from them wont be copies, not that I would ever order most of mosers designs, and if I did want soemhting that pointy/ugly i'd go with him...

BCR have probably hit back lately as they have really realeased some cool affordable stuff in recent years like the gunslingers and junior V's....

[velkan]

RAN GUITARS are a custom order guitar company, so no worries about copyright here, the guitars are build from customers requests, thats it =) a friend of mine is expecting his Ran to arrive in a few weeks... it took almost a year to build =/ thats the downside! i guess they have so many requests to handle...

[javert]

You can have a USA jackson for over 2 grand in poland or a custom made copy for 1500$. It's a hard pill to swallow, but i guess it all makes sense after you've played one. I don't see myself paying to have one shipped here, but i'd love to take one on a test drive

If by 2 grand you mean EURO and add bargain, then you are about right. USA Jacksons are between $3000-4000 USD in most of Europe.

[Nightbat]

Yup, if it aint taxes assraping us, it's bloody Importers

[Venomboy]

I have no problem with a company giving another company permission to copy a shape, style, etc.

Ran has been told to stop, and they don't. They know they are stealing intellectual property. Doesn't matter the quantity they are stealing.

[Nightbat]

Funny, when we're at a forum about a guitarbrand that got famous for it's Stratocaster copies

[Mikey2201]

I have no problem with a company giving another company permission to copy a shape, style, etc.

Ran has been told to stop, and they don't. They know they are stealing intellectual property. Doesn't matter the quantity they are stealing.

Plus 1

[velkan]

I have no problem with a company giving another company permission to copy a shape, style, etc.

Ran has been told to stop, and they don't. They know they are stealing intellectual property. Doesn't matter the quantity they are stealing.

dont wanna sound like an ahole but what part of "RAN Guitars Custom Made" you dont understand? i mean, they are luthiers, not corporate mass guitar builders, they do what their costumers request as a custom instrument... just like those single luthiers that exist all over the world.

i mean, its a no-brainer! if someone wants an exact copy of a Kelly or a les paul, but with those 'little' differences and/or extras that make a custom a custom, why would they refuse? lol

[Venomboy]

Ran is a custom maker. Of copies.

The know what they are doing is stealing. A customer can request anything they want from anyone. But if you are the company and you comply and know it's wrong, then you are a thief.

Do you work in a creative field? Is that how you make your money? If you don't, then this concept is probably hard to understand.

So if a customer requests a Ferrari or a Panasonic they should get an exact copy? Velkan, I want everything you own. I'm requesting it, so I should have it, correct?

I work for Cisco. There's a Chinese company called Huawei that copies all sorts of Cisco gear, down to the code in the software. Since there's people in China that want the gear, this is also okay, correct?

I can understand someone in Europe wanting an American guitar but not wanting to pay the taxes, shipping, fees, etc associated with bringing American products into the country. But Ran needs to understand that Moser, BCR, etc own these designs and make their living off them. If someone is copying them for profit, they are stealing.

Gibson and Fender didn't do much to stop copies. In some cases they didn't do anything. I'll bet anything that Jackson Firebirds are better built than Gibsons. If Gibson gives the heads up for Jackson to make them, I don't have a problem with that. Jackson doesn't rely on copies. Jackson can do other things and do them quite well.

Ran probably has the talent to do their own designs but they don't. Doesn't matter how big or small they are.

[sully]

Funny, when we're at a forum about a guitarbrand that got famous for it's Stratocaster copies

Yeah, the Rhoads is a strat copy!

Ran is a custom maker. Of copies.

The know what they are doing is stealing. A customer can request anything they want from anyone. But if you are the company and you comply and know it's wrong, then you are a thief.

Do you work in a creative field? Is that how you make your money? If you don't, then this concept is probably hard to understand.

So if a customer requests a Ferrari or a Panasonic they should get an exact copy? Velkan, I want everything you own. I'm requesting it, so I should have it, correct?

I work for Cisco. There's a Chinese company called Huawei that copies all sorts of Cisco gear, down to the code in the software. Since there's people in China that want the gear, this is also okay, correct?

I can understand someone in Europe wanting an American guitar but not wanting to pay the taxes, shipping, fees, etc associated with bringing American products into the country. But Ran needs to understand that Moser, BCR, etc own these designs and make their living off them. If someone is copying them for profit, they are stealing.

Gibson and Fender didn't do much to stop copies. In some cases they didn't do anything. I'll bet anything that Jackson Firebirds are better built than Gibsons. If Gibson gives the heads up for Jackson to make them, I don't have a problem with that. Jackson doesn't rely on copies. Jackson can do other things and do them quite well.

Ran probably has the talent to do their own designs but they don't. Doesn't matter how big or small they are.

Couldn't agree more.
Sully