A legal question concerning Bass body styles.?

Question

I love Gene Simmons Axe Bass but I am not willing to pay $2000 for an assembly line model. Gene Simmons has trademarks on the name Axe but I am not sure about the body style. Is it legal for me to pay a luthier to build one for my own personal use?

DJ: You are right about Gene and his Police. He loves money.

Thanks for all your advice. Gene's bass is an assembly line model and is similar in quality to the NJ Series BC Rich basses. NJs are great for their price but I wouldn't pay $2000 for one ($3000 if you want Gene to autograph it) I can get a nice custom job for $1000 to $1500.

PS I'm going to play this bass in Church for our youth worship team.

Maybe it will scare the hell out of them LOL.

Answer 1

Yep, it's totally legal. BUT, you might have to put a different headstock or neck on it. A good example is the Fender Precision bass.....several companies make a bass with the exact same body shape, but with different pickups, neck, and headstock. The pickups alone are enough to change the whole guitar around, so the body shape doesn't mean ****.
If you have a luthier build one for you, it's gonna cost you a ton of $$$.....why not just buy the Gene Simmons model?
It's a cool looking bass, but if you're seriously playin', I'd look for an instrument that has a better weight balance thru the body. After a few hours of having a bass hanging around your neck, you begin to realize how important body style and weight distribution is. Rock on, bro.....

Answer 2

it should be. it would just like making it yourself. Kind of like painting a Van Gogh painting in art class. So go for it. Its ok as long as you dont sell it as an original Axe Bass.

Answer 3

Its ok as long as you don't get caught.

Gene Simmons has guitar police everywhere !