Background: In the early eighties, I used to go to pawn shops and auctions trying to find beater guitars to work on, fix up, paint or whatever. I didn't know much about guitars, I knew the name Ibanez and when I saw an LP copy come up for $35, I snapped it up. Someone had modified the body with a third pickup, but they did a relatively good job so I didn't care, even then, $35 dollars was not a lot of money. I loved the way the guitar felt and played, I planned to keep it as is. A few weeks later I showed the guitar to someone and they almost wet themselves telling me I had a Lawsuit guitar that was worth a lot of money. He said Ibanez was sued by Gibson for making an exact Les Paul copy. I was ready to go to the bank.

The Truth: Ibanez was sued by Gibson but it was only for the shape of the headstock. The headstock in question looks like an open hardbound book when viewed from the bottom (think Yellow Pages ad). The Ibanez guitars are very good, even the lower end model like mine (2342 I think), but they are not Les Pauls. My model is mahogany with a thin birch top. The neck is maple with a maple fretboard.

My Resolution: Although I was certain that I could easily triple my investment at any time (much more now) even with the pickup modification, I have kept this guitar for 25 years plus. It is the only guitar that I have owned for more than 4 years, including several Gibson Les Paul's, Fenders, PRS's and many others. Right now, since I own a custom guitar shop, this guitar is getting refinished  and restored. The 3 pickup mod will stay but everything else will get put back to its original opaque cream white design.

Conclusion: The Lawsuit guitars will not bring you riches, they do increase the value slightly and it is an interesting story but don't believe the hype that some vendors say about these guitars.

I hope you found this more helpful than confusing, if so, please indicate that you have and be on the lookout for more guides and information from Doeringers. And see our store for custom handmade guitars.