jonsau
Joined:
04 May 2008
Posts: 8
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 Posted: 09/20/2008 at 11:22 PM Post subject: Bastin guitar company...BGC? are you serious? |
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so i just checked out this site for Bastin Guitar Company...hmmmmm....sounds and looks familiar to EGC...aluminum fretboards...hmmmm...
is it me or is this dude ripping off kevin at EGC? those pickups look like they are kevin's as well.
any thoughts on this guys?
kevin busts his ass off to do what he does and i think it would be a real shame is someone is tryin to bite off his style and desing.
nuff said
j
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Bastin
Joined:
18 Aug 2008
Posts: 31
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| Posted: 09/21/2008 at 10:52 AM Post subject: RE:Bastin guitar company...BGC? are you serious? |
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Yes, I am serious.
I took the name 'Bastin' at birth. I did not choose it because of convenient phonetic similarities between the letters 'B' and 'E'.
Those pickups are Seymour Duncan. I have also used Gibson and Rio Grande pickups.
All guitars share similar utility designs. My guitars are not EGC ripoffs; they are a new product in a small, unique market.
I genuinely respect and admire Kevin for his craftsmanship and the positive attention that he has brought to aluminum instruments.
You do not know my motivation, dedication, or techniques. I have worked very hard and made sacrifices to build guitars because I want to build guitars, not in an exercise of spite for someone with similar intentions.
Kind regards,
Matt Bastin
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GregBailey
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Posts: 50
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| Posted: 09/22/2008 at 7:59 AM Post subject: RE:Bastin guitar company...BGC? are you serious? |
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Hey all,
This is the kind of thing that has run me out of the business of making Travis Bean guitars. I kept getting emails from people saying I was ripping off Travis Bean and things like that. I don't think the Bastin guitars look all that much like the EGC guitars, but you have to look at it this way, they are all guitars! They have 6 strings, etc, all guitars are going to have similarities to other guitars. If the Bastin guitar looked like a thing from jupiter, no one would probably want one. As for the aluminum fingerboard thing, didn't Veleno do those.......a long time ago? I do aluminum fingerboards too. I'm sure everyone who makes guitars gets this thing from time to time, I'll bet Travis Bean himself probably caught heck from someone along the line. I'm not trying to start a fight with this. I have emailed with Matt about his guitars and I know he works hard on his guitars too, he has to! There is no easy way to make a decent aluminum guitar. I just hope this kind of thing doesn't drive off too much aluminum guitar making out there, it has already halted my Travis Bean tribute guitars. I made my last 1000S a couple weeks ago and shipped it off to the customer. I have a wedge project that I would like to finish and sell it, but that will be the last of these that I will make for the public. I do have an original Koa TB1000S body that I'll use for myself........someday, when I have time.
I've never played an EGC or a BGC guitar, but I'll bet they're both great guitars. I hope to play them both someday and maybe even own one of each!
Anyway, that's my 2 cents on it.
Greg Bailey
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jonsau
Joined:
04 May 2008
Posts: 8
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| Posted: 09/22/2008 at 12:46 PM Post subject: RE:Bastin guitar company...BGC? are you serious? |
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i'm just saying....EGC....BGC....
i'm pretty sure the aluminum fretboard is kev's thing.
i'm not trying to attack anybody on here....do your thing...im just saying...
and BGC's cost more.....
go figure
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BoulderBean
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04 Feb 2004
Posts: 309
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| Posted: 09/22/2008 at 1:29 PM Post subject: RE:Bastin guitar company...BGC? are you serious? |
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Greg Bailey has it right. Bastin is making an aluminum guitar, just like Kevin at EGC. I don't think there is any patent violation or ripoff occurring here. I have watched the development of both of these companies over the years and I bought an EGC once production got rolling. Veleno had an aluminum fret board before EGC and I believe there were aluminum guitars prior to Travis Bean as well.
Kevin can weigh in if he feels he is being wronged here, but it looks to me like Mr. Bastin is simply another aluminum guitar maker trying to make his way in the world. There is nothing wrong with that IMHO.
-Peter
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theNewTerritories
Joined:
13 May 2008
Posts: 34
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| Posted: 09/22/2008 at 3:55 PM Post subject: RE:Bastin guitar company...BGC? are you serious? |
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I think Boulderbean has summed things up very nicely, hear hear.
Jonsau, I think that your insinuations suggest somehow that Mr. Bastin's motivations to manufacture aluminum neck guitars is somehow coming from an unscrupulous place- 'ripping off' suggesting that he merely copied a design with little respect of the original in order to make financial gain and/or notoriety off of someone else's hard work. This is my interpretation of your allegations and I would just like to say that I feel the opposite is true.
I do not own a Bastin Guitar, but I have dealt with Mr. Bastin through emails and on the telephone- I actually bought my Travis Bean from him and I have to say that it was the most pleasant and endearing transaction of my life. Speaking on Mr. Bastin's character I want it to be known that he is exceedingly kind, generous, professional, fair, honest and from what I could interpret, very enthusiastic and passionate about the world of aluminum neck guitars.
I don't wish to fictionalize his experience, but it is in my own opinion that I believe that Mr. Bastin's motives for manufacturing guitars comes from a very respectful place, one that is articulated by appreciation, wonder and enthusiasm. If I were to buy a new aluminum neck guitar it would fill me with great joy to buy it from a man with the character of Mr. Bastin. I also personally feel that the EGC and BGC guitars differ on more than superficial levels. If you want examples of rip-offs, maybe a company such as Behringer which has no research & development department (which keeps their equipment cost friendly) would be a good frame of reference.
Jonsau, I hope that I can convince you to re-examine your opinion.
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Bastin
Joined:
18 Aug 2008
Posts: 31
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| Posted: 09/22/2008 at 9:10 PM Post subject: RE:Bastin guitar company...BGC? are you serious? |
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Thank you, gentlemen, for your kind words; I am humbled.
jonsau:
"and BGC's cost more.....go figure"
Please explain yourself.
Would you suggest that I purpose to take advantage of this market and the consumers by which it is propelled? Do you believe that I am driven by greed, and this is proven by my pricing schedule?
My prices are an honest reflection of the time, skill, and fiscal investment that it takes to build each of MY guitars. I am working on new designs and equipment acquisitions that will hopefully help me build them more efficiently. I want them to be as accessible as possible.
"i'm not trying to attack anybody on here...."
I will say again: I work hard and make sacrifices to build guitars. It is a choice that gives me joy and purpose. It is my "portion under the sun".
With that in mind: You BEGAN a thread on a message board that is widely read by mutual friends, associates, and those who are otherwise like-minded. You penned a derisive, sarcastic title. You questioned my honor by using another man's honor as a conduit.
Man to man, Sir, that is an attack.
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jonsau
Joined:
04 May 2008
Posts: 8
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| Posted: 09/23/2008 at 1:58 AM Post subject: RE:Bastin guitar company...BGC? are you serious? |
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i want to say to bastin.
i apologize if i came off like i was attacking you, or "being sarcastic"..i did not intend to do so. mainly what got my attention was some of the design stuff was similar..then...the EGC to BGC thing. This is just my opinion. i guess i was intrested in seeing if others saw it a similar way. no diss at all..please accept my apologies...
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Bastin
Joined:
18 Aug 2008
Posts: 31
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| Posted: 09/23/2008 at 5:35 AM Post subject: RE:Bastin guitar company...BGC? are you serious? |
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Apology accepted. Thank you.
I apologize for my hastiness.
-Matt
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rlrlrl
Joined:
24 Dec 2007
Posts: 260
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| Posted: 09/24/2008 at 12:09 AM Post subject: RE:Bastin guitar company...BGC? are you serious? |
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With all respect and appreciation to Mr Bastin, I do have to say that the "BGC" moniker seems a little uncreative, and I think the vibe would be much cooler if they were just called "Bastin". Why does it have to have the "Guitar Company" attached to it? The only other line out there that does this is Kevin's. I'm absolutely not attacking you, but just suggesting that calling them Bastin is cooler than BGC. And nobody's gonna say you're ripping off "Veleno" ;)
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holmes
Joined:
29 Feb 2008
Posts: 182
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| Posted: 09/24/2008 at 5:24 AM Post subject: RE:Bastin guitar company...BGC? are you serious? |
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i remember when kevin got a load of shit for calling his company the electrical guitar company because of his connections to steve albini's electrical audio recording company in chicago. i thought that kevin getting bs for that was rediculous just as i think this guy getting hassle is rediculous also...and just for the record jonsau, bastin guitars are actually cheaper for europeans than egc's are.
as for the whole pick up design/guitar-styling rip off thing jonsau - you ever noticed anthing simarler between egc's and beans? i have. in fact i quite clearly remember a time way back when, when kevin was actually marketing his single coils as exact replicas of travis bean tb500 pick ups, before his guitars really kicked off in 2005/6. i mean, it turns out they werent which is pretty much false advertising but my point is that both these company's borrow HEAVILY from travis bean guitars and, to a lesser extent with the bastin company, veleno guitars.
however, i dont think it would be wrong to say that the success of egc has inspiried bastin to set up a company building aluminium necked guitars, but to single bastin out for cry's of plagiarism i think is unfair.
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Bastin
Joined:
18 Aug 2008
Posts: 31
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| Posted: 09/24/2008 at 8:57 AM Post subject: RE:Bastin guitar company...BGC? are you serious? |
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rlrlrl:
I hate to admit that you have a good point, but you do. Believe it or not, there were many considerations in play when I was trying to name my project. My main consideration was the use of my last name. And since it was not already associated with a particular brand I wanted to make it clear that I was marketing guitars; "guitar company" followed from that. Yes, Kevin applied this first.
I also believe that (and possibly more to your point) BGC "X" and BGC "Y" may not be the best ways to name the individual models in my line of guitars. This is where I get closest to the line between myself and EGC. However, I really like the sound of it. I hope there will be a point in the future when BASTIN, BGC, etc. will conjure my brand/products and no others. Using "BASTIN" may be the best way to do that.
I appreciate your opinions and delivery.
holmes:
I remember the thread on Electrical that I think you are talking about. That was horrible, and I'm glad that the thread evolved into a place where people praised Kevin's efforts and products. But his company name was not very well met by some folks; the criticism was ridiculous.
You are also right about similar designs. TBs and Velenos are incredibly well-built instruments; it isn't easy to improve upon their designs. I think Kevin and I have each done a good job of that, but you don't get too far from the standard of construction that they set. I'm prototyping new designs that I think will take me farther from both.
You are also right about EGC's success and the opportunity it has created. In recent history, EGC opened the door.
Thanks, guys.
-Matt
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rlrlrl
Joined:
24 Dec 2007
Posts: 260
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| Posted: 09/24/2008 at 11:09 AM Post subject: RE:Bastin guitar company...BGC? are you serious? |
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So far as I can tell, this thread is just about one guy who woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning (this forum's home to a few rabble-rousers at least). Matt, much respect for doing what you do. No need to innovate just for the sake of being different. Do what you do because it makes you happy. That's all you can ask for in this world. There aren't enough Travis Beans to go around, and our little silly club will never be more than a cult favorite, so the more aluminum guitars around the better, so long as they're built with love.
As far as the "ripping off" idea is concerned, we've been over this so many times before. There's no such thing as ripping off, but inspiration is real. We owe pretty much all of Leo Fender's innovation to his inspiration (or business sensibility) to take the best features of Rickenbacher's and Bigsby's solidbody guitars and combine them.... much like EGC and BGC and others have done with TBs and Velenos. Cool!
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GregBailey
Joined:
04 Feb 2008
Posts: 50
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| Posted: 09/24/2008 at 2:07 PM Post subject: RE:Bastin guitar company...BGC? are you serious? |
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To rlrlrl
Your last post on this subject is THE BEST response that could be done here. My hat's off to you As you said, it all started way back with people like Leo Fender. The quote Brian May, "No one creates in a vacuum."
I was really glad to see a post like yours, it said it all.
Greg Bailey
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GregBailey
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| Posted: 09/24/2008 at 2:09 PM Post subject: RE:Bastin guitar company...BGC? are you serious? |
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OOPS!
I meant to say To quote Brian May, not The quote.
SORRY!
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rlrlrl
Joined:
24 Dec 2007
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| Posted: 09/24/2008 at 3:45 PM Post subject: RE:Bastin guitar company...BGC? are you serious? |
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well it's da truth! ;)
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Chris Hall
Joined:
01 Jun 2001
Posts: 132
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| Posted: 09/27/2008 at 12:52 PM Post subject: RE:Bastin guitar company...BGC? are you serious? |
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If Kevin had a "problem" with Bastin, I don't think he would have added him as one of his MySpace friends for the Electrical Guitar Company page.
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dumpy
Joined:
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| Posted: 01/21/2010 at 8:46 AM Post subject: RE:Bastin guitar company...BGC? are you serious? |
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Okay, this guy is obviously doing what he loves as well. Let's be honest, there's not much you can do with aluminum thats "different". Plus, they sound good as ****.
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rene
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| Posted: 01/27/2010 at 2:13 PM Post subject: RE:Bastin guitar company...BGC? are you serious? |
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i just did a review on my bastin on metalnecks if somebody's interested.
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