Donald Trump's Line Of Guitars Hit With Cease And Desist From Gibson

US President-elect Donald Trump’s inexplicable line of guitars are in the line of fire from iconic manufacturers Gibson, who have launched a case and desist due to the shape of the instruments.

If you’ve been paying attention to the world of music and politics recently, you may have seen the somewhat confounding marriage of the two topics thanks to the launch of Trump Guitars, a series of guitars endorsed by the controversial politician.

The range of instruments feature acoustic and electrics on offer, with varied patriotic messages on the inlay of the fingerboard.

For USD $1,000 you can pick up one of their ‘God Bless The USA’ acoustics, the ‘American Eagle’ line (which features the phrase ‘Make America Great Again’ on the fingerboard, and a flag/eagle graphic on the body) will set you back $1,250 for an acoustic, or $1,500 an electric. An extra $9k and $10k, respectively, will net you a Trump-autographed version.

Meanwhile, the ‘Presidential Series’ retail for $1,500 apiece, with the black, gold, and red-coloured electrics featuring a ‘Donald J. Trump’ inlay.

However, as Guitar World reports, Trump Guitars owner 16 Creative have been hit with a cease and desist “as the design infringes upon Gibson’s exclusive trademarks, particularly the iconic Les Paul body shape”.

Worth noting though is the level of involvement from Trump himself is unknown. The politician is reportedly not listed in the cease and desist order by name, though the Trump Guitars website lists the instruments as the only ones “officially endorsed by President Donald J. Trump”.

Interestingly, despite 16 Creative’s status as a “veteran owned, multi-focused branding agency”, the site also notes that its components are supplied by “multiple providers” which are “both domestic and international”, indicating the American-born instruments are possibly not manufactured in the US.

In light of the cease and desist, the Trump Guitars website has since been updated to add a disclaimer noting that they are “not affiliated, associated, authorized, endorsed by, or in any way officially connected with Gibson Brands Inc., or any of its subsidiaries or its affiliates, nor does it represent itself as a dealer, manufacturer, or distributor of Gibson, Les Paul Standard, Les Paul Custom, or any of their products.”

It’s currently unclear whether the addition of this text will satisfy Gibson’s lawyers.