FENDER® ACTIVELY RESTRICTING STRATOCASTER-STYLE IN THE EU

In March 2026, Fender won a significant court case in Germany's Regional Court of Düsseldorf against a Chinese manufacturer (Yiwu Philharmonic Musical Instruments Co.) that was selling Strat copies on AliExpress for shipment into Germany/EU. The court ruled that the Stratocaster body design qualifies as a copyrighted "work of applied art" under German and EU law—not just a functional shape—because it reflects original creative expression. 

I've never shopped on Ali Express but people I know did and showed me guitars that not only have the shape, they have the Fender brand, model name... in short, total rip-offs of Fender I.P. and I'm glad to see Fender make a stand. Shure should do the same thing but that's another story.

B-E-A-D BASS TUNING: Delivers 5-string low tone with 4-string convenience

This post is really meant to highlight an older article here on High on Technology. It's for bass players using 4-string basses who are curious about that EXTRA LOW TONE ability of a 5-string.

WHAT IS A HUMBUCKING GUITAR PICKUP?

There was once a time when I had no idea what was under the chrome covers of my Gibson 335 electric guitar, it seemed like magic. Here I am 50+ years later and even though I now understand how they work, how they're made and why they sound so different, it still seems like magic. Let's look deeper into what a Humbucker is and how it's made.

REVIEW SG BASS, SG TRIBUTE GUITAR, LES PAUL SPECIAL GUITAR, ARE NEW GIBSON GUITARS GOOD?

 ARE NEW GIBSON GUITARS GOOD?

I’ve been buying and selling Gibson guitars since 1971 when I bought my first brand new black Les Paul Custom. Today I’ve got 14 various Gibson guitars in stock including three Les Pauls, a flying V and a BB King Custom Shop Lucille. 

Leslie West was a favorite tone monster during my youth. I really liked his guitar tone and saw him live on two different occasions. He was known for playing inexpensive Les Paul junior student guitars and making them sound incredible. Leslie was a prime example of how much tone comes from the players hands. He made those “student” model Les Paul guitars sing.

REVIEW MONOPRICE INDIO ELECTRIC GUITAR , FENDER TELECASTER-STYLED BARGAIN INSTRUMENT

INDIO GUITAR IN THE STYLE OF FENDER TELECASTER BY MONOPRICE

I’m just going to assume you already know what a Fender Telecaster guitar is. The guitar on review here is clearly intended to touch that spot in your heart that wants a Telecaster for an insane low price. 

REVIEW WHAT IS LINE 6 VARIAX STANDARD ELECTRIC GUITAR BY YAMAHA

 VARIAX STANDARD GUITAR BY YAMAHA

by Mark King

HOW TO BUY A CHEAP ELECTRIC GUITAR

 by Mark King

1966, $18 WONDER, AFTER MANY REBUILDS AND MODS

HOW TO BUY A CHEAP ELECTRIC GUITAR

I got my first electric guitar back in 1966, it cost $18 at a warehouse sale so I named it “The $18 Wonder”. I still own it and it still works thanks to some upgrades I applied over the last 50+ years. 

I’ve come up with some things you should look for when evaluating inexpensive electric guitars which can be new or used. All these characteristics also apply to high priced instruments. 

The first section is guitar anatomy, here we’ll consider the important physical parts of an electric guitar. Get to know these so you can quickly evaluate any instrument.

PAWN SHOP STRAT STYLE WASHBURN ELECTRIC GUITAR, CUSTOM WD MUSIC PICKGUARD

WASHBURN STRAT STYLE PAWNSHOP GUITAR

WD MUSIC CUSTOM PICKGUARD

SEYMOUR DUNCAN LITTLE '59 PICKUPS

Washburn Strat Style Guitar retrofitted with Seymour Duncan pickups, original pickguard

Here is the guitar before I start the pickguard conversion. To my old eyes the white pickguard looks so cliche' and common, I've adopted an all black look on my other strat style guitars so I wanted this one to have it too. Even though it looks like a Strat, it's not the same at all and a Fender replacement pickguard would not work, not even close.

MAXING OUT THE FENDER SQUIRE JAGUAR SHORT SCALE BASS

PT 2. MORE SQUIRE JAGUAR BASS MODS

by Mark King for proworkshop.com

Previously I detailed the first round of mods on our Squire Jaguar short scale bass, you can read that here.

That article mainly involved replacing the cheap sounding stock pickups with a bodacious pair of Seymour Duncan Quarter Pound models. This time we're going to work on tone from a more physical point of view, replacing the bridge and the nut.

SHORT SCALE FENDER SQUIRE JAGUAR BASS MOD

SEYMOUR DUNCAN 1/4-POUND BASS PICKUP SET TO THE RESCUE

by Mark King for proworkshop.com

I bought this short scale (31”) Squire Jaguar Bass for Mary to noodle around with. I’ve already adjusted the neck to be very straight and the action is low but not buzzing. The top-loading bridge on this bass is very similar to what Fender puts on their USA P-bass and Jazz bass instruments. The volume and tone control layout is the same as the classic Fender Jazz bass. 

PAWNSHOP GUITAR REBUILD, CAN $55 USED GUITAR SOUND GOOD?

REBUILDING THE STRAT-STYLED WASHBURN LYON

for Proworkshop.com by Mark King

I bought this Washburn Strat style guitar for $55 at a pawn shop in Jacksonville with my friend Paul back around Y2K. Here’s a pawnshop shopping tip, if you’re looking for a low priced guitar find one that does not work. The price of this Washburn instantly dropped in half when I showed the store it did not make any sound. I also got a non-working Squire Stratocaster for $50 which I fixed up and gave to my friend Captain Welsh, both of these guitars had very simple wiring problems. 

GIBSON FLYING VEE REBUILD

REBUILDING 2003 GIBSON FLYING VEE

PRELUDE
I bought this Gibson Flying Vee "preowned" in 2006 at Eddies Guitars in Maplewood, Missouri for $400. The neck and body are all mahogany, it's finished in a rough coating that is dull and feels slightly unfinished.

CAN MADE IN MEXICO STRATOCASTER SOUND AS GOOD AS AMERICAN?

CAN A MIM STRATOCASTER 

SOUND AS GOOD AS AMERICAN MADE?

by Mark King for Proworkshop

MIJ left, MIA center, MIM right

So far I’ve updated and improved my 1986 MIJ (made in Japan) Fender Stratocaster and my 2006 MIA (made in America) USA American Standard model. The MIJ got new Seymour Duncan pickups that really made it a fabulous sounding guitar. The American Standard kept it’s original pickups but NOW utilizes a simpler single volume and tone control circuit instead of the classic Fender 3-knob design.

Now lets do a rebuild on this Made in Mexico Stratocaster, can this low cost model possibly sound as good as its Japanese and American cousins?

REBUILD FENDER JAPAN STRATOCASTER WITH SEYMOUR DUNCAN PICKUPS AND POTS

MADE-IN-JAPAN FENDER STRATOCASTER
 WITH SEYMOUR DUNCAN PICKUPS

by Mark King for proworkshop.com

MADE IN JAPAN FENDER STRATOCASTER AT BEGINNING OF THE PROJECT

PRELUDE

I bought this Japanese Fender Stratocaster at a Pawn Shop in Jacksonville Florida around the year 2000. According to the Fender web site and the serial number on this guitar it was originally manufactured between 1984 and 1986. The pawn shop used price was only $180 with a nice hardshell case. It's time for a rebuild!

REVIEW YNGWIE MALMSTEEN SEYMOUR DUNCAN SPEED POT FOR STRATOCASTER

WORLDS FINEST POTS FOR STRATOCASTER GUITARS

by Mark King for proworkshop.com

SEYMOUR DUNCAN POTS FOR FENDER STYLE GUITARS

We own a lot of Fender style guitars in our recording studio. When a volume or tone pot goes bad I replace them with these YJM High-Speed Pots from Seymour Duncan. 

Yngwie asked Seymour about better, easier to turn pots. This is what Seymour came up with. 

WHAT IS SO SPECIAL ABOUT THESE?

ROTOSOUND BASS STRINGS AND B-E-A-D BASS TUNING

FIVE-STRING BASS TONE 
FROM A FOUR STRING BASS WITH B-E-A-D TUNING

by Mark King for Proworkshop.com

I love deep, ballsy bass tone but I don't own a five-string bass because I just have not found one with the right features that seemed to justify the price. I like expensive equipment but I also really like cheap gear that plays and sounds expensive. This is a classic tale about just such a piece of equipment.

MARY'S B-E-A-D SQUIRE-FENDER BASS