When Gibson made a threatening video directed at rival guitar brands, only to pull it soon afterwards, you’d be forgiven for thinking that it was just a momentary overload of testosterone – certainly not a precursor to a lawsuit.

But they’ve actually walked the talk, taking action against Armadillo Enterprises, the parent company of Dean Guitars. They’re alleging trademark infringement, trademark counterfeit and other offences.

It’s gettin’ nasty. Despite pulling a misguided video threatening rival brands, Gibson have filed a lawsuit against the parent company of Dean Guitars, citing trademark infringement.

Chief among the violations that Gibson alleges include the body shapes of the Flying V, Explorer, ES and SG, as well as the famous “Dove Wing” headstock.

Gibson is seeking damages that would be detrimental to Armadillo’ profits, damages sustained by Gibson itself, as well as the cost of the action.

Since being founded by luthier Dean Zelinsky in 1977, the brand has been no small fry in the guitar landscape. They’ve made quite a mark with their takes on the Explorer and the Flying V. Tending toward the heavier end of the rock scale, they’ve been favoured by players such as Dimebag Darrell of Pantera.

Stay tuned for more updates. And if you have your own Gibson lookalike in the works, you might want to hold off on that for now.