Takamine Lawsuit: What the “Lawsuit Era” Really Means
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If you searched “Takamine lawsuit,” you almost certainly met the phrase on a vintage guitar listing. A lawsuit era Takamine is a 1970s Japanese acoustic built with a Martin-style headstock and logo. Martin answered with a cease-and-desist letter, not a court case. As of October 2026 there is no consumer class action against Takamine, no settlement, no claim form and no deadline.
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Reviewed by Leonard Goldberg, Editor · Last updated
What the Lawsuit Story Is Actually About
In the late 1960s Takamine built Martin-style steel-string guitars that Martin sold under its Sigma name through a distributor, Coast Wholesale. Martin ended that arrangement in 1968, and Coast was acquired by Kaman Music, which went on to distribute Takamine in the United States for more than 40 years.
In the early 1970s Takamine sold guitars under its own name with headstock and logo designs that looked like Martin’s and Guild’s. Premier Guitar describes a 1978 F-450S-A as a “fractions-of-an-inch-accurate copy” of a Martin. Martin sent a cease-and-desist letter over the headstock. Takamine changed the design, borrowing a pointed headstock shape from luthier Lloyd R. Baggs.
Case Details
Martin and Takamine: no court case. Wikipedia and Premier Guitar both state there was never formal litigation over the headstock, only a cease-and-desist letter.
Where the word “lawsuit” comes from: on June 28, 1977, Norlin Corporation, then Gibson’s parent company, sued Ibanez’s U.S. distributor Elger/Hoshino U.S.A. in federal court in Philadelphia over the Gibson headstock design and logo. Hoshino settled out of court, and the case was closed on February 2, 1978. Collectors later applied the “lawsuit” label to Japanese copies in general, Takamine included.
The one real federal Takamine case: Takamine Gakki Co., Ltd. v. KMC Music, Inc., No. 3:14-cv-01318, U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut, Judge Michael Peter Shea. Takamine filed it on September 11, 2014 as a trademark case against its longtime U.S. distributor, then a division of Fender. It was terminated on January 30, 2015.
Status: Nothing Pending, Nothing to Claim
The KMC case came during a business split. In February 2015, Takamine completed its exit from its distribution relationships with Fender’s KMC Music in the U.S. and Canada, and ESP became its exclusive U.S. distributor starting March 2015.
Is Anyone Affected?
No. Owning a lawsuit era Takamine does not make you part of any case. There was never a class of guitar buyers, and the 2014 case was a dispute between two companies.
What the label really tells you is roughly when the guitar was made and how it looks: a squared-off, Martin-style headstock and a Martin-like script logo from the 1970s. It says nothing about legal rights or a payout.
Is There Any Money?
When sellers say “lawsuit era,” they are pricing a collectible, not a legal claim. Takamine’s own catalog, as quoted by Premier Guitar, promised “the sound you want at about a third the price.” Any value comes from the instrument’s condition and model, not from a court.
How cases like this one end
Our copy of the federal courts’ own case database covers 38,446 federal civil cases of this typeclosed in U.S. federal district courts between 2015 and 2026:
- 23.8% ended in a settlement recorded by the court. Another 28.5% were dismissed voluntarily, which often follows a private settlement — so the real settlement share sits between 23.8% and 52.3%.
- 4.1% were decided on a motion before any trial.
- 1 in 110 reached a trial (0.9%), after a median of 28.4 months.
- Median time from filing to the end of the case: 5.6 months.
- Only 2,917 of them (7.6%) record a money award at all; the median of those is $500,000.
These are base rates for this type of case (federal trademark cases) — not a prediction about this lawsuit, and not legal advice. Source: Federal Judicial Center, Integrated Database (civil), analysed by Settlement Insight. Cases heard in state courts are not included.
Takamine Lawsuit Timeline
- 1
1959–1962 — Takamine Is Founded
A small workshop opens in Sakashita, at the foot of Mount Takamine in central Japan. In 1962 it is renamed Takamine Gakki after the mountain.
- 2
1968 — The Sigma Arrangement Ends
Takamine had built Martin-style guitars sold as Sigma. Martin ends its partnership with Coast Wholesale, which Kaman Music later acquires.
- 3
1970s — Martin-Style Headstocks
Takamine guitars carry headstock and logo designs resembling Martin’s. Martin sends a cease-and-desist letter, but no suit is filed.
- 4
June 28, 1977 — The Suit That Named an Era
Gibson’s parent Norlin sues Ibanez’s U.S. distributor over the headstock design. The case closes on February 2, 1978 after a private settlement.
- 5
September 11, 2014 — Takamine v. KMC Music
Takamine files a trademark case against its U.S. distributor in Connecticut federal court, No. 3:14-cv-01318. It is terminated January 30, 2015.
- 6
March 2015 — ESP Takes Over U.S. Distribution
After leaving Fender’s KMC Music, Takamine names ESP its exclusive U.S. distributor. As of October 2026 no Takamine case affects consumers.
Three Things to Watch For
The word “lawsuit” on a guitar listing confuses buyers in a few predictable ways:
“Lawsuit era” on a guitar that isn’t
The label is used loosely to add value. A later Takamine with the pointed headstock is not a 1970s Martin-style model. Check the headstock shape and the logo, and ask the seller how the date was established.
Claims that the guitar was “banned” by a court
No court ordered Takamine to stop making these guitars. Martin sent a letter, and Takamine changed the design. A story about a court ban is a sales pitch, not history.
“Takamine settlement” messages
There is no Takamine class settlement and no claims administrator. A message asking for your details or a fee to collect a “Takamine payout” is not connected to any court case.
Takamine Lawsuit — Questions People Actually Ask
Was there a Takamine lawsuit with Martin?
No. Martin sent Takamine a cease-and-desist letter over its Martin-style headstock and logo, and Takamine changed the design. Wikipedia and Premier Guitar both say no lawsuit was filed against Takamine over the headstocks.
What does “lawsuit Takamine guitar” mean?
It is collector shorthand for a 1970s Takamine with a squared-off, Martin-style headstock and logo. The term most likely comes from the 1977 Gibson suit against Ibanez’s U.S. distributor, which collectors later applied to Japanese copies generally.
Was Takamine ever actually in court?
Yes, once in a notable federal case. Takamine Gakki Co., Ltd. sued KMC Music, Inc., its longtime U.S. distributor, in the District of Connecticut, No. 3:14-cv-01318. It was filed September 11, 2014 as a trademark case and terminated January 30, 2015.
Is there a Takamine class action or settlement I can claim from?
No. As of October 2026 there is no Takamine class action, settlement, claim form or deadline. A lawsuit Takamine listing describes a guitar, not a legal claim.
Where are Takamine guitars made?
Takamine is based in Nakatsugawa, Gifu, Japan, and its main factory has been in Sakashita since 2005. The lower-priced G-Series models are made outside Japan.
How much is a Takamine guitar worth?
It depends on the model, age and condition, and no court case affects that value. As a comparison, Premier Guitar quotes a Takamine catalog that promised “the sound you want at about a third the price.”
How can I tell if I have a lawsuit era Takamine?
Look at the headstock. The 1970s models use a squared-off Martin-style shape with a script logo, while Takamine later switched to a pointed headstock. Most Japanese copies from that period also lacked serial numbers, according to a Soundfly history.
Who distributes Takamine in the U.S. now?
ESP, since March 2015. Before that, Kaman Music, later KMC Music and part of Fender, handled U.S. distribution for more than 40 years.
Separate from this case: were you injured in the last 2 years?
Class-action payouts are fixed amounts through an administrator. A personal injury claim is a different case — and often worth far more. Free estimate, no obligation.
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