Clone or Copy

bertie

guitars seemed to be copies,  amps clones.

Why is that ?

strumjoughlamps

Is it because they are trying to clone a sound rather than copy a design?

bertie

why cant you copy a sound and clone a design ?

monquixote

I normally think of clone as more appropriate for a pedal where a Joyo clone of a TS is pretty much equivalent to an Ibby TS whereas a Vintage copy of a Les Paul is not the same as a Gibbo.

bertie

but even the "loosest"  amps or pedals are referred to as "clones"  and the most detailed original spec guitar is always a copy...........

I just think its a nerdy form of snobbery.  

frankus

I can see why:

a circuit layout is copyright - but the components and schematic are not - so technically it's not a copy because the layout will have to be different. A thing replicating another by virtue of it's components is not intrinsically a copy - just as a clone of a thing isn't guaranteed to be a 100% simulcra of the original.

a guitar design is the product of crafting (even if it's computer programmed CNC) it's goal is to be a faithful recreation of the original - the materials used may differ radically but the shape and intention are what define it.

So there you go chalk and cheese really

bertie

you say chalk,  I say............. oh no that doesnt work really does it.............

Myranda

In my eyes it's a quality issue. If the quality (or tone, or some other less tangible factor) is the same - clone, if the quality is lower then copy.

Guitar gets copied then someone has looked at the original and made one based on that. Might not sound the same but it LOOKS the same

Guitar gets cloned then someone has measured absolutely everything, used identical components, sourced wood of the same type from the same place... with pain staking meticulous and rigorous attention to detail you might make it sound the same as well as looking the same.

Much easier to just copy guitars.

Pedals are electronic devices - use the same components in the same order and the effect should be utterly identical so much easier to make into a Clone and less point just copying it

ICBM

It is semantics and I largely agree with bertie that it's down to snobbery, but frankus has it right from a practical point of view. A clone does not have to look like the thing it's a circuit copy of in order to perform the same. (Although in fact layout can make a difference to the sound as well.) Obviously something can be one, the other or both.

I almost always use 'copy' though, since I generally find 'clone' to be TGP-speak. Or 'derivative', or 'knock-off' .

GuitarMonkey

frankus said:

So there you go chalk and cheese really

Whoever coined the phrase "as different as chalk and cheese" has never shopped for dairy products at Tesco

Myranda

GuitarMonkey said:

frankus said:

So there you go chalk and cheese really

Whoever coined the phrase "as different as chalk and cheese" has never shopped at Tesco

Yeah... stupid cheese flavoured chalk... bleh!