All Activity

I'm going to get me one of these.

I think it's just a different flavour of that, or it can be. People said similar with sampling, synths (memories of my Dad's distain at 80's '1 finger keyboard players'), drum machines, DJs, Laptop music etc. Granted, they did all need people to a certain extent (but lazy people could just use drum machine presets and a synth arp preset), but it depends how people use AI to how much input they have - could be anything from just mastering a track all the way up to making it all via a prompt (and isn't that a bit like the non-musician producers that just tell musicians how to play?).

I have an ancient Pioneer PL11, predecessor to the PL12D mentioned earlier, that uses an idler wheel drive - neither belt nor direct drive. Other than fitting a newer Audio Technica cartridge when styli for the original Pioneer cartridge got hard to find, it's just worked for years without having to think about it much.

This.

Fly Like an Eagle - Steve Miller Band

Always remember watching Sheryl on various TV appearances with her playing a blond P bass, and being very impressed with her playing.

Hmm.. not sure of the relevance as punk didn't try to do what the conservatories were doing, but cheaper, it produced a new form of music. whereas the AI thing is to produce the music without needing the people of the punk and the conservatories at least on recorded materials.

As @dmccombe7 has said it could have been ordered new with a multitude of pups and preamps (if I'm honest, less so the pre). In the 80's, especially pre 88-89, Warwick would take modifications from their distributors and tweak basses to suit customer orders. This was pre Custom Shop and literally a person in the factory would have picked up what you wanted. Around 86-87 I was going to order a Streamer but I liked the Jazz pups that I'd seen in an advert for the new 'Stage II' bass, the local distrubutor said they could get me a Stage I bass (visible neck) with the SSII pups... and I could have the Yin/Yan inlays at NO extra cost. They really wanted to have a share of the market! Warwick offered their first basses with EMG, Bartolini, Seymour Duncan and even Alembic pups (and I bet I've missed a couple! Saying all of that, owners sometimes buy an instrument and make mods on day 1 of owning, so there's no guarantee that didn't happen. Pics would help.

I find that's really good for controlling my GAS urges too - if I don't want to take a day to go and get something then I clearly don't want it enough. It's saved me quite a few quid!

Far more likely that Fender just can't be bothered for an outfit as small as Mark's. But this sort of thing might bite him in other ways - if he has business insurance to cover lost instruments and so on, that just won't pay out on counterfeit items. So a customer buys one - knowing it's not a real Fender. It gets lost on the way to the customer. Mark then replaces it and cannot claim from his own insurers because it was illegal to sell in the first place. Or if he refuses to replace it - the customer can't sue him for non-delivery of a purchased counterfeit item because no contract can make an illegal item legal. The silly thing is - his instruments are well loved. He should just put his own logo on them and have done with it.

Hopefully this is case closed and the bass get returned to either Mark or it's rightful owner - but such a massive hassle. Makes you think driving (if you can) to collect things like this might be easier, even if it is a couple of hundred miles all in.

Sorry - but that's not what the law says. Disclaimers are specifically not allowed. The mere use of a Fender logo on a non-Fender item makes it counterfeit. The fact that there is also a Limelight name and number doesn't matter as the illegal act is to sell it with Fender logo on it at all. it is NOT illegal to own, but it is illegal to sell and is subject to confiscation and destruction with no compensation. The rationale is that while the first seller might be entirely honest about the origin, the buyer/next seller may not be. This falls into "Strict liability" - in other words intent is irrelevant. The mere act of selling it is enough to be an offence. There are quite a few offences that are Strict Liability. Speeding is another one. You'll find confirmation of this on all Trading Standards websites and information sheets from around the country. https://services.southwark.gov.uk/assets/attach/10444/Counterfeit-goods-2019.pdf

agreed and it's so easy for anybody to apply a fender logo to anything my chinese necks come from ebay fully logoed (is that even a word)

Also Limelight have been doing the Fender decal thing for years, long enough that Fender must be aware of it by now. If it was Gibson I'm sure there would have been a 'cease and desist' years ago but for whatever reason Fender must be OK with it.

The description has been amended, and now begins with "**WITHDRAWN**", although it appears you can still bid on it?

The thing for me is surely PF (and other couriers) have a database with the shipment numbers on in order to show "unclaimed" items and what has been done with them. Given that this was very recent how could the people handling the complaint not have located it.

I've just looked at the auction and it has been withdrawn fingers crossed for Mark and his customer

it does say Limelight on it and a serial number so it's not passing itself off as the real thing IMO It's a replica not a counterfeit. Counterfeit is designed to deceive people. There is no intent to deceive as it says Limelight on it, therefore it's a replica

They'll log onto their system this morning and hopefully find an inbox full of messages saying this has a legal owner!

Now showing as 'withdrawn'. Good work @Chris26 and those who contacted the auctioneers.

I assume some of the backlash against Punk was similar. And probably Rock n Roll before that, and Blues before that. Music isn't all about technical skills, it's about expression - if AI can help people express themselves then it's it always a bad thing? I suppose there is a fine line regarding artistic input. People that studied music for years and struggled to make a living in an orchestra probably looked at punk musicians with the sort of distain people look at people using AI for helping write music now. I suppose a key thing with Punk was the democratisation of expressing yourself through music - whether or not you were lucky enough to have been able to go to a music conservatory or have the time and money to practice. AI supporting artists possibly does similar. Nearly 50 years after punk and we still have music conservatories and orchestras of highly trained musicians and people that appreciate hearing that, and a lot of musicians (e.g. rappers, DJs, pop singers) that could barely tell you the difference between a major and minor chord. There is room for both.

The auction ends in 8 hours time, currently 25 bids, up to £310, 19 watchers. Someone needs to walk into this place and stop this! https://auctions.wellersauctions.com/catalogue/lot/f72e04251781ce1fd69a2f03361751e1/45205abdbb84d2df36d33a64cd5790b5/unclaimed-goods-from-a-major-uk-courier-network-lot-1412/