Paul S

My little band had a gig scheduled for Christmas eve. Booked by the guitarist, who is a lovely old fella and a great player who also does nearly all the booking. The fee he arranged was our usual £250, which I thought was a bit low for a Christmas eve gig but, hey ho, not a big issue. It was a pub we have not played at before but who regularly have live music so it would be nice to think we'd be asked back. On the Friday before our drummer gets in touch and says he won't be fit for the gig as he had bad flu like symptom - dizzy, no voice, can't stand etc. No dep available, so my impression was that the gig would be cancelled. Shame, especially as it was a new venue for us but, well, stinky poo happens. Guitarist then took it upon himself to track down a replacement band, stays up until 2am brokering a deal on some Facebook page or other for a last minute replacement. However, the replacement band wouldn't turn out for £250, so guitarist offered them an extra £100, which he dropped round to them on the Saturday. He was very pleased with himself for having 'saved the day'. He said 'A lot of bands would have just phoned the pub and said the gig is off'. Also mumbled something about 'the code' . I am not that pleased about it, myself. Finding a replacement I can see was a nice thing to do. Paying the band extra money I think was totally unnecessary - if no band would do it for the money we had arranged then I guess it would have been a lesson to the pub to pay better money on Christmas eve. Also the drummer now feels guilty (who would have thought - a drummer with a conscience ) that because he wasn't well the rest of the band now have to stump up some cash. However, I am certain that if it were brought up he would say 'easy answer, find the gigs yourself' which is conversation I don't want to have. So I ask the good people of Basschat - and the bad ones, too, if they'd like to contribute - what would you have done? And are any of you in the band that had our extra money!?

No, I get that bit. It seems that some people don't want to give their location if it isn't absolutely necessary and I don't get that. It isn't as though you are doing anything sinister with the information, Ped. Or are you?....

I ask this out of genuine curiosity, not to start a fight, but exactly what is the issue behind stating your location? I really don't understand why it is a problem or why anyone would get upset over it. Ta!

Very useful information, I am sure, but not actually what the OP was asking about.

I recently bought a Fender MB-5 on here. Its a slim-necked 5 string, J/J pups, passive and weighs around 7lbs, narrow string spacing at the bridge. MIJ. That is the fiver, so a 4 string would be lighter still. Sounds like a slightly darker version of a Jazz, especially the blend of front and back which really has that burpy quality. It has satisfied my light-weight 5 string Jazz bass GAS for not much outlay and I am very pleased with it. Might be worth taking a look at an MB-4, if one comes along, as I am not sure they come into many folk's radar.

Just to say at this point that I have seen The ELO Experience a couple of times and they put on a totally fabulous show. Pete is spot on. Plus they have young ladies with short sparkly dresses! I think I did about 15 gigs this year. Room for more, I think, although I have other stuff in my life that probably takes up more time than playing live.

well, one has to make an effort, doesn't one.

Big band is easy. It is a Bon Jovi tribute so we generally don't get asked what type of music we play. Small band is difficult to categorise. It is more about what we don't play so answer to q1 is 'we don't play Sex on Fire or other popular Brit Pop/Indie stuff that a lot of bands play. But what we do play always has a element of musicality' Q2 once in a while we look at refreshing the set. Everyone will choose a couple of songs they fancy playing and we discuss it. Seems to work. Q3 - Very much matters to all of us that we play stuff we enjoy and avoid playing stuff we don't.

I am in a general if odd covers band and a Bon Jovi tribute. I use a variety of amps but always Barefaced Supercompact cab. Either one or two depending upon how decadent I feel

I thought that WAS what jazz was about?

Interesting scenario - i did this. I had a Fender Precision Lyte bass that had a badly refinished body that was almost but not quite the matching colour for the original headstock. I had the body refinished, sanded the headstock down to natural wood and had a duplicate decal made with the original serial number. Where does this fit?

Flushed with success from my first purchase I just stuck loads more stuff into a second basket, went to pay using the code and it told me I had already used the code - so do it all in one go, folks!

Nice. I had one a while back - fantastic tone and playability. Best vfm fretless out there, I reckon. Or fretted, come to that.

Brilliant! had some stuff in my basket I was mulling over - 20% off makes the decision. Thank you for the heads up.

Actually, you are right. That was nonsense. With a little time to reflect I think everyone here is a bit right and a bit wrong. Here's my wrong bit - after spending half my working life in a criminal law environment that is how I view things, so when I saw something being described as a deception when it wasn't within criminal law definition of a deception that is what I focused on. Thereby losing sight of the other issues, which was the trademark issue. Trademarks, copyright, intellectual property are subject to law, just a different law to criminal law, and so technically any infringement of trademark law is illegal. So I was wrong to overlook that and apologise for adding fuel to the whole debate in my small but stubborn way. Had I taken the time to read properly everything I would have been brought back in line. Our legal system is complex with different levels and layers of laws governing different aspects of how we interact with each other. A bit like an onion - all those skins. When I was a copper I dealt largely with criminal law - deep in the core of the legal system -it is the remit of police to monitor these laws and ultimately these can be dealt with in the criminal court. Also traffic laws. But there are a myriad other laws dealing with everything else in society from buying/selling houses to trademarks, copyrights and other intellectual property. There are dealt with in a completely different way in civil court where an individual or company has to make the case privately, usually with solicitors acting on their behalf. Sometimes important issues but generally not with the same gravitas as criminal law. This is what the Rickenbacker issue is all about and also the main issue here, I think. The OP was about headstock logos and, yes, it is illegal to use a trademark in this case under laws governing intellectual property. The situation is clearly black and white, what would be called an absolute offence, requiring no proof other that the fact itself. But is it important? It is to some but not, it seems, to a lot of others. Clearly not to Fender. In an everyday language situation someone looking at a bitsa bearing a Fender logo would assume it to be a Fender and therefore be 'deceived' into thinking it was a Fender. There are few consequences that make any difference to anyone except perhaps the owner of the bitsa may feel better about himself and his bass. As defined by criminal law it is not, however, a deception - which is the bit I latched on to but actually isn't (or shouldn't have been) the main thrust of the whole discussion. But, as soon as you add an element of gain into the equation it becomes a lot more serious than just a trademark issue - it becomes a crime.

No, Jon, it isn't rubbish. What you and Prowla are talking about is an infringement of law concerning intellectual property. It is categorically not a deception, which is the term being banded about, and which covered by criminal law. The trouble is that neither of you understand that the term deception has a specific meaning in law and that is what I was talking about.

OK last post and I'm out. If it is not the intention of the person doing that to make them believe it is a genuine item then NO it isn't illegal.

Theft act covers deception. No spurious argument on my part but a response actually based on a knowledge of law - something you clearly no have idea about.

No it isn't. As I explained. You do not know what you are talking about I am afraid.

No YOU were talking specifically about deception in your examples above and you are wrong.

Prowla, you are simply and plainly wrong. You may believe you are right but that belief is not based in fact. Go read the Theft act. Sec 15 covers deception. But, in a nutshell. Man makes a bitsa from cheap bits, sticks a Fender decal on it and sells it as a Fender - deception. Man buys a bass with a fender logo but is of the opinion it is probably fake. He sells it described as a Fender - deception. Man sells bass with Fender decal applied. Describes it as not a Fender - NO deception.

Ladies and gentlemen we have a winner!

The problem, as I see it, is that the OP believes he is right and on-one appears to be agreeing with him. Rather than thinking 'oh well, horses for courses' there is much digging in of heels and citing more and more extreme examples to show that Basschat is, indeed, going to Hell in a handcart by - yes - aiding and abetting criminals in this fashion. We are all sinners.

The magic word missing from all of this is 'intent' - surely? No intent to deceive (or recklessness as to whether anyone was deceived) , no hay una problema.

Where is it located and where is the destination? It is not beyond the realms of possibility that a tag team of Basschatters can transport it - its been done before.