Ugly Bass thread

[Bobo_08]

8 hours ago, Geek99 said:

You’re allowed to say any given item is ugly. It’s fair comment based on your own opinion

Agreed! Do you know why you never see any Rickenbackers advertised here?

[Newfoundfreedom]

Just now, Bobo_08 said:

Agreed! Do you know why you never see any Rickenbackers advertised here?

 

Well it's nothing to do with the looks, and more to do with the litigious owner of Rickenbacker who threatens to sue anybody who even mentions copies of their guitars. So much so that's it's just easier for the forum to ban any listing altogether, rather than police whether or not the items being sold are original. 

[Geek99]

2 hours ago, Bobo_08 said:

Agreed! Do you know why you never see any Rickenbackers advertised here?

Yes - it’s because people would respond to the sale advert saying they are ugly and might break the camera and the board would fill up with all those comments and become unusable 

 

I’ve been here about 8 years longer than you. Yes I do know about mr hall but I also know that free expression of subjective personal opinion is a thing still . I’m not selling a rickenbacker or a copy of one, or discussing it. which was the root of his objection

Edited October 3, 2021 by Geek99

[NancyJohnson]

36 minutes ago, Geek99 said:

Yes - it’s because people would respond to the sale advert saying they are ugly and might break the camera and the board would fill up with all those comments and become unusable 

 

I’ve been here about 8 years longer than you. Yes I do know about mr hall but I also know that free expression of subjective personal opinion is a thing still . I’m not selling a rickenbacker or a copy of one, or discussing it. which was the root of his objection

 

The Rickenbacker issue was, as I understand it, more about John Hall throwing his weight around and getting bullish with legal threats while trying to (understandably) protect his company's product/brand.

 

The sadness is that this forum just seemed to be easy meat and was made an example of; their gear is still visibly on sale (including copies) on a number of selling sites and Talkbass in the US.

 

I think this level of protectivism backfired miserably though; while I'm sure they're all out there, I can't recall the last time I gigged with anyone who played a Rickenbacker in any guise.

 

[SteveXFR]

You can see why Rickenbacker are so protective, Fender struggle to sell anything with all those P and J bass clones everyone and their mum is selling. Who would spend a grand on a genuine P bass when you can get a clone on Amazon for £60?

[NancyJohnson]

25 minutes ago, SteveXFR said:

You can see why Rickenbacker are so protective, Fender struggle to sell anything with all those P and J bass clones everyone and their mum is selling. Who would spend a grand on a genuine P bass when you can get a clone on Amazon for £60?

 

Or a Mark Phillips Custom.

[Bassassin]

As I understand it, John Hall's been wheeled off to a quiet little room with soft walls where he can't hurt himself (or anyone else) and I think a younger Hall (a son? I dunno) is now running the show. This can be seen in almost-sane product developments such as a bridge that intonates mounted on a tailpiece that doesn't bend in half, and the adoption of those weird, crazy & radical single truss rods used by those rule-breaking futurists at Fender, Gibson and everywhere else in the world circa 1955.

 

It's also quite possible that they no longer have the same dementedly litiginous attitudes to people trying to sell on 45 year old Rick-shaped Japanese basses. Although I'd continue to support the ban on sales of Rick copies and real Ricks here, because they're still a bunch of tw@ts..

Edited October 3, 2021 by Bassassin
Typogaphical faux-pas which might potentially impugn my literacy.

[TheGreek]

Allegedly 

[SteveXFR]

I find it a bit of an odd thing that guitar manufacturers make clones of each others products rather than developing their own styling and tone. 

It wouldn't be accepted if Kia were to make a clone of the Ford Mustang so why does it happen with instruments?

[tegs07]

7 minutes ago, SteveXFR said:

I find it a bit of an odd thing that guitar manufacturers make clones of each others products rather than developing their own styling and tone. 

It wouldn't be accepted if Kia were to make a clone of the Ford Mustang so why does it happen with instruments?

I think a design patent lasts around 15 years after that it can be copied with some limitations around trademarks etc. but I am not a lawyer so this is just a guess.

Edit: Due to ergonomics, balance, the need to reach the lower frets and for the mass market ease of reproduction there are probably only so many variations on a theme that can be done.

Edited October 3, 2021 by tegs07

[lemmywinks]

27 minutes ago, Bassassin said:

Although I'd continue to support the ban on sales of Rick copies and real Ricks here, because they're still a bunch of tw@ts..

 

Also means less pictures of them to offend the eyes.

[Bassassin]

12 minutes ago, lemmywinks said:

 

Also means less pictures of them to offend the eyes.

As it happens, I quite like 'em, apart from that scratchplate which is an ugly, design-free, afterthought botch. Would never own a real one, mind.

[SteveXFR]

17 minutes ago, tegs07 said:

I think a design patent lasts around 15 years after that it can be copied with some limitations around trademarks etc. but I am not a lawyer so this is just a guess.

Edit: Due to ergonomics, balance, the need to reach the lower frets and for the mass market ease of reproduction there are probably only so many variations on a theme that can be done.

 

I get that but going as far as copying knob layout, pickguard shape, pickup type and position and even headstock shape is not necessary. 

Some manufacturers (Ibanez for example) seem to manage to make something different that works. 

[tegs07]

9 minutes ago, SteveXFR said:

 

I get that but going as far as copying knob layout, pickguard shape, pickup type and position and even headstock shape is not necessary. 

Some manufacturers (Ibanez for example) seem to manage to make something different that works. 

If I had to guess and pull random figures out of the air probably because the majority of all instruments are made under license in the same handful of factories, using the same CNC designs and settings with costs varying around pickups, electrics, wood, hardware and marketing. Designing new stuff requires research, time, expense and the risk of poor sales. It’s a crowded market at the bottom and middle and cost triumphs over creativity.

Edited October 3, 2021 by tegs07

[Bobo_08]

11 hours ago, Newfoundfreedom said:

 

Well it's nothing to do with the looks, and more to do with the litigious owner of Rickenbacker who threatens to sue anybody who even mentions copies of their guitars. So much so that's it's just easier for the forum to ban any listing altogether, rather than police whether or not the items being sold are original. 

Exactly

[Stub Mandrel]

I found some bass parts. I think they must be off a Bongo.

 

 

Edited October 3, 2021 by Stub Mandrel

[Bobo_08]

10 hours ago, Geek99 said:

Yes - it’s because people would respond to the sale advert saying they are ugly and might break the camera and the board would fill up with all those comments and become unusable 

 

I’ve been here about 8 years longer than you. Yes I do know about mr hall but I also know that free expression of subjective personal opinion is a thing still . I’m not selling a rickenbacker or a copy of one, or discussing it. which was the root of his objection

Yea it was joke... I was exaggerating on their propensity for litigation.

 

Not a huge fan of their aesthetic either and I get the impression the necks are as thin as a broomstick!