+10000000. If the parts already have Fender`s blessing, I don`t see how they can say Dan isn`t allowed to assemble them. He wasn`t branding them with any sort of logos or trademarks other than his own. So Dan, are you allowed to sell bodies and necks separately, or just bodies ? What a crock.
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Atkinson basses new website and model
- Thread starter probasser
- Start date
+10000000. If the parts already have Fender`s blessing, I don`t see how they can say Dan isn`t allowed to assemble them. He wasn`t branding them with any sort of logos or trademarks other than his own. So Dan, are you allowed to sell bodies and necks separately, or just bodies ? What a crock.
I just found this thread, have never heard of your work, but I'm kind of interested because I've been scanning for jazz basses. I'd agree with cutting a new headstock. All parts offers paddle headstock necks. You could do that? Or reshape other headstocks...just my suggestion...
Can you do a slab P body? i.e. A "normal" P pickup and control cavity routing (not a Tele/'51 style) but without the contouring?
I sure hope Dan doesn't test fit any necks and cut nuts, level frets, or adjust truss rods before he sells the neck for my Fender separate from the body I will buy.
Have had great luck buying a bass while out of town and removing the neck from the body and shipping in a suitcase; way safer and cheaper.
At least Fender allows companies to make replacement parts for their bolt on instruments; there are many who don't.
Have had great luck buying a bass while out of town and removing the neck from the body and shipping in a suitcase; way safer and cheaper.
At least Fender allows companies to make replacement parts for their bolt on instruments; there are many who don't.
Indeed. The one pictured below will be. The other 2 (including the chi-sonic model) will be passive.
Fender do that coz it makes them money. Usually these parts are made by Cort, under conditions that are far less than ideal to the workers.
Alot of the companies that dont do this dont like seeing their name attatched to anything other than an instrument they feel deserves to bear that name.
I hate to sound negative about Fender. I've owned some over the years & loved them dearly. I just dont like some of their practices & policies. But that's my gripe, I'll try & keep it to meself here.
Musciman will not allow any company to make replacement bodies or necks (with the exception of Status for graphite necks).
Have never seen any Ricky parts so that one could build a bolt together instrument and assumed they won't license parts building either.
BTW, I don't know this to be 100% fact, but the usual aftermarket vendors don't sell them and I doubt that it's because of lack of interest.
Have never seen any Ricky parts so that one could build a bolt together instrument and assumed they won't license parts building either.
BTW, I don't know this to be 100% fact, but the usual aftermarket vendors don't sell them and I doubt that it's because of lack of interest.
This situation seems quite unfortunate, considering these look to be very nice basses...
However....
I find it hard to have any sympathy, due to the fact Dan was given some pretty solid advice and a "heads up" from at least one builder nearly a year ago on this very subject, and was advised to look into it.
This thread gets rolling around page three.
http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=577478
Just glad to see Dan didn't have to spend a fortune in court fees, and can continue with his business.
However....
I find it hard to have any sympathy, due to the fact Dan was given some pretty solid advice and a "heads up" from at least one builder nearly a year ago on this very subject, and was advised to look into it.
This thread gets rolling around page three.
http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=577478
Just glad to see Dan didn't have to spend a fortune in court fees, and can continue with his business.
I ask for no sympathy.
Like I said, I knew exactly what I was doing. So do all the other builders, like Bill Nash, who do the same.
99% of us drive over the speed limit by 5-10mph on a regular basis. We knowingly break the law. Why? Because we assume those who enforce the law won't mind something so insignificant.
So I read the advice, considered it, and decided to continue offering my basses anyway. My hope was that if Fender were to ever get serious about this stuff they would pay more attention to guys like Bill Nash, who cranks out 100 guitars & basses per month, as opposed to my tiny operation making 1-2 basses per month.
Why did I decide to take the risk? Because it's a fun hobby, and I honestly believe that bassists should be able to buy a good, solid, workhorse custom bass that doesn't cost as much as a car. I've never made a ton of profit on my builds. On some, I have actually lost money.
But apparently I was wrong. Fender did come after me, not Bill Nash. My hunch is they never will. I know the reason - Bill probably has enough cash and enough incentive to fight Fender in court, whereas I don't. So Fender intentionally turns a blind eye to him and comes after guys like me. Do I went a sympathy card? No. That's the risk I took. Do I have a right to be irked? I think I do.
Bill's business model is different than mine. I only do custom orders. Someone contacts me, tells me what color they want and what hardware, and I make it happen. Essentially, my customers are buying a complete kit from AllParts, and paying me a few bucks to assemble it for them.
But Bill Nash doesn't do custom orders. He has a staff that cranks out Strats, Teles, J's and P's all day long. They are built for the purpose of retail sale, either over the internet or in music stores. If I was Fender, that business model would piss me off much more.
So let's compare Nash and me. Nash makes 100+ instruments per month, charges around $1600 for them, and sells them retail.
I make 1-2 instruments per month, charge around $900 for them, and do custom order only.
But I'm the guy Fender comes after.
I don't want to sound like I'm beating up Nash. He makes great stuff, and I'm glad he does what he does. I've owned a Nash bass, and it was great. I think I posted a glowing review on it here at TB. My point is strictly to vent. That's it. I'm annoyed by this whole thing. I think I have a right to be.
Rant over!
Hey Dan,
If you changed the headstock would that make a finished Fenderish instrument legal?
I do understand that many here would not want that as an option but was curious.
If you changed the headstock would that make a finished Fenderish instrument legal?
I do understand that many here would not want that as an option but was curious.
I'm sure it would. That's what I'm doing with the Evoke series. The headstock will be slightly different than Fender. About as different as Lakland is.
But for the "Retro" basses, doing a custom headstock would defeat the purpose. They are designed to be very affordable, starting at $850. Having to pay for custom-cut necks from USACG would push that over $1000.
Ok, so I've got my site updated now.
http://www.atkinsonbasses.com/models/
You can now buy a loaded body, and a loaded neck. But I cannot ship them attached. My loaded necks are for installation on Fender brand bodies only!
http://www.atkinsonbasses.com/models/
You can now buy a loaded body, and a loaded neck. But I cannot ship them attached. My loaded necks are for installation on Fender brand bodies only!
I ask for no sympathy.
Like I said, I knew exactly what I was doing. So do all the other builders, like Bill Nash, who do the same.
99% of us drive over the speed limit by 5-10mph on a regular basis. We knowingly break the law. Why? Because we assume those who enforce the law won't mind something so insignificant.
So I read the advice, considered it, and decided to continue offering my basses anyway. My hope was that if Fender were to ever get serious about this stuff they would pay more attention to guys like Bill Nash, who cranks out 100 guitars & basses per month, as opposed to my tiny operation making 1-2 basses per month.
Why did I decide to take the risk? Because it's a fun hobby, and I honestly believe that bassists should be able to buy a good, solid, workhorse custom bass that doesn't cost as much as a car. I've never made a ton of profit on my builds. On some, I have actually lost money.
But apparently I was wrong. Fender did come after me, not Bill Nash. My hunch is they never will. I know the reason - Bill probably has enough cash and enough incentive to fight Fender in court, whereas I don't. So Fender intentionally turns a blind eye to him and comes after guys like me. Do I went a sympathy card? No. That's the risk I took. Do I have a right to be irked? I think I do.
Bill's business model is different than mine. I only do custom orders. Someone contacts me, tells me what color they want and what hardware, and I make it happen. Essentially, my customers are buying a complete kit from AllParts, and paying me a few bucks to assemble it for them.
But Bill Nash doesn't do custom orders. He has a staff that cranks out Strats, Teles, J's and P's all day long. They are built for the purpose of retail sale, either over the internet or in music stores. If I was Fender, that business model would piss me off much more.
So let's compare Nash and me. Nash makes 100+ instruments per month, charges around $1600 for them, and sells them retail.
I make 1-2 instruments per month, charge around $900 for them, and do custom order only.
But I'm the guy Fender comes after.
I don't want to sound like I'm beating up Nash. He makes great stuff, and I'm glad he does what he does. I've owned a Nash bass, and it was great. I think I posted a glowing review on it here at TB. My point is strictly to vent. That's it. I'm annoyed by this whole thing. I think I have a right to be.
Rant over!
So what did Fender do? Can you talk about it? I am very curious as I want to start building and do not want big brother to chase me. Though at my pace of, maybe, one bass a year, built the way I want, then sell it to whoever wanted it I'm not sure this would be an issue.
That being said, in the thread last year it struck me as Fender would readily go after the guys your size, or smaller, vs others you mention. Why? A 900 pound gorilla easily scares a man. A 900 pound gorilla does not easily scare a 700 pound gorilla and has to pay way more to defend themselves with a guy/company that has lawyers too...
They probably wouldn't come after you, unless you put up a website and marketed your basses. Also, avoid any terms like "J bass" or "P bass" or "relic".
About the gorilla analogy....yep, you're exactly right. As I said, I understand the situation. That doesn't mean I'm not irked by it.
It's kinda like a situation I had with the IRS recently. I goofed on my taxes in 2008 and owed them a few hundred bucks, so they sent me a bill plus penalty fees, which I paid. But Timothy Geithner, our current Secretary of Treasury (the guy who runs the IRS), was busted for cheating on his taxes in the amount of $17,000. Did they make him pay a penalty? Nope. He just paid the balance. No interest. No penalty.
Do I understand why they let him off easy? Sure, it's obvious. Do I have to like it? Nope.
Ok, so I've got my site updated now.
http://www.atkinsonbasses.com/models/
You can now buy a loaded body, and a loaded neck. But I cannot ship them attached. My loaded necks are for installation on Fender brand bodies only!
But not the loaded bodies you are selling?
- Jul 3, 2004
- 1,300
- 641
- Disclosures
- Endorsing Artist: Ernie Ball MusicMan Guitars
Well Dan it sucks that fenders going after the little guy. I'm very glad to hear you're still working on new basses, not letting big brother hold you down. By the way I'm still gathering up money to buy a retro body and retro neck...but...not put them together
