We had a bass come in for a pickup replacement and some other work today. It's quite interesting to say the least.
Here it is. A Lakland. Cool! It has our NP5 pickup in it! Wait a sec. Then why does the owner want us to change out the pickup?
Well we opened it up and discovered that it's not our pickup. It's a copy.
And not an exact copy. It has Neodymium bars on the bottom and shorter pole pieces. Apparently the owner is not happy with the sound of this pickup.
Lakland used to buy NP5's from us. They stopped a couple years ago. Now I know why.
I looked for this bass on their website and couldn't find it. There was a confusing post on Talkbass a while ago too. But nothing that was that conclusive. When this bass showed up my suspicions proved well founded.
I'm conflicted about this. On the one hand I'm quite flattered that they like the basic design enough to copy it. On the other I think it could be very confusing for the bass playing public to see and hear a bass like this and assume that it's our pickup and then have a wrongful impression about what we make.
Not sure what to do here, other than this blog post. Maybe I'll look into legal options.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BX5MeOLIMAAzBeE.jpg:large
ReplyDeleteHAHAHAH! Thanks Ales. I needed that!
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry, but not only pickups... :(
ReplyDeletehttp://www.aliexpress.com/item/shop-new-Customized-Nordstrand-Nordy-VJ5-5-string-bass-music-electric-bass-guitar-free-shipping/523224335.html
I can appreciate legal options are a hassle; that said, you're intellectual property is worth fighting for. NO ONE should be infringing on your copyrights or proprietary product. Its not only false advertising and (IMHO) morally wrong; It's stealing and defames your good name. Hell; this is the very thing Apple and Samsung deal with everyday.
ReplyDeleteDid the bass come stock from Lakland with that pickup?
ReplyDeleteThat is what the customer said Nino.
ReplyDeleteI got an email from John at Lakland today regarding the NP5 situation. He was apologetic and very cool. We are trying to come up with a solution that is cool for everyone involved. Stay tuned.
ReplyDeleteFunny how people apologize after they're caught red handed… What would it be like if he had spoken to you up front? Oh well - human nature. Keep up the good work Carey, always best to focus on what you do best rather than what others do poorly.
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