Keyboard/Hardware Sounds - Copyright?

I did find a half similar question (regarding patches) but thought I'd post this and see what the current feeling is amongst the wise folk inhabiting the Cakewalk boards.

You buy a keyboard/digital piano/guitar/harmonica/whatever... you presumably have the right to record that instrument and use the "samples" in your songs? Whether you give the songs away, or charge for the music is up to you. The point is: you don't pay a royalty fee to Gibson/Yamaha/blah blah.

What if you record the samples (e.g. individual hits/loops etc.) and distribute them on their own? Is that a copyright/licensing infringement?

Obviously if you put out a sample collection saying "Kurzweill PC88 Samples" then there could possibly be a brand infringement, which isnt strictly what I'm wondering about. If the collection was labelled "keyboard samples" then is this ok?

And what if your collection enabled the buyer/user to essentially create their own music using the sound of the hardware? (Like a ROMpler for example). They haven't paid the original manufacturer to use those sounds???

Any thoughts? I see lots of individual hits distributed without any apparent concern over this issue.

No.

Cool. Thats the whole issue put to bed then - I'll remember to call Johnson next time I record my harmonica and give someone else the file.