Fender Decals On Non-Fender Basses

[Diogenes]

IMHO it's cheesy to put a Fender decal on a non-Fender bass but ultimately it's up to the owner to decide.

All in all if someone does it to impress, the people who end up being impressed are usually the types of people not worth trying to impress in the first place.

 

[mulchor]

It's just a darn sticker. Who cares? (but my DIYs have no labels, cuz I dun care either way)

 

[smcd]

Allparts and Mighty Mite necks are licensed by Fender and made to their specs so they are as much Fender as Fender MIJ instruments.

Then why don't they put Fender logos on their necks? Because they're not Fender products, and Fender hasn't given them permission to do so.

It's not up to you to declare what parts are "as much Fender" as real Fender products. It's Fender's call.

 

[smcd]

Playing a counterfeit Fender bass is EXACTLY like wearing a fake Rolex watch. You can talk all day about how your $49 Casio keeps better time than a $15,000 Rolex, but that doesn't give you a pass on committing forgery.



The ONLY instance I can think of where it would be ok to for someone to fake a Fender instrument is if they were in a movie and the band had to have 1950's Fender instruments. Where it's not practical to spend $8grand on the real article in that circumstance.

 

[Martin89]

^Isn't that where RI's come in?

 

[audiomitch]

I was thinking about putting a Fender decal on a Johnson Jazz Bass I have sitting around. The headstock is a pointy wedge looking thing, the opposite of a Fender shape.

I have a weird, and some claim lame, sense of humor.

 

[eSmith]

and Fender hasn't given them permission to do so.

Ummmm, ya they do, when you get a new Fender Sticker with any product you buy from Fender with the backing still on it I'm pretty sure the intent is to allow you to decide where to put it with out any restrictions.

-eSmith.

 

[DWBass]

Aesthetics!

There's a TB member who is selling basses (not sure if he's modding them himself or buying them that way) that are being passed off as Fenders (I know, I bought one). Biggest tale tell sign...........no serial number to be found and poor fretwork along with the cheap hardware. I ended up putting Hipshot tuners on it, installing Fender Noiseless pups and I have an Audere coming. Personally I think they are Squiers or knockoffs.

 

[SchizoBassist]

Then why don't they put Fender logos on their necks? Because they're not Fender products, and Fender hasn't given them permission to do so.

It's not up to you to declare what parts are "as much Fender" as real Fender products. It's Fender's call.

You're quite right, it's just a question of permission.

 

[sleepy_monkey]

The decal is part of the bass' look. It wouldn't be right without it. Sometimes others just put it on their basses so people listen with their ears, not their eyes. Oh that fender sounds nice, but the same people would say the bass sounds terrible if they saw an SX on it. I don't judge people who do it for kicks either. To each his own.

I agree with all of these reasons...and I think this makes the most sense. When I see decals for sale in the classifieds, I don't think 'fake basses are being made'..I think that whoever is buying those probably wants their bass to look like a classic bass.

If there is one thing that Fender has, it is name recognition...and it is almost like "Fender" is just as much part of the bass as the strings, bridge, body, etc...

 

[smcd]

Ummmm, ya they do, when you get a new Fender Sticker with any product you buy from Fender with the backing still on it I'm pretty sure the intent is to allow you to decide where to put it with out any restrictions.

-eSmith.

Really?? Can you link me to the AllParts page where you can buy a Fender neck with a Fender logo on it?

 

[canadian_man_44]

I've got a cheap Austin bass that I'm refinishing. It doesn't sound at all like my American Fender Precision Deluxe, but it does sound pretty good. I'm thinking of putting a Dsntmtr logo on it.

 

[smcd]

You're quite right, it's just a question of permission.

Correct. Which is why purchasing the rights to a brand name is so expensive.

 

[smcd]

I agree with all of these reasons...and I think this makes the most sense. When I see decals for sale in the classifieds, I don't think 'fake basses are being made'..I think that whoever is buying those probably wants their bass to look like a classic bass.

If there is one thing that Fender has, it is name recognition...and it is almost like "Fender" is just as much part of the bass as the strings, bridge, body, etc...

A $300 Squier Jazz Bass already looks exactly like a "classic" bass. When you replace the Squier logo with that of a more expensive model, you're crossing the line.

 

[NoHomework81]

55 posts, <10 of which address the OP.

Were you just trolling, JAUQO?



juuuuuuuuuuuuuuust kidding

 

[JAUQO III-X]

55 posts, <10 of which address the OP.

Were you just trolling, JAUQO?



juuuuuuuuuuuuuuust kidding

I just asked what I think is a very valid answer.

I see it done so much that it had me wondering.

 

[NoHomework81]

I just asked what I think is a very valid answer.

I see it done so much that it had me wondering.

Don't get me wrong, I thought your original question was completely valid.

 

[Swampman Cory]

I bought this parts bass a month ago and it had a decal on it:

I leave it on. If the headstock was bare, the bass wouldn't have a name. It'd feel off. The bass looks sweet, and it sounds killer too. 4/4 sound guys prefer it to my SR5, so it's not like I'm trying to pass of a pile of poop as a Fender.

When people come up and ask me about my bass, I tell 'em it's a parts bass, and even have them run a finger across the decal. Freaks 'em out.

I understand decal hate, but, and I know I'm biased, I don't think they're all bad...

 

[eSmith]

Really?? Can you link me to the AllParts page where you can buy a Fender neck with a Fender logo on it?

Not going to waste my time with that, you know how to get to the fender site. Go to the contact us page and ask them if there are any places you cannot put a sticker of thiers. Post the reply you get..... I am 100% positive that unless you allude to trying to make a profit by this or tell them your going to be selling these after you decal them (which is a totally different issue) they won't care where you put the sticker.

Permission has NOTHING to do with it. If you have a fender sticker, put it where you like.

Try to understand for a second that no fender guitar has a decaled logo. They are silk screened on the headstock so if you think putting a sticker on a guitar is some fool proof method for passing something off as a geniune fender your just being silly.

If they cared you wouldn't see Fender Stickers free with every Fender product.

-eSmith.

 

[kenfxj]

I have a Fender 70's Jazz. The neck is broken.

Asking for opinions here, if I replace the neck with a blocked and bound Warmoth neck would it be unethical to put a Fender decal on it?