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Fender Decals On Non-Fender Basses

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#841
HillBillyWannaB said:
I have a Fender decal on my Mighty Mite Jazz bass. For me, it's mostly a tribute to the Jazz Bass itself. I tell everyone that it's a parts bass that I made and it's not an actual Fender. For me, I like the way the logo looks. I've drooled over Fenders since I was a kid and that headstock with that logo carries a feeling along with it. So I never considered NOT putting one on there.

That being said, I would NEVER try to pass it off as a Fender. Not that I would ever sell it (I'm hoping to give to my son or daughter one day). But IF I did, I would sell it for what it is.

Agree or disagree with my motives, but that's what it is for me. Here she is btw (My 2 mutts!).

MaggieBass1.jpg
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Oof.
 
#842
electracoyote said:
I'm now vasilating between two threads on this subject, and I'm going to assert the following theory, on both threads:

If Fender Guitar Co. is so concerned about their trademark on their logo and unique headstock, they seriously compromised and even circumvented that concern by licensing the production of their unique headstock and neck design to third party producers. They no doubt did this for financial gain to exploit the popularity of their guitars and the identifiable headstock design. And quite frankly, having played several aftermarket licensed Fender necks, at least one aftermarket manufacturer does a piss-poor job and has serious QC issues and design flaws. This scenario in and of itself undermines the supposed "concern" Fender could ever express toward the use of their headstock design and necks.

In an extreme case where someone is making Fender knock offs, not paying a licensing fee, and pasting a "Fender" wasterslide on the headstock, I can see where Fender would have a legitimate concern.

However, when I build a very nice Jazz or P bass, pay the licensing fee to Fender via the upcharge Warmoth surely passes on to me, I feel I have the right to call it what it is: A Fender headstock on a quality Fender neck bolted to a quality bass. If it walks like a Fender and quacks like a Fender, I will put a logo on it that says the word "Fender" if I so desire.

Hell will freeze over before I suffer any negative consequences greater than the high-brow lecture people are so eager to deliver on a talk forum on the internet.

Save the sermons folks.
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I feel you, right up until the part where you put "Fender" on it. If I build an awesome bass out of parts, I am going to put my name on it.
 
#843
I put a logo on my parts bass. The parts were well marked as Warmoth, and Warmoth pays a license to Fender for such parts. I did not try to pass off the finished bass as a Fender, only a parts bass I built. It would have never passed as a Fender, with a top and bottom route, Dinky J body shape, Contoured Heel, Pearloid Binding, White Finish, Pearloid Guard, Pearloid Block inlays, 75 pickup locations, alpine white. Never could those options bear the Fender name unless it was a custom shop bass.

And when it was time to go, back to parts it went.

I received a lot of flack for my choice of putting the logo on the bass; I understand protecting intellectual rights and such, but was not in violation of any law in the country at all. It is my opinion that these people are basically (and very sheepishly) worshiping the corporate power structure of Fender by their actions. I simply have better things to do with my time than argue about it and help them with their acts of worship; I'm over it big time. I have stopped caring about corporatism. I dont have time to read 43 pages of thread about this either; but a big +1 to the comments above from electracoyote.
 
#846
joelb79 said:
I put a logo on my parts bass. The parts were well marked as Warmoth, and Warmoth pays a license to Fender for such parts. I did not try to pass off the finished bass as a Fender, only a parts bass I built. It would have never passed as a Fender, with a top and bottom route, Dinky J body shape, Contoured Heel, Pearloid Binding, White Finish, Pearloid Guard, Pearloid Block inlays, 75 pickup locations, alpine white. Never could those options bear the Fender name unless it was a custom shop bass.

And when it was time to go, back to parts it went.

I received a lot of flack for my choice of putting the logo on the bass; I understand protecting intellectual rights and such, but was not in violation of any law in the country at all. It is my opinion that these people are basically (and very sheepishly) worshiping the corporate power structure of Fender by their actions. I simply have better things to do with my time than argue about it and help them with their acts of worship; I'm over it big time. I have stopped caring about corporatism. I dont have time to read 43 pages of thread about this either; but a big +1 to the comments above from electracoyote.
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Not if you bought the decal from a counterfeiter, and Fender has every right to defend their property, no matter how much you don't like it. What you like is irrelevant.
 
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#847
I agree, don't put em on there if it's not a Fender. You're doing nothing more than helping the counterfeit market. Why bother? You're right, you probably won't ever own that 64 jazz you've always wanted, well neither will I, but I'm not about to go and make one seem like it's something that it isn't unless I'm trying to fool somebody. Which I personally won't do.
 
#848
funkyebk said:
Point is- you can't un-ring a bell. Somewhere down the line by omission or commission someone is going to acquire a decal job and think it's something it's not.
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QFT. It's really not a hard concept to grasp. And it has nothing to do with "corporatism", "worship", "sacrilege"--come on, do the folks typing these things really believe that? It's about being a responsible part of the community of bass players, thinking of the potential consequences down the line for others.
 
#850
C.Linton said:
Not if you bought the decal from a counterfeiter, and Fender has every right to defend their property, no matter how much you don't like it. What you like is irrelevant.
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Your grasp of law is horrible. You are suggesting Fender would go after me and seek a monetary judgment against me for my personal bass that I built and I destroyed? Don't you think they would go after the person who sought to profit from their label, not the person who thought it was a cool looking decal? Can you site case law where corporations were able to obtain profit from the unknowing consumers whom they lost sales to via counterfeiting?

Im just shaking my head..

In re: to the "this is not worship of a corporation" comments; I don't think its over the top. 44 pages of zealots arguing over the freaking logo, the IMAGE or symbol of a corporation: and that's not fitting the definition of worship? Perhaps im just not speaking to those with ears to hear. Then again, this is a website were people call pictures of gear bass porn so.. If you want to talk to me further about that I got PM space lets go. That way we can delete it and not waste precious space on these servers or look stupid on google searches.
 
#851
joelb79 said:
I received a lot of flack for my choice of putting the logo on the bass; I understand protecting intellectual rights and such, but was not in violation of any law in the country at all. It is my opinion that these people are basically (and very sheepishly) worshiping the corporate power structure of Fender by their actions. I simply have better things to do with my time than argue about it and help them with their acts of worship; I'm over it big time. I have stopped caring about corporatism. I dont have time to read 43 pages of thread about this either; but a big +1 to the comments above from electracoyote.
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GregC said:
QFT. It's really not a hard concept to grasp. And it has nothing to do with "corporatism", "worship", "sacrilege"--come on, do the folks typing these things really believe that? It's about being a responsible part of the community of bass players, thinking of the potential consequences down the line for others.
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joelb79 said:
In re: to the "this is not worship of a corporation" comments; I don't think its over the top. 44 pages of zealots arguing over the freaking logo, the IMAGE or symbol of a corporation: and that's not fitting the definition of worship? Perhaps im just not speaking to those with ears to hear. Then again, this is a website were people call pictures of gear bass porn so.. If you want to talk to me further about that I got PM space lets go. That way we can delete it and not waste precious space on these servers or look stupid on google searches.
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I'm not interested in going to PM, nor do I want to spend much time on this. (I think this is my 4th or 5th short post between the 2 threads.) I'll point out that that 44 pages includes plenty of people who agree with you about this topic--are they not worshipful zealots in your eyes, too?

I also think it's unfair to stick that label on the people who are primarily saying "That's not cool, some buyer may be deceived down the road", and also saying "That's a registered trademark of Fender, it's their decision who to license it to". Frankly, bringing "corporate worship" into it seems like a red herring, a way of dodging the ethical issue.

Also, it seems rather ironic to accuse those folks of worshiping Fender--meanwhile, those on the other side of the discussion want to slap the logo of that corporation on instruments that the corporation didn't have a lot to do with. Seems like a funny way to fight the powers that be.
 
#852
I've made a decent dime putting decals on cheap chinese necks and selling 'em on eBay.

Buyer beware, amirite? :hiding:

Kidding...

Seriously though, I'll put whatever logo I want on my property for whatever reason I see fit. Anyone that has an issue with that or considers it unethical is probably either bored or just a blow-hard...either way, I can't be bothered.
 
#853
Joey3313 said:
Seriously though, I'll put whatever logo I want on my property for whatever reason I see fit. Anyone that has an issue with that or considers it unethical is probably either bored or just a blow-hard...either way, I can't be bothered.
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"Maury, I am out of control...Yeah, I have sex and I don't use protection, it's my hot body I'll do what I want. I don't go to school and I kill people...WHATEVA! I'LL DO WHAT I WANT!"
 
#856
This thread has more than run its course at this time-. We're going to close it, but if you see any fake Fenders being posted for sale, you start a thread to alert your fellow TBers about it.
 
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