Perhaps if Fender just got with the program of all the other high-end bass builders and made their premium (USA) instruments all neck-thru then they wouldn't have to worry too much about what the headstock says... 
From day one, Fender took the easy route in instrument creation, making them extremely easy to build, modify, and yes, even copy. Bolt-on necks vice neck-thru, cheaply top-routed bodies where all the imperfections in the woodwork and finish are simply covered by a cheap plastic pickguard, and typically some of the cheapest plastic and die cast metal hardware you can find in a spare parts bin has been their trademark for years. If they honestly cared about their trademark and brand name as much as the folks here, they would've done a better job protecting it by making it harder to copy throughout the years.
The real sad part is, I could blind fold you, hand you a $3000 "custom" USA P-bass, then a $1000 USA, then a $750 Japanese one, then a $500 MIM, and maybe 10% of the guys here could tell the difference based on fit, finish, and feel, especially after all had been professionally set-up.
I'm not trying to dog Fender (I own 2 of them and they're great at doing what they do), but they were originally built to be the "working man's bass". Fender is the Levi Strauss of the instrument world. They were created to be easy to play and affordable enough that working musicians could buy one. They sell more instruments (guitar/bass) worldwide than any other brand. Someone slapping a Fender decal on their Squier isn't hurting anything. It's your bass, make it your own.
As for the claims of fraud, this is the information age. If you're really that concerned, I can almost guarantee that the google machine can find you the answer. If you are paying more than a couple hundred bucks for an instrument and you aren't absolutely sure it is what being advertised, run the serial number. Find out some history on it. If it doesn't 100% check out, DON'T BUY IT! If you're really that concerned, only deal with reputable, licensed dealers. If it's too good to be true, it probably is.
I just find it amazing that anyone really cares that much. The only people that seem to care are the real Fender stalwarts who now feel that the basses they own have in some way been "cheapened" by others branding theirs the same way. If you can prove your bass is what you say it is when you sell it, you haven't lost any value, have you? You know what your bass is, who cares what someone else is playing?
From day one, Fender took the easy route in instrument creation, making them extremely easy to build, modify, and yes, even copy. Bolt-on necks vice neck-thru, cheaply top-routed bodies where all the imperfections in the woodwork and finish are simply covered by a cheap plastic pickguard, and typically some of the cheapest plastic and die cast metal hardware you can find in a spare parts bin has been their trademark for years. If they honestly cared about their trademark and brand name as much as the folks here, they would've done a better job protecting it by making it harder to copy throughout the years.
The real sad part is, I could blind fold you, hand you a $3000 "custom" USA P-bass, then a $1000 USA, then a $750 Japanese one, then a $500 MIM, and maybe 10% of the guys here could tell the difference based on fit, finish, and feel, especially after all had been professionally set-up.
I'm not trying to dog Fender (I own 2 of them and they're great at doing what they do), but they were originally built to be the "working man's bass". Fender is the Levi Strauss of the instrument world. They were created to be easy to play and affordable enough that working musicians could buy one. They sell more instruments (guitar/bass) worldwide than any other brand. Someone slapping a Fender decal on their Squier isn't hurting anything. It's your bass, make it your own.
As for the claims of fraud, this is the information age. If you're really that concerned, I can almost guarantee that the google machine can find you the answer. If you are paying more than a couple hundred bucks for an instrument and you aren't absolutely sure it is what being advertised, run the serial number. Find out some history on it. If it doesn't 100% check out, DON'T BUY IT! If you're really that concerned, only deal with reputable, licensed dealers. If it's too good to be true, it probably is.
I just find it amazing that anyone really cares that much. The only people that seem to care are the real Fender stalwarts who now feel that the basses they own have in some way been "cheapened" by others branding theirs the same way. If you can prove your bass is what you say it is when you sell it, you haven't lost any value, have you? You know what your bass is, who cares what someone else is playing?
i think it would be sO cool too
