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Fender sticker on LICENSED Fender neck . . .
- Thread starter zfunkman
- Start date
None of the basses had been made my Fender, so... no. The legitimate makers name would be John, or whatever the OP is called.
Do what you want by all means, but don't make up stories to justify you just want to see a particular logo on your bass.
Its time to piss people off with a new view that I don't think has been expressed.
If you want to put on the Fender Sticker to honor Leo Fender (Instead of the A-hole) for the design of the bass then I say go for it. Lets be honest, Fender isn't Fender without Mr. Fender. If you want to put on a Fender logo because it looks right, then go for it. If you want to Put on a picture of a naked girl, go for it. It's your bass, no one has the right to tell you what you can or can not put on your bass. I know I personally like the Fender logo because it just looks right and I know when/if I get a new neck/do a bass build I will be putting a Fender logo on my Bass (or a custom fender styled logo) to honor Mr. Fender and his innovations.
But like I said, do what you want OP, so long as you aren't using the logo to try and scam people then more power to you. Lastly, I agree, no logo on the headstock looks wrong in so many ways
If you want to put on the Fender Sticker to honor Leo Fender (Instead of the A-hole) for the design of the bass then I say go for it. Lets be honest, Fender isn't Fender without Mr. Fender. If you want to put on a Fender logo because it looks right, then go for it. If you want to Put on a picture of a naked girl, go for it. It's your bass, no one has the right to tell you what you can or can not put on your bass. I know I personally like the Fender logo because it just looks right and I know when/if I get a new neck/do a bass build I will be putting a Fender logo on my Bass (or a custom fender styled logo) to honor Mr. Fender and his innovations.
But like I said, do what you want OP, so long as you aren't using the logo to try and scam people then more power to you. Lastly, I agree, no logo on the headstock looks wrong in so many ways
Sorry, I got it all wrong!!!
I understood the OP built two basses from parts, put Fender logos, met the "owner" of Fender, and did not approve of it.
Upon rereading, it's clear these Fender style basses were made by someone else. Unfortunately the OP met the builder and disliked him and does not want to have his name on the headstock.
Phew.
Entirely different story.
Still I would not put a Fender logo...
Sorry about trying to confuse you with my confusion
It's late here, maybe I should go to bed now
Sorry, I got it all wrong!!!
All good ;-)
I figured it would be obvious that most people would never meet 'the owner' of Fender..... Lol
It did strike me as strange... But I guess I chose to make up a different story in my mind
Good night
It did strike me as strange... But I guess I chose to make up a different story in my mind
Good night
Been there. Peace.
Maybe I am old and things like this don't matter anymore, but seeing your fake Fender (or fake Rolex, fake college degree, fake military honors, fake classic car badges, etc.) would make me question your general character, your most basic sense of right and wrong, your decision making, and would cast doubt on everything else that you say or do.
Basically, I would not trust you and would not want anything else to do with you. You would have openly displayed your dishonesty, and life is too short to deal with frauds.
There are a few things in life that you should value and guard - your word as a man is one of them. There is no gray area when it comes to this. Either you're a stand up guy, or you're not.
Also, just the fact that you even asked this question is as bad as actually doing it, to me at least.
Basically, I would not trust you and would not want anything else to do with you. You would have openly displayed your dishonesty, and life is too short to deal with frauds.
There are a few things in life that you should value and guard - your word as a man is one of them. There is no gray area when it comes to this. Either you're a stand up guy, or you're not.
Also, just the fact that you even asked this question is as bad as actually doing it, to me at least.
Gotta love when grammar cops make mistakes of their own. ENSURE.
I think Mighty Mite would be the example you'd want, since they're owned by Cort.
Wow. SRV played a frankencaster, Eric Clapton played frankencasters, Billy Gibbons plays "Gibsons" not made by Gibson, Slash played Gibsons made by MAX. To judge a humans character based on a headstock decal? Really? I judge people on how they treat their spouse, animals and mother. Who knew I only had to look at their guitars. How's the weather up there on that horse?
As a side note, keep in mind that you may see Fenders (maybe just Fender Squiers) in the stores that are manufactured under license from Fender. I've seen it a few times and specifically have it on a Fender Mini Squier for my daughter.
Whereas some evidently don't even have time to arm the spell check on their computer. Or to look up the definition of the word "rabble" before using it thrice.
I have a Squier Affinity jazz, I'll soon be putting a Fender decal on it. Purely because "Squier" on the headstock of any instrument suggests unwealthyness
I also have a 2x12 custom-made guitar cabinet that I Fenderized, I even took the badge off an genuine combo and plastered it on the front. It looks exactly like a Bandmaster, except the dimensions.
I will never describe my gear as genuine Fender, no matter who asks. If you're from Fender and reading this with steam spewing out of your ears, it's your problem
Do what you want with your gear, as long as you're not selling it as something that it's not. Ever heard of someone getting arrested for putting an Ferrari sticker on their Toyota? Neither have I.
I also have a 2x12 custom-made guitar cabinet that I Fenderized, I even took the badge off an genuine combo and plastered it on the front. It looks exactly like a Bandmaster, except the dimensions.
I will never describe my gear as genuine Fender, no matter who asks. If you're from Fender and reading this with steam spewing out of your ears, it's your problem
Do what you want with your gear, as long as you're not selling it as something that it's not. Ever heard of someone getting arrested for putting an Ferrari sticker on their Toyota? Neither have I.
The car parts analogy doesn't work for me. You're supposed to 'fess up to any accident damage when you sell a car. Plus, if I replace the hood on an otherwise intact Lexus, the car is still 90% original.
If I keep on doing that, once I've replaced enough Lexus parts with off-brand stuff, there must be a point where we would all agree that it ought to lose the Lexus badge, or at least come with some sort of disclaimer?
Since the OP's basses are non-Fender from one end to the other, a better analogy would be that they're like a Lexus that's actually 99.9% Honda, except for the Lexus badge.
I also call foul on the OP's claim that there will never be another owner, unless he intends to have his basses buried with him.
The OP's distinction that his parts are Licensed by Fender doesn't work for me, either. The word "Licensed" has a very specific legal meaning, depending on the contract language behind the license. The word is placed on products for the very reason that there's a significant difference that requires explanation. For example, I have a set of Hipshot Licensed tuners- they work pretty well, but they are missing the reversible feature that's on the USA versions, the parts aren't interchangeable, and they are worth about 30% less than the "real" ones.
The difference between the two varieties is well-known, and I could get myself kicked off eBay for trying to pass the cheap copy off as the original, licensed or not.
Similarly, there's a large market out there that pays more for actual Fender products than for frankenfenders, regardless of the relative quality of parts produced by Warmoth, USACG, etc.
The OP is proud of the fact that his basses are better than Fender, and I don't doubt it, having played a lot of great Frankenfenders. I personally wouldn't want to disguise my custom basses by hiding their origin behind a Fender decal.
Even if I was going to do a Leo Fender tribute bass, I would be careful to alter the decal to get rid of any trademarks, place of origin info, etc. A nice clean Fender in the script and colour of my choice, but minus all the details that suggest it is a real Fender product ought to do the job, n'est-ce pas?
But that's just me. Can you put a Fender decal on a Squier, a Warmoth, or a Yamaha? Of course you can. It's a free world, and the OP can do whatever he wants.
But if he really wants to stay on the side of the angels from an ethical point of view, I think that his options are pretty clear:
1. Have a decal made up that prevents scammers from passing his creations off as real Fenders. There are multiple ways to do that:
- Lookalike decal in the right script but mis-spelled, like Famdar.
- Fender script logo, with small print that clarifies the situation, like "assembled in xxx by OP from aftermarket parts".
- Put his own name on them. After all, he put the sweat equity into assembling them from his choice of parts.
2. Leave the decal off altogether.
3. Change the current decal to express his feelings, ie; "[Insert vendor's name here] is a total DB".
If I keep on doing that, once I've replaced enough Lexus parts with off-brand stuff, there must be a point where we would all agree that it ought to lose the Lexus badge, or at least come with some sort of disclaimer?
Since the OP's basses are non-Fender from one end to the other, a better analogy would be that they're like a Lexus that's actually 99.9% Honda, except for the Lexus badge.
I also call foul on the OP's claim that there will never be another owner, unless he intends to have his basses buried with him.
The OP's distinction that his parts are Licensed by Fender doesn't work for me, either. The word "Licensed" has a very specific legal meaning, depending on the contract language behind the license. The word is placed on products for the very reason that there's a significant difference that requires explanation. For example, I have a set of Hipshot Licensed tuners- they work pretty well, but they are missing the reversible feature that's on the USA versions, the parts aren't interchangeable, and they are worth about 30% less than the "real" ones.
The difference between the two varieties is well-known, and I could get myself kicked off eBay for trying to pass the cheap copy off as the original, licensed or not.
Similarly, there's a large market out there that pays more for actual Fender products than for frankenfenders, regardless of the relative quality of parts produced by Warmoth, USACG, etc.
The OP is proud of the fact that his basses are better than Fender, and I don't doubt it, having played a lot of great Frankenfenders. I personally wouldn't want to disguise my custom basses by hiding their origin behind a Fender decal.
Even if I was going to do a Leo Fender tribute bass, I would be careful to alter the decal to get rid of any trademarks, place of origin info, etc. A nice clean Fender in the script and colour of my choice, but minus all the details that suggest it is a real Fender product ought to do the job, n'est-ce pas?
But that's just me. Can you put a Fender decal on a Squier, a Warmoth, or a Yamaha? Of course you can. It's a free world, and the OP can do whatever he wants.
But if he really wants to stay on the side of the angels from an ethical point of view, I think that his options are pretty clear:
1. Have a decal made up that prevents scammers from passing his creations off as real Fenders. There are multiple ways to do that:
- Lookalike decal in the right script but mis-spelled, like Famdar.
- Fender script logo, with small print that clarifies the situation, like "assembled in xxx by OP from aftermarket parts".
- Put his own name on them. After all, he put the sweat equity into assembling them from his choice of parts.
2. Leave the decal off altogether.
3. Change the current decal to express his feelings, ie; "[Insert vendor's name here] is a total DB".
