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Headstock Decal Etiquette

#21
The act of seeking, purchasing, awaiting, receiving, and applying said decal should give you more than adequate time to pause and consider how absolutely lame it is to put a Fender logo on a non-Fender branded headstock. I'm not any type of purist, by the way... All of my basses are a solid mix of parts from all different manufacturers, price points, etc. Make your own logo.
 
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#22
I can't think of any scenario where I think it would be right to put a Fender decal on a guitar. If they didn't put it there in the factory, then maybe it's not supposed to be there. If you put a non-Fender neck on a Fender, then there is no sticker. Just check the back of the guitar, and you will see the brand. Because that part is Fender.

EDIT: Also, I agree with what Bolophonic just said!
 
#26
Once you put the decal on, no one will ever know the difference, right?

body-kits-500-2.jpg
 
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#27
Does anyone know what Fender's position is on it? I know there are lots of places that will make a "Fender" decal, but I assume the only way to get a real one is from them. Will they only do it with a direct replacement neck when one is damaged, or not at all? That should be the answer - theirs.
 
#29
I can see both sides of the argument and I do understand why both sides say what they say. For me, full disclosure is all I'd want in buying a bass like that. I don't care if it says Fender or not. The fact that it's such a copied brand and easy to misrepresent is why a lot of guys feel the way they do. Being as you'd have no plans in selling (hypothetically) put what ever sticker makes you happy on your bass. Sure, someone driving a Fiero may put a Ferrari sticker on it, but that doesn't mean they trying to get everyone else to believe it's a Ferrari.
 
#31
Vince Klortho said:
In my opinion, a neck from Warmoth is not a Fender neck in spirit or otherwise and should not have the decal on it.
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I disagree, because Fender licenses Warmoth to make necks with the trademarked Fender-shaped headstock. And by all accounts I've read, a Warmoth necks are as good as 'genuine' Fender necks, and I would presume Fender's licensing agreement with Warmoth requires their necks to maintain a certain level of quality.

For a non-vintange, non-collectible modern instrument that actually is a Fender, I don't think it's a big deal. For those buyer who care, they can always remove the neck and check the stamp.
 
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#32
Only because "fender" is theft-bait, I wouldn't even bother. The one fender that I've owned i would have stickered over "fender" if i had any intention of keeping it. If I only gigged in tres bourgois areas It wouldn't matter. If I so badly needed it to say fender on the front, I'd also deep-burn "(allparts/warmoth/whatever)" on the back of the head and etch my phone # on the neck plate because shadypeople.

Re: the spirit of fender... mp, cij, mim and anything made after Leo sold out in 65 have as much Fender in them as any Tokai, Sadowsky, Warmoth and Hondo fender copy have. What if he instead had named it Bolt On Neck Guitars... would you really be concerned about getting a stylistically correct BONG decal on your aftermarket neck?
 
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#33
2.6kHz said:
Once you put the decal on, no one will ever know the difference, right?

body-kits-500-2.jpg
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Yeah, and stripes make cars go faster, too! :roflmao:

Though in this case, there's a very serious likelihood of someone getting ripped off down the road, unlike these kit cars.
 
#34
oink said:
I can't think of any scenario where I think it would be right to put a Fender decal on a guitar. If they didn't put it there in the factory, then maybe it's not supposed to be there. If you put a non-Fender neck on a Fender, then there is no sticker. Just check the back of the guitar, and you will see the brand. Because that part is Fender.

EDIT: Also, I agree with what Bolophonic just said!
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The only situation where I can imagine it is if it was done by an authorized Fender repair technician. Otherwise, it's misrepresentation. But it doesn't matter so much until it's time to part ways. Scrape it off, no problem.
 
#35
Meh. You are in no way responsible for making others behave ethically. Put whatever sticker wherever you like. Don't be a lying d-bag when you sell the instrument. If the person you sell it to wants to be shady, that's on them.

Honestly, the argument to not put a decal on it because it is unethical holds about as much water as arguing that using a replacement neck with the Fender headstock design is unethical because someone might think it is a Fender due to that headstock. Ma. Larkey.

edit: When I've replaced necks in the past I've not bothered with putting a new decal on because I just don't care enough to bother with it. It isn't unethical however.
 
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#36
jd56hawk said:
I have a bass a friend built.
I put a Fender decal on the headstock.
When I play it I wear a t-shirt with a downward-pointing arrow on it below the words...Fake Fender
On the back it says:
So the f__k what?
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That's actually good, and funny. But what happens when you (or someone else who steals, buys, or inherits the bass) sells it?
 
#38
mikeyjm2 said:
I'm glad I read the responses before I posted one, because that was my exact question. A Fender decal is no guarantee of good quality any more than no logo is a guarantee of it being crappy quality.
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There are some here who will vehemently disagree, but I agree, Fender's quality standards and practices have varied over the years.
 
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#39
One more thing, there are people out there who would scoff at someone playing a Squier but wouldn't look twice at an All-parts jazz body bass with a Mighty Mite neck as long as it said Fender on the headstock ...you'd be more than welcome to play in their band.
You might not fool someone who actually knows a real Fender from a fake, but unless you're trying to sell a pseudo Fender as the real thing, you'll still be welcome in rock-and-roll heaven when your time comes.
 
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