It actually said Rolodex. . Two copyrights violated in one item.
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Help, please! Fake Precision??
- Thread starter MauMéndezC
- Start date
It actually said Rolodex. . Two copyrights violated in one item.
I love it. In my world travels, especially in SE Asia, I have seen some pretty funny/bad knockoffs (and Rolex knockoffs from cheesy to excellent), but that is just classic/awesome!
That's why I bought it. It looked awzome until the plating started to wear off it 
but until then it was a really convincing fake. Fooled a lot of people.
but until then it was a really convincing fake. Fooled a lot of people.
DiabolusInMusic
Functionless Art is Merely Tolerated Vandalism
Casting an entire population as illegal counterfeiters is not something that is encouraged on TB (or anywhere civilized people congregate.)
These fakes come from counterfeiters located within China, that does not make all Chinese people counterfeiters. Additionally, to cast this as somehow being a Chinese problem lacks insight. Counterfeiting is a global problem and Americans are just as to blame as the Chinese (so are Canadians and all other countries with people who buy counterfeits... so everywhere.)
Maybe it plays and sounds better than what it copies (some copies are known to...)? Looks nice. If it sounds good, plays good, feels good, and is affordable (not just resting on a name for value), try it. Not much lost if you don't like it- someone else may.
So, if it's an American-made counterfeit, or Indonesian-made copy, it makes a difference? If the 'real thing' wasn't priced artificially high, made from out-sourced components, it certainly would be better to support 'Made In America'.
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I won't speak for SDHarry, but when I say PRC, I mean the government. The PRC government does nothing to dissuade ( and probably even encourages) its citizens from stealing intellectual property whether that be counterfeiting guitars, copying software or hacking corporate and government computers of the West. Yes, the demand for counterfeit goods is part of the problem.
This is definitely a $100 or less bass. Could be an affinity.
The wood grain in the neck, with the little brown marks is the kind of wood that I have seen on cheap Chinese knockoffs.
Also the shape of the contour on the back of the neck near the body is a dead giveaway. that is not a squier cut.
The tuners have very sharp corners like I have seen on the cheapest Asian hardware.
The finish is also super super glossy and looks thick (reminiscent of the basses I have played that show smudges extremely clearly.)
On top of all the other stuff pointed out with the truss hole, and alignment of certain things.
I would not buy or trade anything worth more than $100 (probably not even $80) unless of course the thing plays super well and sounds super good. Even then it is not worth more than $120, and if you flip it expect to list it on cl and get $80 for it after a few months (unless you are dishonest.)
The wood grain in the neck, with the little brown marks is the kind of wood that I have seen on cheap Chinese knockoffs.
Also the shape of the contour on the back of the neck near the body is a dead giveaway. that is not a squier cut.
The tuners have very sharp corners like I have seen on the cheapest Asian hardware.
The finish is also super super glossy and looks thick (reminiscent of the basses I have played that show smudges extremely clearly.)
On top of all the other stuff pointed out with the truss hole, and alignment of certain things.
I would not buy or trade anything worth more than $100 (probably not even $80) unless of course the thing plays super well and sounds super good. Even then it is not worth more than $120, and if you flip it expect to list it on cl and get $80 for it after a few months (unless you are dishonest.)
DIM - you were successful in getting the Fake Fodera thread shut down with your instance on constantly bringing the discussion back to a China vs USA bash fest.
Bottom line, the government of any country is perfectly capable of encouraging or discouraging counterfeiting within its borders. Likewise the people of any country are perfectly capable of encouraging or discouraging the demand for import of those cheap counterfeits. It takes two to tango. If demand goes away the counterfeit market collapses and if counterfeiting goes away then the demand turns to more legitimate sources.
So as bass players, if we put our focus on discouraging other bass players from purchasing known counterfeit instruments we're doing about the most we can. We can only hope that various governments around the globe (of which China is an undisputed significant offender) crack down on counterfeit builders as well.
Sure, I think that point has been made already. I agree (except for the "looks nice" part). If someone likes the way it looks, feels, plays, knows it's fake, and pays a fair price for it (which for this bass would be at most $100-$150 IMHO -- around the cost of all the cheap/knockoff parts), then no harm/no foul. Other than for sport, I think the criticism of this particular bass has more to do with the fact it's being passed off as something that it's not (and could be passed off that way again in the future). Some purists (and certainly Fender) would say the waterslide on the front is where they crossed the line to counterfeiting, but I think it's really the CS logo and fake USA SN on the back. It's a clear attempt at forgery. Not a convincing attempt, but certainly good enough to defraud a certain class of person out of a few hundred bucks... or to "entice" a certain other class of less-gullible person to spend a few hundred bucks.
No, it doesn't matter where the counterfeit is made, just that it's counterfeit. I understand the philosophical point you're trying to make, but the implications of shrugging this off are larger than that. This isn't about "Made In America", it's about "Made Legally". Of course, that gets murky in countries like China and Indonesia where copyright laws are less stringent than the US, and rarely enforced. Even if you object to Fender's current business/manufacturing/pricing practices, to endorse counterfeiters is also poking a stick in the eye of legit guitar companies you DO like, as well as the small operators who produce a quality (non-infringing) lookalike product legally at a fair(er) price. And that's worldwide, not just here in the USA. Think of every e.g. $200 spent on these cheap counterfeits as another $200 of market share disappearing (worldwide, for all legit makers, not just Fender).
Even if the money doesn't go to Fender, Rickenbacker, Ernie Ball, Carvin, Gibson, etc, I'd much rather see $200 go to a legit company in South Korea (a prime example being Cort) than to see it go to counterfeiters.
OK, end of rant.
TL;DR Counterfeiting's bad, mkay? Way worse than a Fender waterslide decal placed on your Warmoth build for vanity's sake.
wait wait wait, so someone out there is stupid enough to either buy a fake Fender / put custom shop decals on an unbranded bass and try to pass it off as a Squier????? There's no way this guy is making any money off this as VM Squiers sell for $200 on CL.....
I love it! It's like everybody's and nobody's fault all at the same time. No harm, no foul.
He told you himself its a Squire vintage modified precision, no mater what its under $300.00 brand new, is your Bass better to keep or get rid of for this?
That's what i thought....why change the serial number when you are clearly saying it's a fender knock off haha anyway...I'm keeping my Jag bass...Thanks you all, guys who have helped me....I really appreciate it...
OK. Suspend your disbelief for a second. There is a world.... wait, you have to keep this under wraps, OK?.... OK, there is a world that exists outside of TB. These poor unfortunates do not understand the price points, breeds, variants and quality levels of Fender and Squier instruments. They do not understand carrots. They do not know that they may in fact Burn In Hell if they like relic'd instruments or refuse to put flats on their P Bass, or use (or do not use) effects in their signal chain. They do not know a neck pocket from a Hot Pocket. In short, these lower humans are clueless. We hope they do not procreate, much less peruse Craigslist with an untrained eye, but we have no control over such things. These proto-humans may impulsively buy a bass for their kid/husband from a knowledgeable-sounding fellow (Satan) who lists a convincing-looking bass on Craigslist (Satan) for a steal of a price, not realizing they could probably get a better guitar for the same or less money at Guitar Center (Satan). It happens.
And...scene.
No, but seriously, you'd think people would know better, but I have seen some stupid stuff sold on CL locally, for some stupid prices. And I'm sure it's being bought. Hell, I've seen some stupid stuff that definitely sold on eBay. It happens a lot more than you'd think. For every 'stupid' guy with an angle who does something like this guy apparently did, there are people who will fall for it. Just be thankful you drink from the river of True Knowledge that is TalkBass (and/or have common sense and critical thinking and comparative shopping skills).
Yeah, I think he was just making up a convenient (if illogical) story. Or else repeating whatever lie he was told when he himself bought it. Somebody somewhere went to some trouble to turn a cheap knockoff bass into a fake USA Fender with the intent to pass it off as such. They didn't just "replace a decal".
Anyway, glad you're not trading the Jag!
