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My friends a idiot

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#181
Long ago... there were some Harley motorcycles that were "sold" ... and you had to do the final assembly. Was it a Harley ?

You have a bass that was not assembled by the Fender Factory, but is all Fender parts, is it a Fender ? Well, depending upon your friends skills.... it may be better than a Factory Assembled bass, or as good, or terrible.
Fender wouldn't warranty it, but might the parts. Factory done means "warranty" and "consistency" in the way it's made and assembled and set up. So to me, you could not call it a Factory Fender.

On the other side, if it was done well, plays well, sounds good, and the parts are ones that can be obtained to fix any required breakdowns .... that's good. If you or he likes playing it, like the sound of it, then you are good to go.

I know two guys who make Mandolins ..... custom made..... and some of the top country music players who use or want mandolins have boughten them, because of the quality they put into them. They cared who made them and that they were hand made by these two guys..... because they even sounded much better than many of the others out there. The inlays, materials and craftsmanship couldn't be better. So, think it would "cost" someone to buy one, yep ..... I'm betting it would .

Everything is relative. Why I kick myself for letting go of a couple of Fenders yrs ago..... is that they were made by Leo Fender (not the Company production line) & a few of his guys. So, is a Fender factory made Fender a Fender ? NOT to me, the best Fender, was the one made by Leo Fender. I'm betting whoever ended up with them down the line, never even knew it ...... probably were smashed up on stage by some real "idiot" .
 
#182
A very important thread. Here's a cat that looks like Batman:

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#188
You can buy all the parts needed to recreate a 1966 Mustang. No, they're not all Ford brand parts. But if you built an all new car and affixed a Ford VIN tag to it, is it now a 1966 Ford Mustang? Same sort of question. To the builder, the merits of the new car are obvious. Build quality and modern materials may make the reproduction car superior in many ways. To the casual buyer of such a car, it is not worth the same as a real 1966 Mustang in like condition. To the collector, is in the same class as a kit car. You have a daily driver. Drive on!
 
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#192
It is a P bass, as I see the definition of the word. P bass is a term we've come to associate with a certain body style/pickup configuration. It is not a Fender Precision bass. It is a frankenfender. But, as many others have already stated, why does it matter?
 
#199
I'll throw my hat into the ring. Why not? :D

I'm on the train that is saying a serial number that comes from the plant where the bass was assembled is what would make it a a 100% factory Fender. But, I think you pay a lot for that authenticity. I'm pretty sure everyone here has read a post that says something like "MIM Fenders are made in Mexico by Mexicans, but MIA Fenders are made in America by Mexicans."

I'm not the first person to point out that all they do at the factory is go to the bin, get the parts they need, and bolt 'em together. That's the Fender System. If Fender started putting Hipshot hardware on all of their basses in the factory, we wouldn't be saying that it wasn't an original Fender just because of the serial number.

If Joe Schmoe buys American Fender parts from the Invalid Link Removed, maybe puts what hardware and pickups on it he wants, we can say it's a Fender because it is. It was built using the Fender system. But, it's doesn't come with that o-so expensive serial number, so you can't say it came from the factory without lying.

When Fender puts Nordstrand pickups in their basses, we say "Thank God," gladly pay $200 more for the bass, and say it's 100% original from the factory, because it is. If you build a Fender with 100% original Fender parts, and put Nordstrand pickups in it, you have a bass that is a Fender, is probably just as good as any factory Fender, but is not a factory Fender.

You pay a lot for the logo, the serial number, and the "Made in U.S.A." sticker, especially since they don't always mean a whole lot in the specific case of Fender.

OP, the way I see it, your bass is a Precision bass. It's even a Fender Precision bass. It's even an American Fender Precision bass. But, it did not come from the factory. That's all 100% true. No exaggeration, no omission. If you ever sell it, say that it's a 100% American Fender bass, not built in a factory, but built by you, an American, with American Fender parts. In other words, be honest.
 
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