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NBD (a build) "Big Butter"
- Thread starter bassdude51
- Start date
I didn't put a Fender logo on my Warmoth build because it's better than a Fender. 
I guess to answer that question, "does it play like buttah?"...........it's a matter of opinion. I like the Allparts neck because it is chunky. It is 1 inch thick at fret #12 and it is .92 of an inch thick at the nut. The nut is 1 & 5/8" wide. So, it is 1/8" wider than a Jazz neck but about 1/16" to 1/8" narrower than a P neck. I like that.
The Rio Grande Vintage J pickups are about 15% ohm hotter than stock Fender J pickups but they still maintain a "vintage like" sound.
The strings are NOS Fender flats 100 - 45 and they need some time to "tame down" before I can judge the sound and tone of this bass. So far, it's got great low end and the open E is earth shaking. Seems a bit strong on the high end but that's what the tone control is for. Nice mids like they should be. The Rios don't sound as good as Aero Type 1, which are my favorite J pickup ($200 OUCH!)
I'm sorry to all who are upset about the fake decal. These are easily bought on the internet and I'm sure Fender could shut 'em down if they wanted too. The decals are actually better than the ones Fender now puts on it's AVRI models but they are not as good as the ones the Custom Shop uses and these aftermarket decals are no where near as accurate as pre-CBS decals. A tip off.
These after market decals have to be hand cut with scissors and a razor blade and it is very difficult to do and it sucks doing it. And the hand cut job SHOWS! A big tip off that it is not a real Fender.
Also, as one TBer said, Fender has not made a P Bass with with Jazz Bass pickups. At least not yet. I personally like Precision Bass body for EVERYTHING!
My decal is is for a 1962 P Bass. Another tip off this is not a Fender. There were no all maple 1962 P necks made by Fender
The body is stamped Warmoth and the neck is stamped Allparts. The biggest tip off this is not a real Fender.
As for a custom decal, like "Buttah" or "Bassdude51" or "CWebb" or "Kick Axe" or "Kick A-s" or whatever...............I'd love to have a custom decal but I don't know how to acquire them and if down the road I ever want to sell this thing, either whole or parts..................who'd want the neck with a personal goofy custom decal.
As for ever trying to sell this bass off as a real Fender..................I have higher ethics than that!
And, I guess by accident, I nicked named this bass "Big Butter" because of the butterscotch blond finish kind of makes the bass like like a big stick of butter.........at least to me. I didn't give it's name based on how it plays or sounds.
For me to assemble a bass takes many, many hours. I get obsessed shooting for perfection. Cutting the bone nut, perfect alignment, tuners drilled in place perfectly. Just many, many things.
Based on my time, this bass is ridiculously expensive. If I ever sold it, I would loose big time and could have made more money using that time to work at Burger King. But, it was fun and I am retired and it feels good to make a bass for under $1,000 that is up there with $2,000 and more instruments.
Man! I love all of your guys (and gals) at Talk Bass! Thanks to all of you for your interest and comments. Both good and bad.
Oh yeah, to the guy who asked, "does it sound like a Jazz Bass?" IT DOES! ha ha ha
DiabolusInMusic
Functionless Art is Merely Tolerated Vandalism
Yeah and Rickenbacker could easily just shut down all the counterfeiters, it's clearly their fault for letting this continue... I mean, if you are going to defend using the Fender logo because it is so easily available you cannot use a defense of "its too hard to get a custom label." You could've easily contacted somebody printing counterfeit Fender logos and asked "will you make my XXX logo."
While you may not sell this bass as something it isn't. You like building more than playing, we all know damn well this bass will be sold at one point. While you will (hopefully) disclose that it is a fake to the buyer that guy may sell it to the next person without telling them. And to say "you can easily tell it is a Fender if you take it apart" is just ridiculous. You have been here long enough to know that counterfeit Fenders are a serious issue and plenty of TBers have been burnt by them, why would you put another one out there?
Are you still going to feel the same about this decal if the bass did come back to TB with somebody thinking they bought a Fender (for a premium no less.)
Nice bass. Sorry so many people have to pee on something you worked so hard on.
Good Lord: give the guy a break!!! He's just so happy for his own build! In addition, just to add gas on the fire, there was a time in the past (waaay back!) in which on the LP back cover, as musicians credits there was written: "Keyboards XX, Guitars ZZ, Fender bass YY..." despite the bass actually used!!! Bassdude51: you made good. You made real good. My compliments and enjoy your bass.
"It plays like I can't believe it's not butter" would have been the correct response.
I'm thinking a comment is enough to show your feelings. Some of these tirades are verging on personal attacks which are against the rules as I understand them. PS. Love the bass!
Very nice.
I love the P body with J pickups combo.
Big Butter's cousin moved in with me last year.
(Warmoth ash P body & maple J neck, vintage tint, Dimarzio Area J pickups, Gotoh vintage tuners, Fender vintage bridge).
He rooms with his 2 older Warmoth brothers, PJ and JJ.
I love the P body with J pickups combo.
Big Butter's cousin moved in with me last year.
(Warmoth ash P body & maple J neck, vintage tint, Dimarzio Area J pickups, Gotoh vintage tuners, Fender vintage bridge).
He rooms with his 2 older Warmoth brothers, PJ and JJ.
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First of all the bass looks great, it really does. Earlier this week I thought about how I'd like to have a yellow/butter bass and this one looks very good.
About the decal. I too am against using "fake" decals. I'm against it on two levels. First I don't get it. I just don't get why would anyone do that. I know people who get Squiers and imidiately replace the decal with a Fender one. Either becuase they'd rather be seen with a higher end instrument, to not be looked down upon, to get better gigs, etc, etc. It all feels so bad to me. Your bass is fake than you're being fake as a person, it's not right. I'd rather carry cheapo with it's real brand logo than using anything better with a fake logo.
And second, by putting a fake decal you'r building a counterfeit item. In my opinion it's an irresponsible act. And probably against mosrt local laws.
Am sorry if these posts about the decal are making the OP feel bad. That was not the intention in case his intentions were honest. However I too agree TalkBass should have something to say about this subject.
About the decal. I too am against using "fake" decals. I'm against it on two levels. First I don't get it. I just don't get why would anyone do that. I know people who get Squiers and imidiately replace the decal with a Fender one. Either becuase they'd rather be seen with a higher end instrument, to not be looked down upon, to get better gigs, etc, etc. It all feels so bad to me. Your bass is fake than you're being fake as a person, it's not right. I'd rather carry cheapo with it's real brand logo than using anything better with a fake logo.
And second, by putting a fake decal you'r building a counterfeit item. In my opinion it's an irresponsible act. And probably against mosrt local laws.
Am sorry if these posts about the decal are making the OP feel bad. That was not the intention in case his intentions were honest. However I too agree TalkBass should have something to say about this subject.
To each his own. If I would have a Squier, I would NOT put a Fender decal, there, personally. Nevertheless, I assembled me two jazzes made by parts and put a Fender decal on those headstocks. Why?
- Because when I have a bass composed by a Fender jazz shaped body, a Fender jazz style neck, pickguard etc., looking at that naked headstock, having the Fender decal seems just "natural" to my eyes. And I want to have an axe that plays and also looks "right".
- Because it is not illegal. So I like that and I just do it. It is actually illegal to sell an assembled bass as if it were a real Fender. "When" and "if" one will ever do that, then he can be sued/arrested/guillotined whatever. Until then, there is simply nothing wrong with having a bass having written Fender on the headstock. And please notice that when one private player assembles his own axe, it does NOT do with the final goal of selling it, but just to enjoy it. Unless he starts an illegal business, but it is just completely another story from start. For my basses, what will happen in two or five or ten years from now, in all good faith I don't know and frankly do not care much, now. We'll see when we'll get there: I might have the guy sign a disclaimer in which he will ack the status of "copy" of the bass. But I don't have no idea to sell any of them two.
- Because I am delighted when someone approaches me and compliments on how good this Fender bass plays!!! And voilà, there it is the occasion to make a couple of good laughs together and a beer!
- If I would ever assemble a V shaped body with a Fender style neck (just to say something completely weird), I would probably put a personalised decal; there would be really no point putting Fender, as it would not be just "right" putting... Maserati too. But if I would ever assemble me a Fenderbird (John Entwistle style) I would IMMEDIATELY put a Fender decal. Why? Because it would just look "right", there. And it would be a hell of a beautiful... "historical" copy, tribute, whatever.....
about what? Honestly, just asking: about what?
My personal neglectable opinion...... (Look at this beauty below...!!!)
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...you know which would be a simple possible, viable solution for this or at least for maybe most part of it? Probably if you buy a neck already having a manufacturer decal on it, this would greatly decrease the "need to write something" up there... something Fender styled... !?!?!?
aaah! Ok! Well, if you think for a moment, Talkbass would reasonably be the last place on the whole planet where to try selling a counterfeit!!!! Twelve seconds after you post the fake for sale, everybody would scream "SCAM" really loud!!!! But, yes you're probably right: a clear statement-banner about the topic should be evident and it would costs nothing anyway.....
Consider this scenario:
My friend's wife started her own business a number of years back. She put in a lot of time, sacrifice and effort to build her business, and she kinda felt bad that her husband at many times had to take up the slack with their four children. As his 50th birthday approached she decided that she was going to do something really special for him and buy a vintage Fender Strat for him. Since she travelled a lot for her business, she kept her eye out for a 1961 Stratocaster... my friend's dream guitar. Well, she found one (through a friend of a friend of someone who knew someone.... ), skrimped and saved for months until she had enough, and paid a good chunk of money for it (she wouldn't say how much ) She gave it to him for his birthday, all happy and proud. My friend was overjoyed! What a great birthday!!! Until... a few weeks later one of his friends thought something seemed a little "off" about the '61 Strat. Upon further review and investigation it turned out to be a very nice "fake". It looked very convincing, and even the case smelled old. His wife was embarrassed and heartbroken. The whole "most awesome birthday present ever!!" was a fake.
To make a long story a bit shorter, the guitar had been passed along after the death of "an uncle in Las Vegas" through "a cousin or two" and eventually was bought by my friends wife. According to the cousin, the dead uncle apparently got it from a musician a few years back who gave him the Strat for doing some work on his car or something. Anyway, this counterfeit Strat went through several "non-experts", until it got to the "point of sale" where my friends wife bought it. No one along the way was trying to fool anyone, rip anyone off, or had any idea the guitar was a fake. His wife was eventually able to return the guitar and got her money back, but she was very lucky. It could have easily gone the other way. Everyone involved was somewhat shocked and embarrassed.
And that, is why I feel putting a fake decal on a guitar is wrong.
My friend's wife started her own business a number of years back. She put in a lot of time, sacrifice and effort to build her business, and she kinda felt bad that her husband at many times had to take up the slack with their four children. As his 50th birthday approached she decided that she was going to do something really special for him and buy a vintage Fender Strat for him. Since she travelled a lot for her business, she kept her eye out for a 1961 Stratocaster... my friend's dream guitar. Well, she found one (through a friend of a friend of someone who knew someone.... ), skrimped and saved for months until she had enough, and paid a good chunk of money for it (she wouldn't say how much ) She gave it to him for his birthday, all happy and proud. My friend was overjoyed! What a great birthday!!! Until... a few weeks later one of his friends thought something seemed a little "off" about the '61 Strat. Upon further review and investigation it turned out to be a very nice "fake". It looked very convincing, and even the case smelled old. His wife was embarrassed and heartbroken. The whole "most awesome birthday present ever!!" was a fake.
To make a long story a bit shorter, the guitar had been passed along after the death of "an uncle in Las Vegas" through "a cousin or two" and eventually was bought by my friends wife. According to the cousin, the dead uncle apparently got it from a musician a few years back who gave him the Strat for doing some work on his car or something. Anyway, this counterfeit Strat went through several "non-experts", until it got to the "point of sale" where my friends wife bought it. No one along the way was trying to fool anyone, rip anyone off, or had any idea the guitar was a fake. His wife was eventually able to return the guitar and got her money back, but she was very lucky. It could have easily gone the other way. Everyone involved was somewhat shocked and embarrassed.
And that, is why I feel putting a fake decal on a guitar is wrong.
buldog5151bass
Kibble, milkbones, and P Basses. And redheads.
Ayup. Only one example. Our almost daily "is it real" threads give plenty of more examples.
Have some fun, and come up with your own logo. I know from first hand experience, you will get more comments about your axe, and they will be positive. After hearing how good it sounds, people will be even more impressed that you build it.
Have some fun, and come up with your own logo. I know from first hand experience, you will get more comments about your axe, and they will be positive. After hearing how good it sounds, people will be even more impressed that you build it.
