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Replacement Headstock Decals

Lo-E

Lo-E

Dec 19, 2009
8,469
14,411
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Brooklyn, NY
#1
I'm restoring a '75 P-bass and I want to replace the headstock decal. Does anyone have a preferred Ebay seller that makes quality waterslide Fender decals?
There are only a few who carry the decal that's appropriate for a '75 so my options are limited, but if there's a known reliable source I'll go with them.

Thanks in advance!

NOTE: Before anybody gets uptight, this is a legit 1975 P-bass neck. I am not counterfeiting anything. I realize that all of the available decals are, in fact, counterfeit but I can't buy one from Fender so the only path forward for me to to find another source.
 
#2
I don’t know about their Fender decals but I got one from these guys for the Kay I refinished a couple of years ago that was as advertised.

guitar-restore.net

Guitar Headstock Decals and Logos and Guitar Pedal Decals and Logos

Guitar headstock logo decals and guitar effects pedal decals for restoration. Fender, Charvel, Ibanez, Jackson, Harmony, Carvin, Hondo, Guild, Gretsch, Ernie Ball, Fernandes, B.C. Rich, Dean, Washburn, Epiphone, Gibson, PRS, Les Paul, Fuzzface, ESP, EVH, G&L, Hagstrom, Kent, Hamer, H.S...
guitar-restore.net
 
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#3
I got mine in 2022 off Etsy - coincidentally for a '75 P as well. (my 1st and only waterslide)
Unfortunately; that seller/shop is not longer there.
There are others listed there if you take the time to look - But - the 1st logo I had ordered before this one - the font was "scaled" wrong and "stretched out" - so I'd watch out for that;

There use to be a source mentioned in old posts here - somebody who made the most accurate logos, but that person is no longer with us...
I don't know if there's a single better source these days...

Edit: This one looks "correct" but I didn't scrutinize it: etsy Precision Waterslide TV Logo

Good luck on the restoration!


I removed the patent #s on mine so it wouldn't be passed off as original down the road....
(but it's a full body & neck refin in clear lacquer - so that would be a pretty obvious sign already...)

1775422650293.jpeg


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1775423245952.jpeg
 
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#5
Pdaddy1978 said:
I found a guy on Etsy.
Perfect replica.
Click to expand...
J-Bass RMR said:
I got mine in 2022 off Etsy -
There are others listed there if you take the time to look
Click to expand...

I saw a number of sellers on etsy.
I’ve never ordered anything from an etsy seller. Do I need to register or create an account of some kind or just order?

I got a very good one for a ‘72 Jazz from eBay years ago but it was so long ago it no longer shows up in my purchase history and I can’t remember who the seller was.

Matt Liebenau said:
I don’t know about their Fender decals but I got one from these guys for the Kay…
Click to expand...
This looks very promising!
 
#8
Lo-E said:
I saw a number of sellers on etsy.
I’ve never ordered anything from an etsy seller. Do I need to register or create an account of some kind or just order?

I got a very good one for a ‘72 Jazz from eBay years ago but it was so long ago it no longer shows up in my purchase history and I can’t remember who the seller was.


This looks very promising!
Click to expand...
One additional point, Some seller include 2 Decals which saved my hide once or twice. I used these guys with great results. Guitar Centro
 
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#10
stevensivak said:
Slightly off topic, but is it correct that Fender uses dry transfer decals so that they do not have to put 8 layers of clear over a water based decal in order to fully hide the edges?
Click to expand...
I’m not sure what Fender does nowadays but I’m pretty sure they were still using waterslide decals in 1975. If they weren’t, a decal will get me as close as I can get; it’s really my only option now. Anybody who looks at this bass closely will know that it’s obviously a refin anyway.

When I restored my ‘72 Jazz I used a waterslide decal and several coats of lacquer and it came out great.
 
#12
stevensivak said:
Slightly off topic, but is it correct that Fender uses dry transfer decals so that they do not have to put 8 layers of clear over a water based decal in order to fully hide the edges?
Click to expand...
Fender still uses waterslide decals. (at least on US production basses)

Vintage reissues & Custom shop are applied over the lacquer (edit; when "period correct") and not clear-coated, just like the early days.

I think the practice of finishing over the decal started with the TV Logo in the late 60s - to protect that large valuable "asset" to ensure it could be seen on cbs!
Even after the switch to Polyester around that time - lacquer continued to be used on the headstocks because the Poly reacted with the waterslide.
This practice continued until they switched over to polyurethane in the 80s, i believe.


I put over a dozen coats of spray lacquer over mine over a period of several days - week; can't remember at this point - but it was pretty cool seeing the witness lines disappear for the 1st time. I let it cure for weeks before final sand and buff. - A lengthy process, but it turned out great.
 
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#14
A reproduction decal On a genuine Fender neck is not a counterfeit in my book. Ric owners are in the same boat with a lost or damaged TRC. Ric won't sell you one for any price, so its either finding an outrageously expensive real one on Ebay, or getting a repro for $5 on Aliexpress. As long as you disclose the decal is a repro in any future sale, I'm hard pressed to see any legal or ethical conundrum here.
 
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#16
J-Bass RMR said:
Fender still uses waterslide decals. (at least on US production basses)

Vintage reissues & Custom shop are applied over the laquer and not clear-coated, just like the early days.
Click to expand...

That would explain it... I saw a $3000 custom shop Strat. I wondered what was going on, as the decal was clearly a badly applied waterslde. It looked very cheap an amateur. The roughly cut outline was very clearly visible at a level that wouldn't have passed QC on a production line model. Guess we can also look forward to unstable necks, and flakey pickups in future re-issues.
 
#17
Non Fender replacement decals in come cases might be better then what Fender is using now. Example........I bought a brand new AV II '54 P Bass and the decal was not up to par! Overly thick letters which kind of touched each other. I was very disappointed!

(Excellent remarks about the 70s decals sprayed over with clear coat.)
 
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#18
IanStephenson said:
That would explain it... I saw a $3000 custom shop Strat. I wondered what was going on, as the decal was clearly a badly applied waterslde. It looked very cheap an amateur. The roughly cut outline was very clearly visible at a level that wouldn't have passed QC on a production line model. Guess we can also look forward to unstable necks, and flakey pickups in future re-issues.
Click to expand...
That's the "correct" situation on a lot of Vintage guitars and basses. They were meant to be cheap, mass produced instruments. Lacquering and sanding a water slide decal to make it dead flush was not in the production budget. I don't think Leo could have imagined how OCD this has all gotten with people paying big money for... an old bass, but there it is.
 
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#20
Depending on the particular decal, even R&F, Crox, and other highly-recommended sources don't get them 100% accurate. They might get the spaghetti logo correct, but miss on the other fonts. I wound up creating my own files and comparing them to IRL authentic examples because no one else got it exactly right. I'll let them worry about actually printing them though.
 
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