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Reproduction Fender decals

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DevinF

Jun 16, 2010
105
1
#1
I understand this can be a touchy topic, but I'm an image guy (not proud of it, but it matters to me) I am also a guy on a budget, therefore I am not able to have Fender create my dream bass for me. I am curious if it is illegal or STRONGLY frowned upon to put a fender j-bass waterslide on a Warmoth neck.

Let me know, i don't want people looking down on me because i put a fender sticker on a Warmoth neck.

Thanks,
Devin:bassist:
 
#2
I suspect it may be illegal, though I'm not 100% sure.

I can tell you though that it is pretty strongly frowned upon by the community of musicians at large. I can also tell you that any decent player will know that something's fishy with the axe (unless it's a carbon-copy of a production Fender), and so in that case why bother?

I'd be much more impressed with a Warmoth as a Warmoth than with a Warmoth masquerading as a Fender... same goes for the player of that instrument.

I can understand people needing decals to replace a worn-out or damaged decal on a vintage instrument, and I can sort of understand people who put Fender logos on a licensed replacement neck (because of the hassle Fender will make you go to to get a replacement), but I think that trying to pass your custom instrument off as a Fender is a bad idea.
 
#3
But what if i lie...?

haha! just kidding.

Thanks for the input, i'm definitely gonna either get a true vintage fender neck w/ fender pickups, or just go for the Warmoth headstock decor. Or maybe just skip out on this year of college and spend the $16,000 at the Fender Custom shop....hahaha
 
#4
DevinF said:
. I am curious if it is illegal or STRONGLY frowned upon to put a fender j-bass waterslide on a Warmoth neck.:
Click to expand...

As long as you don't try to sell it as a Fender I'm pretty sure you can do whatever you want to your own property.

IMO, Warmoth has a license to make Fender parts, I don't see what's wrong with it. Other people may disagree, but it's your bass, not theirs. Personally, I'd shy away from putting a fake serial number on it.
 
#5
need4mospd said:
As long as you don't try to sell it as a Fender I'm pretty sure you can do whatever you want to your own property.
Click to expand...

I think you're correct in this...

...but personally, I'd be very, very concerned about the bandleader of That Awesome Band I Really Really Want To Play For calling me out on my not-Fender at the audition.

'Cause then I'd have to play dumb, say I bought it used, and have them think I'm a tool who doesn't know a Fender from a hole in the ground, or explain that I'm really into image, and stuck a Fender decal on my home-made axe so that people wouldn't chuckle at it. Neither option would win you much, methinks.

I vote just get a Mexican and mod it piece by piece as the cash comes available. The MIMs today are pretty darn good for the price.
 
#6
need4mospd said:
As long as you don't try to sell it as a Fender I'm pretty sure you can do whatever you want to your own property.

IMO, Warmoth has a license to make Fender parts, I don't see what's wrong with it. Other people may disagree, but it's your bass, not theirs. Personally, I'd shy away from putting a fake serial number on it.
Click to expand...

Yeeeeah... definitely not gonna put on a fake number. haha. If anything Fender goes on the headstock, i will put on the Jimi Hendrix Reverse logo. Unless it proves to be extremely undersized..which it probably will on a bass headstock.....
 
#8
I look at it like you're shoving socks in the front your pants before you go on stage. If it impresses anyone, it's for a phony reason.:scowl:

IOW, some of us will look down on it not because it's illegal/immoral/etc., but just because it's phony. YMMV
 
#9
While I can understand the purist points, but what about the guy who has a REAL Fender, neck gets snapped is left to buy a replacement neck and has a repro decal applied? The reason I ask, Fender sells repro and resto decals to their "Authorized repair centers", I have done this repair/decal hundreds of times on broken Fenders over the past 25+ years. I think on all out fakes, it's ridiculous, but in a repair/replacement on a Fender it is quite acceptable.
 
#10
The use of a Fender logo, although Fender will tell you otherwise, is not illegal if you don't try to pass the instrument as genuine or of Fender parentage.

There are places that create custom decals for you for a rather cheap price. I wuz gonna go that way on an Affinity, but - what they hey! I make them eat their words when I play it and they hear the way it sounds.

I may get a "Q-Ship" logo on it eventually, but for now it proudly states Squier Affinity on the headstock. Nah! I take it back - it stays just the way it is!
 
#13
mikeyswood said:
best-decals.com
Click to expand...

Those appear to be vinyl cut-out applications::

*
Precision die-cut decal.
*
Average durability of 5 to 7 years* .
* Easy to install.
Click to expand...

...and NOT a true 'decal' that is activated by water immersion and then slid off the paper backing.

I've worked with product like this and I don't know the advisability of clear-coating over it. They are attacked by many volatile solvents and vehicles in paints and sealers.

Be careful.
 
#14
A though I had on the moral/legal debate:

It might be legally OK to put a Fender decal on your own instrument, provided you're not going to sell it, but I'm pretty sure the guys who are actually printing and selling the decals are violating FMIC's trademark.

So if you're paying them for a decal rather than printing your own, it's a bit of a slippery slope (if you're the type of person that cares about such things, many don't)...
 
#15
drewfx said:
A though I had on the moral/legal debate:

It might be legally OK to put a Fender decal on your own instrument, provided you're not going to sell it, but I'm pretty sure the guys who are actually printing and selling the decals are violating FMIC's trademark.

So if you're paying them for a decal rather than printing your own, it's a bit of a slippery slope (if you're the type of person that cares about such things, many don't)...
Click to expand...

Well - there's a lot of stuff to consider here too.

My uncle, who is with the Treasury Department tells me it is not illegal to reproduce the US coins or bills as long as they are 1) not exactly the same size as the originals 2) not attempted to be passed as legal tender.

It's not even illegal to create a whole new denomination in paper money either, as a guy in Orlando did and made a $250.00 dollar bill with his own picture on it.

He passed it at a Taco Bell and the girl made change for it. Later that night the manager wondered IF there's such a denomination - there wasn't.

It was also NOT illegal to make a bill with no real bill being cloned and certainly if the bill had your own pix on it, it was all legal. The guy who printed it could not be charged with anything.

So - in this case - if there's just ONE small difference in the logo, then I think it falls into a black hole for Fender to make a stink over it.
 
#18
SurferJoe46 said:
It is not a humble opinion, but the right one! Stand up and be counted, as you are spot-on with that summary.
Click to expand...

It is the same principle that applies in the classic car world. Say that you take a "plain jane" classic Camaro and badge it up to be a Super Sport Camaro, Does that make it a SS Camaro? No, and You can't legaly sell it as one either because it is considered fraudulant.
 
#19
JMac4strngr said:
It is the same principle that applies in the classic car world. Say that you take a "plain jane" classic Camaro and badge it up to be a Super Sport Camaro, Does that make it a SS Camaro? No, and You can't legaly sell it as one either because it is considered fraudulant.
Click to expand...

Good point, but then there's the VIN to contend with!

If someone removes the SN from a Fender, it gets a little more complicated methinks!

This is exactly where I was going in my idea of NOT putting a Fender logo on my Squier - it didn't feel right!

Now - a unique design that may slightly resemble the Fender logo is totally OK in my book.

Something like "Frankensquier" in that Fender paintbrush script is perfectly OK - right?
 
#20
SurferJoe46 said:
Good point, but then there's the VIN to contend with!

If someone removes the SN from a Fender, it gets a little more complicated methinks!

This is exactly where I was going in my idea of NOT putting a Fender logo on my Squier - it didn't feel right!

Now - a unique design that may slightly resemble the Fender logo is totally OK in my book.

Something like "Frankensquier" in that Fender paintbrush script is perfectly OK - right?
Click to expand...


Yeah man, I say go with Frankensquier. That idea Is sweet.

I think I've made up my mind for the headstock: de copage. Or however it's spelled. All I know is a headstock with some Rolling Stone cut outs and a couple Other things will be way cooler, more personal and legal than a Fender logo. Also, it won't look cheap if I do it right.
Opinions?
 

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