Why do people put Fender decals on their aftermarket necks?

Re: Why do people put Fender decals on their aftermarket necks?

Warmoth,Allparts and Mighty Mite are all Licensed by Fender .The manufacturer has payed a fee to fender to make these Necks. That fee gets pasted on to YOU the consumer. So IMO YOU have a legal and moral right to put a fender logo on it. How ever if you attempt to defraud a buyer by claiming it's a Fender made product. you have crossed the line. . To avoid licensing fee's Tommy from USACG alters the headstock slightly.My cousin bought a USACG neck. He loved it, But hated the headstock. So I alter it with a dremel to make it closer to th original CBS Style. No Logo was placed on... Do you feel this is a crime? It's his guitar.:)
 
Re: Why do people put Fender decals on their aftermarket necks?

I alter it with a dremel to make it closer to th original CBS Style. No Logo was placed on... Do you feel this is a crime? It's his guitar.:)

Not at all, as long as its not sold as a Fender original neck.
 
Re: Why do people put Fender decals on their aftermarket necks?

I'm sure the Fender logo is trademarked....so no, you don't have the leagal or moral right to.

Correct.

So I guess it's just a vanity thing. Not that vanity is wrong - I mean, if I thought it were, then all my guitars would have clear finishes. :)

I guess I just think that a logo should have some sort of meaning beyond aesthetic value. To me, the Fender logo implies that the guitar was built by Fender. That's the point of a logo, is it not?

I agree that the headstocks do look pretty weird without a decal. I would probably make something up though.

All the above are strictly my opinions, and I don't really think anyone who disagrees with me is wrong ... except Slade, but he's wrong for so many reasons :)
 
Re: Why do people put Fender decals on their aftermarket necks?

I bring it to an art, don't I :D

I think it SHOULD be legal to sell a guitar with the logo on it on a warmoth neck... if every other part of the guitar is fender, and it truly is a replacement neck
 
Re: Why do people put Fender decals on their aftermarket necks?

I don't put anything on mine. My guitar is it's own company.:)
 
Re: Why do people put Fender decals on their aftermarket necks?

You mean like these two?
















IMG_1944.jpg
 
Re: Why do people put Fender decals on their aftermarket necks?

when i was young *lmoa* i bought such a decal from ebay.
it was a copy from the srv-strat decal, but i decided to leave the
neck of my selfbuilt strat plain.
it anyway means nothing. a good fender neck is a good fender neck,
a decal doesn't change that.
if one of my fender necks would need a repair which eliminates the original
logo, i would eventually put that decal on there.
 
Re: Why do people put Fender decals on their aftermarket necks?

Well we all seem to agree that a decal less headstock looks void. One school of thought believes it's Illegal or Immoral to put Leo's name on a headstock he designed, But not manufactured by the Fender Corp. On the other side of the coin. If you design your own logo,And put it on a the headstock that Leo designed... This could be thought pretentious by some. My feeling is.. It's your guitar. As long as your not attempting to defraud someone with a bogus part... It's all good.:) Like this one.Click for Linky PLEASE DON'T CLICK LINKY IF YOU ARE EASILY OFFENDED BY OBSCENEST!
 
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Re: Why do people put Fender decals on their aftermarket necks?

When I was building my first self-made guitar, I went through a period of thinking that I'd get a Fender decal for it. Then I figured, wait, it's not a Fender, I built it and I'm proud that I did. So I made my own decals with waterslide decal paper and my laser printer, featuring my own brand and model name (and cool looking fonts). I'm proud to have my own "company" and model names on all 3 guitars that I've built, and the decals look 100% as good as anything you would find on any guitar in the store. People always ask me about the brand and are amazed that I built the guitars (and did the decals) myself. I can totally understand how blank headstocks look empty and weird, but my thought is: be creative, put your own thing on there!
 
Re: Why do people put Fender decals on their aftermarket necks?

My warmoth has one on, came to me that way, i think it looks cool, the guitar would look cheaper without one. No-one mistakes it for a fender though, fender never made a guitar this cool!
 
Re: Why do people put Fender decals on their aftermarket necks?

You know, if people would stop playing guitars by just looking at the headstocks and started actually listening to hear if they had a good guitar or not when they were buying, I'm sure that nobody would care what you put on the headstock.
 
Re: Why do people put Fender decals on their aftermarket necks?

careful :D that line of thinking led to the wangcaster :laugh2:
 
Re: Why do people put Fender decals on their aftermarket necks?

I also believe Fender is a registered trademark. Warmoth may be licensed to make necks shaped after fender necks but is definitely not licensed to use the trademark.

One easy way to test if you are infringing the trademark is whether there is a likelihood of confusion.
 
Re: Why do people put Fender decals on their aftermarket necks?

My question is: unless you're a dirtbag who is trying to sell it as a genuine Fender, what's the point? This is especially puzzling when you consider that Warmoth and USACG necks are superior to Fender's necks in almost every respect. It's like putting a Chevy emblem on the grille of a BMW.

The look, I could make something custom which I have many times but if I want something to look more traditional I use a Fender logo. If I ever sell it I make it very clear it is an aftermarket neck.

Are they better necks? Not always from my experience with them. The nice part is getting a neck made exactly how you want it not so much of a quality difference. Fender USA necks are generally excellent.

My question is: unless you're a dirtbag who's trying to instigate something why would you ask the question like that?
 
Re: Why do people put Fender decals on their aftermarket necks?

I'm not sure if this is still the case but some 10 years ago or so, I had asked one of the reps at Fender about a logo (for my own frankenstrat). What they told me was that if I had purchased a replacement neck, key being "replacement", from another manufacturer (Warmoth, Allparts, etc.) then with proof that the guitar is actually a Fender (serial number, neck pocket stamps, etc.) then they would issue a logo for the replacement neck, but without a serial number (when the SN was part of the logo on front and not on the back).

It was so much fun talking with those folks that I never forgot that bit of info or the names. Our local rep was Jerry and Star was a rep I talked to on the phone when placing some orders if Jerry wasn't around.

BTW...Franky has no logo. ;)
 
Re: Why do people put Fender decals on their aftermarket necks?

I see pics sometimes of guitars with Warmoth, USACG, Mighty Mite, etc. necks where someone has put a Fender decal on it. Fender does not just hand out headstock decals to the general public, so I have to assume these people are fabricating them somehow.

My question is: unless you're a dirtbag who is trying to sell it as a genuine Fender, what's the point? This is especially puzzling when you consider that Warmoth and USACG necks are superior to Fender's necks in almost every respect. It's like putting a Chevy emblem on the grille of a BMW.

I don't think Warmoth or USA make necks as good as Fender, and I don't think anyone is trying to fool anyone either. Warmoth and USA as well as other Fender licenced Companies clearly mark all the necks they make at the Heel. It may look like a Fender with the Logo, but it ain't. I have a Warmoth neck on a Strat and it has a Fender Logo on it. I like it that way, its that simple. If I could have found a Fender neck the way I wanted it I would have bought it.......... So I made it my way! I am also building a New Strat, should be done by the end of April. This will also have a Fender logo on it. But if anyone were to take it apart they would know very quickly that its not a Fender. As I said before in my case I am not trying to decieve anyone. I like the Fender Logo on my guitars thats all!:)
 
Re: Why do people put Fender decals on their aftermarket necks?

My question is: unless you're a dirtbag who's trying to instigate something why would you ask the question like that?

Because I'm a bitter, bitter man with nothing better to do than offend people with Fender decals on their aftermarket necks. Is that the answer you were looking for?
 
Re: Why do people put Fender decals on their aftermarket necks?

Bluedave said it very well, and Wattage has a great point also.

The neck I bought is stamped on the heel.."Warmoth, Lic by agreement from Fender", so no chance that someone will mistake it for a Fender. The body I bought also says Lic under agreement from Fender. When and if I ever decide to sell it, I'll clearly state where the parts came from and that it's not "built" by Fender. I also have no illusions that it will hold it's value like a "built by Fender" guitar will.

I like the look, the decals are easy enough to come by, and I like the look. Did I mention I like the way it looks?

Also, I do think my neck from Warmoth, my body from Musikraft, my hardware from Callaham, my pickups from SD and my nitro finish from KCMguitars for right at $1000 total cost is far superior to anything Fender could build/assemble for anywhere close to that pricetag. If you really stop to think about it...it's sad. Fender should be able to whoop anyone's arse when it comes to building a strat....dollar for dollar. I'm not talking about Custom Shop guitars...unless they start selling those for $1000.
 
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