FUQ (eff -yu - cue) - FAQ's with an EDGE

Tagged As: Fender Decal Guitar

Question:
What's the deal with Fender headstock decals? Are there counterfeits or originals available?

Answer:
Both There's usually an ad in the back of Vintage Guitar Magazine for a guy who sells reproductions of the Fender decals, and I've seen what were touted as NOS original decals at guitar shows. Either way is expensive... Stay clear of the NOS decals...if they are real NOS the have this annoying way of disintegrating as soon as they hit water. You might also look at the Vintage Guitar web site under free classifieds.  The counterfeits are more usually found there since the seller is harder for Fender to track down. It's really quite simple. If you get a decal from Fender Directly, it's an Original. If you get a decal from Any Other Source, it's Not! Now, depending on the supplied supporting documentation on authenticity by the guitar show salesman, Internet/Magazine/Newsletter Ads, or con-artist, you can in your our mind think that they are Originals.   However, I'd call them Original Counterfeits!!! There are laws against such things, and to think you are doing the Right thing by using them, is Wrong!!!  You made your Fender a Counterfeit Instrument! That's a bunch of Craopla!  If you need a decal, you need a decal.  If you want to get one from Fender, be prepared to wait months, and go thru tons of unnecessary bullshit with an authorized fender dealer.  I know, I went thru his when I needed a replacement neck for a Tele that was trashed in a flood. Fender wanted to make me wait 90-120 days.  I said no way, got a replacement neck, and my repairman got hold of a decal.   If you need a Fender decal, the guy in the VG classifieds for $20 each can be reached at 978-343-7113 (Mass.).   Isn't it okay if you have a Fender Strat and your head stock got messed up over time and the decal got scratched off or messed up and you need a new one?  Then isn't it okay to put a new one on? I would think so.  I know with Fender necks, if you want a new one for your guitar you have to send them your Fender neck that is beyond repair then they'll sell you one but even at that the Fender replacement neck will cost a lot.  I've never done that but I hear it can be done.   I think they used to sell the replacement necks in the stores but about 5 years ago or so they stopped doing so and required you to send them your broken neck to prove you need one, so you don't make counterfeit Fender guitars. Speaking of Crapola, why would you need a decal?  You just need a neck that can make the guitar play, right?  Or are you later going to try to pass off the guitar (which from your description, now has a no-name, knock off neck) as a real Fender job? I understood from several guitar techs that Fender has authorized Warmoth to sell Fender replacement necks AND, given proper evidence that it is a replacement, Warmoth can even provide the decal. Sure, counterfeiting is a problem but not the same problem Fender was dealing with in the 70s when the Japs were making knockoffs that were better than the CBS stuff (the beginning of the Fender Joint Stock Company in Japan).  Today the market for counterfeits in any significant numbers just doesn't exist, those few are sales between individuals, or counterfeiting vintage instruments (what fool isn't gonna authenticate a vintage before buying?).  Certainly Fender's sales volume is not the issue here. I frankly wouldn't loose too much (if any) sleep over buying an unauthorized decal if I needed one, and the $20 going price is a whole lot less than the cost of getting legit one. You can buy Fender logo decals at any guitar show for about $10. And it is a common practice to strip off Squire and other decals during 'refurbishment' and add a Fender Strat, Precision Bass, or other decal. I personally know individuals who do this on a regular basis and there are a lot of 'not quite Fenders' on the market.