Fender Decals

jagsonic · Post by **jagsonic** » Thu Dec 19, 2013 9:50 am

I've bought a strat neck with a big headstock and a transision logo on it. It's a replacementneck with a faked logo (i think). It has a roman type stratocaster script. I've never seen this on a fender. Is there any website for a fender logo decal history?

Dave · Post by **Dave** » Thu Dec 19, 2013 10:15 am

There's something funky going on behind that nut or is it a maple cap?

jagsonic · Post by **jagsonic** » Thu Dec 19, 2013 10:41 am

It's not a onepiece maple neck. It has a glued maple fretboard... Not made by a masterbuilder

But it is only cosmetic. ... and the photo has a bad angle

Bacchus · Post by **Bacchus** » Thu Dec 19, 2013 11:15 am

Whole thing looks a wee bit servicemanish to me. I like it.

NickS · Post by **NickS** » Thu Dec 19, 2013 12:24 pm

What date is on the neck?
This is my '73.

When I bought it in December 1973 the shop also gave me a decal that had the "With synchronized tremolo", I don't know why it wasn't fitted with a neck with that decal in the first place.

jagsonic · Post by **jagsonic** » Thu Dec 19, 2013 1:43 pm

There's no stamp on it, it's a replacement part...

But look on your decal. The word "STRATOCASTER" is written in a bold non-serif-font (like arial). On my headstock the word "STRATOCASTER" is written in a font with serifes (like times).

Are there any strats made by fender with a serifes-font "STRATOCASTER" ?

HNB · Post by **HNB** » Thu Dec 19, 2013 4:09 pm

Not that I have seen. Fender almost always uses sans-serrif fonts like Arial and such.

NickS · Post by **NickS** » Thu Dec 19, 2013 5:21 pm

Good info about dating genuine Fender necks here.
Some info about decals and examples too.

avj · Post by **avj** » Thu Dec 19, 2013 6:06 pm

To be more specific/pedantic, the sans-serif font used for the STRATOCASTER type on Nick's headstock is Univers in what seems to be the 67 Oblique flavor like other decals of that era. Jagsonic's headstock, if truly from the '70s, looks to be using a Clarendon variant for STRATOCASTER with some slight detail lost in the print process.

I've certainly never seen legitimate Fender decals using a serif font for the name. All of the post-'70s decals appear to use Futura for the most part.

Dillon · Post by **Dillon** » Thu Dec 19, 2013 7:44 pm

The "stratocaster" portion of it looks to just be standard block-type decals you can get from any hobby store. But if that's the case, they sure did a good job putting the individual letters on.

61fury · Post by **61fury** » Fri Dec 20, 2013 3:33 am

I like the Roman type, it adds a touch of class.

DGNR8 · Post by **DGNR8** » Sat Dec 21, 2013 1:58 am

Could also have been a repair.

The only serifs I can think of are an older italic version of JAZZ BASS and another for PRECISION BASS. It's an odd choice. I don't think of the bass as a formal instrument, but it does have a classical tradition.

Coronado has a cursive with serif elements, and all the roman numerals are stylized serifs. All Fenders have a sans serif feel. But that is also mid-century modern. Now Rickerbackerâ€”those are some serif using motherfuckers. That serif extends from the R all the way through. it's missing on the tops of the tall letters, but added on the e.

Not Gibson, Guild, nor Gretsch. The inlay probably made it difficult. The original BC Rich R was a serif. Burny is slightly, and DiPinto on the D. Mosrite may be the king of the serif. I remember seeing a Mosrite once in the 70s, and I thought the typeface was an odd choice. I didn't even know what a typeface was back then. Not until Letraset and later the Mac.

J0K1 · Post by **J0K1** » Sat Dec 21, 2013 2:45 pm

That neck is fake.

stewart · Post by **stewart** » Sat Dec 21, 2013 4:54 pm

i think he knows.

jagsonic wrote:it's a replacement part...

J0K1 · Post by **J0K1** » Sun Dec 22, 2013 11:21 am

Well the decal is also fake, not made by Fender.

jagsonic · Post by **jagsonic** » Wed Dec 25, 2013 7:06 pm

Well, i know... the question was if there was any fender decal LIKE this.