New Color for Fender 2013

[Red_Merkin]

Originally Posted by Spectrum

"Blue makes it look cheap, like a Squier!"

Wow, truly TB is a gear snob site if ever there was one.

Not really, most of us are cool. There's just a moderately-sized contingent of extremely vocal cork-sniffers out there.

I don't see what the big deal about the colors is, they seem to have a great variety:

3 Tone Burst and Olympic White w/ Tort guards - Classic.

Black - almost required as an option.

Jade Pearl and Charcoal Frost - very cool, subtle and understated.

Candy Cola - Growing on me. Again, very subtle like the Jade and Charcoal, but in a warmer hue.

Mystic Red and Blue - Brighter and louder colors, the blue doesn't work for me personally, but I think the red is great and has a nice Joe Osborn vibe to it.

All available with your choice of finger board. And we haven't even mentioned all the different new models introduced over the last few years: the Pawn Shops, Modern Players, Blacktops, Road-Worns, Classic Vibes, three new configurations of Telecaster basses, the reverse Jaguar, etc. and all the colors those are available in.

Fender has no problem with variety, but some people just like to bag on Fender like it's their hobby.

If anything, I'd like to see some of the more rare custom colors make a comeback (surf green, burgundy mist, the wallpaper finishes, etc.), but I won't sit here and try to convince anyone that Fender lacks variety, or doesn't know how to run the multi-million dollar company they've built.

/rant

[benc]

Mystic Blue, assigned color number 95, appears to simply be a renaming of Chrome Blue, also number 95. Chrome Blue was introduced around 2002 on the American Series Statocaster HH model. The new Mystic Blue and the old Chrome Blue look identical in photos and they share the same color number (95).

It is not unusual for Fender to rename colors. Lipstick Red (15) was an option on American Standard basses in 1995 and discontinued by 1996. It was still available on Strat Plus models until about 1997, then it disappeared. In the summer of 2000, color number 15 resurfaced as Hot Rod Red. Again, Lipstick Red and Hot Rod Red share the same number (15) and are indistinguishable in photos. More examples of color renaming include (23) Pearl White to (23) Olympic Pearl, (25) Crimson Red Metallic to (25) Chrome Red, and (87) Electric Blue to (87) Electron Blue.

There are other cases where a discontinued color number is recycled and used for a similar color. Sage Green Metallic (19) and Jade Pearl Metallic (19) spring to mind. There are other examples to be sure.

Of course, there are also instances where a color number is recycled for use on a completely different color than its predecessor. Color number 94, assigned to the new Mystic Red, was previously assigned to (94) Purple Transparent.

Confusing? Yep. Researching Fender Colors and their evolution is fascinating and fun for research nerds and Fender fans like me, though. I’m happy to see some colors added to the American Standards. Before Jade Pearl came out earlier this year, there were no color changes since 2008.

Ben

[SolarMan]

Who do you think picked this color?

The Fender Executive team? The Custom shop guys? An agency that "analyzed" data? A survey of all the employees kids?

Really, who at Fender is responsible for this?

[benc]

To further illustrate my post above, here is (95) Chrome Blue as it appears in the 2003 Frontline Extra:

[ggvicviper]

Originally Posted by SolarMan

Who do you think picked this color?

The Fender Executive team? The Custom shop guys? An agency that "analyzed" data? A survey of all the employees kids?

Really, who at Fender is responsible for this?

Why are you so outraged? It's no big deal - just a color.

[benc]

Originally Posted by SolarMan

Who do you think picked this color?

The Fender Executive team? The Custom shop guys? An agency that "analyzed" data? A survey of all the employees kids?

Really, who at Fender is responsible for this?

The Fender R&D team. I bet it's not as complicated as we may think. They probably just decided there hasn't been a blue model in the line for a while and it was time. The red is a mystery, though. My hunch is Candy Cola is on the way out.

[lizardwizard28]

I'd really like to see candy or metallic orange or candy apple green

[SolarMan]

Originally Posted by ggvicviper

Why are you so outraged? It's no big deal - just a color.

I was trying to be funny, so I'll mark this as a fail. (Hey, I thought we shared a similar sense of humor?? )

My sense of humor must be getting really warped because I have been cracking myself up by taking this to the extreme; as if some crime is being committed.

I also have a new name for this color: "Bloo" (as in Goo.)

[StrangerDanger]

Originally Posted by benc

Mystic Blue, assigned color number 95, appears to simply be a renaming of Chrome Blue, also number 95. Chrome Blue was introduced around 2002 on the American Series Statocaster HH model. The new Mystic Blue and the old Chrome Blue look identical in photos and they share the same color number (95).

It is not unusual for Fender to rename colors. Lipstick Red (15) was an option on American Standard basses in 1995 and discontinued by 1996. It was still available on Strat Plus models until about 1997, then it disappeared. In the summer of 2000, color number 15 resurfaced as Hot Rod Red. Again, Lipstick Red and Hot Rod Red share the same number (15) and are indistinguishable in photos. More examples of color renaming include (23) Pearl White to (23) Olympic Pearl, (25) Crimson Red Metallic to (25) Chrome Red, and (87) Electric Blue to (87) Electron Blue.

There are other cases where a discontinued color number is recycled and used for a similar color. Sage Green Metallic (19) and Jade Pearl Metallic (19) spring to mind. There are other examples to be sure.

Of course, there are also instances where a color number is recycled for use on a completely different color than its predecessor. Color number 94, assigned to the new Mystic Red, was previously assigned to (94) Purple Transparent.Confusing? Yep. Researching Fender Colors and their evolution is fascinating and fun for research nerds and Fender fans like me, though. I’m happy to see some colors added to the American Standards. Before Jade Pearl came out earlier this year, there were no color changes since 2008.

Ben

Purple transparent would be
AWESOME!

[Big Mike Ipp]

Originally Posted by benc

Mystic Blue, assigned color number 95, appears to simply be a renaming of Chrome Blue, also number 95. Chrome Blue was introduced around 2002 on the American Series Statocaster HH model. The new Mystic Blue and the old Chrome Blue look identical in photos and they share the same color number (95).

It is not unusual for Fender to rename colors. Lipstick Red (15) was an option on American Standard basses in 1995 and discontinued by 1996. It was still available on Strat Plus models until about 1997, then it disappeared. In the summer of 2000, color number 15 resurfaced as Hot Rod Red. Again, Lipstick Red and Hot Rod Red share the same number (15) and are indistinguishable in photos. More examples of color renaming include (23) Pearl White to (23) Olympic Pearl, (25) Crimson Red Metallic to (25) Chrome Red, and (87) Electric Blue to (87) Electron Blue.

There are other cases where a discontinued color number is recycled and used for a similar color. Sage Green Metallic (19) and Jade Pearl Metallic (19) spring to mind. There are other examples to be sure.

Of course, there are also instances where a color number is recycled for use on a completely different color than its predecessor. Color number 94, assigned to the new Mystic Red, was previously assigned to (94) Purple Transparent.

Confusing? Yep. Researching Fender Colors and their evolution is fascinating and fun for research nerds and Fender fans like me, though. I’m happy to see some colors added to the American Standards. Before Jade Pearl came out earlier this year, there were no color changes since 2008.

Ben

I like what you had to say, nice post!

[benc]

Originally Posted by Big Mike Ipp

I like what you had to say, nice post!

Thanks, brother.

[Pet Sounds]

Thanks, benc. I also was thinking Mystic Blue looks a lot like Chrome Blue, if not identical.
Does anybody have the ability to compare Sage Green and Jade? I think the Jade is a little different from Sage, but I can't swear to it. Knowing that they share the same number (19) makes me doubt my recollection of Sage.

[Joshua Alexander]

Originally Posted by Shadi

Bring back sherwood green!!!!

+1!

[bluesblaster]

one sherwood green P bass with a jazz neck please, hold the fancy bridges and electronic thingamajigs.

[ggvicviper]

Originally Posted by SolarMan

I was trying to be funny, so I'll mark this as a fail. (Hey, I thought we shared a similar sense of humor?? )

My sense of humor must be getting really warped because I have been cracking myself up by taking this to the extreme; as if some crime is being committed.

I also have a new name for this color: "Bloo" (as in Goo.)

Reminds me of this Seinfeld episode: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O27RzZEOkeA

Anyway, no biggie. However, with the goo comment, I do now wonder how a bright green goo P bass with a black pickguard would look like...

[Nobody]

Fender is awesome! I seriously doubt that any other manufacturer of any product in the world could generate so much discussion by simply adding red and blue as options to products that have remained largely unchanged for half a century. I don't personally get the excitement but kudos to Fender for their marketing genius.

[sneha1965]

Anyone notice both Ford and Honda are offering similar colors to Mystic Blue and Mystic Red? Honda calls theirs "Still Night Pearl" and "San Marino Red" while Ford has "Deep Impact Blue" and "RubyRed" respectively. It appears Fender is sticking to their history and is choosing car colors for their instruments much like they did in the 60's.

[Spectrum]

I still say blue is beautiful. I like my VM Jag in black, but Sapphire Blue Transparent is more fitting for a Jaguar.

[EagleMoon]

Honda's tiger eye pearl color would look really nice on a bass, IMO.

[ggvicviper]

Originally Posted by EagleMoon

Honda's tiger eye pearl color would look really nice on a bass, IMO.

I have that same accord in guess what color? Blue.