No love for the color red?

[bass.slinger]

So, I am in the market for a new four string bass and it appears red is becoming an endangered color. No American Fender Professional Series and no Music Man Sterlings or Stingrays come in red. What's up? Why do the guitars always have more color choices?

Do most bassists get sunburst instruments (a choice that is offered by pretty much all manufacturers)? Am I in the minority for what bassists want?

 

[Matthew_84]

So, I am in the market for a new four string bass and it appears red is becoming an endangered color. No American Fender Professional Series and no Music Man Sterlings or Stingrays come in red. What's up? Why do the guitars always have more color choices?

Do most bassists get sunburst instruments (a choice that is offered by pretty much all manufacturers)? Am I in the minority for what bassists want?

I will admit that plain red doesn't crack my top 10 solid colours, and I sometimes prefer natural, transparent, or burst finishes over solid finishes.

I like fiesta red, but that doesn't reach my top 5 of solids either.

 

[Dale Griffith]

So, I am in the market for a new four string bass and it appears red is becoming an endangered color. No American Fender Professional Series and no Music Man Sterlings or Stingrays come in red. What's up? Why do the guitars always have more color choices?

Do most bassists get sunburst instruments (a choice that is offered by pretty much all manufacturers)? Am I in the minority for what bassists want?

My favorite color is red and I have two reds. (Although I also really like the "Copper Fire" color of my Reverend Mercalli.) I won't have a sunburst or a tort guard.

 

[superdick2112]

I lucked out - I bought my MIA Mystic Red Precision just days before the color was discontinued.
Fender still offers candy apple red on their Standard Ps, but like you, I'm surprised they don't offer a nice red on their American Pro basses.
I dig the new Olive Green color (and really like the new Sonic Grey - wish they offered it on the P), but I'd like to see red, and maybe the return of Aztec Gold or Shoreline Gold.

 

[Minirehak 212]

Your first mistake was looking at Fender for options. I love trans red and I see plenty of red basses where I am, usually from more modern companies. With a lot of the old school companies they will usually stick bursts and other solid colors

 

[MobileHolmes]

I really like both fiesta and candy apple red. There aren't a lot of options though, it seems

 

[FantasticFour]

G&L has a few reds to offer: CAR, clear red, ruby red metallic, redburst, red metal flake and the only red I would personnally sport (along with Fiesta): Fullerton red.

 

[JIO]

'93 American Standard J - I think it was called "Lipstick Red"

 

[gillento]

Candy apple red is my favourite color with a dark fingerboard!
For a maple board I prefer black.
And I don't like burst at all

 

[dabbler]

Candy apple red is my favourite color with a dark fingerboard!
For a maple board I prefer black.
And I don't like burst at all

Oh, be more open-minded...

CAR works with any color fretboard! But then, I only own value basses, so my tastes are more, ummm common.

 

[2saddleslab]

Love my CAR.

 

[big evil robot]

Pretty sure Fender is still offering Candy Apple Red through the Mod Shop options. G&L has a bunch of reds available, and they're all really great.
Musicman dropped their Candy Apple Red last year I think, but they did a bunch of changes to the number of finishes available to shake things up a bit. I'm sure at some point they'll bring some of their classic red finishes back - they always had an awesome trans red as well.
D. Lakin is putting out a pretty solid Candy Apple Red on most of their basses as well

 

[Gorn]

'93 American Standard J - I think it was called "Lipstick Red"

Isn't that a long horn? Not an American Standard?

 

[Ghastly]

Red will be back in the Fender lineup in another year or two. Just long enough for folks to complain about not having it. It's anchored too much in Fender history to drop red for too long, IMHO.

 

[pudge]

Been a while since I've had a red bass.I picked this one up here out of the classifieds.Fiesta red is one of my favs

 

[micguy]

I have a couple basses with reddish tinit or stain, but as I like my basses to have some evidence of the wood they're made of, I'm not a fan of opaque colors, so.....I'm kind of a no and yes vote for red at the same time. My car is red (and not made of wood) if that helps.

 

[boynamedsuse]

Some people like "coffee table" basses, some like "automotive colors" (like red). To each his own. Red is my favorite color in general for guitars and basses--but even so I can't stand some shades of red (go figure). Part of it may be based on how it looks under the lights on stage.

 

[bholder]

I like Red.

 

[Fletz]

My first "pro" bass was a 1993 Fender American Jazz in CAR. The neck warped ... long story ... but I am forever on the hunt for that same bass ... Now two of my basses are black and one is blue.

 

[Thumb n Fingers]

Personally, I dig red basses. I have a translucent red '98 Fender American Deluxe Jazz that is absolutely beautiful. I have a very old custom made (local luthier) metallic translucent red bass. I just picked up a new Fender P-Bass in the 3 tone burst, but if they had red available, I'd have been all over it. The other bass I own is a cream color with off-white pickups...affectionately dubbed by my cohorts as "Butter". I've been tempted over the years to paint it red.