SHOW YOUR DISTRESSED FINISHES!

[Dynacord]

theres a lot of stuff that looks like its not being talked about. refinished with an attempt to restore the finish underneath. once you wet sand off the refin, thats what the wear ends up looking like. binding pulled, looks to be reshaped and then refinished.

Related, here's a '62 which is said to be original Fiesta over Dakota which was oversprayed and then that top layer sanded/polished off to try to reveal the fiesta below. The Dakota looks light to me but that could be the lighting. The wear does look typical of one where someone tried to remove an overspray though.

 

[Dynacord]

BTW on that same bass, check out the level of UV fade on the pickguard when the tugbar is removed! Also looks like one of the control plate/chrome cover screws was used in place of one of the pickguard screws.

 

[JIO]

Related, here's a '62 which is said to be original Fiesta over Dakota which was oversprayed and then that top layer sanded/polished off to try to reveal the fiesta below. The Dakota looks light to me but that could be the lighting. The wear does look typical of one where someone tried to remove an overspray though.

View attachment 3773252

Fiesta red, like most all (automotive) colors Fender used appeared in a few different hues. Of course as you say, lighting does a lot to present its true hue.

Here's a late '50's T-bird in Fiesta Red. It can look anywhere between dark tomato red and pale coral. Some modern versions look nearly florescent red.

Dakota Red

 

[JIO]

BTW on that same bass, check out the level of UV fade on the pickguard when the tugbar is removed! Also looks like one of the control plate/chrome cover screws was used in place of one of the pickguard screws.

View attachment 3773266

I always wondered why Mark at Spitfire had a more orange version to choose from - now I can see he is playing off of a UV bleached pg. Pretty dramatic difference.

 

[Dynacord]

Fiesta red, like most all (automotive) colors Fender used appeared in a few different hues. Of course as you say, lighting does a lot to present its true hue.

Here's a late '50's T-bird in Fiesta Red. It can look anywhere between dark tomato red and pale coral.

View attachment 3774012
Dakota Red
View attachment 3774022

The Fiesta looks good to me. I thought the Dakota Red looked light - but then I think of Dakota as "Fire Engine red" - being under the Fiesta (white basecoat, Dakota, Fiesta). Beyond the variations when new, Fiesta further varies a lot with age and can run from pretty pinkish (pale coral - my fav) to very orange or darker tomato red as you say, given UV exposure, etc and if clear coated or not. But, yes, the reds are really hard to capture in photos. Same instrument can look totally different in different conditions.

 

[JIO]

The Fiesta looks good to me. I thought the Dakota Red looked light - but then I think of Dakota as "Fire Engine red" - being under the Fiesta (white basecoat, Dakota, Fiesta). Beyond the variations when new, Fiesta further varies a lot with age and can run from pretty pinkish (pale coral - my fav) to very orange or darker tomato red as you say, given UV exposure, etc and if clear coated or not. But, yes, the reds are really hard to capture in photos. Same instrument can look totally different in different conditions.

Red is a "fugitive" colour. From the standpoint of pigments; Reds are notoriously fugitive, which can be a challenge when painting a red subject. Some favorite colours that are fugitive include opera, alizarin crimson, anything with the word madder, or even gamboge. Look for the words “new” or “permanent” in the colours, such as new gamboge or permanent alizarin crimson.

If there's a 3-colour separation poster in a sun-drenched window, the red will vanish over time leaving it a blueish hue. Whatever "new" or "permanent" was added to the red in stop-signs obviously keeps that from happening.

 

[SJLee]

The Fiesta looks good to me. I thought the Dakota Red looked light - but then I think of Dakota as "Fire Engine red" - being under the Fiesta (white basecoat, Dakota, Fiesta). Beyond the variations when new, Fiesta further varies a lot with age and can run from pretty pinkish (pale coral - my fav) to very orange or darker tomato red as you say, given UV exposure, etc and if clear coated or not. But, yes, the reds are really hard to capture in photos. Same instrument can look totally different in different conditions.

This variation and confusion around Fiesta Red was compounded further by the guitars and basses painted in England in the early 60’s due the craze around the instrumental band The Shadows, and their use of a Fiesta Red guitar and bass.

Because there wasn’t as many Fiesta Red guitars and basses as the demand in England, they would paint their own in a version of Fiesta Red which was paler than the original from the Fender factory. This Fiesta Red was referred to in England as Salmon Pink.

 

[JIO]

This variation and confusion around Fiesta Red was compounded further by the guitars and basses painted in England in the early 60’s due the craze around the instrumental band, The Shadows and their use of a Fiesta Red guitar and bass.

Because there wasn’t as many Fiesta Red guitars and basses as the demand in England, they would paint their own in a version of Fiesta Red which was paler than the original from the Fender factory. This Fiesta Red was referred to in England as Salmon Pink.

True - but part of why their "Fiesta Red" was paler is that the poly they used degraded quickly turning into that hue from its initially higher chroma state.

Here's a really clear example of the dramatic change with exposer to UV rays. The red has completely disappeared.

Here's the back of a '64 Burns Vista Sonic in their Fiesta Red version, pretty much it's original rich hue.

And here's the front, faded to a noticeably paler version -

 

[SJLee]

Great info. Yes, my point in bringing up the English version of Fiesta Red is to point out that there are more versions of Fiesta Red than what Fender was producing which contributed to the confusion on the color.

 

[SJLee]

Speaking of Fiesta Red.

 

[JIO]

Great info. Yes, my point in bringing up the English version of Fiesta Red is to point out that there are more versions of Fiesta Red than what Fender was producing which contributed to the confusion on the color.

Yes, definitely a bit more 'salmon'. For my '63 Burns Vista Sonic refinish, I told Pat Wilkins I wanted Fender "Hot Rod Red" but in a semi-translucence. I hope that will get it to reflect the Burns red we are referring to. (less salmon, more red)

 

[God's Favorite Bass]

Speaking of Fiesta Red.

View attachment 3774394 View attachment 3774395 View attachment 3774396 View attachment 3774397

Machine gun "like" cannon engaged!

 

[SJLee]

Also here's the history on how Fiesta Red came about as told by George Fullerton.

 

[JIO]

Also here's the history on how Fiesta Red came about as told by George Fullerton.

View attachment 3774413 View attachment 3774415

Wow - that's a really great document. I'm confused though as most of Fenders colors came from the automotive industry, (what I assumed was) Fiesta Red being one of them - and yes, introed in '56 as seen on that Ford T-bird I posted. This sounds like Fender intro'd the colour and name!?! Memories are somewhat fluid/flexible... I know Carol Kaye has had some issues with this.

 

[SJLee]

Well, that still may be the case. George says he went to the paint store but that doesn’t mean he didn’t get automotive paint. So that may still be correct. I wouldn’t consider the way this statement is made that it would necessarily refute the use of automotive paint.

But yes, memories can get fuzzy the older we get.

 

[JIO]

Well, that still may be the case. George says he went to the paint store but that doesn’t mean he didn’t get automotive paint. So that may still be correct. I wouldn’t consider the way this statement is made that it would necessarily refute the use of automotive paint.

I mean, who knows... anything's possible. That's the nature of "folklore".

 

[SJLee]

Cool story bro! LOL!

 

[JIO]

Cool story bro! LOL!

for sure!

 

[SJLee]

Btw, the two photos here are part of the documentation for a 1955 Fender precision bass in Fiesta Red on Reverb right now.

Fender Precision Bass 1955 Custom Red | The Bass Shop | Reverb

 

[tflk]

Btw, the two photos here are part of the documentation for a 1955 Fender precision bass in Fiesta Red on Reverb right now.

That bass is less than a mile from my house. But - I can't go see it cause the place is closed due to the virus. When they open back up, I'm going to get down there a play that thing. Cool story!