"Vintage" TORT ought to look like ....

[Lowbrow]

... this! I am constantly surprised that even high-end re-creation instruments trend toward flat-looking brown tones and that you have to make a major investment with after-market artisans like Spitfire to get the real look.
Just sayin'.

 

[Ghastly]

Agreed.

 

[mikeswals]

Yup! It should look 3D, and like molten magma where lights and darks are at different depths.
Everyone's since the 80s looks cheap and like some kid went at a brown panel with a random paint brush.

 

[Lowbrow]

Moved to hardware & repairs? Odd. I was making comment on the materials choice in new vintage bass re-creations.

 

[Warpeg]

Spitfire

 

[Bass4ThePublic]

Check out lavaguards. $100 per guard which is pricey but not too bad when compared to spitfire.
https://www.lavaguards.com/

 

[Iridescentone]

Yeah but I'd rather have a nice brownish tort than a horrid looking "pizza red" abomination. They clash with every finish.

(not that there's anything wrong with clashing and looking horrid)

Check out this MIJ Fender Jazz. One of the prettiest 3-tone bursts ever. Gotta hand it to Fender Japan, they knew how to paint a guitar. Then, in a lapse of good taste they stuck this fugly guard on it.

 

[Bass4ThePublic]

These guys too, out of france.

 

[Killing Floor]

Almost black in some places. Red and blonde flecks. 2021 MiA. Bass is black with rosewood neck so it works. I would not call it vintage tort.

 

[Lowbrow]

Yeah but I'd rather have a nice brownish tort than a horrid looking "pizza red" abomination. They clash with every finish.

(not that there's anything wrong with clashing and looking horrid)

Check out this MIJ Fender Jazz. One of the prettiest 3-tone bursts ever. Gotta hand it to Fender Japan, they knew how to paint a guitar. Then, in a lapse of good taste they stuck this fugly guard on it.

View attachment 4729076

Definitely a little extreme. IMO most 'correct' is what Spitfire calls Bright Red/Vintage Burgundy mix color, Speckled 60s pattern.

 

[Iridescentone]

 

[RustyStringer]

Yeah but I'd rather have a nice brownish tort than a horrid looking "pizza red" abomination. They clash with every finish.

(not that there's anything wrong with clashing and looking horrid)

Check out this MIJ Fender Jazz. One of the prettiest 3-tone bursts ever. Gotta hand it to Fender Japan, they knew how to paint a guitar. Then, in a lapse of good taste they stuck this fugly guard on it.

View attachment 4729076

OOOoofff! That looks like bright red pearloid instead of tort lol

 

[andare]

After looking at the Spitfire website I'll definitely be looking into alternatives.

 

[Simon Ferocious]

Spitfire is expensive, but think about how much you can spend on random guards, trying to get the right pattern. In my case, I've spent enough money and time to have just gone straight for Spitfire, but I wanted cheaper and quicker delivery.
What I got for my request of 'red tort without much yellow' turned into an abomination:

 

[Lowbrow]

Spitfire is expensive, but think about how much you can spend on random guards, trying to get the right pattern. In my case, I've spent enough money and time to have just gone straight for Spitfire, but I wanted cheaper and quicker delivery.
What I got for my request of 'red tort without much yellow' turned into an abomination:

Well that’s definitely not what you specified!
Personally, I think it would be better if you had asked for some mushroom and pepperoni.

 

[claudel]

Here's some genuine early '60s Fender...

 

[andare]

My problem with Spitfire is not the price, it's the other stuff he talks about on his website. For similar reasons, I won't buy a pickup from a guy who sells paper-in-oil tone capacitors. Scammers and lunatics don't deserve my money.

 

[96tbird]

My problem with Spitfire is not the price, it's the other stuff he talks about on his website. For similar reasons, I won't buy a pickup from a guy who sells paper-in-oil tone capacitors. Scammers and lunatics don't deserve my money.

To be fair, PIO caps have long been a leap of faith to many people, especially our six banger friends.

anyone is susceptible to the hype.

OT, here’s my ‘61 tort. I find it hard to think that there was any thought at all put into making tort in 1961 or EVER. ITS JUST A RANDOM PROCESS. What has changed is pigments in the raw materials; we can’t expect Color’s from the materials producers to remain consistent across decades. So boutique makers have popped up and very carefully select their materials and methods and that adds up to $$$$, therefore Spitfire’s prices.

 

[andare]

To be fair, PIO caps have long been a leap of faith to many people, especially our six banger friends.

anyone is susceptible to the hype.

Yes but those who sell those caps know they are scamming people.

 

[Lowbrow]

To be fair, PIO caps have long been a leap of faith to many people, especially our six banger friends.

anyone is susceptible to the hype.

OT, here’s my ‘61 tort. I find it hard to think that there was any thought at all put into making tort in 1961 or EVER. ITS JUST A RANDOM PROCESS. What has changed is pigments in the raw materials; we can’t expect Color’s from the materials producers to remain consistent across decades. So boutique makers have popped up and very carefully select their materials and methods and that adds up to $$$$, therefore Spitfire’s prices. View attachment 4736511

Totally agree that it was a random process at the time -- and in my view worth an investment (once you get used to the sting) if it's going on either a true vintage instrument that lost its original, or one closely patterned on a vintage instrument. Me, I somewhat impatiently wait on a red/burgundy Spitfire guard for my blonde CS '59 Precision. And wait. Sigh.