#Color candy apple red update

All other metallic Fender finishes have the color and metallic particles mixed together into a single paint unit. It was certainly the most difficult color for Fender to apply since it required an additional step of using a metallic basecoat before a translucent red color coat. It was an actual custom finished used by Fender and custom paint shops. CAR was not simply a 1960's car color used on guitars. Ĭandy Apple Red (CAR) was alleged to be Leo's favorite custom color, and hence was a very popular Fender color.

This shape is typical of Fender guitars from 19.Here's the standard story on Fender's CAR finish from GuitarHQ. There is a horizontal shadow of finish that is perpendicular to the more traditional paint stick shape. This 1968 Fender Telecaster's neck pocket shows no yellow sealer coat under the finish and a slightly different paint stick mark. Here is a 1968 Fender Telecaster with factory Bigbsy tailpiece and original Candy Apple Red Metallic finish with a slightly different neck pocket: The cavities also indicate that this Red color is the guitar's original finish.įender finished guitars differently throughout the 1960s so not every Candy Apple Red Metallic guitar will have these same features. The body underneath the pickguard does not show any signs of the factory refinish marks like 'CAR 44' or similar. The control cavities show typical overspray of the color coat as well as sharp edges. The neck pocket shows the typical paint stick mark with white undercoat and yellow sealer underneath. This is a very fine example of a 1966 Fender Jaguar in custom color Candy Apple Red Metallic showing under its pickguard, control cavities, and the neck pocket. It's important to know what a custom color should look like underneath the pickguard, in the cavities, and in the neck pocket. As a result, some sellers have refinished standard color guitars and attempted to pass them off as original. The Fender Stratocaster, Fender Telecaster, and Fender Precision Bass were among the more traditional models that did not receive matching headstocks in the 1960s even if they were finished in a custom color like Candy Apple Red.ĭemand for custom color Fender guitars with original finishes is very high among Fender guitar collectors which has driven their values up far higher than comparable guitars with standard finishes. The Fender Jaguar, Fender Jazzmaster, Fender VI, Fender Jazz Bass, and Fender Coronado guitars were all including among the guitars to receive matching headstocks if finished in a custom color from 1962-1971.

#Color candy apple red update

In 1962, Fender update the custom color finish style to include matching headstocks on some guitars but not others. Here's a different Fender red custom color: I'm happy to help authenticate and verify your guitar's finish based on more than a decade of vintage guitar experience. If you're looking for more information on your vintage Fender guitar's finish, you can contact me here to get an expert's opinion on it: Fender Guitar Appraisal . You can contact me here to sell a Fender guitar. I'm always a vintage Fender guitar buyer but I'm especially looking for those with their original finishes and especially the color option guitars. It replaced the wildly unpopular at the time color, Shell Pink, that many collectors now consider nearly unobtainable. One of the most popular colors in the 1960s wasn't introduced until 1963: Candy Apple Red Metallic.

Fender introduced a color chart in 1960 that listed color options for guitars at a 5% up charge. Some of my favorite vintage Fender guitars are the ones finished in a custom color instead of the more common standard colors.