Why are Fender US colours so shite?

jeztone2

Looking around at Strats while I’ve been in quarantine & aside from the Khaki Olive American Professional. The colours on US Strats are Bloody awful. I mean die of boredom awful. 

Meanwhile Fender Japan do the hybrid range in classic colours. Candy hues and stuff.  On the Ishibashi website there’s a Sherwood Green metallic Strat in both HSS and an SSS one with a black scratch plate. I’m practically creaming my pants looking at them. 

Fender wonder why guitar sales are down & is it because the colours on offer are just dull? 

robgilmo

They seem to be pushing the ''classic'' ''vintage'' ''no modern guitars'' sales from way back that I can remember. You are right, it gets boring.

stickyfiddle

With 50+ years of sales history to look at, I'm guessing that custom colours sell significantly less than black, white sunburst and CAR. So they can save the customs for special runs and charge extra for the "limited edition" factor. 

barnstorm

Across the whole standard-production USA range there are always a few colours that I like – at the moment Inca Silver, Surf Green, Sonic Blue, Daphne Blue. They just seem to do their best to make sure the colours I like are paired with a load of features I don't…

Sassafras

Apparently white guitars sound best.

rlw

Sassafras said:

Apparently  olympic white guitars sound best.

FTFY

HAL9000

barnstorm said:

Across the whole standard-production USA range there are always a few colours that I like – at the moment Inca Silver, Surf Green, Sonic Blue, Daphne Blue. They just seem to do their best to make sure the colours I like are paired with a load of features I don't…

This is so true. Huge variety of Strats in particular but I can’t find one which combines the features I actually want. To be fair some do come pretty close though.

crunchman

HAL9000 said:

barnstorm said:

Across the whole standard-production USA range there are always a few colours that I like – at the moment Inca Silver, Surf Green, Sonic Blue, Daphne Blue. They just seem to do their best to make sure the colours I like are paired with a load of features I don't…

This is so true. Huge variety of Strats in particular but I can’t find one which combines the features I actually want. To be fair some do come pretty close though.

It's deliberate.  They want you to shell out for a Custom Shop.

tone1

rlw said:

Sassafras said:

Apparently olympic white guitars with tortoiseshell guard sound best.

FTFY

FTFY....

King85

stickyfiddle said:

With 50+ years of sales history to look at, I'm guessing that custom colours sell significantly less than black, white sunburst and CAR. So they can save the customs for special runs and charge extra for the "limited edition" factor. 

Which to me is mental. I couldn't imagine ever buying a plain white or black personally but I suppose variety is what makes the world interesting.

barnstorm

crunchman said:

HAL9000 said:

barnstorm said:

Across the whole standard-production USA range there are always a few colours that I like – at the moment Inca Silver, Surf Green, Sonic Blue, Daphne Blue. They just seem to do their best to make sure the colours I like are paired with a load of features I don't…

This is so true. Huge variety of Strats in particular but I can’t find one which combines the features I actually want. To be fair some do come pretty close though.

It's deliberate.  They want you to shell out for a Custom Shop.

That's often said, but it's a bad business plan if my spending (or lack thereof) in recent years is any indication!

impmann

It has always been that way. The proliferation of custom colours on "vintage" guitars is not a reflection of what was available.

Most people seem to want black, white, red or pooburst. Its "traditional". From experience in shops, the unusual colours can be a pita to sell - for example back in the early 90s, the shop I worked in sold a lot of US Standard strats... mainly in red, black or sunburst. We had a midnight blue and a caribbean mist example... couldn't sell them. I ended up with the CM one. 

RonnieHotdogs

agreed and lack of matching headstocks compared to Japanese drives me nuts

RonnieHotdogs

HAL9000

I think in the US Fender do something online called Mod Shop where you can specify colour, neck, pickups, scratchplate, tuners, etc. Admittedly the choice of each is fairly limited but it does at least allow for some combining of bits you like...

https://shop.fender.com/en-GB/mod-shop/?rl=en_US

As as far as I know it’s not available this side of the pond. I could be wrong though @MattFGBI ?

JezWynd

Fender would dip them in chocolate for you if they thought they could squeeze another dollar out of the same old designs.

crunchman

barnstorm said:

crunchman said:

HAL9000 said:

barnstorm said:

Across the whole standard-production USA range there are always a few colours that I like – at the moment Inca Silver, Surf Green, Sonic Blue, Daphne Blue. They just seem to do their best to make sure the colours I like are paired with a load of features I don't…

This is so true. Huge variety of Strats in particular but I can’t find one which combines the features I actually want. To be fair some do come pretty close though.

It's deliberate.  They want you to shell out for a Custom Shop.

That's often said, but it's a bad business plan if my spending (or lack thereof) in recent years is any indication!

On the other hand, if I could get a Classic Series (or the latest marketing guff name for it) in a nitro finish in a good colour, I wouldn't go near anything made in the US.

Wazmeister

crunchman said:

HAL9000 said:

barnstorm said:

Across the whole standard-production USA range there are always a few colours that I like – at the moment Inca Silver, Surf Green, Sonic Blue, Daphne Blue. They just seem to do their best to make sure the colours I like are paired with a load of features I don't…

This is so true. Huge variety of Strats in particular but I can’t find one which combines the features I actually want. To be fair some do come pretty close though.

It's deliberate.  They want you to shell out for a Custom Shop.

Bingo.

Most desirable colours (or colors) are high end models.

UnclePsychosis

There is no guitar more dull than a black strat. Although sunburst runs it pretty damn close. 

stickyfiddle

crunchman said:

barnstorm said:

crunchman said:

HAL9000 said:

barnstorm said:

Across the whole standard-production USA range there are always a few colours that I like – at the moment Inca Silver, Surf Green, Sonic Blue, Daphne Blue. They just seem to do their best to make sure the colours I like are paired with a load of features I don't…

This is so true. Huge variety of Strats in particular but I can’t find one which combines the features I actually want. To be fair some do come pretty close though.

It's deliberate.  They want you to shell out for a Custom Shop.

That's often said, but it's a bad business plan if my spending (or lack thereof) in recent years is any indication!

On the other hand, if I could get a Classic Series (or the latest marketing guff name for it) in a nitro finish in a good colour, I wouldn't go near anything made in the US.

Yeah this. I wonder if that's why the stopped the lacquered classic series - most likely it was cannibalising from people who would have bought an AVRI/AV/Original

Bellycaster

On a Strat, I now prefer simple colours like Olympic White, Aged White, Aged Natural, Black and Sunburst, maybe Fiesta Red at a Push. I've gone off most of the Pastel shade ones and the Vibrant colour ones.

It's also not just enough to like the Colour of the Body, the Body Colour needs to have the correct appointments to catch one's eye.

For Example:

A Black Strat with a pale Maple Neck/Board and Brilliant White Plastic/Pick Ups is something I could not love.

A Black Strat with a Tort Guard and a R.W Board and the correct shade of aged plastic/pick ups, now we're talkin'.

Same for the Whites and the Bursts, they have to have the right appointments for individual taste.

I have 2 Teles in colours that I love, those Being, Crimson Transparent(Ash Grain) and Ice Blue Metallic. I would never want those colours on a Strat.