Is it just me ?

[Gatwick1946]

I do like the traditional colours, in particular the old two colour sunburst. It was once described to me as "fagbut", i.e. the colour of a filter tip on the first of the filter cigarettes, which I think were are product/inovation of the 1950's.

I also like a nice piece of wood, finished with a light coat of oil, polish, lacquer which enhances the natural grain of the wood.
Some of the flamed maple necks I have seen lately really look the business!

Christopher

[abstamaria]

I suspect that someone who is a guitarist principally and who has kept playing, developing his own style, since the 1960s, would have tastes in guitars (and gear) that evolved also. That would be especially true of those who gigged or played professionally.

Others are interested principally in the Shadows and the vibe of the early years. They would favor the guitar and amp styles then. That would be true particularly of the born-again guitarists, who take up or resume playing much later in life. I fall in that category.

And of course there is a whole range in between. My opinion only.

Andy
PS: Most people like the cars that they saw up to their mid-20s.

[RUSSET]

[quote="dave robinson"]I feel the same as I like to see the guitars as they were back then, for me they got it right first time, though I do like black in some cases and black was one of the original finishes (eg Gene Vincent) but it only looks good if you wear the right gear to show it off. That incidentally is where the white Burns Marvin guitars look stunning.

Me too, dave. I have a particular fondness for the so called '50s' Strat in two-colour burst. It conjures the image of Buddy Holly, & when I actually saw one for the first time I loved that sort of muddy yellowness merging into the Black edges. The '60s three-colour burst was for me not quite so appealing.
Regarding Gene Vincent's Blue Caps, I haven't seen a picture of them with a Black strat. The only picture I have is with them(obviously advertising) posing with a set of new Fenders in what appears to be Sonic Blue (very pale), & the Bass player has one of the early style P.Basses, what many now refer to as a Tele Bass, because of the Tele style control panel.
I too agree that to show off your guitar properly on stage, you need to be wearing the right colour clothes, like the Shads did quite well. As you mention, a Black guitar against a dark suit is no help at all. Stage presentation is a quite important part of your live act & should be pursued. It went out of fashion in the late '60s & probably didn't come back in properly until the '80s, when certain bands began to present themselves in a 'making a statement' kind of way.

[dave robinson]

Those matching guitars that Gene Vincent and the Bluecaps had were 'Blonde' , not blue. I have a large colour picture of them on an album and you can clearly see the grain of the wood through the blonde lacquer, I like that colour too.

[cockroach]

The Bluecaps used the white Strat (Johnny Meeks)and matching P Bass after Cliff Gallup left, taking his black Duo Jet with him. Johnny really got a great Strat treble twang on stage and the later Gene Vincent recorded tracks.

By the way, if any of you chaps really detest any Fender you may own because it is black, or any other colour you hate , please send me a PM and I will gladly take them off your hands at no cost to you, and help heal your damaged artisitic sensibilities and the pain of suffering caused by your fine sensitivity to 'bad' colours.

[dave robinson]

The Bluecaps used the white Strat (Johnny Meeks)and matching P Bass after Cliff Gallup left, taking his black Duo Jet with him. Johnny really got a great Strat treble twang on stage and the later Gene Vincent recorded tracks.

By the way, if any of you chaps really detest any Fender you may own because it is black, or any other colour you hate , please send me a PM and I will gladly take them off your hands at no cost to you, and help heal your damaged artisitic sensibilities and the pain of suffering caused by your fine sensitivity to 'bad' colours.

I've just done a Google search for Gene Vincent & The Blue Caps images and found the photo of Howard Reed Jr with a black Strat. The other Strats were Blonde, not white.

[JimN]

I've just done a Google search for Gene Vincent & The Blue Caps images and found the photo of Howard Reed Jr with a black Strat. The other Strats were Blonde, not white.

All the dependable history of Fender in the 1950s mentions black being a custom-order finish, even before Custom Colors became available, so this was when the Strat was nominally available only in sunburst. The names usually quoted include California C&W player Bill Carson, as well as the Blue Caps.

[dave robinson]

I've just done a Google search for Gene Vincent & The Blue Caps images and found the photo of Howard Reed Jr with a black Strat. The other Strats were Blonde, not white.

All the dependable history of Fender in the 1950s mentions black being a custom-order finish, even before Custom Colors became available, so this was when the Strat was nominally available only in sunburst. The names usually quoted include California C&W player Bill Carson, as well as the Blue Caps.

Thanks for clearing that up Jim.

[RUSSET]

I have just looked in my copy of 'The Stratocaster Chronicles' & can confirm that Gene Vincent's Bluecaps did indeed have 'Blonde' Fenders in around '57/'58. So, yes, I agree Dave. The picture is in Black & White, but they are described as the 'Mary Kaye' model, which is pale Blonde/Grey with slightly visible grain. The picture quality is not showing the grain, but I guess that was not the purpose of the publicity photo.

Tony.

[Billyboygretsch]

This must be the model you mention