Anyone seen a real '52 the color of the AV 52 reissue?

Bill · January 27th, 2006, 12:37 PM

I was wandering through the guitar shops on Denmark Street yesterday. (All London guitarists know this street-- next to Saint Paul's cathedral I think it's London's greatest place of worship.)

Anyways, they had a few American '52 reissues, and they all looked like they came out of a pumpkin patch. I don't remember ever seeing an original early 50's Tele body or neck the color of these reissues. The color doesn't match what I think of as NOS or how it would look after 50 years. Fender seems to bounce around on this--I seem to recall a couple of years ago them putting on fairly pale, NOS looking necks.

Is it an accurate repro and I'm just missing things? Or is it hard for Fender to get the color right in a mass produced guitar?

Mark Davis · January 27th, 2006, 12:50 PM

I have seen some 52ri's that look ok and others that looked like they were mugged by a pumpkin.

Doesnt make sense to me they cant get it even close to right.

sidneystreet · January 27th, 2006, 12:57 PM

I agree. I have played several 52 reissues over the past couple of years. NONE of them had a finish or grain pattern that was worth the big price. That is why I bought used 50's classics instead. I'm waiting until I bump into a 52 RI that looks the part before I spend that kind of money.

Bill · January 27th, 2006, 02:06 PM

Maybe someone should mail them a can of Kiwi brown shoe polish.

the velvet catfish · January 27th, 2006, 03:25 PM

Yes my 52 AVRI is more like a pumpkin than a banana.
But pumpkins are hardier than bananas and they age
better.

Lostheart · January 27th, 2006, 08:02 PM

Well, lots of complaints about the pumkin color of recent 52 RI!
Mine's from 1992 and looks pretty authentic.
Butterscotch blond all the way.
I reckon with the introduction of the Custom Shop Nocasters, Fender had to do something to make those guitars more distinguishable.
I don't think that they are not aware of the issues many Tele players have with the color of the last few years...I know for a fact that both companies and bands constantly check fan forums to see if there are complaints...too bad, though, if they don't do anything about it...

Dacious · January 27th, 2006, 09:12 PM

Seems to me Fender is damned whatever they do - ten or so years ago people on this board were slamming them for light bodies and dark necks, now it's the other way 'round.

What is 'right' anyway? The colour the old ones are today? Nothing like what they were when first painted. As Fender bought paint from more than one vendor, and mixed and painted in all weathers in tin sheds, and different bodies required different shading to cover I defy anyone to say what is right.

Heeeeere's Nancy! Pun'kincaster?

If you've ever seen a bare maple neck or one sprayed with clear nitro, it's mostly a pale straw yellow, with brown or orange tones coming from grain like a Squier neck. Same with the body - blonde probably looked like a malted banana milkshake. It's the yellowing of nitro on neck and body that gives the Blackguard look today. No two will have aged alike. Which do you pick?

FWIW I reckon the neck colour they have now is better than the fake-tan orange it used to be. The bodies are too bright a yellow new IMO, but a little player wear fixes that. New, the whole guitar including hardware is too bright and shiny. Why Fender and others give you lived in look with 'relics' I guess.

End of the day, the AV52 is a mass-produced representation of the era. If you want 'exact duplicate' there's people who will sell you one, including Custom Shop - and charge accordingly.

the velvet catfish · January 28th, 2006, 07:29 AM

Roy was so cool.

Paul G. · January 28th, 2006, 10:27 AM

...But every one of the recent '52RI's appear to be encased in Lucite. Kinda like a mosquito trapped in amber.

I don't know if the finish really is that thick, but it looks and feels awful. I don't know what their thinking about.

Other Fender models are fine, it just seems some weird decision was made on this one, maybe a paint supplier screwed up and they're gonna use the goo anyway 'til its gone..

P.

the velvet catfish · January 28th, 2006, 02:23 PM

Is not that thick, in fact when I took the neck off
to adjust the truss rod a small piece of the finish
"lifted" with the neck leaving a small piece of bare
wood on the lower neck pocket. The finish "appears"
very thick but in reality it's not. If I turn the guitar
on it's side I can see the finish "sinking" into the grain.
I clearly see the grain pattern in mine, staring straight
at it. I like it, period correct or not. :)

Heres a shot of the neck coloring:

Heres the body:

The lighting has a lot to do with how the color appears.
I will use a blacklight and get some more "proper" pics
This is a 2005 model btw. The sticky feel goes away with use and has become quite slick.

I'm not intending for this post to persuade anyone on anything, just sharing my experience with the one I have.

JBandtheSalts · January 28th, 2006, 05:05 PM

the usa fender reissues always seem to be pretty inconsistant with how much of a tint they use, i think they shouldnt tint the necks or the bodies all that dark, i mean, in 20 years, the whole guitar will just be brown...

Telemarkman · January 28th, 2006, 06:22 PM

I've always thought that Roy's "Nancy" was almost as
orange as my 52RI - I guess he must have been rather
ashamed about it ! (Why else would he choose a Fritz
Bros. sunburst one as his signature guitar ?)

There are also some "orange" ones in Nacho's great
book - how could you, Nacho ? :-)

But really Nacho, your book appears to be a "labour of
love", and I really cherish it - thank you !

Dacious · January 29th, 2006, 09:05 AM

Here's a pic of a '51 Nocaster I found. Now, this could well be misleading - the colour saturation and brilliance have been affected by digitising and even the way your monitor handles the colour mapping in the pixelisation of the image. But this is pretty yellowy!

As far as the finish: the pics of the 52 above show a smooth, shiny finish. That's how an old one would look new.

the velvet catfish · January 29th, 2006, 10:17 AM

I like that 51

mcfm2n · January 29th, 2006, 10:01 PM

Authentic color or not, I like how my 52ri plays and sounds.

Lostheart · January 30th, 2006, 05:13 AM

Well, here's a photo of the bridge of my 1992 '52 AV RI Tele...the finish doesn't look orangy to me and imho pretty authentic...
What I'm saying is that you cannot say in general that the 52 Reissue is not period correct when it comes to the color...the color of mine looks imo pretty close to some CS Nocasters...but we all have to take different monitor profiles and lighting issues under consideration as well...

January 27th, 2006, 12:37 PM	#1 (permalink)
Bill Friend of Leo's Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Bay Area, California Posts: 2,668 59 Photos	Anyone seen a real '52 the color of the AV 52 reissue? I was wandering through the guitar shops on Denmark Street yesterday. (All London guitarists know this street-- next to Saint Paul's cathedral I think it's London's greatest place of worship.) Anyways, they had a few American '52 reissues, and they all looked like they came out of a pumpkin patch. I don't remember ever seeing an original early 50's Tele body or neck the color of these reissues. The color doesn't match what I think of as NOS or how it would look after 50 years. Fender seems to bounce around on this--I seem to recall a couple of years ago them putting on fairly pale, NOS looking necks. Is it an accurate repro and I'm just missing things? Or is it hard for Fender to get the color right in a mass produced guitar? __________________ B i l l B a e c k A journal of our year in London

January 27th, 2006, 12:50 PM	#2 (permalink)
Mark Davis Doctor of Teleocity Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Bakersfield Ca. Age: 58 Posts: 12,876	I have seen some 52ri's that look ok and others that looked like they were mugged by a pumpkin. Doesnt make sense to me they cant get it even close to right. __________________ I'm so blind my seeing eye dog needs glasses.

January 27th, 2006, 02:06 PM	#4 (permalink)
Bill Friend of Leo's Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Bay Area, California Posts: 2,668 59 Photos	Maybe someone should mail them a can of Kiwi brown shoe polish. __________________ B i l l B a e c k A journal of our year in London

January 27th, 2006, 03:25 PM	#5 (permalink)
the velvet catfish Tele-Meister Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Kansas Age: 38 Posts: 203 26 Photos	lol Yes my 52 AVRI is more like a pumpkin than a banana. But pumpkins are hardier than bananas and they age better. __________________ "I might be powerfully concerned, but not scared."

January 27th, 2006, 08:02 PM	#6 (permalink)
Lostheart Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Germany Posts: 1,408	Well, lots of complaints about the pumkin color of recent 52 RI! Mine's from 1992 and looks pretty authentic. Butterscotch blond all the way. I reckon with the introduction of the Custom Shop Nocasters, Fender had to do something to make those guitars more distinguishable. I don't think that they are not aware of the issues many Tele players have with the color of the last few years...I know for a fact that both companies and bands constantly check fan forums to see if there are complaints...too bad, though, if they don't do anything about it... __________________ Casper: "Mmmmm. Butterscotch, yo. That's the best!" From the movie Kids

January 27th, 2006, 12:57 PM	#3 (permalink)
sidneystreet Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Jul 2005 Posts: 1,238	I agree. I have played several 52 reissues over the past couple of years. NONE of them had a finish or grain pattern that was worth the big price. That is why I bought used 50's classics instead. I'm waiting until I bump into a 52 RI that looks the part before I spend that kind of money.

January 27th, 2006, 09:12 PM	#7 (permalink)
Dacious Friend of Leo's Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Godzone Posts: 2,612 35 Photos	Seems to me Fender is damned whatever they do - ten or so years ago people on this board were slamming them for light bodies and dark necks, now it's the other way 'round. What is 'right' anyway? The colour the old ones are today? Nothing like what they were when first painted. As Fender bought paint from more than one vendor, and mixed and painted in all weathers in tin sheds, and different bodies required different shading to cover I defy anyone to say what is right. Heeeeere's Nancy! Pun'kincaster? If you've ever seen a bare maple neck or one sprayed with clear nitro, it's mostly a pale straw yellow, with brown or orange tones coming from grain like a Squier neck. Same with the body - blonde probably looked like a malted banana milkshake. It's the yellowing of nitro on neck and body that gives the Blackguard look today. No two will have aged alike. Which do you pick? FWIW I reckon the neck colour they have now is better than the fake-tan orange it used to be. The bodies are too bright a yellow new IMO, but a little player wear fixes that. New, the whole guitar including hardware is too bright and shiny. Why Fender and others give you lived in look with 'relics' I guess. End of the day, the AV52 is a mass-produced representation of the era. If you want 'exact duplicate' there's people who will sell you one, including Custom Shop - and charge accordingly. __________________ My other Telecaster is a Thinline The Tele Bible, Ch 1, v 10 Love thy Telecaster, covet not thy neighbour's Strat!

January 28th, 2006, 07:29 AM	#8 (permalink)
the velvet catfish Tele-Meister Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Kansas Age: 38 Posts: 203 26 Photos	I like that pic Roy was so cool. __________________ "I might be powerfully concerned, but not scared."

January 28th, 2006, 10:27 AM	#9 (permalink)
Paul G. Tele-Holic Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Rhode Island Posts: 885	Not only have I never seen a pumpkin Tele before... ...But every one of the recent '52RI's appear to be encased in Lucite. Kinda like a mosquito trapped in amber. I don't know if the finish really is that thick, but it looks and feels awful. I don't know what their thinking about. Other Fender models are fine, it just seems some weird decision was made on this one, maybe a paint supplier screwed up and they're gonna use the goo anyway 'til its gone.. P. __________________ Listen to your mother

January 28th, 2006, 02:23 PM	#10 (permalink)
the velvet catfish Tele-Meister Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Kansas Age: 38 Posts: 203 26 Photos	The Finish on mine Is not that thick, in fact when I took the neck off to adjust the truss rod a small piece of the finish "lifted" with the neck leaving a small piece of bare wood on the lower neck pocket. The finish "appears" very thick but in reality it's not. If I turn the guitar on it's side I can see the finish "sinking" into the grain. I clearly see the grain pattern in mine, staring straight at it. I like it, period correct or not. :) Heres a shot of the neck coloring: Heres the body: The lighting has a lot to do with how the color appears. I will use a blacklight and get some more "proper" pics This is a 2005 model btw. The sticky feel goes away with use and has become quite slick. I'm not intending for this post to persuade anyone on anything, just sharing my experience with the one I have. __________________ "I might be powerfully concerned, but not scared."

January 28th, 2006, 05:05 PM	#11 (permalink)
JBandtheSalts Tele-Holic Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Philadelphia, PA Posts: 510	the usa fender reissues always seem to be pretty inconsistant with how much of a tint they use, i think they shouldnt tint the necks or the bodies all that dark, i mean, in 20 years, the whole guitar will just be brown...

January 28th, 2006, 06:22 PM	#12 (permalink)
Telemarkman Friend of Leo's Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Norway Age: 61 Posts: 4,729	I've always thought that Roy's "Nancy" was almost as orange as my 52RI - I guess he must have been rather ashamed about it ! (Why else would he choose a Fritz Bros. sunburst one as his signature guitar ?) There are also some "orange" ones in Nacho's great book - how could you, Nacho ? :-) But really Nacho, your book appears to be a "labour of love", and I really cherish it - thank you !

January 29th, 2006, 09:05 AM	#13 (permalink)
Dacious Friend of Leo's Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Godzone Posts: 2,612 35 Photos	Here's a pic of a '51 Nocaster I found. Now, this could well be misleading - the colour saturation and brilliance have been affected by digitising and even the way your monitor handles the colour mapping in the pixelisation of the image. But this is pretty yellowy! As far as the finish: the pics of the 52 above show a smooth, shiny finish. That's how an old one would look new. __________________ My other Telecaster is a Thinline The Tele Bible, Ch 1, v 10 Love thy Telecaster, covet not thy neighbour's Strat!

January 29th, 2006, 10:17 AM	#14 (permalink)
the velvet catfish Tele-Meister Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Kansas Age: 38 Posts: 203 26 Photos	I like that 51 __________________ "I might be powerfully concerned, but not scared."

January 29th, 2006, 10:01 PM	#15 (permalink)
mcfm2n Tele-Meister Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Plano TX Age: 45 Posts: 207 19 Photos	Authentic color or not, I like how my 52ri plays and sounds.

January 30th, 2006, 05:13 AM	#16 (permalink)
Lostheart Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Germany Posts: 1,408	Well, here's a photo of the bridge of my 1992 '52 AV RI Tele...the finish doesn't look orangy to me and imho pretty authentic... What I'm saying is that you cannot say in general that the 52 Reissue is not period correct when it comes to the color...the color of mine looks imo pretty close to some CS Nocasters...but we all have to take different monitor profiles and lighting issues under consideration as well... __________________ Casper: "Mmmmm. Butterscotch, yo. That's the best!" From the movie Kids