Arctic White -- Olympic White
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PeteMac
Friend of Leo's
Hi caster,
the thing is you're never going to be able to tell the true colour of anything by looking at a printed ad! The print process, especially in magazines, is an imperfect science/art. I was in the graphics/print industry for 25 years and know that matching colours on the press to an actual object or image is very time consuming and therefore costly. Magazines won't go to this trouble. Even the Fender catalogue isn't exact and it's their products! Go to your local dealer, or a guitar shop that has both colours and check for yourself by using the code numbers of the guitar.
By the way, I don't know the difference between the two: in my opinion the only white is Vintage White!!!
the thing is you're never going to be able to tell the true colour of anything by looking at a printed ad! The print process, especially in magazines, is an imperfect science/art. I was in the graphics/print industry for 25 years and know that matching colours on the press to an actual object or image is very time consuming and therefore costly. Magazines won't go to this trouble. Even the Fender catalogue isn't exact and it's their products! Go to your local dealer, or a guitar shop that has both colours and check for yourself by using the code numbers of the guitar.
By the way, I don't know the difference between the two: in my opinion the only white is Vintage White!!!
Savagery
Tele-Meister
I could be wrong, so don't order based on this. I believe Arctic White is the off-white color, and Olympic White is pure. This is based on looking at MIM fenders in music stores- Arctic White is the white used on them and it's definitely yellow relative to the pickguard, while with Olympic the pickguard is sometimes even slightly darker than the body.
During the last year I've had all three of the white solid
colours, as well as the white blonde, and none of them
was/is pure white.
According to Fenders colour chart, the Olympic white
should be the whitest shade, but if I didn't see them side
by side, I guess I couldn't tell it apart from the Arctic White.
Both are a light creamy white colour, while the Vintage
White was clarly a buttery yellow shade.(It's supposed to
look like an aged nitro covered Olympic White, which can
actually be of a banana yellow colour.)
colours, as well as the white blonde, and none of them
was/is pure white.
According to Fenders colour chart, the Olympic white
should be the whitest shade, but if I didn't see them side
by side, I guess I couldn't tell it apart from the Arctic White.
Both are a light creamy white colour, while the Vintage
White was clarly a buttery yellow shade.(It's supposed to
look like an aged nitro covered Olympic White, which can
actually be of a banana yellow colour.)
ToneFan
Tele-Meister
White vs White...
I own an "Arctic White" Nashville Tele... The Nashville was never made in "Olympic White", so mine's definitely "Arctic White" as shown on the Fender website... All I can tell ya is that mine is an off-white cream kinda color... Not at all a pure bright white... And I was always under the impression that "Olympic White" was the brighter whiter color...
Joe
I own an "Arctic White" Nashville Tele... The Nashville was never made in "Olympic White", so mine's definitely "Arctic White" as shown on the Fender website... All I can tell ya is that mine is an off-white cream kinda color... Not at all a pure bright white... And I was always under the impression that "Olympic White" was the brighter whiter color...
Joe
moonshiner
Friend of Leo's
Oly White actually has a greenish tinge to it... Artic has more of a yellowish tinge...
They both look white straight on... Together, in person, you will see the difference...
They both look white straight on... Together, in person, you will see the difference...
The answers from Savagery, ToneFan and moonshiner
confirms my old suspicion, that Fender colours are not
consistent.
If you look at the colour chart, the Olympic White seems
to be (almost) pure white,while the Arctic White seems a
little more creamy.
But my MIM Classic 60s in Ol. White is typically creamy,
with no greenish tinge whatsoever - even compared to
a Squier Affinity in Arctic White.
I would say they are both light cream.
So I guess the colours will vary slightly with different
producers.
But if I wanted my guitar as white as possible, I'd go for
the Olympic White, though.
confirms my old suspicion, that Fender colours are not
consistent.
If you look at the colour chart, the Olympic White seems
to be (almost) pure white,while the Arctic White seems a
little more creamy.
But my MIM Classic 60s in Ol. White is typically creamy,
with no greenish tinge whatsoever - even compared to
a Squier Affinity in Arctic White.
I would say they are both light cream.
So I guess the colours will vary slightly with different
producers.
But if I wanted my guitar as white as possible, I'd go for
the Olympic White, though.
Raymond
Friend of Leo's
(link removed)
(link removed)
I say “new” because I’ve seen plenty of old guitars that are “Oly white” and look like Artic white. That’s just because of aging, specially with nitro finishes.
(link removed)
I say “new” because I’ve seen plenty of old guitars that are “Oly white” and look like Artic white. That’s just because of aging, specially with nitro finishes.
GTO
Tele-Holic
But my brand new Olympic White MIM 60s Tele looks more like the creamy 'Arctic White' shown in the link above, as did my Classic 70s Strat.
Could it be that Fender have simply got the colours mixed up on their web site? I mean, think about it, what in the name 'Arctic White' would make any normal person think it would be a creamy colour? Arctic=warm cream? Olympic=cold bright? Physcologically it doesn't add up. But then I'm sure Lake Placid isn't metallic in real life either, unless somebody dumped something in it.
Could it be that Fender have simply got the colours mixed up on their web site? I mean, think about it, what in the name 'Arctic White' would make any normal person think it would be a creamy colour? Arctic=warm cream? Olympic=cold bright? Physcologically it doesn't add up. But then I'm sure Lake Placid isn't metallic in real life either, unless somebody dumped something in it.
Raymond wrote :
I'm sure you're right, Raymond, but it's not the whole
truth.
My Oly White MIM 60s was bought new last year, has a poly finish,and still is a rather creamy shade of white, as is my friends Squier Affinity in Arctic White, bought at about the same time.
If there is a difference, I'd say that the Arctic White in this
case is the whitest one.
Which just proves my point : Fender colours are indeed
rather inconsistent !
But I guess that in 8 out of 10 cases the Oly White would
be the whitest - as it is supposed to be.
I'm sure you're right, Raymond, but it's not the whole
truth.
My Oly White MIM 60s was bought new last year, has a poly finish,and still is a rather creamy shade of white, as is my friends Squier Affinity in Arctic White, bought at about the same time.
If there is a difference, I'd say that the Arctic White in this
case is the whitest one.
Which just proves my point : Fender colours are indeed
rather inconsistent !
But I guess that in 8 out of 10 cases the Oly White would
be the whitest - as it is supposed to be.
The String King
Tele-Afflicted
It's like my guitar.
Vintage yellow, Honey Blonde, Vintage Blonde, Butterscotch blonde, Yellow Blonde.... What is it?! I call it honey blonde.
Arctic white is really bright-- Like ice maybe?
and Olympic White is ever so slightly tinted.
Vintage yellow, Honey Blonde, Vintage Blonde, Butterscotch blonde, Yellow Blonde.... What is it?! I call it honey blonde.
Arctic white is really bright-- Like ice maybe?
and Olympic White is ever so slightly tinted.
Guess the replies here so far confirm my confusion. Seems there is no definitive answer. Thanks for all the replies. very interesting.
Just to confirm the remark about print - I pulled an older Frontline, and the 2 shades are exactly opposite than those shown in this years.
Over the years I've seen Fenders in shops where I'd think it was Arctic, but would be listed as Oly, and vice versa. I have not ever found both colors together to compare side by side as mentioned above. That would be interesting.
Personally, I like the Vintage White. Thinking of getting just a basic Tele next to play around with pickups, etc, and didn't want to spend the extra cash for the models available in VW. The standard Squier is available in Vintage Blond, but only with a rosewood neck.
Just to confirm the remark about print - I pulled an older Frontline, and the 2 shades are exactly opposite than those shown in this years.
Over the years I've seen Fenders in shops where I'd think it was Arctic, but would be listed as Oly, and vice versa. I have not ever found both colors together to compare side by side as mentioned above. That would be interesting.
Personally, I like the Vintage White. Thinking of getting just a basic Tele next to play around with pickups, etc, and didn't want to spend the extra cash for the models available in VW. The standard Squier is available in Vintage Blond, but only with a rosewood neck.
caster wrote :
You're welcome ! :?
You're welcome ! :?
Raymond
Friend of Leo's
Now I'm more confused than ever!!!! Let's just call it white and cream...
Just to further add confusion: Fender - especially in the old days - used to buy car colours from different vendors according to price and availability. Even when buying the same colour, it can look totally different due to a different mix from different vendors. Plus painters back then didn't use a precise art to mix paint - slop of this, slop of that. A bit more thinners, colder day, more humidity - different appearance to the paint.
And if I paint the same solid coat on different undercoats, guess what happens to the topcoat appearance? Fender often resprayed failed sunbursts in custom solid colours, and sometimes straight onto bare wood. Sometimes the Lucite colours got nitro clear, sometimes not.
And if I paint the same solid coat on different undercoats, guess what happens to the topcoat appearance? Fender often resprayed failed sunbursts in custom solid colours, and sometimes straight onto bare wood. Sometimes the Lucite colours got nitro clear, sometimes not.
Dookychase
Tele-Meister
I just received last Friday a Squier Affinity in Arctic White.
The color is cream. I was hoping it would be "more" white. It actually looks yellowish to me. My wife says the same thing .
I emailed Terry Downs to ask about the tele on his website. It looks bright white to me. Terry emailed me and said it was the Standard Tele in Arctic white.
So, I don't know what to do. I'd really like one in Olympic White(?) I'm gonna send the squier back and order the standard in olympic white and take a chance.
The color is cream. I was hoping it would be "more" white. It actually looks yellowish to me. My wife says the same thing .
I emailed Terry Downs to ask about the tele on his website. It looks bright white to me. Terry emailed me and said it was the Standard Tele in Arctic white.
So, I don't know what to do. I'd really like one in Olympic White(?) I'm gonna send the squier back and order the standard in olympic white and take a chance.
maestrovert
Poster Extraordinaire
i've had both, still have my Arctic White Strat....
here's a pic of it with EMG's DG 20 set (the David Gilmour Pup/control pkg) loaded into the stock guard, because it looked better to my eye than the m.o.t.s. guard EMG supplied, as the cream color of the Pups almost perfectly matches the tint of the body
image removed
admittedly the pic isn't quite "colour correct"...
here's a pic of it with EMG's DG 20 set (the David Gilmour Pup/control pkg) loaded into the stock guard, because it looked better to my eye than the m.o.t.s. guard EMG supplied, as the cream color of the Pups almost perfectly matches the tint of the body
image removed
admittedly the pic isn't quite "colour correct"...
Dookychase wrote :
Like I said in an earlier post, the Olympic White is supposed to be the whitest, so if you want a one that is as white as possible, go for this colour.
You must NOT expect it to be clean white though - if you do, you may be dissapointed !
As I also mentioned before, my MIM 60's (OW) is appr. the same colour as my friend's Aff. Squier in Arctic White. Both are CREAMY white !!! (Like yours, I guess)
Never believe pictures - not even Terry Downs' !
When you see the colours side by side in Fender's colour chart, the Olympic White is clearly whiter - almost clean white - and if Fender made a model that could be had in both colours, the Oly. White would no doubt be the whitest.
But from one model to another, especially if they're made in different countries, I would not be too shure.
In a pictorial book about Telemark - my home county -there is a picture of a well known norwegian blues player with his MIM Standard Tele, which looks absolutely snow white. I phoned him, asking about the colour, and he said
it was Arctic White. I told him I didn't know that the Arctic
white was THat white, and he said it wasn't - it was creamy ! It was just the picture, taken onstage with a flashlight, that made it look all white.
Another thing - I didn't know the (MIM) Standard Tele came in Olympic White.
Or are you talking about another Standard Tele ?
I thought the only Tele that came in OW was the MIM 60', but I haven't seen the latest Frontline catalog though.
Like I said in an earlier post, the Olympic White is supposed to be the whitest, so if you want a one that is as white as possible, go for this colour.
You must NOT expect it to be clean white though - if you do, you may be dissapointed !
As I also mentioned before, my MIM 60's (OW) is appr. the same colour as my friend's Aff. Squier in Arctic White. Both are CREAMY white !!! (Like yours, I guess)
Never believe pictures - not even Terry Downs' !
When you see the colours side by side in Fender's colour chart, the Olympic White is clearly whiter - almost clean white - and if Fender made a model that could be had in both colours, the Oly. White would no doubt be the whitest.
But from one model to another, especially if they're made in different countries, I would not be too shure.
In a pictorial book about Telemark - my home county -there is a picture of a well known norwegian blues player with his MIM Standard Tele, which looks absolutely snow white. I phoned him, asking about the colour, and he said
it was Arctic White. I told him I didn't know that the Arctic
white was THat white, and he said it wasn't - it was creamy ! It was just the picture, taken onstage with a flashlight, that made it look all white.
Another thing - I didn't know the (MIM) Standard Tele came in Olympic White.
Or are you talking about another Standard Tele ?
I thought the only Tele that came in OW was the MIM 60', but I haven't seen the latest Frontline catalog though.
Dookychase
Tele-Meister
I guess having a bright white pickguard on it makes the Arctic white look creamy. Anyway, I will send back the squier and I ordered the Standard Tele in Arctic white. I will try a black pickguard on it. It may make the Arctic white appear a little brighter.
ALso, I wanted the tele with the string through the body.
Will know by Friday.
Thanks
ALso, I wanted the tele with the string through the body.
Will know by Friday.
Thanks
Tdot
Poster Extraordinaire
caster said:
I keep wondering the same thing. I have seen the bright pure white before, and prefer the off whites.
FWIW- My last visit to GC I saw a Jimmie V Strat (Olympic white) and the new MIM Tele (Arctic White), side by side, both were the same color creamy white. :?
:?
