Which Warmoth finish best replicates a '54 Strat?

[Patriot54]

I've looked at tons of photos to figure this out but it's not like seeing the finish in real life, so I need some advice. Some '54 Strats appear to have some reddish brown but if they were only 2 tones then I assume that's due to aging/lighting and there's no red in those finishes.

I want my finish to have at least some black around the edge, and not too much yellow in the middle - should be more like a caramel color. A tiny bit of red is ok.

So, should I get the Black/Brown/Yellow, Black/Red/Yellow, Tobacco or Black/Yellow? I love tobacco finishes but I'm afraid it might not be black enough at the edges to look like a 54 Strat. I'm leaning towards black/brown/yellow but would like some feedback first.

 

[Tonar8352]

I would say the 2-tone from Warmoth with the brown on swamp ash would get you close.

On a vintage strat the edge is not a true black but rather a black mixed with some Van Dyke Brown. Then the brown is the Van Dyke with some black mixed in it. Some feel that Fender took the dark band color and let it down with clear and then laid that over the dark band. The yellow was shading yellow over a filled swamp ash body.

These were all finish using the above-described method.

Here is a picture of mine right after it was rubbed out.

This is a real 54 for reference.

 

[Patriot54]

Tonar - When you say 2-tone, are you referring to the Warmoth finish they call black/yellow?

Thanks for the info. All of the Warmoth bursts look nice, but I'm really going for the vintage look on this project.

Also, this guitar will be swamp ash.

 

[Kostas]

I suggest after you place your order to email a pic of a guitar you like the finish. That's what I did and they did a great work.

 

[Tonar8352]

Look at the Black-Brown-Yellow guitars in the Showcase and see if that is what you are after.

 

[Patriot54]

Look at the Black-Brown-Yellow guitars in the Showcase and see if that is what you are after.

The black/brown/yellow finish looks really close to the '54 you posted, but it all depends on which photos you look at. In my perception, even the non-red bursts seem to have a bit of burgundy in them which I consider reddish. It was helpful to have feedback from someone who has seen the finishes in person, and also done them yourself. After looking at the Finish section on the W site, it looks like the black/yellow is too faded at the edges. I'll probably go with the B-B-Y finish and also take Kostas' advice about e-mailing a photo as well.

Thank guys.

 

[Tonar8352]

I finished all the guitars in the pictures and the one next to the base is mine. People that know vintage guitars have said it is extremely accurate except the high-grade wood on the neck, which would be an anomaly on a vintage Fender.

 

[lafromla1]

Well its not like Tonar knows anything about finishing guitars........ :icon_scratch:

 

[photoguy]

The black/brown/yellow finish looks really close to the '54 you posted, but it all depends on which photos you look at. In my perception, even the non-red bursts seem to have a bit of burgundy in them which I consider reddish.

Some colors act funny. (not funny ha ha, funny strange!) When I shoot the pix of the BBY bursts, they are a touch more reddish than the actual body. My particular camera and light setup favors red considerably. For instance, on our Fiesta Red bodies.....I have to tone the red down in the image to make it match the color that is in front of me. Without tweaking, the photo of Fiesta Red looks almost like bright red. I have to de-saturate the red a little to get the "Tomato soup" look of Fiesta Red. The BBY bursts have almost a greenish tint to them, just like in Tonar's photos. Email me at carter@warmoth.com and I will send you a pic of one after adjusting.