Faded finishes and Tele bodies??

[BloodRose]

Looks like some of the biggest new trends are tele bodied guitars and Faded finishes.

Charvel is bringing back a bunch of tele shaped guits. And many 7 string tele shaped guits. Ive seen several from a couple other makers, but cant place them right now.. Popular?? I personally dont care for that shape, unless Im playing an actual tele..

Faded finishes?? Thoughts?? I REALLY dont care for them. This isnt like a burst that is darker on the outside.. this is where the color changes from one end of the guitar to the next. Ive seen this first on Michael Kelly guitars, (see example below) but there were other makers at NAMM doing this now too..

Example

https://www.michaelkellyguitars.com/en/products/view/patriot-instinct-bold-custom-collection-1

 

[devastone]

Re: Faded finishes and Tele bodies??

MK has been doing those finishes for years. PRS has some cool ones too, like the Al di Meola model (not sure if it is still on their roster), well, not sure if I would call it a "fade" or a multi-color stain, but it is cool.

I don't think there are necessarily "new", but I do like them.

And yeah, the "tele" seems to be the new "strat" :?:

 

[ehdwuld]

Re: Faded finishes and Tele bodies??

I thought this was about the faded Gibson line
To me those just look like they stopped finishing it one coat too early

Wonder if one more oil coat would make one of those pop

 

[VinceT]

Re: Faded finishes and Tele bodies??

I enjoy faded/satin finishes, and have several guitars that have been buffed with my own guitar-playing fingerprint over time. Just recently, though I've become very suspicious of the marketing WRT tonal properties - I.e. "Less finish equals greater tone!" - which I believe is cover for the fact that, while the sale price is lower, the production costs drop by a greater amount, yielding extra profit per instrument.


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[PFDarkside]

Re: Faded finishes and Tele bodies??

Teles have been super popular the past decade or so, now it's hitting the big boys. Offsets are super popular right now, expect to see many more at NAMM next year.

 

[devastone]

Re: Faded finishes and Tele bodies??

Hmm, seems to be 2 different discussions here, one about "fade" finishes like the MK guitars BR linked to where it "fades" from one color to another but they do have a nice glossy clear coat (in the spirit of ice cream, I kinda like them better than a lot of bursts), and "faded" finishes which are thinner, usually satin type finishes, which I also kinda like, but yes, also reduce the production costs. I do believe they probably let the wood vibrate/breath more than a heavy poly finish, how noticeably, I couldn't say.

 

[VinceT]

Re: Faded finishes and Tele bodies??

Ah, my mistake, sorry. Yes, I've been seeing more of the fade guitars recently - they don't do much for me - and, to my eyes, seem to be about making guitars look pretty when hung up/on stands - I'd rather be playing than treating my axes as works of art! Each to their own, though.


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[BloodRose]

Re: Faded finishes and Tele bodies??

Me either Vince.. Devastone, thanks for clarifying.. Wasnt sure what else to refer to the finish as. I can see how faded would cause some confusion. Gibby should call theirs thinly or barely finished, not faded..

 

[Rand-O-Monium]

Re: Faded finishes and Tele bodies??

Don't forget the Rainbow Afro wig...