![]() Their main automotive source, however, was Oldsmobile, with five colors, rather than Fender’s favorite, Cadillac, with three. ![]() It’s no surprise that Gibson’s selection shows a bias similar to Fender’s, with nine of the 10 colors originating from GM, only one from Ford. Sparkling Burgundy (right) is found primarily on thinline electrics.Ĭolor charts issued by Gibson in 1963 and ’66 do not mention the paints’ reference numbers, but their automotive name is sufficient to trace their origins (see accompanying table). This 1960 GM chart shows how the same color was given a distinct name according to the brand – for example, Oldsmobile’s Golden Mist and Pontiac’s Shoreline Gold. The ’59 Oldsmobile colors were widely used by Gibson, as seen in these charts listing Silver Mist, Polaris White, Frost Blue, Cardinal Red and Golden Mist (and also Fender’s Burgundy Mist). A Gibson color like Golden Mist is strictly identical to Fender’s Shoreline Gold while Pelham Blue is Cadillac’s 1960 successor to the Lake Placid Blue used by Fender beginning in ’57. When the Firebird was launched in 1963, Gibson boss Ted McCarty felt compelled to endow the new models with 10 finish options, blatantly emulating Fender shades. The most famous fancy finish applied by Gibson on a production model is the gold metallic on the Les Paul model of 1952, which originated on a late-’51 ES-175 presented to a disabled guitarist by Les Paul himself.ĭespite its innovative design, the SG series failed to provide a decisive competitive edge, especially vis-à-vis the most popular Fender solidbodies. Leaving aside the decades-old use of black and white, Gibson’s earliest non-traditional finish was the blue it applied to the revamped Century lap steel of 1951. The Seminole Red of this ’59 Cadillac is identical to Oldsmobile’s Cardinal Red. Subsequently, Cherry Red was made available on many Gibson models, either as a standard finish or as an unlisted option before becoming the lead color on the new SG-style solidbodies and thinline electrics in 1961. Factory records suggest that the color was originally used in ’57 as a one-off on an ES-295. ![]() The bold departure signalled by the gold finish of 1952 had no real follow-up until the inception of Cherry Red on the re-styled Les Paul Special and Junior in ’58. While competitors like Fender, Gretsch, Harmony, and Rickenbacker were happy to broaden their range of finishes with colorful shades, Gibson stuck to its (more-traditional) guns. It wasn’t averse to custom work or colorful finishes, but saw them more as a consequence of its wider range of stringed instruments – acoustics, electrics, and associated clientele. Unlike its rival from the West Coast, Gibson did not readily embrace the concept of offering custom-color finishes. ’64 Firebird I in (aged) Inverness Green.
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