- Style: Pre-CBS Body for Fender Telecaster
- Wood: Two-piece Swamp Ash (American) or Two-piece Alder (Japanese).
- Finish: Fiesta Red Nitrocellulose (reliced)
- Routing: Standard Telecaster two-pickup
- Weight: approx. 4lbs (1.8kg)
Up until 1960, Fender offered customers the option to have their new instrument (at the time these were: the Telecaster, the Precision Bass and the Stratocaster) finished in any colour of their choosing. In 1960 Fender introduced their very own selection of 'custom' paint options. Fiesta Red was one of these colours - made famous by many late-1950s and early-1960s guitarists, especially Hank Marvin's 1959 Fender Stratocaster.
There is often confusion over Fiesta Red and "Salmon Pink" or "Coral Pink" finishes. Although there is some evidence to suggest that a very small number of early-1960s Stratocasters left Fender's Fullerton factory in the 1950s Chrysler paint colour "Tahitian Coral", the majority of the original 1950s and 1960s Fiesta Red guitars have faded drastically over the past forty/fifty years, often so much so that it becomes hard to distinguish what the original guitar colour was from appearance alone. Many put this fading effect down to a poor batch of paint, different kinds (or lack of) undercoat, excessive exposure to UVs or a reaction with certain case lining materials. Whatever the reason, it is well-accepted that some Fiesta Red finishes from the Pre-CBS era faded very quickly whilst others still retain their strong red colouring to this day.
It not unusual to see vintage guitars, originally Fiesta Red but now heavily faded, being described as "Salmon Pink" or "Coral Pink", which was not their original colour.
Although Fiesta Red, like Candy Apple Red on Telecasters is relatively unusual it was still a very popular custom option for Telecaster guitarists during the 1960s who wanted the uniqueness of an unusual colour but without surrendering the Telecaster sound their music had become dependant on. As a result we are pleased to be able to offer a very accurate incarnation of these original 1950s and 1960s bodies with genuine nitrocellulose, finished in the exact same fashion as the originals were, then reliced to reveal the wood and undercoat (if requested) beneath. Available in either two-piece alder or swamp ash these bodies are contoured and shaped precisely for the vintage.
