What color do you think the original Type 1 Marauder is?

[N0_Camping4U]

I'm narrowing in on the completion of my Type 2 Marauder build. Where does a man go from here? Type 1 Marauder build! I like to keep things as 'vintage accurate' as I can. I was going to go CAR for the type 1 build, but as I looked at the catalog pic for the mock-up it got me wondering... What color would the mock-up be?


Here is the picture:

Now, this is the 1965 catalog. And that almost makes it harder to determine a color. Ignoring the obvious compression/degradation/scanning etc - The colors could be Inca Silver, Firemist Silver, or Ice Blue Metallic. Based solely on the years Fender used these colors. Or, it could be possible Fender created a new color simply for this one-off? I have read it's been confirmed that these are indeed mockups (no pickups for the photoshoots). So it's possible Fender created a new color for a one-off. But perhaps, unlikely. It seems like it may be Ice Blue Metallic based on the other colors around the one in question.

What do you think the color is? Or new one entirely?

[JSett]

I'd go with IBM by my eyes

Are you doing the missing 1st fret block too?

[N0_Camping4U]

I'd go with IBM by my eyes

Are you doing the missing 1st fret block too?

You know... I've gazed at the various photos of the Type 1 a bajillion times. I call myself an expert. Pedantic. A lunatic. Yet... I didn't notice until today it's missing the first fret. I don't know how I feel about it. It's weird. And kooky. a bit unnecessary... It kind of messes with the eyes. It wouldn't be as close as I could get to vintage accurate... But do I want that missing block? Yeesh. Idk. I don't even know who would offer that on a neck build. It's so eye-catchingly pointless that it's cool. But, again... unnecessary as hell.

[JSett]

I'd go with IBM by my eyes

Are you doing the missing 1st fret block too?

You know... I've gazed at the various photos of the Type 1 a bajillion times. I call myself an expert. Pedantic. A lunatic. Yet... I didn't notice until today it's missing the first fret. I don't know how I feel about it. It's weird. And kooky. a bit unnecessary... It kind of messes with the eyes. It wouldn't be as close as I could get to vintage accurate... But do I want that missing block? Yeesh. Idk. I don't even know who would offer that on a neck build. It's so eye-catchingly pointless that it's cool. But, again... unnecessary as hell.

It's amazing how many people overlook that nuance - almost like your eyes fill it in automatically - Lke whn yr brain flls in mssng lttrs frm wrds & stll undrstnds. It's literally the first thing my eyes see on it.

My opinion? It looks silly without it. But if vintage accuracy is a thing...

[Sauerkraut]

I’m pretty confident that’s firemist silver. Not blue enough for ibm.

[WSquires]

I'm narrowing in on the completion of my Type 2 Marauder build. Where does a man go from here? Type 1 Marauder build! I like to keep things as 'vintage accurate' as I can. I was going to go CAR for the type 1 build, but as I looked at the catalog pic for the mock-up it got me wondering... What color would the mock-up be?


Here is the picture:

Now, this is the 1965 catalog. And that almost makes it harder to determine a color. Ignoring the obvious compression/degradation/scanning etc - The colors could be Inca Silver, Firemist Silver, or Ice Blue Metallic. Based solely on the years Fender used these colors. Or, it could be possible Fender created a new color simply for this one-off? I have read it's been confirmed that these are indeed mockups (no pickups for the photoshoots). So it's possible Fender created a new color for a one-off. But perhaps, unlikely. It seems like it may be Ice Blue Metallic based on the other colors around the one in question.

What do you think the color is? Or new one entirely?

I was going to vote for ice blue metallic. But when comparing it to the color chart for that era it looks more like firemist silver to my eyes.

[JSett]

Oh god, have we been saying "Ice Blue Metallic" incorrectly instead of "Blue Ice Metallic" all these years

[Futuron]

Probably not Inca. You'll have to do both the others just to make sure. (I think it could be either)


And while first fret block inlays always looked strange to me (considering that dots are typically absent there), it really looks off without!

[WSquires]

Oh god, have we been saying "Ice Blue Metallic" incorrectly instead of "Blue Ice Metallic" all these years

Sounds like it but I don't see a problem with saying it either way. Fender calls it Ice Blue Metallic nowadays

[mekhem]

I’m pretty confident that’s firemist silver. Not blue enough for ibm.

I agree = Firemist.

[sir h c]

My crappy monitor has IBM and FSM look nearly identical.

[graceless]

If you line these up, and white balance each image to be *somewhat* closer, this is what you get. There is a lot of yellowing/greening on each image.

I used curves adjustments in photoshop to get it as close as I could. Sure looks like Firemist.

The uncorrected color chart, on the left, is almost useless without white balancing. For the two color chips of IBM and FSM, I copy/pasted those chips and brought them above the photograph of the guitars. I then white balanced all of them using the same technique and settings to ensure accuracy.

It'll never be 100% perfect due to paper and lighting conditions of the original items in the photographs provided, but I'd confidently say FSM is the one.

[JSett]

With the white balance correction I would agree. I'd need to see them on a non-backlit situation to be 100% certain - my eyes are pretty well trained with the minute of hues and saturation but moreso in an 'in real life' position rather than digitally displayed. The only thing that I could see that would skew things would be the potential for fading between the two printed images before they were photographed/scanned. The colour chart is likely to be pretty accurate though as would have probably been closed and protected more for the last 60 years, but then we're also assuming the printed advert was colour corrected with any degree of accuracy back when it was printed.

I will however, like any rational scientifically-minded individual, go with the evidence presented and change my mind to FSM.

*Points of note. On the balance corrected chart just look how dark OTM and FMG are! Very very different to how they look on a guitar. Also, I'm surprised Teal Green Metallic wasn't more popular...that's a lovely colour.