Your Opinions Regarding the Accuracy of Colors on Custom Builds.

[Lechmere]

Here's a question for those of you here who've gone ahead and have had something custom built/painted, and have afterwards felt a little disappointed about what you got, more specifically in terms of the colors/shades you ordered and those that ended up getting. I guess what I'm asking is how much latitude dis you yourselves give in terms of color deviation from what was advertised and then what you were ultimately receiving. I ask b/c I'm sort of in that situation myself atm, and would like to get some opinions from others who've also been down this road as well.

Thanks.

 

[Bearitone]

Pictures would definitely help us give an opinion on your particular case.

I think if unless you provide a physical example, not a picture, of what you’re looking for, it will always be a little off unless you’re dealing with one of the bigger custom shops like Fender, Gibson, etc.

What color did you ask for?

 

[nightsprinter]

Here's a question for those of you here who've gone ahead and have had something custom built/painted, and have afterwards felt a little disappointed about what you got, more specifically in terms of the colors/shades you ordered and those that ended up getting. I guess what I'm asking is how much latitude dis you yourselves give in terms of color deviation from what was advertised and then what you were ultimately receiving. I ask b/c I'm sort of in that situation myself atm, and would like to get some opinions from others who've also been down this road as well.

Thanks.

show us the kiesel.

 

[SalsaWood]

My guideline is to not ask for something I don't have the full faith they can deliver. I also prefer natural gloss in all situations where the wood is comparatively fit for it.

Not trying to sound cold. I've never been in this situation. Perhaps for these reasons, perhaps not.

I'll third the notion that pics would go a long way if you want direct feedback within context.

 

[technomancer]

Depends. Solid colors if you can provide specific actual paint color information to the builder very little (as in I want this PPG color or this type pf metal flake in this color etc). Trans finishes a decent amount as the color of the wood plays a huge role in what the final product looks like.

 

[odibrom]

Color is light, no light, no color. Light is not the same everywhere and computer screens less so.

The only way to ensure a close proximity between what is ordered and what is delivered is knowing beforehand the paints, tints and methods to be used with in presence physical samples... other than that it's a guessing game...

 

[narad]

Have I ever had a custom guitar where the color was correct?? Have I ever gotten any discount?? No.

 

[youngthrasher9]

Color is extremely light reactive for photos in my opinion, thus “pictures don’t do it justice”, among other recycled lines I’ve uttered myself. Another thing is, each piece of wood will take on stains or dyes very differently depending on grain and a ton of other variables, and that is complicated even more so with builds that have multiple woods. The death kelly in my sig was more or less three different shades, with the same batch of dye. The body wood was poplar (three piece due to size), and the neck was maple. The body was two distinct shades because poplar can naturally green.


TL;DR: Set your expectations to a palette not a specific color. There are variables outside of human control, assuming wood is involved.

 

[John]

show us the kiesel.

This is substantial, even heartening, in more ways than one.
1. Succeeding where Jeff the walking talking TapOut shirt failed, as in roasting the crap out of his guitars and some of the other attempts of all time.
2. Breaking past the limiting shell of an invertebrate's irrational fear (perhaps even a weird vendetta) towards some 22 pages or so containing wonderful success stories previously highlighted.
3. Presenting a teachable moment towards the visually inclined certainly isn't a crime, either. So there's that.
4. Ask and you shall receive, seek and you shall find:

Onto the first question(s) at hand: I wouldn't lose too much sleep over nominal differences in color. There's a reason why the "pictures don't do it justice" phrase gets thrown around. For one, certain finishes like translucent over figured wood will have some variation. Package deal on how it takes up the finish, like it or not. Secondly, while I can't speak for everyone's experience over a "custom" build since they're not all equal, the building process on my guitars did go through that communication phase where I was asked questions like the shade of red being what I had in mind before wrapping up the rest of the finishing process. And that was appreciated, of course.

 

[Hollowway]

I got a guitar from an Axe Palace run a few years ago that was the rhodonite pink. The headstocks were apparently sprayed in a different run than the bodies, so they were very noticeably different. Like, a completely different shade. I popped the case open and said, “nope.” Which is weird for me, because I’m not picky at all. But not having the head not match the body just triggered me. (And yes, I’ve dated blonde girls before with no trouble.) So I contacted them, and swapped it out for a used in-stock ESP USA (which didn’t have a trem, unfortunately, but does have a killer red quilt).