Gibson Custom Colors

[dadagoboi]

I ordered a quart of  '59 Cadillac "Inverness Green" acrylic lacquer from TCP Global for Denis' upcoming NR refin.  The can says "Jademist Poly".   By cross referencing the paint code DDL-42480 I found that was the '59 Pontiac/GMC name.  That led me to this 1959 Oldsmobile chart.  I couldn't help noticing many colors are the exact Gibson name.



This one chart is about all you need to find most of the '60s Thunderbird custom color paint codes.  BTW Cardinal Red and Dakota Red are the same color. 

[Denis]

There are some gorgeous colors on that chart. The Willow Mist Poly is really nice.

I'm struck by how many choices you had with cars back then. Any number of colors, transmissions, body styles, engines, etc.
How it seems you might have a choice of two transmissions, one or two engines, 6 or 7 colors, most of which are nearly always some boring general silverish/grayish color, white, black or maybe a burgundy. Just look in a full parking lot today. BORING!

I can't wait for you to start on my NR!

[Highlander]

I can still clearly remember hearing the expression "jelly-mould" for the first time, in relation to car design...

[Denis]

"Jelly Mold" gas tanks were used on Ducati singles for a few years back in the '60s. They literally look half melted!

[Dave W]

I sure like the looks of the Indigo Poly.

[Pilgrim]

I didn't know I was upholding an old Fender/Gibson tradition at the time, but I had my '63 P painted a Ford metallic gold back around 1972.

[gearHed289]

Cool, I love stuff like that. My dad was a mechanic who worked at Ford dealerships, and he would bring home odd bits of marketing stuff and whatnot. One thing I remember from about 1973 was this double-spiral bound "book" with the front page being clear plastic with detailed outlines of, IDK, a Merc Marquis and Cougar (??). The rest of the pages were solid colors. You picked your color, then folded the front page over it to see what your car would look like in that color. Who needs computers? 

[dadagoboi]

ALL the colors:
http://www.tcpglobal.com/autocolorlibrary/

[Highlander]

With my WWII leanings, I looked up the Willy's colour chart for '44 and WTF...! 21 different options...! and there was me expecting fifty shades of green...

Gosh...

[Lightyear]

If I understand correctly the acrylic is solvent based and doesn't need a top coat.  What do you thin it with and use for clean up?  Certainly three coats every 15 minutes seems a lot easier than nitro?

[Pilgrim]

I subscribe to Hemming Muscle Machines and they had a recent write-up on a '68 GTO.  Turns out that in 1968 there were two different shades of dark green offered.  Who'd a thunk it?  That's a lot of variety.



Car colors are terribly boring today.  In North america in 2013, 72 percent of cars were white, black, grey or silver.  Blech. 

Chevy has a metallic lime green for the Camaro that makes me salivate every time I see it.  LOVE that color.  It would make a faaaaaabulous bass or guitar color, too.

[dadagoboi]

If I understand correctly the acrylic is solvent based and doesn't need a top coat.  What do you thin it with and use for clean up?  Certainly three coats every 15 minutes seems a lot easier than nitro?

I'm learning to use it.  One of the reasons you can shoot coats faster than Nitro is because it's low sheen so it flashes off faster.  It builds a little better especially shooting it over polyester primer.  Clearcoat is recommended although I did a quick day after color sanding and buffing on a solid color sample that came out pretty good.  That's a big plus over nitro, no wit for it to shrink.  Metallic will definitely require clearcoat.

New acrylic lacquer isn't really like old acrylic.  Recommendation is that all coating should be done in a 24 hour period or crazing can result.  You can't shoot nitro clear over it like you could in the old days.   That's why Pelham, Inverness, etc all look green 20 years later, it's from the nitro clear aging.

I'm using Mohawk slow lacquer thinner with the acrylic.  It's quality stuff and seems to be compatible.  Cheap lacquer thinner is mostly acetone.  It's the recommended thinner for some acrylic lacquer but not for this stuff.

[Rob]

  BTW Cardinal Red and Dakota Red are the same color.

[4stringer77]

Bought this 78' Antigua Precision in 97' originally. Then traded it in college for an upright bass case. Just finished negotiating it's return to my possession with my old chum this past weekend.

Sorry for the mediocre pic quality. The forearm wear to the undercoat on the body was accomplished by years of playing by my bud. I'm considering a refin, maybe firemist gold or walnut. Those would be period correct Fender finishes. It depends on the quality and species of the body wood as well as how many pieces are hiding under the existing finish. That Indigo blue on the 59' Olds chart is pretty sweet too. It's good to have the bass back. It feels fantastic. The 1'5/8" at the nut single piece maple B neck with walnut skunk stripe has got a great profile for a 70's Fender, more oval than baseball bat. It also sounds incredibly sweet, thanks in no small part I'm certain, to years of my friend's monster chops playing.

[LoEndMaestro]

I also subscribe to that mag. (Love it. ) But yeah,  Nightshade Green is way cooler than Verdero Green IMHO. Car and guitar colors had much more style and panache back then.

I subscribe to Hemming Muscle Machines and they had a recent write-up on a '68 GTO.  Turns out that in 1968 there were two different shades of dark green offered.  Who'd a thunk it?  That's a lot of variety.



Car colors are terribly boring today.  In North america in 2013, 72 percent of cars were white, black, grey or silver.  Blech. 

Chevy has a metallic lime green for the Camaro that makes me salivate every time I see it.  LOVE that color.  It would make a faaaaaabulous bass or guitar color, too.