Comments on: Red – redder – the reddest: fiesta, dakota, candy apple, hot rod, and more Fender colours

By: Mark Knopfler Signature Strats vs. 1964 Stratocaster | Mark Knopfler Guitar / More Knowledge about the guitar

Sun, 11 Dec 2011 07:28:28 +0000

[...] Mark Knopfler Signature Strats to a 1964 Fender Stratocaster, also in red (fiesta). Talking about red, note that one of the signature Strats is in the ‘wrong’ colour the very first ones [...]

By: The wrong colour of the first Mark Knopfler Signature Strats | Mark Knopfler Guitar / More Knowledge about the guitar

Tue, 27 Sep 2011 10:10:34 +0000

[...] had the darker red, something that looked similar to Fender’s Dakota red of the 60ies (see this blog post for more info on Fender’s different red finishes). This picture compares both [...]

By: Brian

Brian — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 21:45:46 +0000

Just a note: the official fender “hot rod red” color came about a few years before they issued the MK signature guitar. Case in point is my own american hot rod red stratocaster, which I can provide pics of if you’re interested!

By: Lapelcelery

Lapelcelery — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 23:54:53 +0000

I can help on that actually, my strat is in candy apple red, and has a gold undercoat, but the undercoats have been done in both silver and gold at varying times by fender (not sure about the schecter ones), I’ve heard it said that a silver undercoat makes for a slightly darker finish, and fender only use gold at the moment. I also know David Gilmour’s candy apple strat has a gold undercoat, so pictures of that might make a good reference to campare with Mark’s. The image above of the vintage candy apple, dakota, and fiesta is from Tom Wheelers book ‘The Stratocaster Chronicles’, and he says the candy apple in that image has a silver undercoat.

By: Knopfleberg

Knopfleberg — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 23:05:37 +0000

hi Ingo

Great as always ;o) I read some where regarding the Candy red thing, that candy apple was as you say with a silver undercoat, but have a look at the 2008 strat which is called candy Cola red, because it is with a gold undercoat? at least that was the story I was told when I bought my 2008 strat.

All the best

Ps.

I just purchased a calassic Suhr strat in Dakota red, what a beaty ;o)

By: Dermot OReilly

Dermot OReilly — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 10:32:38 +0000

Great blog again thx Ingo!
Yeah I read that due to the Shadows massive popularity (which can’t be underestimated they were really huge at the time) the strats coming in from the US were refinished for the UK market (in red of course or shades of) – it’s actually mentioned in the official fender strat book. Also I think a lot of the strats back then were under coated white so any colour could be sprayed on afterwards. Or simplying just refinished to meet an order request quickly. Sometimes the white finish can bleed into the red and you get a lighter or pinker finish.

By: Jean-François

Jean-François — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 20:47:10 +0000

ah ok, I thought both guys were Mark (with pics edit)
So I thought Mark was on right too, so with a pick.
Indeed, I didn’t remeber that David played the rosewood strat on this part of Arena doc.

By: Ingo

Ingo — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 18:35:30 +0000

Mark is left, David right. I can’t see a pick, looks like Mark’s anchor.
This picture is from the ‘Pool video’ of the first Twisting by the Pool demo BTW (parts are included in the Arena BBC docu), and in fact Mark played a pick on this song but I don’t remember if he plays a pick or finger style on this ‘mimic’ video, need to check.

By: Jean-François

Jean-François — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 18:25:25 +0000

on the pic with both Mark’s strats, he seems to play with a pick (or maybe doing a virtual pick with his nails, as he seems to do often live, e.g. on Tunnel of love, or Money for nothing).
It’s very rare on this guitar. The only song that I guess played with a pick during this period is Twsiting by the pool. I can’t see others songs of 77-80 played with pick.