The Accidental Birth: How The Fender Antigua Was Born

[jd56hawk]

https://fatbottomguitars.co.uk/blogs/news/the-accidental-birth-how-the-fender-antigua-was-born

[nige1968]

I remember smoked glass being fashionable at the time so I always linked the two in my head. Smoked glass burst. I was a fan then and still am, a bit.

 

It's available as a finish now in the Mod Shop, but the matching pickguards ain't.

 

Ian Martin Allison has a just-clean-enough 70s Jazz in this finish, with rosewood board and blocks/binding. I would have that off him in an instant, even if I then had to get the (presumably chunky) neck profile adjusted.

[Pea Turgh]

That has to be an AI-written article.  All that repetition and bullet points.

[ASW]

Bizarrely written article which misses out some key points and includes odd sections such as "what can we learn from Antigua".

 

I also suspect it's an AI created article. 

[Shaggy]

AI or not; still interesting.   Probably my favourite Fender finish, ever since the lead guitarist in my school band circa 1977 turned up with a brand new Antigua finish Strat (maple neck, which IMHO looks much better with it than rosewood).   Rather unfairly referred to as "snotburst" I think......

[jd56hawk]

1 hour ago, Shaggy said:

AI or not; still interesting.   Probably my favourite Fender finish, ever since the lead guitarist in my school band circa 1977 turned up with a brand new Antigua finish Strat (maple neck, which IMHO looks much better with it than rosewood).   Rather unfairly referred to as "snotburst" I think......

Had a chance to buy one back in 2015, more gold than green, but waited too long and someone else jumped on it.

I really like the Coronado. 

[Grooverjr]

Doesn't say why it was named Antigua? I have never been, but I would expect it to be all bright tropical colours so not an obvious match. 

[Reggaebass]

I did read somewhere a long time back that the colour came about after a mistake mixing, and they liked it , not sure how true it is 

[synthaside]

I bought the recent Classic Vibe " re-issue "  its REALLY grown on me i wouldn't have picked it over any other finish but playing wise ... through luck or setup kicked the crap out of all the other options and i needed to leave the shop with a bass or i wasn't playing the wedding .

Changing the Antigua Scratchplate to a black one was a massive improvement IMHO , the  " colour matched" one is going begging if anyone is  DESPERATE for Antigua on Antigua .
Its Standard Fender screw pattern.

Edited Wednesday at 10:16 by synthaside

[jd56hawk]

16 hours ago, Grooverjr said:

Doesn't say why it was named Antigua? I have never been, but I would expect it to be all bright tropical colours so not an obvious match. 

That's what I was hoping to find out after typing "Antigua etymology" in the search box. 🤔

[Grooverjr]

26 minutes ago, jd56hawk said:

That's what I was hoping to find out after typing "Antigua etymology" in the search box. 🤔

Well I just used Google AI and it said the name was chosen "because it sounded exotic and luxurious". I suppose that type of colour scheme would have been luxurious in 60s USA. Still seems a misnomer to me. It would be interesting to show the finish to a random selection of people who don't know what it is and ask them what they would call it. I don't expect you would get Antigua or anything even vaguely similar. 

[LeftyJ]

There's this famous photo of some really rare instruments (especially the lefties!) all together on one wall:

 

 

Just incredible! I'd love me that lefty Coronado and that Precision, but it's especially the Telecaster Deluxe and the Mustang Bass that have me hankering. 

[Schnozzalee]

I think i prefer the rosewood board but its between this and the 70s 'walnut' finish (with cream dimarzios) for me.

[Grahambythesea]

3 hours ago, LeftyJ said:

There's this famous photo of some really rare instruments (especially the lefties!) all together on one wall:

 

 

Just incredible! I'd love me that lefty Coronado and that Precision, but it's especially the Telecaster Deluxe and the Mustang Bass that have me hankering. 

Yikes, that’s a bit frightening! I don’t like the shaded headstocks, just too much.

[Steve Browning]

Walnut every time. I cannot abide Antigua as a finish. I guess it represented a bass that was ridiculously heavy when it first appeared. 

[Maude]

Mmm gherkinburst over congealed salad cream. 😁

[Hellzero]

The most awful "colour" ever and we are lucky as the clear varnish coat is yellowing over the years, otherwise it's even more horrendous.

 

I got an original 1977 Antigua Precision Bass in a trade and couldn't simply get it out of its case without wanting to puke, so I traded it for the first bass that was the proposed to me: a 1969 500/1 Höfner, what a relief.

[Stub Mandrel]

On 18/11/2025 at 12:21, jd56hawk said:

https://fatbottomguitars.co.uk/blogs/news/the-accidental-birth-how-the-fender-antigua-was-born

 

Spot the AI journalism...

[Stub Mandrel]

I'm firmly anti-gua.

 

I assume the name is wordplay on 'gua-no'

[Minininjarob]

9 hours ago, Hellzero said:

The most awful "colour" ever and we are lucky as the clear varnish coat is yellowing over the years, otherwise it's even more horrendous.

 

I got an original 1977 Antigua Precision Bass in a trade and couldn't simply get it out of its case without wanting to puke, so I traded it for the first bass that was the proposed to me: a 1969 500/1 Höfner, what a relief.

 

Same. It’s truly horrendous. My friends know really dislike bare wood finishes but I’d have the most crazy figured wood style over Antigua any day. 
I’ve tried to be charitable about it but it just looks like congealed fat that’s got mould round the edges. Or an ashtray that’s been spat in. Or the look of someone’s skin after they’ve gotten severe frostbite and their fingers are going black. 
It’s that visceral for me!!

[BigRedX]

But it was way better than the finishes that followed - that partially see-through white that looked as though they'd run out of rattle can and couldn't be bothered to get another one to complete the job, or sh!t brown.

[Steve Browning]

53 minutes ago, BigRedX said:

 sh!t brown.

I prefer to think of it as oxtail soup. My second favourite colour, after 3T sunburst.