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Comment by tomcam | Hacker News Reader

As an old-timer, I can tell you that modern automotive paint is off the charts gorgeous end of a quality that would have looked like alien technology in the 1970s. One color you will see frequently is a metallic red that consists of the red pigment with fine metal particles that give it a deep glimmer. 30 years ago the only way you could get that was a very expensive coding process that required 10, 12, 20 layers of paint. Now anyone can get it on their Corolla for little or no markup.

Another piece of trivia is that Fender, the guitar company, has often used automotive paints for its guitars. The reason is not just availability and durability, but that it accurately tracks recent color trends.

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Fender only followed car color trends in the late 50s and early 60s. After that they went their own way (including natural wood bodies and many "interesting" color choices of the 70s.)

Most Fender guitars sold today are still in those "custom" Duco colors from the late 50s and early 60s. (The standard Stratocaster was a burst color and the standard Telecaster was butterscotch or blonde. Any of the Duco car colors back then was a "custom" option for an additional charge.)

I interviewed their #2 guy for a radio show a few years ago and he's the one who gave me that info. In fact, they follow lots of other color trends--right up to and including women's shoes (not joking). I called him out on it and he said, "Do you have any better ideas?" and that shut me up really fast.

Yeah he told you whatever he wanted to tell you. I told you the truth. Most guitars they sell are reissues/references back to those golden years.

The red paint on recent Mazdas specifically - I stop and stare every time.

Mazda Soul Red is what's called a "Candy Color“. It's achieved with a translucent red layer applied over a base color layer. It's rare for an OEM to offer a color like this because the thickness the coating is applied changes the color and It's much more difficult to achieve a consistent color.

YES

There's a red tintcoat that's just amazing. It's red basecoat with a red tinted clearcoat. So much depth, I feel like I could wade through it.

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