Has anyone recreated Gretsch Aspen Green?

Jimbro66

I really like the look of Gretsch's Aspen Green metallic as used on their 5420 models. Judging by other comments on this forum I'm not alone in thinking it's a pretty cool colour. I'd like to use it for a new guitar project.

The Gretsch colour does not seem to be available and, in any event, being an Electromatic series guitar the paint would be poly, not nitro. My attempts so far to match the colour using mixed nitro metallics have not got close enough so I was wondering whether any of the builders here have successfully recreated Gretsch Aspen Green?

There are several Aspen Green metallic car colours but they are totally different to the Gretsch colour so it's a matter of finding the right colour mix.

GoldenEraGuitars

Gorgeous colour. Have you tried mixing clear nitro with a few drops of green and perhaps white or grey? I haven't tried it myself but Id give it a go if I did have the colours to test

Nomad

Could try RAL 6011...

https://www.ralcolorchart.com/ral-6011-reseda-green

I did some eyedropper clicking of images of both the guitar and the RAL swatch, and the balance between RGB is about the same. If anything, the Gretsch colour is a bit less saturated (ie, more red and blue in Photoshop).

Maybe RAL 6011 with a bit of white?

Jimbro66

@lonestar and @Nomad thanks for your suggestions which are helpful.

Like @Nomad I tried the eyedropper matching method at first, also arriving at a colour similar to RAL6011, but online photos vary greatly in colour. That's because Aspen Green has a pronounced metallic quality and varies in colour hugely depending on the angle of view and the temperature of lighting. When three samples prepared as variants of RAL6011 were compared with an actual Gretsch guitar in diffused daylight they were far too green. I think it's fair to say that most online photos and videos are shot in warmer artificial light.

In indirect daylight Aspen Green looks substantially silver/grey with an Ice Blue-ish hue and a subtle hint of green. In fact, when playing a 5420 a few days ago the top side of the guitar viewed from player's position looked silver. Yet in some online views the side looks mid-green.

So, a fiendishly difficult colour to replicate but a large constituant of the colour quality seems to be silver/grey.

Any other thoughts on this would be very welcome.

GoldenEraGuitars

Jimbro66 said:

@lonestar and @Nomad thanks for your suggestions which are helpful.

Like @Nomad I tried the eyedropper matching method at first, also arriving at a colour similar to RAL6011, but online photos vary greatly in colour. That's because Aspen Green has a pronounced metallic quality and varies in colour hugely depending on the angle of view and the temperature of lighting. When three samples prepared as variants of RAL6011 were compared with an actual Gretsch guitar in diffused daylight they were far too green. I think it's fair to say that most online photos and videos are shot in warmer artificial light.

In indirect daylight Aspen Green looks substantially silver/grey with an Ice Blue-ish hue and a subtle hint of green. In fact, when playing a 5420 a few days ago the top side of the guitar viewed from player's position looked silver. Yet in some online views the side looks mid-green.

So, a fiendishly difficult colour to replicate but a large constituant of the colour quality seems to be silver/grey.

Any other thoughts on this would be very welcome.

It is a stunning colour for sure mate. I think my issue was looking at photos on google doesn't come close to how majestic it'll look in real life. 

Ill be mixing a few cool colours for bodies that I'm about to spray, I maybe a crack at this myself.

Jimbro66

lonestar said:

It is a stunning colour for sure mate. I think my issue was looking at photos on google doesn't come close to how majestic it'll look in real life. 

Ill be mixing a few cool colours for bodies that I'm about to spray, I maybe a crack at this myself.

If you do that please let me know how you get on. Ta.

GoldenEraGuitars

Jimbro66 said:

lonestar said:

It is a stunning colour for sure mate. I think my issue was looking at photos on google doesn't come close to how majestic it'll look in real life. 

Ill be mixing a few cool colours for bodies that I'm about to spray, I maybe a crack at this myself.

If you do that please let me know how you get on. Ta.

I shall indeed, happy to report my findings if I get close.

lamf68

if you have a gander at Fenders Sage green metallic it's nigh on identical, I mixed up a batch of sage last year for a tele i did for a customer, got some left over if it's any use to you?

lamf68

it'd be bottled so you'd need a spray gun etc to get it on the guitar!!!!

GoldenEraGuitars

lamf68 said:

it'd be bottled so you'd need a spray gun etc to get it on the guitar!!!!

Should @Jimbro66 pass up on the offer I'd like to be next in line for that bottle mate

lamf68

@lonestar no problem man, I'll let you know.

Aidanspaghetti

While were on the subject, anybody know what colour the old Kotzen green tele was? The pictures of it I've seen seem to vary quite a lot... Paler than 7up green, almost burst like in other pics..... I've a great gsp contoured tele body I'd 
I've to get done like that green......

DrBob

Aidanspaghetti said:

While were on the subject, anybody know what colour the old Kotzen green tele was? The pictures of it I've seen seem to vary quite a lot... Paler than 7up green, almost burst like in other pics..... I've a great gsp contoured tele body I'd 
I've to get done like that green......

Cool, it arrived !

Jimbro66

DrBob said:

Aidanspaghetti said:

While were on the subject, anybody know what colour the old Kotzen green tele was? The pictures of it I've seen seem to vary quite a lot... Paler than 7up green, almost burst like in other pics..... I've a great gsp contoured tele body I'd 
I've to get done like that green......

Cool, it arrived !

What arrived????