Although we don’t usually cover content about guitars, due to having so much content based around color comparisons, we have noticed a number of people reaching out for a surf green vs seafoam green comparison for their guitar body. Due to these two colors being close to each other with even professional guitar sales reps often confusing the two, we have decided to publish this article to try and help any of our readers looking at either a surf green or a sea foam green guitar body.
Our hope is that we will be able to help our readers settle on the guitar body color that they want as we know that both surf green and sea foam green are very popular options that are often in competition with each other due to being so close. One tip that we would offer right off the bat is to actually check the identification number of the guitar against the brands official color codes PRIOR to purchase.
There have been multiple occasions where a sales rep has sold a guitar as either surf green or sea foam green when in actual fact it has been the other. Without seeing the two side by side it is very difficult to tell the difference and it is a common mistake. Fender probably have the best color chat system out there making it very easy to check but other brands like ESP and Gibson also have decent chart systems too.
Surf Green Vs Seafoam Green
Not all surf green guitars and seafoam green guitars are crated equally and the specific shade, hue, and fading of each brand do come into play with the end result of how the paint job looks on the guitar. For example, a surf green guitar from Fender and a surf green guitar from ESP can be sat side by side but be an obviously different color.
This is due to the original “surf green” and “sea foam green” having been developed for cars in the 1940’s and 1950’s with official patents on the color specificy how it has to be made and how it has to look when dry. As both colors dropped out of style for cars, the patent was never renewed so brands started to look for cheaper pigment options to provide the colors.
This has resulted in various brands having their own variants of the colors that are correct by their standards but look different to other brands. That said though, the majority of people do consider the Fender seafoam green and surf green to be the true colors in this modern age with Fender setting the standard.
A Closer Look At Surf Green
All surf green colored guitars are a much warmer shade than seafoam green and have a higher concentration of yellow in them to give them the warmer look to their color. For the most part, a surf green guitar body will stay close to surf green in most lighting conditions to do if you have a multi color light for gigging then the guitar will stay very close to its true color.
The surf green body is also lighter than a seafoam green body and will often come with a lighter pick guard to match often in white, cream or pearl but many people will add their own custom pick guard after purchase. The neck of asurf green guitar is available in a pretty much all major wood types due to the tonal differences the wood is able to provide as you hold the fret but most people do tend to prefer a lighter looking wood with a surf green guitar.
Although the actual body configuration of the guitar will depend on the model and your specifications, the majority of stock made surf green guitars will either have a rear, middle, and forward pickup or just a rear pickup. If you are getting a custom guitar then you are able to dictate the pickup formation during the order process though.
A Closer Look At Seafoam Green
Seafoam green guitars are on the cooler side of green with more blue in their color mix giving it that darker look. The bluer hue in a seafoam green guitar may result in color changes while gigging under a multi coloured light, especially under blue light. Although this will probably not matter for most people, some people do like to keep their guitars their true color when under different lighting.
Due to the darker blue hue on seafoam green, the standard pick guard options are opened up with most brands offering a number of different colored pick guards direct from the factory. The necks for seafoam green guitars are also available in most types of wood too and although personal opinion will start to come into play, you are usually able to get away with a darker colored wood without it looking out of place.
This can open up the seafoam green guitars to different types of music for anyone who puts a high priority on the looks of their guitar. That said though, most people tend not to care and will go with the neck option that they want with any guitar color without so much as a second thought.
Pickguard Combinations
As we touched on above, the pickguard combinations available on a standard, factory guitar do slightly fairy between surf green and seafoam green with seafoam green usually having the wider selection direct from the factory. That said though, many people do just choose to use their own custom pick guard with their guitars anyway.
Due to the popularity of the internet and more and more business being done on it with each year that passes, it is much easier to get a custom pick guard for your guitar than it once was too. This allows you to order a pre-made custom pick guard from Amazon or to contact companies who make them to order a unique one that has been specifically customised to you.
This helps you move away from the standard white, cream, pearl, and black and allows you to add that extra touch to your surf green or seafoam green guitars. You can have your pick guard show your band logo, your favourite guitar play or pretty much anything else that you are able to dream up.
Conclusion
That brings our article going over our surf green vs seafoam green guitar comparison to an end. Both are great options that tend to hold their resale value very well due to so many established guitar players using them so your own personal preference can come into play and help you decide on the guitar color that you want.
