The brownest Fender brown

Let's talk about the brownest of Fender browns.

What you see above is a Fender Mustang in Faded Mocha. This was a special edition color from around 2017.

Why is this the brownest of browns for an electric guitar?

Before I answer that, yes of course you always see brown with a traditional sunburst finish. As the sun "sets" towards the edge of the body, the brown is there.

However, to see all brown with no variation other than some wood grain... well, that's different.

An example of Mocha is the Fender American Vintage II 1973 Stratocaster...

...but you'll notice that it doesn't commit to brown 100%. You do see some red in there. Yes, Mocha is a great color on the Am Vin II '73 Strat, no question, but still, it didn't go 100% in on the brown.

The Faded Mocha of the Fender Mustang however did go all-in on brown. There is barely any red in there and it totally commits to "looks like a coffee table". And that is why it's the brownest of Fender browns.

Faded Mocha has no metal flake, no burst and nothing fancy about it other than a gloss finish (which in itself isn't fancy). It is a color that says, "I am brown. Wanna fight about it?"

For some people, this very specific brown is the perfect guitar color because it goes in the total complete opposite direction of fancy. The not-exciting look of it brings a sense of warmth and comfort just looking at it, and some find that very attractive.

If you're all about the brown, Faded Mocha is what you want. Expensive? No. Quite affordable.

Published 2024 Mar 14