The familiar, distinguishing look of Fender’s one-piece maple neck changed in the late 1950s when the company adopted a more durable rosewood fingerboard.

At the same time, Fender standardized a palette of custom finish colors that offered guitarists a range of individual expression from bright Fiesta Red to shining Gold metallic to basic Black.

The most famous custom color Tele from that era is the red guitar played by blues legend Muddy Waters.