What does Olympic white actually look like?

[Grav]

Hi,

I've been looking at getting a Pro II P-Bass, I want a white one.

The colour of Olympic white seems to vary depending on the seller

Is it closer to Arctic White like this? - https://reverb.com/uk/item/36368718-fender-professional-ii-precision-bass-olympic-white

Or a more cream colour like this? - https://reverb.com/uk/item/36160105-fender-american-professional-ii-precision-bass-olympic-white-rosewood

I've picked on 2 Reverb listings though I've see variation everywhere (or is that the answer right there - it's never the same?)

I get that Arctic white is a 'cold' white and Olympic is 'warm' white though I obviously can't go and look at any basses in person and the above examples show the same guitar looking very different.

 

Thanks in advance 🙂

Apologies if this has been acknowledged before, I had a search, could not find the answer.

Edited January 21, 2021 by Grav

[AndyTravis]

Olympic is cream, Arctic is a bit less so.

Edited January 21, 2021 by AndyTravis

[ikay]

Here's a pic of the olympic white Pro II from the Fender website for ref

[pineweasel]

The original Olympic White was a bright white, but it yellowed with age. So you'll see all sorts of whites advertised as Olympic, depending on whether they are going for an aged look.

Here's the Olympic White CIJ Fender I used to own.

 

Edited January 21, 2021 by pineweasel

[bassfan]

Bit like this...... 

[Reggaebass]

Olympic white and shell pink are my favourite bass colours, I think sometimes it also depends on the camera and light, this pic is Olympic white in good light 

[Grav]

Ha, these last two images make it even more confusing 🤣

They do not look even close to the same colour

I'm going to have to wait and look at some I reckon. 

Edited January 21, 2021 by Grav

[Reggaebass]

Ha, 4 different Olympic whites 😂

[Grav]

1 minute ago, Reggaebass said:

Ha, 4 different Olympic whites 😂

This is my confusion dude 😁

[Reggaebass]

Just now, Grav said:

This is my confusion dude 😁

I don’t think this thread is helping either 😁

[AndyTravis]

13 minutes ago, bassfan said:

Bit like this...... 

Cor. That’s lush...😉

[bassfan]

1 minute ago, AndyTravis said:

Cor. That’s lush...😉

The well travelled miller Portugal to Essex via a set up in Manchester 😂

[gjones]

I own a P bass in Olympic white.

In bright light it can look very white.

In dimmer light it can look creamy.

It depends on the light.

Edited January 21, 2021 by gjones

[Reggaebass]

Nice bass your looking at getting there Grav , if the bass is too far away to go and see , I would ask for some close up pics of the actual bass, most shops are quite good, that might  give you a better idea of the colour 🙂

[tegs07]

It’s a cream colour but does vary with the light... it’s hard to photograph.

P bass in Olympic White with a tort pick guard or black with a black pick guard were always my favourite. Drop in some Geezer Butlers or Custom Shop 62’s and even a ham fisted Baffoon like me can sound reasonable.

Edited January 22, 2021 by tegs07

[Guest]

I’ve just got a Pro 1 in Olympic White (for some reason in their infinite wisdom Fender supply it with a mint/cream pickguard that looks awful, whereas the Pro II gets the tort guard that such a bass should really come with).

As has been said, in the flesh it’s definitely more cream than white, so like a white bass that’s faded over time, exactly as I’d expect Fender intended the colour to be. The pic Ikay posted is pretty much exactly the colour it appears to me in the flesh.

Edited January 22, 2021 by FDC484950

[fretmeister]

A little bit ancient Greek.

[Doctor J]

Mint on Olympic White looks fantastic, especially when the mint ages and goes a bit darker, but only with a rosewood fretboard. With maple? No thanks. White, or cream, on white usually looks dreadful and cheap. 

Yeah, it's a guitar, but it shows the difference well.

Edited January 22, 2021 by Doctor J

[Guest]

46 minutes ago, Doctor J said:

With maple? No thanks. White, or cream, on white usually looks dreadful and cheap

I think it looks great

 

Edited January 22, 2021 by Ricky Rioli

[Hellzero]

Here is the official Fender Custom Colo(u)r Chart :

Original Olympic White looks very white as there is a blue undercoat, which is a well-known trick to make white looks whiter. This blue dye trick is also used in xerox paper, cloth, washing powder, laundry detergent, photographic paper, ...

When agic, all (nitro)cellulosic paints tend to become creamier, which is especially the case with the Olympic White.

Modern Olympic White is a recreation of this aging process, so absolutely not a reference.

Edited January 22, 2021 by Hellzero
Aging complement

[Guest]

1 hour ago, Ricky Rioli said:

I think it looks great

 

Yes, for me white/aged white/mint looks fine with a maple board or if the pickup covers are white but with a rosewood board and black pickup cover on a P bass it just looks wrong to me, e.g. the polar white Player P here (although the pau ferro board is much lighter so not as bad):  https://shop.fender.com/en-GB/electric-basses/precision-bass/player-precision-bass/0149803500.html

Tort on rosewood or maple and anodised gold on maple works nicely too. I’ve ordered a tort pickguard from WD as Fender doesn’t appear to offer an OEM tort guard for the Pro P Bass V model.

[Lozz196]

Our drummer renamed my Olympic White Precisions as Cheesecake White.

[FinnDave]

Just now, Lozz196 said:

Our drummer renamed my Olympic White Precisions as Cheesecake White.

I like that, it's a much more accurate description. I'll have to use that for my remaining Precision - rosewood, tort & cheesecake!

[lou24d53]

I have a US Olympic White P, maple neck with tort pickguard, but lately been thinking of changing it, no reason, just purely for a wee change.

I was thinking about maybe, anodised gold...akin to the '57 AVRI...?

I've never been a huge fan of tort pickguards, but it certainly has its place on this colour scheme.

[ead]

Is there not also an Aged Olympic White colour that is definitely more light cream than white?