Bozz Posted July 11, 2014 Share Posted July 11, 2014 Does anyone know how Gibson finishes the mahogany on their J-35's to make it so light and yellow? It is much different in appearance than what I would consider the typical dark mahogany appearance. http://images.gibson.com/Products/Acoustic-Guitars/Round-Shoulder/Gibson-Acoustic/J-35/Gallery-Images/RS35ANNH1-Finish-Shot-Back.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jayyj Posted July 12, 2014 Share Posted July 12, 2014 Many companies, Martin included, use a dark grain filler on mahogany which changes the final appearance dramatically. The Gibson colour is much closer to the wood's natural colour. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted July 12, 2014 Share Posted July 12, 2014 Some variety of mahogany are simply lighter color than others. Gibson may, as example, be using what they call fijihogany (which is a sustainable wood) and is generally pretty light colored. They simply choose not to stain it darker. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tarrr Posted July 12, 2014 Share Posted July 12, 2014 Just shine a light down in the sound hole to see the woods actual color. There are so many diff types of mahogany that now days Martin only identifies theirs as genuine mahogany. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nodehopper Posted July 12, 2014 Share Posted July 12, 2014 I LOVE the color of the mahogany on my J-35. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted July 13, 2014 Share Posted July 13, 2014 I believe that one of the differences we are seeing in mahogany is not only less familiar varieties such as African mahogany being increasingly used but wood taken from trees grown on farms as opposed to natural or old growth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bozz Posted July 13, 2014 Author Share Posted July 13, 2014 I love the golden yellow color of mine too! Inside the sound hole, the unfinished wood has the classic reddish brown tone you would expect mahogany to have. But the outside is a beautiful golden color that is pretty unusual compared to most mahogany backs, sides and necks. I think Gibson must apply a yellow, or gold stain instead of the typical dark brown grain fillers. I was just curious if anyone knows exactly what they are using. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onewilyfool Posted July 13, 2014 Share Posted July 13, 2014 Some Mahoganies just have a WONDERFUL smell to them…….like Honduran Mahogany….Visually I like the tight even grain of the old Martin Mahoganies…I've seen some great tight grain like that on some Collings…..all my Gibson's have dark, almost black stain on the Mahogany, so I can't see the grain unless I look into the sound hole….grain looks pretty good though…wonder why they stain it so dark?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yorick Posted July 13, 2014 Share Posted July 13, 2014 Hi Owf, I had that same "wonder" some time back. I'm reckoning that Gibson stains the mahogany dark so as to blend with the black outer bands of their classic sunbursts? My J 50, being a natural top, has very light back and sides. I have also noticed over the years that what happens one day at the factory might not happen another: last year, I was at luthier Herb Key's shop getting some help with my Gurian. Herb had a few guitars he was working on. One was a KG 14--with a beautiful light brown back and sides. I had never seen one with anything but the dark stain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted July 13, 2014 Share Posted July 13, 2014 I think one of the things going on is that traditionalist geezers like me who have been playing Gibsons for 40 or 50 years or more are just not used to these new fangled color schemes. Hey, give us 20 years of the light skins and bleached necks on the J-35 and we will probably not even blink an eye at them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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