DownTheRiviera Posted April 6, 2015 Share Posted April 6, 2015 If you look at a Casino or an Epiphone Dot, you'll see that the Natural finish is light and more like wood. Some guitars, (Nick Valensi Rivera) have a slightly darker/Orange color to the body. Can anybody tell me more about this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fromnabulax Posted April 6, 2015 Share Posted April 6, 2015 If you look at a Casino or an Epiphone Dot, you'll see that the Natural finish is light and more like wood. Some guitars, (Nick Valensi Rivera) have a slightly darker/Orange color to the body. Can anybody tell me more about this? I just picked up a Valensi. It was never advertised as being 'natural' but as being 'antique natural' which I suppose to the folks at Epi is an applied color and not part of an actual aging process. in fact the Valensi essentially us a pale transparent orange finish, and certainly not natural. 'Natural' on the other hand is what it says it is. Not painted, not stained, but simply varnished over the untreated wood. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
burchster Posted April 6, 2015 Share Posted April 6, 2015 The guitars vary from factory to factory my 06 Korean Casino has a darker tint to it than that of a new Chinese one. I'm not an expert but I think they could get darker over time with sun exposure...just a thought. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stein Posted April 6, 2015 Share Posted April 6, 2015 First thing to realize, "natural" in ALL light color woods will be different depending on age. Not only does the finish turn from a clear to yellow, but also the wood will darken. Particularly light colored woods like maple. 2nd to realize, different "clear" finishes will be more "clear" and others will be more yellow from the start. Poly, like used on Epi's, start out more clear than oil-based, like used on Gibsons. Lastly, because of all this, many guitar makers will tint the clear finish to make it LOOK more aged, either wanting the guitar to resemble the color of aged finishes on older guitars, or to mimic the color of more expensive finishes of other guitars. Various names could be given, like "aging toner", or "vintage". Having said that, often salespeople or owners will simply omit a detail like "aged" in the description, especially if it appears as though it is naturally aged, and nobody usually keeps track of how yellow a non-tinted finish is. You can have 2 of the exact same guitars that were quite "clear" when new, and a few short years later one is more yellow than the other, almost as yellowed as the factory "tinted" ones. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomse Posted April 6, 2015 Share Posted April 6, 2015 This is neutral. I have a Broadway that's VN Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DownTheRiviera Posted April 6, 2015 Author Share Posted April 6, 2015 So If I want it slightly darker, then i could leave in the sun? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LPS1976 Posted April 6, 2015 Share Posted April 6, 2015 So If I want it slightly darker, then i could leave in the sun? not a good idea Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeffery Smith Posted April 6, 2015 Share Posted April 6, 2015 My spruce topped Byrdland is yellower than a maple top. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dennis G Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 I'm thinking that my natural Dot is pretty, well, natural: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DownTheRiviera Posted April 7, 2015 Author Share Posted April 7, 2015 So is there anything I can do to change it to an Antique Natural? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeffery Smith Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 So is there anything I can do to change it to an Antique Natural? You really don't want to strip a urethane finish off, and I would shudder trying to put another coat over the current finish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Zeplin Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 So is there anything I can do to change it to an Antique Natural? The spruce top on my Epi PR6e turned quite dark over the 10 years I had it. It was kept on a stand for nearly all that time, out of the sun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stein Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 So If I want it slightly darker, then i could leave in the sun? not a good idea Well... You could leave it, or rather keep it, in the house by a window that gets natural light. You could also put it outside in an effort to give it a "suntan". Would it work? Sure it would. But OBVIOUSLY, if you leave it outside heating up in the sun, that heat could very well damage the guitar. Having it in the house and getting sun is much safer, but also, the results could be unpredictable. Such as an uneven tan. If you care about the color that much, you likely would care if you messed up the guitar or something wasn't right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LPS1976 Posted April 8, 2015 Share Posted April 8, 2015 tanning bed?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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