Vintage Sunburst

[Victory Pete]

I have 2 2016 Gibsons with Vintage Sunburst, compared to my 2016 Western Classic with a Sunset Burst, they looked rather pale last year. I have them all together today and they all look about the same, but my 2016 Advanced Jumbo I bought this week which has been in its case for a year seems to have the same pale Vintage Sunburst that the other 2 had last year. Does the Vintage Sunburst get a more amber color with age?

[E-minor7]

Does the Vintage Sunburst get a more amber color with age?

As we know nitrocellulose lacquer slowly fades into warmer oranyellow - something happens to the pigment of the burst too, , and the wood itself for that matter.

You do the magik-math.

Will take time, but sooner or later it'll all blend - top, sides, back, bindings, tuners. That's when the guitar reaches it's full soul.

From then on it's a sacred item - and everyone in the room will know.

Think plus 50 years

 

[j45nick]

Clear nitro certainly does yellow over time, but it usually takes years to see a difference. Maybe putting it in bright sunlight would accelerate that. I think Gibson primarily uses a mix of yellow and black pigments in the typical sunburst.

 

I believe the sunset burst is different, in that it has some primary red in it as well, so it is closer to tri-tone.

 

Gibson bursts vary a lot, which is nice.

 

Martin uses a pronounced vintage toner on some models, like the 000-28 EC. It's almost a bit too pumpkin, and you wonder what it will look like in 30 years.

 

Until recently, I had five sunburst Gibsons, some vintage, others modern. No two were even remotely alike. Down to three right now.

[GDC]

I think Sunset Burst and Vintage Burst are two different colors. The Sunset Burst is said to be mindful of a reddish Montana sunset; we used to call Vintage Sunburst "Tobacco Stain," which is more mindful of the yellow, brownish, pale appearance of tobacco leaves drying in the tobacco shed.

[GDC]

I think Sunset Burst and Vintage Burst are two different colors. The Sunset Burst is said to be mindful of a reddish Montana sunset; we used to call Vintage Sunburst "Tobacco Stain," which is more mindful of the yellow, brownish, pale appearance of tobacco leaves drying in the tobacco shed.

[Victory Pete]

Clear nitro certainly does yellow over time, but it usually takes years to see a difference. Maybe putting it in bright sunlight would accelerate that. I think Gibson primarily uses a mix of yellow and black pigments in the typical sunburst.

 

I believe the sunset burst is different, in that it has some primary red in it as well, so it is closer to tri-tone.

 

Gibson bursts vary a lot, which is nice.

 

Yes the Sunset Burst is the best, almost as Orange as Trump. The 2 Vintage Bursts were a bit yellow, but not anymore. I do leave them on wall hangers for months on end. It will be interesting to see if the Advanced Jumbo goes from yellowish to orangeish it the next year.

[zombywoof]

Anything will fade if subjected to UV light. But as noted it takes a long time. The nitro Gibson shoots these day's ain't your grandfather's lacquer. Old school pigments (particularly reds) were unstable and far more sensitive to light so three color bursts became two color bursts and cherry red guitars turned brown. The wood itself will darken over time.

[Lars68]

I keep my guitars in their cases when not played, and when played, 99,9% of the time it is indoors, late at night. They still change colors, which is very cool!

 

Lars