Lighter sides than back.

[kizz]

I have a rosewood guitar where the sides are considerably lighter than the back. When I look inside it is much darker. Could it be the finish that has faded and if so is there anything you can do to get it the same color as the back?

[LAPlayer]

It's not likely faded. I'm not sure that can happen. And no there's nothing I'm aware of to darken the sides. Play and enjoy it.

[kizz]

Yes, it must be made that way, I've seen a few vintage D28's that also have it and have always wondered why they don't make the sides and back the same color. I think it looks a little weird.

[JonWint]

My 1969 D-28 had lighter sides. The Brazilian RW supply was running low and color matching was more difficult.

During re-topping, I stained the sides for a better match. You might be able to overspray a tinted finish to darken the sides. It was easy for me due to the complete refinish with FP shellac.



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[kizz]

Originally Posted by JonWint

My 1969 D-28 had lighter sides. The Brazilian RW supply was running low and color matching was more difficult.

During re-topping, I stained the sides for a better match. You might be able to overspray a tinted finish to darken the sides. It was easy for me due to the complete refinish with FP shellac.



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It looks good, good job, think it will be too extensive for me to respray, it's an old Sigma with what I believe is poly. It is from around the end of the 80s, so there must be other reasons why they chose to leave the sides lighter on it, probably economic :-) Still, I think it is probably more time-consuming to have to paint the back and sides separately rather than giving same tint from the start.

[redir]

The reason why it may look darker on the inside is because it's a laminate side so it's a different, more dark, veneer of rosewood.

[kizz]

Originally Posted by redir

The reason why it may look darker on the inside is because it's a laminate side so it's a different, more dark, veneer of rosewood.

Ok, then it could have been good if they had used that side on the outside, it is a lot nicer :-) But I guess they still had the option to color the outside. It's kind of funny because I peeled off some stickers on the side that some kids had put there years ago and under them the finish was darker, as if it had actually been darker.

[redir]

Originally Posted by kizz

Ok, then it could have been good if they had used that side on the outside, it is a lot nicer :-) But I guess they still had the option to color the outside. It's kind of funny because I peeled off some stickers on the side that some kids had put there years ago and under them the finish was darker, as if it had actually been darker.

They very well may have meant too but when they pulled it out of the laminating molds said, Oops oh well!

That is odd with the sticker though because typically sunlight darkens wood over time and you see the opposite effect, it's lighter under the sticker.

[kizz]

Originally Posted by redir

They very well may have meant too but when they pulled it out of the laminating molds said, Oops oh well!

That is odd with the sticker though because typically sunlight darkens wood over time and you see the opposite effect, it's lighter under the sticker.

Honestly, I don't think they did things by accident, they probably refrained from coloring for financial reasons and maybe because Martin wants it that way, so they didn't get too close to the original, at the time they were manufactured under Martin. Yes, the thing with the sticker could indicate that maybe some finish can lighten up. I once had a car that was very sun damaged with white patches all over, here I used some lacquer cleaner and it returned to the original color, so actually my question was also a hope that someone could tell me if there was something similar for this kind of finish.

[phavriluk]

Originally Posted by kizz

I have a rosewood guitar where the sides are considerably lighter than the back. When I look inside it is much darker. Could it be the finish that has faded and if so is there anything you can do to get it the same color as the back?

I think that ship sailed long ago. Backs are not cut from the same logs as sides. Builders do the best they can to match the shades of each, but once the finish is on, done. Enjoy the guitar. Every guitar made suffers from this mismatch to some degree.

[Carey]

I don't know what the OP's guitar was made of, but East Indian Rosewood tends to fade
with exposure to sunlight.

[kizz]

Originally Posted by Carey

I don't know what the OP's guitar was made of, but East Indian Rosewood tends to fade
with exposure to sunlight.

I have another one with the same symptom sitting out on a stand since I got it close to a window and that has definitely evened out the difference a bit, the sides were much brighter when I got it compared to the back, whether it's the wood or finsih I don't know, it's poly.