I'm "self" torriefying my new guitar!

[jklotz]

I know what you mean. My E20-OM was almost white when I got it:


Now, 7 months in, it has a little bit of a tan to it:

[guitararmy]

Nice Eastman!
I have a Larrivee D-03 that is as pale as when I got it 15 years ago...

[foxo]

Maybe I am the exception but I really like the almost white colour of new spruce guitars.

[guitar george]

Not all amber colored tops are due to natural aging from exposure to light or evaporation of moisture, sap, etc. Many are built that way using tinted finishes including the use of aging toners.

[Pura Vida]

A little sunlight, preferably indirect, will provide some color to your new guitar in a relatively short time. I leave my guitars out on racks and stands in CA, where sunshine is abundant, and they've gotten some nice colors. Your parlor reminds me of my daughter's 12-fret 00, which had a very pale top. She got it for Christmas 2018, and it's showing some nice color in the grain, which will continue to darken over time.

[Kitkatjoe]

Originally Posted by Silly Moustache

Nah, just prematurely grey from using hi laptop!

Please tell us about your cat. I can't leave mine out on a stand because my Bengal goes for the strings.

[jklotz]

One thing to note; most guitar polishes sold today contain some sort of UV inhibiter. If you want your guitar to show aging, it's probably best you avoid them.

[Silly Moustache]

Originally Posted by Kitkatjoe

Please tell us about your cat. I can't leave mine out on a stand because my Bengal goes for the strings.

Hi we Got Rupert on the 24th November last from an Oriental rehoming charity.
He is a "problem" cat, as was our last one.

Rupert does not have a pedigree certificate as , I believe he is an odd one out of a little that were supposed to be exotic crosses with a Burmese and a "Savannah" or "Serengetti" - He is 8 years old and was too much for his previous owners.

He is problematic as he is, by far the noisiest feline I've ever encountered outside of a zoo!
He has a howl which resembles a banshee r a wild animal being brutally killed. A nearby neighbour from across the road recently told me that he had heard some disturbing noises in the night.

Here he is again, ah, sorry, not the first one!

[Pura Vida]

Originally Posted by jklotz

One thing to note; most guitar polishes sold today contain some sort of UV inhibiter. If you want your guitar to show aging, it's probably best you avoid them.

That's a great point. I've mostly used Music Nomad products, and they all contain UV protectant. I've recently purchased bottles of Virtuoso cleaner and polish, but not sure what's in their products.

[vintage40s]

Originally Posted by Silly Moustache

... in November I bought a new Eastman guitar.... anaemic pallor of brand new adirondack spruce... A couple of hours on the occasional sunny day over two-three months has made a visible difference...

The Eastman E20-P that I recently bought used is few years older and a little darker than the 2018 E20-OM that I bought new.
So, like you, I have been leaving the lighter E20-OM in a sunny window for a few hours a day this winter. This was the comparison before I started. I hope that by summer it will be the same shade as the other one.

[guitar george]

Here is my cedar-topped Prudencio Saez G-3 classical guitar when I bought it in February 2016 and how it looked in June, 2017 which is pretty much how it still looks today. It even has the same strings in both pictures. This guitar had been out on a stand, in a bright room near a window, all the time. Somebody suggested that some of this change in my pictures might be due to different lighting when the pictures were taken, but, I know it actually did change a lot. Not only did the color darken but most of the visible sap lines (or whatever they were) disappeared. It now shows only the grain lines with almost no discoloration. It has the nicest top of all my guitars.


PRUDENCIO SAEZ FEB. 2016.jpg PRUDENCIO SAEZ JUN. 2017.jpg

[vintage40s]

Interesting proof of the effect of sunlight and the time required to reach that dark shade.