Guitar top styles/colors

[The Bard Rocks]

Originally Posted by Troubador

............................

When they do, they're REALLY LOUD.

[Troubador]

Originally Posted by Tnfiddler

Ambertone all the way!!!

Is this a good depiction of how ambertone really looks? If so, I like it a lot! I've seen photos that look kind of like maroon, and others dark brown and yellow. I like the former but not the latter. I've seen ambertone depictions that are all over the place.

[bufflehead]

If we're talking purely about looks, a cedar top does it for me. Natural.

[BluesKing777]

Brighten a dull day!

My 2005 Gibson Dove cherry burst:





BluesKing777.

[Troubador]

Originally Posted by BluesKing777

Brighten a dull day!

My 2005 Gibson Dove cherry burst:





BluesKing777.

Wow, beautiful!

[Tnfiddler]

Originally Posted by Troubador

Is this a good depiction of how ambertone really looks? If so, I like it a lot! I've seen photos that look kind of like maroon, and others dark brown and yellow. I like the former but not the latter. I've seen ambertone depictions that are all over the place.

Here it is in different lighting. That picture is very accurate to how it really looks, but it looks different depending on the light that’s shining on it. It’s one you have to see in person to really appreciate it.

[Troubador]

Originally Posted by Tnfiddler

Here it is in different lighting. That picture is very accurate to how it really looks, but it looks different depending on the light that’s shining on it. It’s one you have to see in person to really appreciate it.

Thanks so much! That's a beautiful guitar!

[Mark Stone]

Originally Posted by Troubador

What is your favorite style/color for a guitar top? Do you favor the natural wood color, whether spruce, mahogany, cedar, etc.? What about sunburst? Have you seen the style Martin calls Ambertone? If so, what do you think of it?

Right now, natural. However, in the past I loved the sunburst on my old Gibson Hummingbird Pro; the blue-stained maple top of an Ibanez AEL Jumbo acoustic; and I really liked the black topped Epiphone EJ-200. It just depends what time of year it is, I guess

[sinistral]

Originally Posted by Troubador

Is this a good depiction of how ambertone really looks? If so, I like it a lot! I've seen photos that look kind of like maroon, and others dark brown and yellow. I like the former but not the latter. I've seen ambertone depictions that are all over the place.

Martin has made different “shaded top” guitars over the years with different colorations. Not sure if they had names for them when they were originally applied, but I think this page at Maury’s shows the different versions available today and what they’re called:

Martin Guitar Sunbursts

Note, however, that he “Whiskey Sunset” and the different CEO-7s in the guitars listed below the examples don’t quite match the any of the shaded top descriptions.

I’m pretty sure that the yellowish version you saw is called “Amber Burst” and not “Ambertone.”. Of the current models I’ve seen in person, the Ambertones and CEO-7s have been consistently beautiful.

[OPJ77]

Originally Posted by Rev Roy

Ambertone is the only Martin burst that I like. My favorite burst is the one on my Collings Traditional. But I also like the clean look of a natural Adirondack low-gloss top like on my Martin Authentic.

That one on the left might be the prettiest guitar I’ve ever beheld.

[Gas]

To me Dreadnought and Jumbo guitars are clear spruce. If it's sunburst it needs to be a Gibson J45 or J160E

[Troubador]

On a Martin, which do you like better, Sunburst or Ambertone?

[Methos1979]

Originally Posted by Troubador

On a Martin, which do you like better, Sunburst or Ambertone?

I much prefer Martin's Ambertone to just about any other burst finish out there. Only one comes close for me and that's the Santa Cruz edge burst on their 1929 all hog models. I'll post some photos shortly. I also like spruce tops that have darkened either deliberately via a tint (vintage or other) or just from time. I love the 'pumpkin' orange of a vintage spruce topped Martin. What I definitely do not like is the milky white tops of brand new spruce topped guitars.

When I first started playing and coming here I initially didn't like burst guitars at all. Mostly because every burst I saw was a very stark transition from very dark outer to very light inner. Then I saw the Ambertone and absolutely loved it. I love the way the finish starts less dark and the transition to a lighter color is subtle. I have owned two Martin guitars in their Ambertone finish and I would definitely own another one if I was to go back to a Martin. Here are the two I owned, both were fantastic guitars.

Martin 000-18GE Custom:



Martin 00-28VS UMGF:



My next favorite burst finish is even darker. That's because it's on an all-mahogany guitar, the Santa Cruz 1929 00. So while the burst is very dark on the outside, because the top color is already dark the transition is still very subtle. And the difference between their regular non-burst finish all hog 1929 and their edge burst is striking. Here's a photo of two 1929 guitars I owned that really shows the difference between the two:



Another thing I love about the SC edge burst finish is that it's whole body so the burst is on the top, back, sides and even the neck:



I also like dark colored guitars where the wood and grain are responsible for the dark color, as in figured mahogany of some type. I owned a Martin D-1 Custom 12 fret dread that not only was a mahogany tone beast, it also looked fantastic thanks to its full-body flamed or fiddleback mahogany. Though it didn't have a burst finish per se, the dark color and figuring really made for a beautiful and special guitar that looked as good as it sounded:



Next up is my Froggy Bottom. This guitar does have the classic burst finish that has the too dark to too light transition that I'm generally not a big fan of. Although it does not photograph all that well, in person it does look better. The dark outer areas are not as near black but rather a dark brown. And contrasted with the flamed maple binding and the perfectly straight grained and very dark EIR rosewood back and sides along with the single abalone strip down the back, in person it is a very-well executed and good looking guitar. But I still like Ambertone bursts much better.



Last but not least, I would be remiss if I did not mention my time with Emerald Woody guitars. These are carbon fiber guitars where a thin veneer of gorgeous highly figured woods are fused with the carbon fiber tops to produce some of the most gorgeous looking guitars you'll ever see. Combined with their color tinted CF weave back and sides, Emerald produces some fantastic guitars in various shapes and sizes and are worth a look if you like all the benefits carbon fiber guitars give. I've owned several and though I generally prefer the darker combinations they also have some incredible highly figured lighter wood combinations. And unlike regular wood burst guitars where I prefer a more subtle transition, in these guitars I prefer a more drastic transition between the figured wood grains and heartwood or sapwood centers as they pop better. Here are in order from left to right, an X20 cocobolo, an X10 royal ebony and an X7 ziricote: