Toning down of tops.

[Silly Moustache]

My last two purchases were new Eastmans. They are fine guitars but, I have a problem with the paleness of new spruce tops.

I am probably permanently scarred when proudly exhibiting my first Collings guitar in 1999 and when my mother-in-law came for dinner, she looked at my shiny new guitar and asked "Is it made of plastic?" - Ouch - an arrow in my heart!

So, I bought a new Eastman e20-P in November 2019, and immediately set to exposing it to winter sunlight (yes it does occur in the UK), and the adi top now has some definite colour to it.

My Eastman E40-00 arrived in October last year and has a wide grained adi to which was almost completely white so I'm doing the same thing and some colour is just starting to reveal itself.

Below are a couple of snaps showing these two guitars with my 2003 Collings 0002h and my 2007 Ds2h.

I've always thought that the 000 was the darkest but the dread looks maybe darker - possivbly because it has been played "out" more .

so, what thinkest thou? Do you like pale tops or "aged"ones.

and if you do prefer a tan, do you do anything to encourage it?

[KevinH]

To each their own of course, but I prefer variety. When I bought my Larrivee 00 I specifically looked for the most pale top I could find, which I think goes nicely with the EIR back/sides. So I try to keep it out of the sun as much as possible. Its the one in the lower right of the photo.

I've read of people artificially aging wood with UV growers lamps. That might get you there quicker.

[Racerbob]

Plastic indeed ! Barbarians

The lighter the better for me. I personally get tired of "yellowish/tan" guitars. They all look alike, kind of as much a uniform as a business suit and tie. The almost white adi on my h-12 is very attractive in my eyes. If I want a darker color then it's cedar or redwood.

[Dru Edwards]

Plastic, ouch! Yea, that would hurt especially with a guitar as fine as a Collings.

I prefer an aged look, even aged toner.

[JayBee1404]

It was the pale, almost opposite white, European Spruce top of my Brook that attracted me to it. It’s darkened a little in the year I’ve owned it, but it’s still very pale compared with the honey of my Martins and the naturally-darker Western Red Cedar of my Lowden. I love them all, irrespective of colour.

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[RalphH]

I like an aged top, but naturally aged, not the bright yellow that Martin sprays on some of their models

[PeterM]

I like the pale ones. Moon spruce can be really light.

I ordered a Martin CS with moon spruce...forgot to tell them to hold the aging toner. (darn)

[jricc]

I prefer the honey tone to a spruce top...not a fan of the pale tops...

[J Patrick]

In no way do I dislike a beautiful fresh creamy white top....but....the more they darken with age the more I like them...my oldest guitar...a Washburn from 1889 sports a very dark top with original French polish still intact...its a White Spruce top and was probably blindingly white when new....I would call it almost burnt umber now but you can still see the beautiful cross grain silking in it...

[EllenGtrGrl]

Aged vs no aged tops? I'm not fussy about that. As long as the guitar doesn't look hideous, sounds good, and plays good, I'm fine with it.

[Mark Stone]

I've played plastic guitars, and they're not bad.

All seriousness aside, I prefer an aged look. But the guitar's sound and practicality are much more important.

[LakewoodM32Fan]

Pale tops have grown on me. I remember when I bought my first small builder guitar, my SCGC OM with one of the palest tops (Adirondack) I'd ever seen. I thought "well heck that looks...odd" not sure I equated it to plastic, but it looked, I don't know, "unbroken-in". But I had to buy it because at the time it was the guitar that sounded most like what I heard in my head when I played.

Now I think it's rather attractive. Most of my other guitars are considerably darker, which I think just makes it stand out of the pack.

[Emil]

I agree with you.
I like the honey toned tops. My OMH2 is 25 years old and got that varmer colour but compared to my D28 thats ”only” 20 years old it’s almost pale looking.

[catdaddy]

Unlike my image in a mirror I enjoy seeing the changes that occur in a guitar top with age. I like 'em pristinely pale when they're young and subtly shaded as they grow old.

[Earl49]

When my custom Martin J40 arrived in 1990 the top was the same shade as a Manila file folder. Over the years it acquired a nice golden honey tone, which I really like if it is naturally acquired. I loathe the fake spray-tan aging toner they use - way too yellow to look natural.