Effect of ageing on lacquer

[Tonar8352]

I thought it would good to see two guitars that have been finished with the exact same materials only one is a little over a year old and the other is the one I just posted a couple days ago.  You can find more pictures of the aged guitar in the Tele section under relic.  The yellowed one was finished on 5-26-06.  Look at how much it has yellowed in the past year.  This is why I am such a beliver in finishing them like they were finised in the 50's and then let the sun do its job  (If you are after a vintage guitar look).   This guitar has been played hard by a local county picker and guitar teacher and it is starting to look like a real old Tele.  Many people that see it think it is a 53.  If you want a real Butterscoth Blond look do it like this and leave it out of the case.

 

[ozan]

Is't it extreme for only one year? It look really old :icon_scratch: No need to buy relics :laughing7:

 

[jackthehack]

Who's Butterscotch Blonde did you use for the color? Aren't some paints/colors more reactive to UV than others to quickly achieve that look?

 

[-CB-]

Thats the one "bad" thing about my favorite Deft... it has UV inhibitors, barely yellows.  Oh well.

 

[Nando Vallart]

Thats the one "bad" thing about my favorite Deft... it has UV inhibitors, barely yellows.  Oh well.

So it make look like that Tele body that Nathan A show to us??
http://www.unofficialwarmoth.com/index.php?topic=765.0

 

[Tonar8352]

Who's Butterscotch Blonde did you use for the color?

I used production grade nitrocellulose lacquer over top of the blond pickling. I have used both Simpson's and Valspar with the same effect. All production grade lacquers  yellow real fast.  It is the water white nitrocellulose lacqures that do not yellow.  I believe that is why there is such a difference from the ealy 50's Tele's to the later 50's.  I think Fender switched to water white because people complained that the guitars were turning yellow or orange.

The variation of colors on vintage Tele's have alot to do with how much UV it has seen or time the guitar has spent out of the case.  If you look at a real war horse Tele it looks orange and one that has been in the case most of its life can be more like the guitar here.  An example of the extream is Roy Buchanan's guitar.  I have read that Roy never put that guitar in a case, he just carried it around under his arm.  The owner of this yellowed Tele has his out most of the time since he uses it all day giving lessons and it has been gigged hard.  He has not babied it since he wanted it to have the war horse look!  

I love the look of the guitar, I can't wait until mine looks as gigged as his.  The only time mine will see the inside of a case is on the way to rehearsal and at the gig.