How would you achieve that look !!!! Updated

[mkibanez]

I realise I didn't put the second good photo, here you go!

Question for you all pros of finish! How would you achieve those old dirty look? What would you used? Dye, paint, etc  and I don't talk about de girl painted on the guitar but the old dirty backgroud color.

 

[Great Ape]

How 'bout you anchor it below the tide-line at the beach for about 12 years, an' then slap some gloss poly on it? Sorry, couldn't help myself...Seriously, that looks like it was dyed, then sanded back several times so the color would penetrate into the open grain,but be removed from the surface. It's a cool technique and a unique look.

 

[Tonar8352]

First you need to find out what type of wood that is. Great Ape is correct about the method but if you do not have similar wood you will not get a similar look. 

 

[Patrick from Davis]

It does look like old wood.  It appears to be pieces glued together.  You could get the "texture" by media blasting it with a very non aggressive media to "age" the grain.  Then you'd have to do a dye and wash or dye and sand job on it.  There are also chemicals that will age wood, making redwood grey and so on, but that looked like a dye job in the pict.
Patrick

 

[Great Ape]

The 2nd pic bears NO resemblance whatsoever to the 1st one! Looks like the body was stripped of the old finish and re-PAINTED by hand and/or airbrush...if it's the 2nd pic you want to replicate, then my first answer goes out the window! Two totally different finishes.

 

[Tonar8352]

I agree that the first picture is wood that has been dyed and sanded back but it almost looks like it is Spalted Maple without any of the dark mineral lines that we are used to seeing in Spalt.

The second one is some kind of painting method that achieved the look. It looks like some kind of Faux paint.

 

[Cagey]

To me, the first pic looks like Ash that's been somehow severely weathered after the fact. That is, the body was cut out first, then hung outside in the desert for 20 years, then buried under a compost heap for another 5. The second one just looks like water color over Alder.

 

[Great Ape]

I really don't think those two pics are of the same guitar.

 

[stubhead]

I'm 97.625% sure that first guitar is faked-oldie, just because - people like to do that sort of thing. As opposed to one that was actually

hung outside in the desert for 20 years, then buried under a compost heap for another 5.

They started in 1988, so they could post a picture now on the internet (that didn't exist)? OK... the generic term around here is "barn door" finishes, search and ye shall find.