modern lacquer also ages

[RedMastiff]

Hi,
I have a 2013 sg standard and after reading a lot about ambering modern gibson lacquer, i started like 2 weeks ago to expo my sg on sun.
First day i did 30 mins, second day another 30 and today i did 1 hour.
I did the sun heat on different days and my guitar is 3 weeks old, im the first and only owner.
First 2 days i didnt notices nothing at all, but today i started to see how the gibson logo started to amber very slighty.
Many people says that modern lacquer used by gibson doesnt amber at all but what i can see is that after 2 hours of direct sun, my headstock is starting to age.
Maybe its a new formula or the sun of spain, but the only truth is that my2013 sg standard ages with direct sunlight.
I will post pics soon so you see the slighty amber tone starting. Also, still its not a dramatic change, but i can see how its going to go if i let the sg about 30 hrs down the sun.
There is a another part of the guitar were i can check the lacquer color and its in the nut, pne of the side of the nuts was only half finished so you can see a part were the nut has lacquer and other were done. Looking at this part i can see the color of the nitro canging too.
Best regards!!

 

[slapshot]

ESP's nitro/acrylic does too

quite the newsflash isn't it ....

 

[Malchik]

I'd argue that's actually the pigment of the wood darkening.

 

[ADangerToMyself]

I have a white poly Les Paul JR that has begun to yellow.

 

[Bobby Mahogany]

I would argue that "this thread is useless without pics".
Before - After: Better.

 

[RedMastiff]

I wanted to show pics in somedays casue i think on pics you cant see it at all + its very slight yet, but ill give you some shots. If you see it on real life its much more noticeable.
before:

after:

You can compare the tone of the inlays with the tone of the tuners, inlays were even whiter than the tuners metalic part on first days but after sun bathing 2 hrs and much smoke for 3 weeks it starting to change

 

[RedMastiff]

ok i was testing some more this night and i think waht gives the yellow-green tone is the cigarrete smoke.
i put 2 cigarretes more on the headstock getting the smoke and the gibson logo and pearl has been drastically aged.
Now i think i now how nicolas rivera did the headstock logo lacquer to go yellow xD
there are others methods like painting but hell the smoke trick is very real, even i put a wet tissue and cleaned but stays yellow-green o. o

 

[bobgoblin]

I just posted on the other forum about my finish getting darker over the last ~10yrs. Here's my '05 LP Std in all her clownburst-y, ketchup & mustard glory the day I brought her home (in direct S. Texas sunlight):

Here she is a couple days ago (in direct Central Texas sunlight):

Pretty surprised. She's faded some, but darkened considerably.

 

[Gandy Dancer]

WOW! good stuff!

 

[p90fool]

I live in Wales. If I left my guitars outside they'd float away.

 

[dspelman]

Nitrocellulose lacquer ambers. There's no modern way to produce nitrocellulose; there are only additives and solvents. Nitrocellulose is made from cotton (or paper or wood pulp or other source of cellulose fibers) that is nitrated with nitric acid in the presence of sulfuric acid. Both of those acids are present in the finished product. The stuff begins deteriorating almost immediately all by itself, but it is accelerated by UV, etc. As it breaks down, those acids outgas and turn yellow. Outgassing nitrocellulose will also attack the metal bits of the guitar. Anyone who's got an old "tortoise shell" pickguard (as fitted to some of the older hollowbody guitars), most of which are made of nitrocellulose, that's begun to deteriorate knows that. Other nitrocellulose products on some guitars: the "pearloid" plastic inlays, some pickup switch tips, some kinds of bindings and the tulip plastic tuner buttons.