NGD - The Ugly Duckling

[garrett]

It got new strings on it now so we'll see how it goes.



The color in the picture makes the guitar look gray/black but it's actually a really faded aquamarine. I think my issue is I've watched the guitar go through years of fading and it looked rather odd for a while. Here's a picture taken with more natural light on it and you can see some of the blue.

You can see the original color here.

I imagine I'd be less than pleased if I had bought it right after it was built and it looked like this now. It should be blonde in a couple of years.

I dig it. I'm a sucker for guitars with a natural back. Think of it as a custom one-off finish.

Righteous Guitars had (heck, maybe it's still there) a Santana in Violet that faded in a similar way. There is no sunlight in that place, but the regular lights faded it from a similar angle to that one. The blue was all faded out except right behind the trem and the knobs. The volatility of blue dye is a b!tch sometimes...

 

[kirellah]

I think it looks great! Sure, maybe not the color it was out of the factory, but it has a story just like any other guitar, and you've said you know thats probably the reason you were able to grab it, means thats what was supposed to happen! I say congrats and enjoy!

I hear ya though, about obsessing over a top or something similar. I know it's just an SE, but I have been feeling similar about the top on my new/used Custom 24. I knew it had a little variation in the two halves of the top, but I keep seeing it. (I've posted already about it here, so I'm sorry to double dip the post!). But, it had every spec I wanted, and this is the only model of this Sweetwater exclusive I could find, and I got a great deal on it, and maybe the top was why it was sold or returned. BUT, like you, thats the reason I was able to get it. And it plays amazing and sounds awesome! But, the top.

I think you'll always know what color it was originally, but you have it as the color it was supposed to be for YOU!