Who likes faded finishes?

[Furtive]

Remember that teal `91 EG with the cracked neck joint? Yesterday the winged tuners arrived. I know that some (most? all?) EGs had non-locking PRS tuners made by Schaller, but I'm guessing those don't turn up often, and opted for Phase 1s. Either way, looks better than the generic asian tuners someone had previously put on there. Got a complete working set on ebay for a great price and installed them last night.

With the strings off, I finally pulled the pickguard. Both pots were pretty gritchy, I wanted to hit em with tuner cleaner and see if this maple top had a 10 marking in the cavity. What I found was something else, and very interesting. First - Royal Blue from 1991 definitely reacts to uv:

And it looks like the boss signed off on this one in 1992? No evidence of the crack within the control cavity; I did not remove the neck as the guitar remains in tune while playing. I wonder if any of the EGs with cracks wound up back at the factory for repair. No 10 marking in there that I could find.

 

[Mikegarveyblues]

Wow!

I like blue guitars but I think that has faded to a nicer colour.

 

[Faded]

Who has two thumbs and likes faded finishes?

This guy.

Faded Blue Jean is the color that first hit me on a visceral level as a youngster drooling over the early PRS website. I love the way faded blue jean turns into a washed out denim look after a few years of use.

Here's my latest...

Wood library DGT Braz/Korina

New:


After a few years:

 

[Brad737]

That's the first time I've seen "Paul" in the cavity. Was Paul Myles working there in 1992? That sure looks like PRS's sig to me.

As for the fading, blues and purples fade far more than most colors. I happen to like blues, aquas, green, etc. But I'm cheesy enough to make a bold suggestion. Go to allparts and get a clear pickguard!

 

[bodia]

Here's the real thought provoker....I seem to recall Sergio giving this EG a big thumbs up, color and all. Since it's really blue, does that mean he really digs blue guitars and this whole "I hate blue guitars" thing has been a put on? Or, did he just get busted for liking a blue guitar?

BTW, I love how this one has aged. Looks really cool.

 

[CantankerousCarl]

Very cool...and an even better deal than you originally thought apparently...

I dig naturally faded finishes, had a Royal Blue 1997 CE that had faded to a very interesting grayish green/blue.

 

[Dusty Chalk]

Yeah, my two blue 24/7s are pre-greened -- I'm quite happy with their colour. Cheers to a fellow fade-lover!

 

[FlameTop]

This Private Stock CU22 has a major case of the fades.

 

[g.wizz]

I love fades, especially now the faded whale blue but my 513 is still not faded since is kept away from direct sunlight
and has a kind of darker FBJ

here the room has good sunlight so she looks brighter than she actually is.

 

[sergiodeblanc]

Right on! You're correct about most EG's not coming with wings but that particular model did come with them, so you got the "right" tuners for it.

Here's the real thought provoker....I seem to recall Sergio giving this EG a big thumbs up, color and all. Since it's really blue, does that mean he really digs blue guitars and this whole "I hate blue guitars" thing has been a put on? Or, did he just get busted for liking a blue guitar?

I give everything from Annapolis a "big thumbs up", they're the bee's pajamas.

 

[Furtive]

Faded, I've seen pics of your guit in other posts. That thing is stunning.

Brad737 - that's what I was talking about - Paul's sig in the cavity. Not black or gold ink, but red. So to see that a year or so after it left the factory for the first time? Very interesting to me.

Sergio - thanks for the tuner info. Once again, I lucked out getting this thing back to stock condition.

Got it restrung but something still isn't right. Guitar arrived with trem screwed flush, a shorter 5th spring in the trem cavity, and spring claw screwed flush to the body. I backed the claw screws out, removed the extra spring, but couldn't get the trem to float without a few strings going out of tune. Some PO also replaced the nut, resulting in bad rattle on the first few frets of low E. Time to order some parts from the factory and keep hammering on this thing.

More about the blue/teal fade - pic didn't capture it, but small areas are fading into greenish yellow. Anyone familiar with prs-CBS Fenders that faded from Daphne Blue to Surf Green; the way Royal Blue ages is very similar. Personally, I dig it... an EG with figured top is not typical, but to see the body color get put through a transmogrifier is an added bonus. My living room faces southeast and gets lots of sun; part of me wants to leave the guitar out for a year and see how much more the color will change.

 

[JMintzer]

I had a Royal Blue Artist II that faded beautifully...

 

[G-Man]

Nice! Blue stains and paints are notorious for fading along with purple, red and believe it or not yellow. Something to do with primary colors? Blue ink is also notoriously hard to print with because it never really dries and is usually coated with clear even on four color catalog covers, etc. Printers nightmare.

 

[The Fight]

I love my royal blue custom 24, and the fact that it ages with me

 

[Brad737]

I like them as long as they're not too far gone. Here are my 85 & 86 Customs. The 85 has faded quite a bit, compared to the 86. But I like the 85 just as much.

 

[Spikedog007]

My 5909 is starting to fade even though I try to keep it out of sunlight.

The pics are in different lighting so not a direct apples to apples comparison but still noticeable. The first pic is also before it was 'glossed'.

 

[tabl10s]

I love fades, especially now the faded whale blue but my 513 is still not faded since is kept away from direct sunlight
and has a kind of darker FBJ

here the room has good sunlight so she looks brighter than she actually is.

The acoustics are the only one's I'll leave in the sun....for a bit.

 

[László]

Blue stains and paints are notorious for fading along with purple, red and believe it or not yellow. Something to do with primary colors?

It's all about photosensitivity.

Stains (mostly organic) are different from dyes (mostly inorganic, but more opaque so you're less able to see the wood grain under them). But they're more photosensitive, and they react to light more easily.

And certain colors are more photosensitive than others. The photosensitivity is what causes the color change. The photons hit the stain, and a chemical reaction takes place. So it isn't necessarily about sunlight; any light emits photons, though the spectrum of sunlight certainly would be an important thing.

But you can keep a guitar under ordinary household electric lights, and it will be subject to photosensitivity.

Then too, some pieces of wood absorb more color than others.

I'm pretty sure my Northern Lights PS will fade, since it's mostly blues and purples. It's just a matter of when.

 

[vchizzle]

I love most fades. Some awesome ones in this thread. That's why I ordered my PS quadruple faded. I think a lot of the time, the guitar/wood looks more organic and natural after the dye fades.