Pickguard tanlines

[Hey_day]

Anyone have a ballpark guess of how long it would take for an acoustic to have a pickguard tanline? Immediately? 5 years? 10 years? Longer? I assume it depends how the guitar was used and stored as well as the finish. But let's say it's a nitro finish used normally and store on a guitar stand or hanger but not allot of sunlight regardless.

[Placida]

I have a two year-old Epiphone D-100 my wife bought brand new for $20. It's never seen the light of day except whatever indirect light comes in through the windows, which are generally shaded. About a month ago I noticed the ugly black pick guard with the "E" on it was curling at the pointed end. Off it came and there she was - a very noticeable tan line.

So, I guess it doesn't take much time or UV light, regardless of the intensity. Of course this guitar has a poly finish, not lacquer.

[Bowie]

Depends how long it's been on there. If it's just a few years old, it will likely take that long +.

[Hey_day]

Originally Posted by Placida

I have a two year-old Epiphone D-100 my wife bought brand new for $20. It's never seen the light of day except whatever indirect light comes in through the windows, which are generally shaded. About a month ago I noticed the ugly black pick guard with the "E" on it was curling at the pointed end. Off it came and there she was - a very noticeable tan line.

So, I guess it doesn't take much time or UV light, regardless of the intensity. Of course this guitar has a poly finish, not lacquer.

Wow, that's crazy but my guess is the quality of guitar. But what is causing the tanline then?

[Placida]

On a sunny day a human can get a tan in the shade, though in a very subtle degree. Indirect UV light fades and tans things in strange ways.

[Bowie]

Originally Posted by Hey_day

Wow, that's crazy but my guess is the quality of guitar. But what is causing the tanline then?

As he said, it doesn't take much light at all. If it's nitro, it doesn't take any light at all as the finish will yellow on it's own.

[Hey_day]

Do different finishes offer different levels i
Of uv protection? If a tan line is created that fast though wouldn't it be assumed that the guitar would get incredibly dark over several decades? Or is there something creating the discoloration early in the guitars life more than it sitting in a stand for a few years?

[Wade Hampton]

Originally Posted by Hey_day

Wow, that's crazy but my guess is the quality of guitar. But what is causing the tanline then?

No, it has nothing to do with the perceived quality or price tag of the guitar, but on the effects of UV light on the wood. The (usually) darker woods of the back and sides also change color with UV light exposure, but it's generally not as noticeable or as dramatic as the color changes of the top.

Once I did buy a used rosewood Mossman dreadnought, though, that must have had a set list taped to its side for 20 or 30 years or so. I'm guessing that the guitar also spent much of that time hanging on a wall, because there was a MAJOR difference in the color of the rosewood where the card must have been compared to where the side hadn't been covered.

My reason for believing that the guitar had hung on a wall for years is that the rosewood of the guitar's back was much closer in color to the patch on the side where the set list must have been than it was to the rest of the wood of the sides. Since guitar factories generally do a pretty good job of matching the color of the back and sides, it would make sense that the back of that guitar had been resting against the wall.

The faded brick red of the sides where it hadn't been covered with the set list was in fairly stark contrast to the darker purplish red in that spot and on the back.

Anyway, woods change color in the sun, with blond woods like spruce being particularly noticeable about it. But if rosewood is exposed to UV light for long enough, it will change color, too.

Hope that makes sense.


Wade Hampton Miller

[Doxyshusband]

Can these easily adhered guards have an effect too? I have them on two guitars and assume they would not be a problem but this post has me concerned. Maybe I should take them off.

[d2jp]

I just purchased a new Martin 000-28. It had been in the store for just over one year. Out of any sunlight, in a humidified room where all of the nicer guitars are keep. When I removed the factory black pickguard, it had a tan line, Not drastic but clearly visisble.
So, in my case...around a year and you could see it.

[Wade Hampton]

First, Hey Day wrote:

Originally Posted by Hey_day

Anyone have a ballpark guess of how long it would take for an acoustic to have a pickguard tanline? Immediately? 5 years? 10 years? Longer? I assume it depends how the guitar was used and stored as well as the finish. But let's say it's a nitro finish used normally and store on a guitar stand or hanger but not allot of sunlight regardless.

Nitro-cellulose finishes yellow on their own when exposed to light, in addition to the darkening of the spruce top by UV light. Polyester finishes do not yellow, but the wood underneath them acts the same as it does underneath nitro.

It doesn't take long for spruce tops to darken and create a tanline, regardless of what finish is on them. A few weeks, perhaps, not more, and a faint tanline can be found.

Originally Posted by Doxyshusband

Can these easily adhered guards have an effect too? I have them on two guitars and assume they would not be a problem but this post has me concerned. Maybe I should take them off.

Anything that blocks or even just refracts the light will create a tanline. Clear pickguards will create tanlines, too, because the light doesn't reach the top through them exactly the same way as it reaches the top that is covered by the pickguard.

Obviously a clear pickguard won't create as dramatic a tanline as a completely opaque pickguard, but there's still an effect.

Some of the ghastliest tanlines, in my opinion, are created by those "Dalmatian" spotted pickguards, like the one on this Blueridge guitar:

Because there's quite a contrast between the light and dark areas on these pickguards, it affects how the top changes color. When those pickguards get removed, there's a mottled effect on the top underneath them.

But, anyway, yes, clear and/or temporary pickguards will create tanlines just as permanently mounted opaque pickguards will. Anything placed on the top will create a tanline, including stickers or anything else, as you can see on this guitar:

Hope that makes sense.


Wade Hampton Miller

[Hey_day]

So would a tanline go away as the unexposed wood goes through the same process or will the two forever be different?

[Doxyshusband]

I am removing my two clear pick guards right away.

[ronmcc4]

I think Taylor recommends removing their clear static cling pick guards when not in use. This may have something to do with why they recommend that.

[Silly Moustache]

Originally Posted by Wade Hampton

No, it has nothing to do with the perceived quality or price tag of the guitar, but on the effects of UV light on the wood. The (usually) darker woods of the back and sides also change color with UV light exposure, but it's generally not as noticeable or as dramatic as the color changes of the top.

(edit)

Anyway, woods change color in the sun, with blond woods like spruce being particularly noticeable about it. But if rosewood is exposed to UV light for long enough, it will change color, too.

Wade Hampton Miller

Yup, I have a hand made 0028 which hung by a window for a few years - the top has turned a beautiful honey colour and the rosewood side has become far lighter than the back. It is now hanging by another window to equal the colour of the other side!