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My Eastman 910CE TC (Thermo Cured) seems to have developed a finish discoloration on the mid part of the top. The middle section of the top, roughly one-third of the total area, noticeably lighter, creating what looks like a racing stripe. It's pretty noticeable, more than the photos indicate. The guitar was bought new 1y ago and has (mostly) been in a room with control humidity and away from direct sunlight.
:-(
I plan to write Eastman themselves and my tech, but sharing with you my pain and looking forward to your advice yoo
Ll.
Last edited by Llewlyn; 09-30-2025 at 02:00 PM.
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09-30-2025 12:31 PM
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Likely just in the wood, though I can barely make anything out in those pics.
I've seen some spruce tops develop a very pronounced dark streak over the years.
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That has to be the most beautiful eastman I've seen. love the f holes. the racing stripe doesn't hurt the aesthetics.
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that's how I feel as well
Aside from the racing stripe
Ll.
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I was looking for a dark streak, I see the light area now, same deal though, in the wood but just now starting to become visable.
Impossible to tell if it would happen when built of course.
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Yep - sorry for not describing it well: essentially, a third of the top (center) is lighter than those at the side.
I thought Eastman uses 2 pieces of wood bookmatched to build the arched top. But probably this is not the case and they use 3? So the rationale is that this is related to central piece of wood that makes the top?
Ll.
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no it's two piece but some spruce develops streaks over time, sometime light or dark.
Originally Posted by Llewlyn
since the top is two piece bookmatched you'll likely see the streaks develop in both sides of the wood, in this case in the center.
this is natural and won't affect anything, there's nothing that can be done, just enjoy the guitar.
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This guitar is fine looks great and blond carvedtop guitars can do all sorts of things. This quite common you see old Dangelico guitars have different shades of blond. Play it and forget about it.
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Agree with above. As a woodworker I'll add that this just the way the wood is aging. Softwoods like pine, fir and spruce darken with time. The outside areas are aging faster than the middle. I have vague theories as to why, but it's just... wood. It's nature and a little unpredictable.
Did you take a pic when you first got it? I'd wager everything looks very even.
It's possible that at some time in the future the darker areas will slow down in aging, while the middle might continue and even out a bit. I've seen this many times in furniture we've built over time.
Play the heck out of the thing!
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thanks guys! I'm glad the instrument is not affected and I'll go play the thing
Ll.
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I had a similar experience with a beautiful tobacco sunburst finished archtop. It was a spectacular instrument that played like a dream. A distinct light colored stripe began to show along the top center seam after about a year. Notwithstanding it didn’t affect playability or tone in any way, it still bothered me. I sold the instrument. Sometimes, when thinking about that instrument, I feel I acted in a shallow manner. Then I snap out of it and realize that the instrument went to someone who loved it as is. I would not have been able to.
Do what makes you happy.
AKA
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It's a natural change. Note how it follows the grain line, especially at the top of the upper bout.
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This is exactly what it is and what is going on. The grain line is the demarcation of where the color changes due to wood and structure. Sometimes players even think that is a crack in the top but obviously that is easy to prove otherwise. I have in my day come some across players that demand some considerable details be exact. These players get too tied up in looking at the guitar only as a photograph. It is guitar and breaths. Originally Posted by Woody Sound
I had a 1953 D'angelico Excel that was blond. If you held it up to light in certain conditions you could tell at center line of the book matched top, a slight variation in the blond on the whole side of the guitar. It was not dramatic but just changing the light source point effected the color. Same way when you hit a piece of curly maple or birds eye with blond it all of sudden stands out with the grainlines So in fact finishing the guitar allows the grain to show more and it different ways.
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Am curious of something though: is the top is two pieces, then how come the pattern is so symmetrical?
Ll.
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It’s “book matched”. One piece of wood was sliced into two the way you would cut one slice of bread into 2 thinner ones. Then the top slice was unfolded the way you’d open a book. The lighter area was at one edge of the thick slice. When opening the wood book, the lighter areas of both “pages” are now joined at the middle and the light & dark areas are mirror images. Originally Posted by Llewlyn
This creates 3 distinct areas - the two identical outer “stripes” on either side of a center stripe. The join line is down the middle of the lighter area.
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makes total sense.
Ll.
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Instrument wood can have different positive qualities. It can show finer or coarse grain, more even or more varied grain, more even color, cut more or less on the quarter, more or less shadow-figure from knots outside of the actual cut of the top, straighter or wavier, stiffer or flexible . . . I've probably left more off this list than I've included.
> Your top shows fine, even grain.
> Throughout, there are the 'fletching' marks which reflect that it is cut smack on the quarter. That's an old-school hallmark of a quality top.
> It's straight except above the 17th fret, in the center, on the bass side.
> The color is variable as you have noted.
That's a very nice top. It's got the color variations but it's a fine-looking piece of timber.
Almost all instrument factories work on a budget; if you want more xxx you've gotta give up some yyy. The less spiffy-looking blanks usually go to the guitars with solid color or sunburst because they show less. If you want a AAAAA Master Select Personal Wood Library Calendar Centerfold Grade top you have to pay for it. When you're paying Parker / Manzer prices you expect luxury-grade wood. Without meaning to be rude -- I own two Eastman guitars right now -- that's not the point of an Eastman guitar.
Because that's the thing: A spiffy-looking top is often a luxury. How the timber looks is not necessarily the best predictor of how the guitar sounds. Consider this masterpiece by Robert Benedetto:
Res ipsa loquitur, as they say.
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Originally Posted by Llewlyn
My Eastman 910CE TC (Thermo Cured) seems to have developed a finish discoloration on the mid part of the top. The middle section of the top, roughly one-third of the total area, noticeably lighter, creating what looks like a racing stripe. It's pretty noticeable, more than the photos indicate. The guitar was bought new 1y ago and has (mostly) been in a room with control humidity and away from direct sunlight.
:-(
I plan to write Eastman themselves and my tech, but sharing with you my pain and looking forward to your advice yoo
Ll.
I’m curious if you had a fingerboard cover on the guitar. I have noticed on natural finishes where the bridge and/ or finger rest were removed for example, there is a lighter shading in the finish, almost like a tracing of the removed piece.
I have taken the liberty of using a member’s guitar pictures to demonstrate. If you have watched Tal Farlow’s video where he is checking out Lenny Breau’s Custom guitar, when the case is opened, you’ll see the fingerboard cover I am talking about. Looks to be about the same width as what you have in lightness on your guitar.
Just a shot in the dark.
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No fingerboard cover. Guitar stay on stand when not in use
Ll.
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Wood is a heterogeneous material. Stuff like this happens. Nothing you did, nothing that Eastman did. There are a *lot* of guitars in the world showing this sort of thing- sometimes a dark streak develops, sometimes a lighter area which might be in the middle or at the edges, but likely to be symmetrical in a bookmatched top. Although the two sides of a bookmatched top or back often reflect light oppositely: with one angle of lighting and viewing, one side looks darker than the other; from another viewpoint, the other side looks darker. Wood's funny stuff.
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l love bikini stripes
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Oooh…RFK Jr’s guitar! Originally Posted by Sam Sherry
Instrument wood can have different positive qualities. It can show finer or coarse grain, more even or more varied grain, more even color, cut more or less on the quarter, more or less shadow-figure from knots outside of the actual cut of the top, straighter or wavier, stiffer or flexible . . . I've probably left more off this list than I've included.
> Your top shows fine, even grain.
> Throughout, there are the 'fletching' marks which reflect that it is cut smack on the quarter. That's an old-school hallmark of a quality top.
> It's straight except above the 17th fret, in the center, on the bass side.
> The color is variable as you have noted.
That's a very nice top. It's got the color variations but it's a fine-looking piece of timber.
Almost all instrument factories work on a budget; if you want more xxx you've gotta give up some yyy. The less spiffy-looking blanks usually go to the guitars with solid color or sunburst because they show less. If you want a AAAAA Master Select Personal Wood Library Calendar Centerfold Grade top you have to pay for it. When you're paying Parker / Manzer prices you expect luxury-grade wood. Without meaning to be rude -- I own two Eastman guitars right now -- that's not the point of an Eastman guitar.
Because that's the thing: A spiffy-looking top is often a luxury. How the timber looks is not necessarily the best predictor of how the guitar sounds. Consider this masterpiece by Robert Benedetto:
Res ipsa loquitur, as they say.
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Wood and finishes are alive. Things will change and they are also photo sensitive.
I really think the best plan is to send me that guitar for safe keeping
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Great guitar, enjoy it and stop caring about natural changes. You cant avoid it to age and develop changes. Stradivaris has lots of crack and decoloration in their vanish after 400 years, and who cares?
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Whatever. Forget it, Jake, it's wood.
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