Will Sunlight age a Maple neck? Discussion and experiment

I have just completed a build using a Mighty Mite Jazz neck (maple w rosewood) and i have been thinking it would be nice to age this neck and give it that 'vintage' look of the 60's.

I have done some reading and we all the best way to do this is sanding and refinishing etc BUT i have also read about a few 'tricks' the Kiwi brown shoe polish method and the 'leave it in the sun' method.

Hypothesis- A maple neck will noticeably darken to a 'honey/amber' colour after many years of use and sunlight. If this is indeed true subjection to UV light and the same spectrum of light from the suns rays will speed this process.

Method- Two necks will be used to test this theory. (1) is a squier VM maple/maple that will be subjected to pure Ultra Violet light for a controlled period. (2) a Mighty Mite Maple/Rosewood will be subjected to a light that is designed to mimic the suns spectrum of light (this is during the months of May-July), thus it can be called 'extreme white fluorescent light'. This is the light used in greenhouses to grow plants. Both environments are temp. and humidity controlled so damage to the necks will not occur. Both necks have a 'satin' poly finish.

I have read that necks can be placed in Tanning beds to speed the aging process. Basically its easier for me to leave the necks in this environment over night then strip them and sand them and refinish them.

I thought others might like to know what will happen and if it is possible. I will post photos of before and after as well as how long they spend in the 'sun'.

Does anyone want to add any suggestions or advice? Maybe i am leaving something out?

Pics to follow in an hour or so!

Well basically the light i am using is a grow light you buy at hydroponic stores that produces the same wavelengths of light that the sun would produce (on average) in the spring and early summer.

I know the necks are different, but its all i have. I think its worth a shot even if its not a proper scientific experiment.

The UV (A/B) light i am using is a light that is built into one of Biology hoods in the lab, and its used for sterilization and thus a very strong UV light, it is barely visible with a tint of purple.

I guess its less of a comparison and more of a "what will work" I have been reading and lots of people claim its the nitrocellulose that ambers, some say its the wood. I haven't found anything really conclusive. I have read you can age a neck by putting it in a tanning bed! So i was curious to try some things, and these are the things i have at my disposal without spending any money haha

lol no, I work in the environmental engineering department of my University and we own a greenhouse haha

I have posted the first little update, i figure its easiest to put the photos up on a Invalid Link Removed so people can scroll through and if anything is significant i will put them up here so its easy for you guys.

Last night i placed my Squier VM neck into bio hood in UV light for 4 hours, in the album you can see control photos of what the necks look, and then after 4 hours in UV light. So far.....no change.

Tonight its going back for some more time in the sun

So far it seems like this is getting lots of pretty positive responses! I'm excited to see if this will really accelerate the aging to a nice amber.

I have heard some people say its the finish that ages, i have also heard its the wood. I have heard different finishes age different rates and to different colours. BUT what gives me hope is that people with older ploy necks just like the ones im using say theres have darkened and now have that vintage look. So i expect maybe a week?

Maybe i will leave it under the UV light all night, maybe all weekend? I dont know how long it will take! haha

So quick photo-less update.

The Squier neck spent another three hours in the UV chamber, still nothing noticable to my eyes. BUT the good news is that the tape i used to cover the pocket is starting to yellow and turn brown around the edges.

So at least after 7 hours the tape is aging nicely! lol

I have been silently testing the Mighty Mite neck without really posting results with the 'simulated sunlight' I left it exposed all night for about 10 hours and no change. I dont think the wavelengths have much to do with it. I think the key is the UV light.

I am planning on leaving the MM neck under the UV light all night, perhaps all weekend. Really trying to speed this up!

I will you guys know how things go!


Side note: I am planning on testing that Kiwi Brown shoepolish thing next on a maple neck of an old guitar...

That might be true. But this is one of those things where I hear different things by different people. So I guess This is my way of finding out if it's the wood or the finish. If no aging occurs there's a good chance it's the finish.