I'll second the sunlight idea. Outdoor gigs, stuff like that. Personally I love my olympic white bass, and I'll only want it vintage white if it's done the "Right way", With time.
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Aging an Olympic White bass
- Thread starter joshuajbrooks
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Nope, definitely not just nitro. I have a poly Jazz from '78 and it yellowed nicely.
Make friends with a bunch of smokers, make them smoke in the room where you keep your bass, voila.
Wow, interesting ... cuz i almost bought a nice 25yo MIJ P/J Lyte from somebody, but passed cuz (among other reasons) it was losing its white and turning that sickly yellow. I like how we don't all like the same things 
I'd think a few smokey bar gigs/rehearsals, and leaving it out in the sun would get it there quicker. Of course then you'd have a smokey smelling bass, which would not be a viable option for a lot of people
I'd think a few smokey bar gigs/rehearsals, and leaving it out in the sun would get it there quicker. Of course then you'd have a smokey smelling bass, which would not be a viable option for a lot of people
Like the others said, the a poly finish is less likely to yellow (though I had an epiphone guitar from the early 90s that sure did). Heck, My J is nitro, and in almost 10 years, it has yellowed very little.
I'm a Physicist and engineer, so I have 2 answers:
Physicist answer: Time dilation due to general relativity can be leveraged here. If you send it into space, it'll age a bit faster than here on Earth, as you'll be oit of Earth's gravity well. GPS satellites have to be compensated for this effect to work; it's real. After 20 years, it'll look like its about a third of a second older than it really is.
Engineer's answer: You could use uv light. Or shoe polish.
Physicist answer: Time dilation due to general relativity can be leveraged here. If you send it into space, it'll age a bit faster than here on Earth, as you'll be oit of Earth's gravity well. GPS satellites have to be compensated for this effect to work; it's real. After 20 years, it'll look like its about a third of a second older than it really is.
Engineer's answer: You could use uv light. Or shoe polish.
madbass6
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Just get out of its case & Use it!
let it get it's mojo naturally !
earn it , pay your dues!
let it get it's mojo naturally !
earn it , pay your dues!
Yeah...I had a '90s era MIJ and it was poly for sure...looked like it was painted with nail polish
I have an 1989 Olympic white bass that spent the majority of its life in a case. It is very aged and yellow looking.
build a small 'grow room' ... hang it on the wall ... i had 1,000 watt metal halide bulbs back in the day .. !
you get a sunburn whilst watering your tomatoes ( wink , wink ) ...
you get a sunburn whilst watering your tomatoes ( wink , wink ) ...
I have a poly Olympic White Jazz Bass from 1989 and it has definitely yellowed. Time and sunlught are your friends in this case. I say let it be what it is.
Man just keep it and play it. In due time just like our teeth, through use and time it will yellow.
Maybe as you youngsters grow up, you'll feel differently. At 59 I don't have time to do it the 'right' way.
We're not all 18, able to practice 4 hours a day and gig 3 or 4 times a week so we can age our basses 'naturally.'
I have a 1962 reissue. 2006 model. All you have to do is play the hell out of it. Mine looks like it's straight out of 1962. People are always shocked when I tell them it's a reissue. The amount of love in that Bass is far more meaningful than trying to age it quickly. I remember how every chip and dent got there. And boy oh boy has it discolored. hang on, I'll take a picture to show you what a few years can do. (BTW it was pretty radical looking after about 3-4 years. Not 11 years later haha. YOU WILL GET IT THERE!)
Welcome to TB from a fellow Olympic White owner (2008 P).
While I personally wouldn't mind a bit of aging evidence on mine, I'm happy to let time take it's toll naturally.
Living in Ireland the 'leaving it out in the sun' idea sadly won't work, and, as pretty much everywhere is a no-smoking zone these days too, tobacco-staining is out.
Just enjoy the bass for what it is, make it your own, and in a few years I'm sure it''ll be where you want it.
While I personally wouldn't mind a bit of aging evidence on mine, I'm happy to let time take it's toll naturally.
Living in Ireland the 'leaving it out in the sun' idea sadly won't work, and, as pretty much everywhere is a no-smoking zone these days too, tobacco-staining is out.
Just enjoy the bass for what it is, make it your own, and in a few years I'm sure it''ll be where you want it.
