I'm thinking of ordering a D2H with a sunburst and was wondering, since I'm kind of an old fashion kind of guy and kind of enjoy the pre-war features, whether or not sunburst is more of a post-war trend? What is history of sunburst on guitars?

Also, is sunburst normally done on sitka tops? Generally assumed to be waste of money putting sunburst on adirondack?

PJ

Sunbursts were around before the pre-war flat-tops we all covet. They really got popular with the Lloyd Loar era Gibson archtops of the 1920s. Pre-war flat-tops did indeed have sunbursts...but they are very rare.

kdd

Why would it be a waste on Adi tops? I would think the waste might be percieved on great looking tops, and for me, Collings Sitka tops (and German) are some of the best looking out there, where the Adi tends to be more plain. To my eye. Unless it's some of the very best Adi, like on the Braz/Adi at Gryphon, which basically looks like heavily silked, creamy white Sitka.

The burst on my D2HSB is definitely over a top that would not be as cosmetically appealing bare as the normal Collings sitka. Lots of "ripple" but basically no cross-silking. I am telling myself that I got one that has the sound, not the cosmetics. My guess is that Collings uses tops that are visually less desirable, but sound great. Mine sure does!

When I think sunburst, I think pre-war (and post-war for that matter) Gibsons. Those L-00 and slope-shouldered dreads just beg for a sunburst to be put on them. If I were to order a Martin style guitar from Collings, I personally would order it without sunburst. That's just because I think it suits that style better.

As far as a waste of money on an adirondack top? I don't think so. As d-red stated, the really nice looking tops tend to be the german and sitka anyway. In addition, the burst Collings puts on their Martin style guitars is light. So I think you can see a lot of the grain anyway. Check out the grain on this german topped beauty through the burst:
http://www.acousticmusicworks.com/0002hGsb.html
Just my thoughts.

The Sunburst finish was originally introduced to "cover up" top woods that were cosmetically challenged - They became very popular during the war years when quality wood was at a shortage - Think Oak and birch

As guitar owners wanted to upgrade the quality of their guitars they requested the sunburst finish they had grown use to on their "learner level" guitars for their next level guitars

Guitar makers accomidated them by adding the sunburst finish to their higher end guitars and of couse charging them accordingly

These days a sunburst finish has taken on a whole new perception from it's humble beginings - It's become vintage - You have cherry burst, tobacco burst, golden burst

A word of caution - The darker the sunburst finish the more prone to finger prints and showing wear in general - They require extra special attention or they can get ratty looking ..... or maybe one might say develop a well played look very quickly

Personally I would sink the extra money into the sound - For the price of a sunburst finish you could buy a nice acoustic amp or a good travel guitar but If you like the look of the beast go for it

Well, I think you could go back a little further than the war years, and I’m not sure sunbursts were first used to cover cosmetically challenged tops. Certainly, by the late ‘30s, sunbursts had trickled down to low-end factory instruments like Regals and Kays, adding a little spice to basic three-dollar catalog guitars (in the same way as the Decalcomania fashion) but I believe CF Martin’s shaded tops came in around 1934, on the 18 line, and while those guitars were low/mid range, they didn’t exactly have many grain horrors to cover up... the standard of red spruce Martin had available to them at that time is pretty revered today.

Kevin said it right above: sunbursts on guitars gained real mass-market acceptance with the Lloyd Loar-designed Gibson archtop instrument family of the mid-20s - a real harking-back to the days of Italian violin-making with carved tops and backs, f-holes, and a sunburst finish to simulate the worn patina of a fine Cremona fiddle. So Gibson’s original sunbursts denoted pretty high-end status... in fact, the top of the line. Of course, the finish proved so popular that by the early ‘30s you could buy sunburst Gibson flat-top guitars, mandolins in lesser ranges, lap steels, the lot.

It became devalued, inevitably, and fast, and maybe that’s partly why it’s seen as a ‘blue collar’ or ‘authentic’ (whoops!) look today... many ironies here, but I’d better save my musings on that tricky topic for another time!

I was recently thinking about how sunburst was used to cover up imperfections. But even very expensive Gibsons of the 1920s & 30's, like the L-5 archtop, Nick Lucas, and Advanced Jumbo came with sunburst. While I'm sure the wood wasn't perfect, most of it was probably as good as the stuff Martin was using on their non-sunburst models. It became Gibson's "trademark" or something. On the opposite end, though, look at the ebony finish they were putting on L-00. That was definitely a cover up of inferior looking wood.

Yes, darker sunburst does require extra maintenance, especially with someone that has body acid as potent as mine. That was one thing I considered when I ordered my sunburst. I got used to cleaning guitar finishes, though, with my nickel plated Tricone.

Well I don't even pretend to know the history of the sunburst finish, I just know that I love a good one. And there are some good ones and some really bad ones out there. Collings is one the best I have ever seen. Somewhere, and it may have even been in his interview here, Bill Collings made the comment that their bursts were so nice cause they didn't use them to hide bad wood. I can believe that. I wish I had a good pic of my D2H SB. It has the nicest piece of Sitka under the burst I think I have ever seen. Silked from one end to the other, but very even in both grain and silking.

And recently I picked up a Martin Clapton model in SB that actually rivals my Collings in looks.
A little darker at the edges, but the quality of the burst and the Sitka under it is right up there with the best of them.

Love a nice SB.