is it possible to fade the red back on my '98 R8?

[Patrick Ginnaty]

The top has faded a bit, the back is bright red.

 

[lure555]

Leave it in the sun for a few weeks. I've been leaving my Tribute in indirect sunlight for a few weeks and it is turning more lemony.

 

[Spiderfinger]

Those 98 r9 guitars used a red that was sprayed on, not like current stain/red filler type finish. I have not tried fading one myself. I’m curious. I expect success if aniline dye was used??

 

[Wizard1183]

Those 98 r9 guitars used a red that was sprayed on, not like current stain/red filler type finish. I have not tried fading one myself. I’m curious. I expect success if aniline dye was used??

Red is the fastest fading color on the spectrum. Put it in the sun? Its GOING to fade

 

[garywright]

fwiw, I wish my 2k r9s back/sides were still cherry ,,it was faded before I bought it …I would have never done it intentionally

 

[brandtkronholm]

The top has faded a bit, the back is bright red.

I think this indicates that you take very good care of your guitar.
Many of the original 'Bursts have slightly faded tops and still have a bright red back.
(My worry about sitting a guitar in the sun to fade would be that the heat might change the shape of the wood or alter the glue somehow...I'm pretty sure my worry is overblown, but why risk it?)

 

[charliechitlins]

You'll never notice if you're using the guitar as intended.

 

[Any Name You Wish]

You can match the fade, but you have to be VERY careful. Put the guitar on a stand with the back facing out. Put it near a window but NOT in direct sunlight. If you live in a sunny place it will fade in a few weeks. Keep an eye on it daily. As it fades you will lose some clarity, so you will lose a little of that stunning contrast in the grain, but this depends on how much you fade it. I've done it but really wished it had not faded unevenly in the first place. Being older and smarter I keep the curtains closed in the studio now.

 

[Standard Magic]

You'll never notice if you're using the guitar as intended.

Fans will notice it when you're doing this:

 

[Happy Tree]

Looks like Brian May's standing behind him.

 

[FredRogers]

Looks like Brian May's standing behind him.

Damn. Great eyes.

 

[thin sissy]

The top has faded a bit, the back is bright red.

When I was 13 I got to play a 2001 R8 in a store in a city far away (I remember it clearly since it was the first time I tried such a nice guitar).

It was completely brown on the back, I thought it was supposed to be that way. But I don't think they ever released brown back R8's? So I assume it was completely faded. This guitar hung in a glass case near the window.