Sunburst (finish)

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Sunburst finish

Sunburst is a finish used on guitars and basses. It starts with a lighter center that darkens toward the edges, often showing the wood grain in the middle and a dark rim around the outside. The look is most famous on Gibson Les Pauls and Fender Stratocasters.

How it’s made: Early burst finishes were created by wiping a stain onto the top of the guitar (and sometimes the back), then applying tinted lacquer to speed up the process. The goal is to let the wood grain show through.

Common types:
- Vintage sunburst: light center, golden yellow fading to black at the edges.
- Cherry sunburst (cherryburst): golden center fading to cherry red toward the edge.
- Tobacco sunburst: yellow center fading to brown edges.
- Three-color sunburst: yellow center, red band, black edge.

Other notes:
- Some bursts are transparent to show figured woods like flame maple; if the wood isn’t highly figured, the burst may be more opaque.
- Other names include Sienna Sunburst and Blue Burst (Harmon, late 1970s–1980s). The Stratocaster models like American Series Strat HSS and Strat Plus are examples.
- Burns guitars used greenburst finishes on some models.
- There are aged variants (Aged Cherry Burst, Fireburst, Lightburst, Antique Tobacco Sunburst) used by Fender, Suhr, Tom Anderson, Melancon, Don Grosh, and James Tyler. These tend to suit highly figured woods like quilted or flame maple tops, swamp ash, and koa.