I have a 13x9 tom in that finish from the early 70s and I never noticed that problem common on other finishes!

Here's my 8x12 blue oyster from the early 70's, no yellowing, although this one is not faded, they can lose the're luster if not taken care of properly.

Specifically, I was wondering about the early to mid 60s version. I'd actually love to have one at some point!

Like the Black oyster they will yellow especially if they were exposed to lots of light or smoke filled rooms. These finishes were also more prone to cracking along some of the color divisions.

There are basically three ways a wrap can age on a drum: 1. It will yellow over time. 2. It'll take on a greenish cast. 3. The colors will stay the same only faded/clouded.

The yellowing is caused by the adhesive used to bond the wrap to the shell interacting with the vinyl/plastic. The glue goes brown with age and if the wrap is light enough in color, the brown will start to show through giving it a yellowish cast.

There are products made for restoring the headlight covers on cars that will bring most wraps back to life. It's a tedious detailing process, but it makes old, faded wrap look fresh and bright again.

John

The worst color change w/ the oyster drums is the White tends to go clear, & allow the mahogany shell to show through , creating a brownish look. ..And, as the Blue fades, the wrap does not look better w/ age.

Many vintage wraps age chemically and color change is almost unavoidable. But some are more stable than others.

Green sparkle is probably THE worst fader of all. WMP is another one that almost always patinas...but some will turn buttery yellow while others turn to minty green. Burgundy turns into root beer...red sparkle turns into a orangey-blood plasma color.

And, yes, the older BluOP wraps will fade to a dull, dusty almost brownish-blue color. The later "bowling ball version of BluOP is more color stable.

I almost like some of the fades better than the original color. WMP that turns butter yellow is one of the most beautiful finishes imaginable, imo.

Yes! very true.

I've always liked the older blue oyster. I'm assuming this is still a highly desired finish. What do you guys think?

It's true that certain finishes may hold up better over time though, in terms of coloration. BDP seems to hold up well (as far as keeping a bold look), although it's somewhat of a common finish it seems...as is WMP...since various companies were offerering versions of WMP and BDP.