Originally Posted by
Prashun Patel
Mark, the difference in color appears to me to be from sapwood/heartwood contrast. Any other difference won't IMHO be noticed.
Now, whether you LIKE the difference is another story. I do agree with John that the skunk stripe in the middle looks amateurish - but not because contrast is bad - because it's not tastefully placed or made to look natural.
I think you should repost your pictures with a splash of ethanol or mineral spirits on it so we can see what the contrast will look like.