Diamine - Desert Burst

Diamine Desert Burst - ink drop

Desert Burst is part of Diamine’s Les Paul Guitar series. The inks in this five-ink series were inspired by the most popular colorways and finishes available over the years in Gibson’s Les Paul guitar models.

Diamine Desert Burst - light and dark browns

Desert Burst is a beautiful golden caramel that deepens to a dusty, creamy cappuccino in areas of saturation. In the splatter image, you can see that an ashy, black sheen develops along the edges in areas of pooling.

Diamine Desert Burst - ink swatch card and drying

I like Desert Burst as a writing ink. It offers some shading, and it darkens along the edges of strokes (although both qualities are paper and nib choice dependent to a large degree). When the edging develops, lighter tones are contrasted and enhanced within stroke centers, making strokes crisp, full of character, and easy to read. When no edging develops, strokes appear darker throughout, but still pop off the page. Desert Burst dries fairly quickly, which is always a plus.

Diamine Desert Burst comparison layout

These factors, combined with the color, make Diamine Desert Burst a very pleasant writing and reading ink. There are a number of nice inks in this color category, but Desert Burst is a lovely option, and Diamine inks are very affordably priced. My favorite from the Les Paul Guitar series is Cherry Burst, but if you’re looking for a nice golden brown, this may be just the right ink for you!

September 2020