The one on the $350 Sterling Axis I bought last week looks way nicer than any of those and it's pretty so-so as far as flame tops go....for $350 it makes me happy. For $3500 ....uhm ..maybe not.
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Do you consider these tops "AAA Flamed Maple"?
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Originally posted by Phantasmagoria View PostThe one on the $350 Sterling Axis I bought last week looks way nicer than any of those and it's pretty so-so as far as flame tops go....for $350 it makes me happy. For $3500 ....uhm ..maybe not.
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Hey I'll take your word for it, though you'd think a company like Gibson could probably source something a bit better than ^^ (guitars in the 1st post)
But as far as I'm concerned a decent looking veneer is still more my thing than an actual cap that's washed out looking especially if it's on a $3000+ guitar."Less is less, more is more...how can less be more?" ~Yngwie J Malmsteen
I did it my way ~ Frank Sinatra
Originally posted by Rodney GeneIf you let your tone speak for itself you'll find alot less people join the conversation.
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Originally posted by orpheo View PostTHIS is AAA.
unplaned, unsanded boards of maple and you can see the flame being even, consistent, and all across the board.Originally Posted by IanBallard
Rule of thumb... the more pot you have, the better your tone.
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Originally posted by GuitarDoc View Post
Dang, that's some mighty fine looking wood. Maple like that is very hard to find at a reasonable price. You can easily spend $250-500 just for enough to make one top.
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Originally posted by Top-L View PostI would rather just have a great veneer than stress over the quality and grading of real tops.
Of course you would. (But that's not a bad thing).
Originally posted by Top-L View PostBut I realize I am not the typical Gibson buyer who is looking for traditional construction.
I don't think it's an issue of "traditional" construction, it has to do with quality and tone. That's not to say that some guitars with veneer tops don't have great tone nor are they not quality built. But generally, putting a veneer on the top of a guitar is a cheaper way of making a guitar look pretty, and it sometimes negatively affects the tone of a guitar. But if you are spending over $3000 on a Gibson, you have the right to expect the highest quality of every part of that guitar.
I personally feel that the effect on tone of having a veneer instead of full thickness wood has a very small impact on the tone of a guitar relative to the pickups, speakers, and amp. And the wood of the fretboard and neck have a greater impact on tone than that of the top of the body...all else being equal.
I would generally agree with you that whether the top is full-thickness AAA flamed maple or just a veneer is really not something to get stressed about, providing that you can play the guitar before buying it to be sure that the tone is what you want. But like I said, other factors are more important to tone than a veneer top.
Originally Posted by IanBallard
Rule of thumb... the more pot you have, the better your tone.
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They have the type of figuring typical of vintage Les Pauls, with the flecks and spots that for me are perfect on a Les Paul, I don't know if that qualifies as AAA, maybe one or two of them. These do look way too yellow for "Appetite Amber" though, unless the lighting is off these look more like lemon yellow.Jackson Dominion Bourbon Burst-Duncan '59 bridge, Screamin' Demon neck
Jackson Dominion Wine Drunk-Super Distortion bridge, Custom Custom neck (don't hit me!)
Dean Chicago Flame V Classic Black-Dimarzio Super Distortion neck & bridge
Laney, Peavey, Marshall...
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