Les Paul top ?

[AniML]

I have been considering the purchase of a specific new LP Standard from a well-respected online retailer (not GC or SW). As is almost always the case, the top looks very different from various angles. In some light it looks great, but in certain light the seam looks very prominent and from other angles the flame appears blotchy or vanishes from one side.

Are these unique characteristics typically well accepted and I am being fussy, or is this top objectively less than desired for the average buyer?

My gut says, "pass" but wondering how the SDUGF community sees it. Thanks

 

[Seashore]

This doesn't look substandard to me, but the flame is less tight and regular than some. Can't really tell with this kind of finish until you see it in person. Some flame that looks really nice in photos lacks depth up close.

But the bottom line is, if you're spending LP Standard money, you owe it to yourself to get exactly what you want, so if you're not feeling this 100% I would pass and save it for one that speaks to you.

 

[beaubrummels]

That looks normal for an LP top. Mine looks very different depending on the angle of light and how much light.

 

[donaldr]

I would not spend that amount of money for such a top. For me an LP Standard is the guitar apotheosis so I would want it perfect or pass (that's the reason I'm playing an LP LPJ, bad looking but cheap).

 

[Securb]

There are so many Les Pauls out there wait for the one that blows you away and you have no hesitations.

 

[80's_Thrash_Metal]

There are so many Les Pauls out there wait for the one that blows you away and you have no hesitations.

Exactly.
When you see the right one, you'll know.

 

[beaubrummels]

I would ask them for a different picture in different lighting. Looks like a wide book-matched flame to me. Could be awesome in person.

 

[Rex_Rocker]

Looks like an OK top to me. Not spectacular. Certainly not the top I'd expect to see in an expensive guitar.

 

[Mincer]

Don't buy anything at that price that you are not 100% happy with. Pass. Leave it for someone else that might want something like that.

 

[uOpt]

You will know the right one when you see it.

How much are these things these days, anyway?

 

[AniML]

I would ask them for a different picture in different lighting. Looks like a wide book-matched flame to me. Could be awesome in person.

Yes, already did. The full body pic on the initial post is a pro photo from the site. the others are phone pics from a sales person. I have more, which affirm this one is not for me.

 

[Masta' C]

Like everyone said, just wait and buy one that truly speaks to you.

 

[AniML]

You will know the right one when you see it.

How much are these things these days, anyway?

MAP is $2799

 

[EmiAba]

Not matching tops are normal. That's my 2004 standard. Look how different are the two sides. And the flames change a bit under different light. Anyway your money your choice. If you don't like it wait for a better time

 

[ehdwuld]

Perfect flawless tops are available in veneer and photo flame on the least expensive LP clones

Why pay extra for ugly name brands

Only buy the homely guitars if they play and sound great.

Which is something difficult to determine with online purchases

 

[Explorer84]

On the looks of that top, I’d pass. The way it plays and sounds is another thing. If I’m not 100% on a guitar I’m not buying it. Keep searching you’ll find what you’re looking for.

 

[jeremy]

i played a few dozen gibson les pauls before i found the one. turned out to be a 09 traditional. the only ones i liked more was an r8 ice tea burst and and r9 with some kinda tobacco burst. i didnt play a bad one, but some definitely suited me better than others. i dont mind that top, but its not spectacular. if it played and sounded amazing, i could live with the top

 

[eclecticsynergy]

I kinda like that one, perhaps because it is unusual - lighter flame than some, and wider than many, but nicely bookmatched.
These days, stunning & symmetrical figured tops seem to be everywhere. Some of them are just insanely 3-D.
It can be easy to forget that flame on many of the original Bursts was light or nonexistent.

With bookmatching, the sides are reversed relative to each other.
It isn't unheard-of for the flame to light up differently when viewing or lighting angles are different.
I've got a Zerberus where the flame on one side sometimes shows and sometimes doesn't.


As other have said, whether a particular guitar calls to you is a deeply personal decision.
I dildn't let a reflectivity issue deter me from a guitar I liked. But that's just me.
Nobody can make the call but you.

 

[Seashore]

^ That's a beauty.

 

[orpheo]

What you're seeing is a combination of two factors: grain runout, and chatoyance.

http://www.frets.com/FretsPages/General/Glossary/Runout/runout.html

Chatoyance is the flame, in a sense. It differs depending on how you look at the guitar, and that is not abnormal at all. Gibson doesn't dye their tops, they spray yellow and then red on top of that. That gives a flatter look unless the top has a LOT of figure.


Here, these tops look boring, flat, virtually without figure.


But now I stained the top!


And even more color with the burst


Which makes it all POP like crazy with the first coat of finish.

This is not even figured maple but beech, mind you.

So what you're seeing is a combination of two factors in wood that are absolutely normal. It's not a plain top, by any means, but it's also not as fancy as one might wish.

For reference, this is what I feature as a 'standard' top:


Tight, even, narrow flame, that don't drop off side to side.

To quote PRS:

a PRS 10 Top 'must have clearly defined figure across its entire top with no dead spots'.

This top will likely be a 10Top for PRS.



And this is a slightly fancier, more premium top (hogged that for myself ). yes. LP, trem, F-Holes, singlecoils (Burns Trisonics, made by MJ).

The funny thing is, that previous LP with it's F-hole, custom Bareknuckles, premium hardware, etcetera, I charged just 200 bucks more than what Gibson asked for that top the Topicstarter posted, and I think my top is arguably nicer.