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faded finishes


harmonicchaos

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just yesterday i was in gc and i decided to try out some guitars. i have a vm studio and have always wondered if i would have liked a more expensive model better. i tried out a standard les paul bonde beauty and i liked my vm better. i thought the amount of paint was overkill. it looked nice and sounded good but i didn't like how it felt. it also felt much heavier and the biggest think was that the neck was very sticky. it just reverberate like my vm did. as some of you know i have been thinking about refinishing my lp but now i don't think i will (unless it's std faded amount of nitro). it might just be that im not used to that kind of guitar. now i'm even more upset that they're discontinuing the std faded.

 

i also tried a sg classic. i loved the pickups but i about threw it when i picked it up because it was so light #-o

 

i guess i like cheaper guitars for the most part because i compared a highway one, american standard and deluxe tele and found that i liked the highway one best by a long shot!

 

i now appreciate my faded finish (even with the unfortunate dents) more than the heavily finished guitars! i still like them but the fadeds are nice and worth the price.

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Faded finishes are underrated. I love them. I don't like hi-gloss finishes because after a while, parts of the neck get this sticky stuff built up on them. With faded necks you get that nice, fast neck. Also, I don't like hi-gloss because then the body feels almost like plastic. With faded bodies you get that natural feel , and if you touch it, you don't have to worry about ugly smudges. Overall, I don't like hi-gloss. As for what you said about the weight of the SG, I've had my Gibson SG Special Faded for only about 2 months. You would think by then I would at least expect it to be light when I pick it up, but I am always surprised because it feels like I'm just lifting up the neck.

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First time I saw a faded, a Special in Black, I turned my nose up on it. Didn't even pick it up. Later, when GC had the original Worn Brown LPVM Studios for $699, I picked one up. The neck was so fast. I became a big fan and got one. Mine wasn't as nice as some I've seen since, but it was a good player. It had a one-off 60s profile neck. When the Standards came out I had to get one and scored a Tobacco Burst w/ a 50s via Gibson Select at the Memphis Showcase. It's a keeper. Got an SG too. The finish does wear, but it actually polishes with use, and definitely maintains that vibe.

 

7d4f969b.jpg

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SAme here man' date=' i really like the faded finishes more, and dont care much about nitro finished necks and bodies, the necks are too sticky and the bodies get every fingerprint...[/quote']

 

Unless I'm mistaken, the faded finishes are nitrocellulose finishes. The faded and satin finishes simply consist of fewer layers or coats (two coats for a faded vs. eight for a high-gloss if I recall correctly), but all Gibsons have nitrocellulose finishes. Interestingly enough, the thin-skin or satin finish Fenders (like the Highway 1 line) now also feature nitrocellulose finishes, unlike the standard polyurethane finish used on modern Fenders.

 

Ignatius

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Unless I'm mistaken' date=' the faded finishes [b']are[/b] nitrocellulose finishes. The faded and satin finishes simply consist of fewer layers or coats (two coats for a faded vs. eight for a high-gloss if I recall correctly), but all Gibsons have nitrocellulose finishes. Interestingly enough, the thin-skin or satin finish Fenders (like the Highway 1 line) now also feature nitrocellulose finishes, unlike the standard polyurethane finish used on modern Fenders.

 

Ignatius

I believe Ingatius is correct.

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Mine wasn't as nice as some I've seen since' date=' but it was a good player.

[img']http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c265/Bakz/7d4f969b.jpg[/img]

 

yeah mine too. the wood grain could be nicer and i've seen some unbelievable wood grains but i've got some wood polish that makes it look nicer. mine said worn brown but compared to the cherry and the brown it looks like it's in between both. it definitely has a unique grain though, and it plays amazingly.

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SAme here man' date=' i really like the faded finishes more, and dont care much about nitro finished necks and bodies, the necks are too sticky and the bodies get every fingerprint...[/quote']

 

I had that sticky issue when I first got my glossy Studio. I just wiped down the neck periodically and used some Finger Ease spray. After about a month of playing I stopped noticing any of that sticky build-up. So that is caused by the nitro finish? I guess that's why I never noticed it on my maple neck Fender.

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