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2016 HP AAAA top?


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Hi everyone,

 

I just joined the Les Paul family by diving into the deep end, a 2016 LP Std HP in Transparent Black. The Sweetwater rep said that the Transparent Black was one of the more fickle tops in terms of quality, and that the one they just got in was exceptional. Of course, he is selling the product, and he also thought that all the 2016 LP Standard line was AAA tops, when the HP's are supposed to have AAAA tops (aside from three colors, I think).

 

 

So I figured I'd get the experienced eyes of this forum on the case. How does this top look for Transparent Black AAAA? Keep or send back?

 

Thanks for looking and commenting! I hope to be around the forum more often.

 

 

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Anybody can call any top any number of 'A's they want, there is no objective standard by which to measure. If you are asking if you should send it back because it isn't AAAA, nobody can answer that.

 

rct

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Hello and welcome to the LP club, im pretty sure you wont regret that purchase.. That's a lovely guitar you have there whatever the grade top :)

 

If you don't mind let me embed this for you at an easier size to look at

IMG_0257b_zpscrzoekxz.jpg

 

Honestly, the difference between AAA and AAAA is going to be hard to tell.. Its all in the eye of the beholder really. As long as you like they way it looks then who really cares what its official name is.. Every top is so different and unique, some look way over the top, some are more subtle..

 

The closest I can see to a scale is if you look at a 2015 model.. They have a section in the description called Wood Selection. Check it out, you will see a pic and a small description of each one as you move over the top of the picture.

http://www.gibson.com/Products/Electric-Guitars/2015/USA/Les-Paul-Classic.aspx

 

 

Either way.. Happy playing.. It really is a sweet looking guitar [thumbup]

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Guest Farnsbarns

To me this top looks very consistent. It could be the smoothest figuring I've ever seen. Since the number of As given by rating a top depends on uniformity, this one can easily be an AAAA.

 

Gibson rate by coverage, not uniformity AFAIK. I saw their descriptions somewhere once.

 

As stated above, AAAA means nothing at all. Do you like it? Enough to pay the price? I'm assuming you like the way it plays and feels?

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Gibson rate by coverage, not uniformity AFAIK. I saw their descriptions somewhere once.

 

As stated above, AAAA means nothing at all. Do you like it? Enough to pay the price? I'm assuming you like the way it plays and feels?

 

Thanks for the replies so far. I figured there wasn't an objective standard for AAA vs AAAA vs whatever, but also know that folks on here have seen many, many more tops than I have!

 

The only fault I've found after playing has been a E string buzz, and that's only when strummed harder. Should be easy to tweak away.

 

The GForce tuning has been consistent in its inconsistency, with the top 2 strings needing a precision tuning after a strum. A bit of reading on here suggested to me that this wasn't at all unusual, and there are plenty of fine tuning options in the GForce manual (an almost ridiculous number.. I may have more fun with the tuner than with the -- nah... )

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.

Despite comments that suggest grades mean nothing, Gibson does grade tops. FWIW here's some pics of Gibson graded tops - it's a bit difficult to see the differences between AAA, AAAA, and AAAAA. BTW, that AAAAA below is TransBlack

 

AA (aka 'Plus' top) - has pronounced figuring but with some spottiness from bald spots and figuring run outs in the center and the edges. This one graded by Gibson as an AA Plus top.

AA-Plustop_zpsf31fb52c.jpg

 

AAA (aka 'Premium Plus' top) - nicely figured with a few bald spots or run outs, but mostly the figuring goes to the edges. This is the top of an LP I have that was graded by Gibson as AAA -

AAA%20-%20Premium%20Plus%20top_zpszbyvbrcj.jpg

 

 

AAAA - consistant figuring goes out to the edges with good constrast between the light and dark bands. No run outs or bald spots - this one was graded AAAA by Gibson.

AAAA%20top_zpsfyo0ihox.jpg

 

 

AAAAA - is reserved for pieces with the most beautiful and highest amount of figuring and consistancy - this one was graded AAAAA by Gibson. You can see it can be difficult to detect much of a difference between AAAA and AAAAA.

AAAAA%20top_zpsjjyorgyn.jpg

 

.

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I think in the past decade or so, we've all been robbed of a few "A's". Gibson seems to keep adding them.

 

What we used to call AA we now call AAA, what used to be AAA sometimes is called AA.

 

How to explain. There doesn't seem to be a standard anymore on what makes how many A's. The scale keeps sliding, especially when they keep adding A's to the scale. Now that we are up to 5 or 6 A's, does that mean all the others slide up or down a slot?

 

Wanna call it AA because it's got less below the bridge there? Fine, I would buy that. Wanna call it AAA because it is deep? That adds up. Wanna call it AAAA because it has unusually tight curl? It is more rare than not, so that can work too.

 

Hell, since it can be both an AA or an AAAA, add another A!

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My question is: Why would someone just toss a very nice Les Paul on to a pile of stuff on a work bench, including a ballpeen hammer .

 

not being very nice to said Les Paul.

 

the picture is too low res to tell if its a AAA or AAAAA..

 

 

Its an optical illusion, I swear! The bench was the only available secure mount with overhead lighting. The guitar is sitting on cloth supports all down its length. Definitely wouldn't let any bit of its surface touch anything on that bench.

 

Including the hammer! I didn't even notice it in the photo when I posted it!

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.

 

Despite comments that suggest grades mean nothing, Gibson does grade tops. FWIW here's some pics of Gibson graded tops - it's a bit difficult to see the differences between AAA, AAAA, and AAAAA. BTW, that AAAAA below is TransBlack

 

AAAAA - is reserved for pieces with the most beautiful and highest amount of figuring and consistancy - this one was graded AAAAA by Gibson. You can see it can be difficult to detect much of a difference between AAAA and AAAAA.

AAAAA%20top_zpsjjyorgyn.jpg

 

.

 

 

Aw, hell... now that just isn't fair. Gorgeous!

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You have a beautiful guitar there. No matter how many A's are on it. If I remember right mine was sold as AAA but personally I would go higher. But it's mine and since it plays and sounds how I want it to I'm not worried about the A rating. And to me that's the only rating that matters

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