Fadista Posted June 4, 2020 Share Posted June 4, 2020 Many times ia find the word "figure" applied to guitar models (like Gibson Es-339 Figured, Blueberry Burst) or even to materials (like Figured Maple, Figured Wallnut, etc.) Since my mother tongue is the Portuguese, I should appreciate very much if someone could explain to me (in English) what is meant by "figured" in these contexts. Kind regards, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gampadoug Posted June 4, 2020 Share Posted June 4, 2020 That's a reference to the laminate top on the guitar. Specifically to the wood grain that can be seen through the finish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gampadoug Posted June 4, 2020 Share Posted June 4, 2020 See the wood grain? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fadista Posted June 4, 2020 Author Share Posted June 4, 2020 Thank you so much! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wmachine Posted June 5, 2020 Share Posted June 5, 2020 More specifically, it is not the wood grain, but the type of wood grain. You can still see the wood grain in "plain" tops. But "figured/flame" type have a distinctive pattern in the wood generally running 90 deg in the direction of the regular wood grain. More distinctive, generally more desirable, and more expensive. It is a characteristic of wood, regardless if it laminate or solid. The following is a pretty exact comparison. Faded light burst, and Figured Faded light burst. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wmachine Posted June 5, 2020 Share Posted June 5, 2020 My ES-335 Premiere Figured Faded Lightburst 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fadista Posted June 5, 2020 Author Share Posted June 5, 2020 Great explanations! Thank you all for contributing with your know-how. I like the new Gibson ES-339 Figured, Bueberry Burst - 2020, but still not available in Portugal (expected in 5 - 6 months...). Prices comparison: Gibson ES339 Gloss Light Caramel Burst (2019) - 1969 EURO AVAILABLE Gibson ES-339 Figured, Bueberry Burst (2020) - 2575 EURO 5 -6 MONTHS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gampadoug Posted June 5, 2020 Share Posted June 5, 2020 1 hour ago, Wmachine said: More specifically, it is not the wood grain, but the type of wood grain. You can still see the wood grain in "plain" tops. But "figured/flame" type have a distinctive pattern in the wood generally running 90 deg in the direction of the regular wood grain. More distinctive, generally more desirable, and more expensive. It is a characteristic of wood, regardless if it laminate or solid. The following is a pretty exact comparison. Faded light burst, and Figured Faded light burst. I meant to say that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdgm Posted June 7, 2020 Share Posted June 7, 2020 On 6/5/2020 at 1:35 PM, Wmachine said: This I like....lots. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gampadoug Posted June 8, 2020 Share Posted June 8, 2020 On 6/5/2020 at 6:45 AM, Fadista said: Great explanations! Thank you all for contributing with your know-how. I like the new Gibson ES-339 Figured, Bueberry Burst - 2020, but still not available in Portugal (expected in 5 - 6 months...). Prices comparison: Gibson ES339 Gloss Light Caramel Burst (2019) - 1969 EURO AVAILABLE Gibson ES-339 Figured, Bueberry Burst (2020) - 2575 EURO 5 -6 MONTHS Not sure how many Euro's to the buck but for 600 of them you'd have really dig that blue berry, eh? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fadista Posted June 8, 2020 Author Share Posted June 8, 2020 Since I already own a Gibson ES.335 Vintage Burst, I should like now to get the Es-339 Figured, Blueberry Burst, 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fadista Posted June 8, 2020 Author Share Posted June 8, 2020 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobouz Posted June 9, 2020 Share Posted June 9, 2020 That “Blueberry Burst” is very cool! Regarding figured maple, it is also sometimes referred to as flamed maple. Essentially, these terms refer to the horizontal waves (or patterns) running counter to the wood grain. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trapplayer Posted September 1, 2022 Share Posted September 1, 2022 I purchased a 60's Cherry "Figured" ES335, last year. I look at many 60's Cherry ES335 guitars in the shop, and on-line and they all look like my "figured" 60's Cherry ES335. I paid $400.00 extra for the "Figured" finish. I feel somewhat ripped off in paying $400.00 extra for what is typically the standard finish on all 60's Cherry ES335 guitars. Can someone explain this to me? --- thanks A.J. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merciful-evans Posted September 2, 2022 Share Posted September 2, 2022 Unless stated otherwise, the online pics may not be the actual guitar, just one like it. In a shop, you see just what you get. Figuring. like the grain itself is unique in any guitar. Makers select & grade the wood billet prior to manufacture. Often they number the grade but not always. However one batch of billets may have more figured wood than the next batch, so that affects the grading. They can only grade what they receive in any one batch. That affects what you actually get. If you bought your guitar 'in the shop' as suggested by your post, why did you choose the figured if others looked similar? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt. Pepper Posted September 2, 2022 Share Posted September 2, 2022 6 hours ago, merciful-evans said: Unless stated otherwise, the online pics may not be the actual guitar, just one like it. In a shop, you see just what you get. Figuring. like the grain itself is unique in any guitar. Makers select & grade the wood billet prior to manufacture. Often they number the grade but not always. However one batch of billets may have more figured wood than the next batch, so that affects the grading. They can only grade what they receive in any one batch. That affects what you actually get. If you bought your guitar 'in the shop' as suggested by your post, why did you choose the figured if others looked similar? Some online stores take pics of the actual guitar your will be receiving. I know on Sweetwater's site the guitar you see is the one you get. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trapplayer Posted September 3, 2022 Share Posted September 3, 2022 Thanks for replying... I ordered the ES335 60's Cherry directly from Gibson. My mentor guitarist had purchased a standard Cherry Red ES335 a few years earlier. His guitar has a uniform red color throughout, so when I saw my new guitar, I thought nothing of it. It had a figured pattern, but NOT the 90-degree pattern that is shown over and over as "figured." My dear friend at guitar center told me the patterns are all different. But it seems my guitar is a 60's Cherry standard. I suspect it was designated "figured" to fill some assembly line quota. Paying the extra $400.00 for nothing is really disappointing. This ES335 60's Cherry was the ONLY thing in my bucket list. I don't want or need anything else. -- again, thanks for replying. -- A.J. -- now "practice, practice, practice." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
10PoundLester Posted March 25, 2023 Share Posted March 25, 2023 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.