'56 Goldtop

[DJ2257]

Hi,

I have just bought a 2003 '56 Goldtop which I am very pleased with. There is one thing that surprised me however, and that is that the back and neck have a cherry coloured finish similar to what you might get say on a cherry sunburst. I always thought goldtops (Epiphone or Gibson), had a clear finish over the mahaogany?

Can anyone tell me if the finish on the back and neck should be cherry or natural (i.e brown) - or either!!

Thanks

[Ricochet]

I've only seen natural(brown) or black on GTs

[BillyGibson]

All the Epi 56's I've seen have the dark reddish color.

[Guest]

will let u know soon as mine gets here 2 or 3 days.

[Stevie Nazarenie]

even my gt copy is brown and gold. i think of it as a "roast beef and mustard" guitar!:)/

[jcwillow777]

Mine's dark brown:

 

[lpfan]

Mine is exactly like jcwillow's too.

[DJ2257]

Thanks for the replies.

Very strange that we seem to have both brown and dark red (cherry) backs! I would have thought that all the factories were working to the same specs for the GT's (assuming thats the reason for the difference).

[Goldie]

I'm not surprised about the difference in colors, but what I am surprised about is that no one called it a fake.

[bluesman345]

All the Epi 56's I've seen have the dark reddish color.

 

Mine has a deep red/brown mahogany color with a striking grain.

[BillyGibson]

Mine's dark brown:

 

 

 

This is the color I've seen. OK, so I can't tell dark dark red from dark brown. My wife thinks I'm color blind because I put a dark blue Tshirt on with black shorts when we go to the gym. They're so close in color, I can't tell.

[Stevie Nazarenie]

i think my living room carpet is pink. my mother says it's terrocata.

 

someone has just sprayed the top gold? maybe looking in the humbucker routes will tell a story?

[DJ2257]

i think my living room carpet is pink. my mother says it's terrocata.

 

someone has just sprayed the top gold? maybe looking in the humbucker routes will tell a story?

 

 

I'ts definately a legit '56 gold top' date=' I was just curious about the colour of the back. Anyway, here's a couple of photo's (with pickguard removed).....

[img']http://i767.photobucket.com/albums/xx320/dj2257/004.jpg[/img]

[Swoop]

I wouldn't really call that cherry. I just think it's not stained as dark as jcwillows, or perhaps the colour of the wood used isn't as dark either. I don't think it's a cause for concern or anything, I think it's within the parameters of what is acceptable variation between the factories. If it was pink, or obviously very starkly different, it would be unacceptable but, as I said, it may not be stained as dark, or the particular bit of wood they used might not be as dark.

 

Looks like a nice guitar to me. But put the pickguard back on! :(

[bluesman345]

I remember a Gibby '56 I tried out at a store a couple years ago had a kind of rusty-orangey back. Also, the gold glitter had much smaller flakes. Personally, I like my Epi '56 much better. I know it will never be a Gibson, but the way I have tricked out my Epi, I could never justify paying 2 grand more for the "real thing" Gibson re-issue. FWIW