MrAwesome Posted March 14, 2011 Share Posted March 14, 2011 How come Custom shop Gibson guitars are made with the best wood, and most expensive wood, yet they have alot of those woody circles and wood lines all over the body, and makes it look kinda messy examples these are 1960 Gibson Custom 50th Anniversary Standards http://www.themusiczoo.com/images/2-24-10/50th_Anniversary_60_Les_Paul_Pilot_Run_V1_HCS_PP_V1_17_1.jpg http://1484.bz/shibuya/item/image/31/312157200-00089/4.jpg unlike the Gibson USA shop ones or the more modern 2007-2008 models which is still really good wood, not the best in shop compared to the Custom wood but theres dont have all those crazy wood line designs all over the wood, I don't get it doesnt it look nicer with out all those crazy wood lines all over over the guitar? which would you perfer and what looks nicer too you? example 2007 USA standard http://s307.photobucket.com/albums/nn303/mrbluestrings/2007%20Gibson%20Les%20Paul%20Standard/?action=view¤t=100_0788.jpg 2008 standard http://www.rainbowguitars.com/imagesproduct/gb/gblpstdhsch1-xl-02.jpg Im talking about the wood it self not the flame top Im not talking about the flame top, Im talking about the wood it self look at the USA shop 2008 wood (not the flame just the wood, no wood designs at all) http://www.rainbowguitars.com/image...hsch1-xl-02.jpg compare it too a Custom Shop which has alot more detail http://1484.bz/shibuya/item/image/3...200-00089/4.jpg soo the wood with detail from the custom shop is better wood? would you say it looks better or the same? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pippy Posted March 14, 2011 Share Posted March 14, 2011 How come Custom shop Gibson guitars are made with the best wood, and most expensive wood, yet they have alot of those woody circles and wood lines all over the body, and makes it look kinda messy unlike the Gibson USA shop ones or the more modern 2007-2008 models which is still really good wood, not the best in shop compared to the Custom wood but theres dont have all those crazy wood line designs all over the wood, I don't get it doesnt it look nicer with out all those crazy wood lines all over over the guitar? which would you perfer and what looks nicer too you? Im talking about the wood it self not the flame top Im not talking about the flame top, Im talking about the wood it self look at the USA shop - 2008 wood (not the flame just the wood, no wood designs at all) soo the wood with detail from the custom shop is better wood? would you say it looks better or the same? I'd say I very much like a lot of those kinda messy "woody circles and wood lines" and "crazy wood line designs". P. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest FarnsBarns Posted March 14, 2011 Share Posted March 14, 2011 I think the lines are due to slower growth in the wood which makes it better tone wood. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Versatile Posted March 14, 2011 Share Posted March 14, 2011 My favourite luthier Gordon Smith purposely uses up all offcuts for reasons of conservation And the ability to produce handmade great sounding guitars at a reasonable price Which have great character and often look beautiful.... V Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillyGibson Posted March 14, 2011 Share Posted March 14, 2011 Here's my Trad Plus. Looks every bit as good as a custom shop at a fraction of the price. The top is supposed to be AA grade maple. Looks AAA to me, but that's all subjective. All guitars are made out of tree wood. There are interviews in the 40th Annual Les Paul Book that discuss even back in the 70's Gibson would use whatever wood was available. There are so many varieties within the mahagony and maple families across the different continents. Or the wood grain and densities are very close to these that they get the label of mahagony and maple. Let your ears decide which one sounds better, your hands decide which one feels better and your eyes decide which one looks better. Of course your wallet gets a vote too and maybe your wife. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigKahune Posted March 14, 2011 Share Posted March 14, 2011 How come Custom shop Gibson guitars are made with the best wood, and most expensive wood, yet they have alot of those woody circles and wood lines all over the body, and makes it look kinda messy ... Im talking about the wood it self not the flame top soo the wood with detail from the custom shop is better wood? would you say it looks better or the same? You are talking about two separate but related aspects of wood grain: 1) Graining - this is the part of the wood that makes the darker lines in the wood - the grain is from the tree rings. 2) Figuring - this term refers to grain distortions in the wood that create visible shapes that usually aren't part of the normal graining - curl (aka curly, flamed or fiddleback), quilted, bird's eye, spalted, blister, burl, and dimple (a few examples). The play between the graining and figuring can vary - some wood has graining but not figuring, some wood has the graining more visible than the figuring lighter, some wood has the figuring more visible than the grainging, and some wood has the graining and figuring at about the same visibililty. The grade of the wood is a way of defining how much figuring a piece of wood has: grade A has very little and grade AAAAA is the highest leve of figuring, fully and tightly figured to the edge with no bare spots. Figuring doesn't have anything to do with the graining. Now some, like yourself, prefer the graning to be less visible, and some like to see the play between the graining and the figuring. Some don't like figuring at all. It's a matter of taste. You can check out some Gibson figuring grades here - http://forum.gibson.com/index.php?/topic/64719-les-paul-standard-premium-plus/page__p__877188#entry877188 Here's my Trad Plus. ... The top is supposed to be AA grade maple. Looks AAA to me, but that's all subjective. ... Looks AA to me - the figuring runs out between the center and the edges. AAA would have hardly any run out spots. Here's a AAA graded by Gibson - Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LPguitarman Posted March 14, 2011 Share Posted March 14, 2011 I personally like all of them. The wood grain and mineral lines make it even better. I don't see it as better or worse wood. It's just the way the grain is in the particular piece. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Plains Posted March 14, 2011 Share Posted March 14, 2011 How come Custom shop Gibson guitars are made with the best wood, and most expensive wood, yet they have alot of those woody circles and wood lines all over the body, and makes it look kinda messy Look at all the vintage bursts here and notice how many, if not most, "look kind of messy." http://www.burstserial.com/ You should also read up on the various ways of cutting wood because that also explains a lot. There's a great Les Paul book called "Beauty of the Burst" that explains the differences between quarter sawn, rift sawn, etc. The ones that you describe as nicer are ugly/boring to me with little/no character. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Franzi Posted March 16, 2011 Share Posted March 16, 2011 A flame top with parrallel lines appeals to the eye and often looks spectacular. But I like the "messy" ones as well, they have personality! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.