ZuWa Posted January 14, 2012 Share Posted January 14, 2012 Hi to everyone! I am trying to get the actual name of the color of my '82 Les Paul Custom. It is brown on the edges and yellow in the middle but it's not tobacco sunburst. It's not vintage sunburst. It has a killer 3 piece kind of burl top and a very warm brown top that reminds me of an old Irish pub. It's light brown on the back. http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a250/Warren-Pics/82LPCTobacco600x800-1.jpg I've read that some were shot in this color because they didn't make the cut as Anniversary Models. Any info? Thanks! Warren Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimR56 Posted January 14, 2012 Share Posted January 14, 2012 In that photo, it definitely looks like a "tobacco" sunburst to me. Two-tone sunburst with little or no red tone; and the brown edges are dark, like tobacco. Perhaps you could find a photo online of what you consider a "tobacco" sunburst to look like...? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZuWa Posted January 14, 2012 Author Share Posted January 14, 2012 In that photo, it definitely looks like a "tobacco" sunburst to me. Two-tone sunburst with little or no red tone; and the brown edges are dark, like tobacco. Perhaps you could find a photo online of what you consider a "tobacco" sunburst to look like...? Thanks for the reply. This one goes from dark brown to light brown and is much "warmer" looking that a trad tobacco IMO. As you know it's very hard to accurately capture a burst finish in photos but I know I can get an accurate pic of mine as I can compare the pic to the guitar. Here's a link to a Musician's Friend 'Slash" custom. http://www.musicians...ignature-guitar Here's another pic of mine: http://i12.photobuck...cs/DSC06763.jpg It looks very different to other tobacco sunbursts I've seen in pics and in person but it may just represent a different "flavor" of tobacco sunburst. I know others with '82 with the same guitar and finish have asked if this finish or guitar is unique in any way. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZuWa Posted January 14, 2012 Author Share Posted January 14, 2012 One more pic, in natural bright light. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j45nick Posted January 14, 2012 Share Posted January 14, 2012 That looks an awful lot like a "real" vintage sunburst to me. An amber toner is used in the "clear" portions of the 'burst, making it slightly browner than the "new" 'burst. Likewise, instead of the dark part of the 'burst starting as near-black, it has a more brownish cast, as the black portion of a typical burst has after years of fading. Whatever you want to call it, it's beautiful to my eye. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZuWa Posted January 14, 2012 Author Share Posted January 14, 2012 That looks an awful lot like a "real" vintage sunburst to me. An amber toner is used in the "clear" portions of the 'burst, making it slightly browner than the "new" 'burst. Likewise, instead of the dark part of the 'burst starting as near-black, it has a more brownish cast, as the black portion of a typical burst has after years of fading. Whatever you want to call it, it's beautiful to my eye. Hi Nick, You're correct. It's a "dark sienna" at the edges, not black. It goes to a "burnt umber". (I feel like I'm describing Crayola's!) The color of the sides and back is something in between. It's got Shaw's and is just stupid sounding through all stages of clean and dirt. Do you know if Gibson would have called this "tobacco sunburst" or "vintage sunburst" in '82? I ask because I generally don't like TS but I absolutely adore this finish and want to refer to it properly. Warren Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimR56 Posted January 14, 2012 Share Posted January 14, 2012 One more pic, in natural bright light. Okay, that does look different from the other photo... ... and I do see a bit more reddish tone in there (plus you can still see some grain out toward the edge of the body). So, not quite what I think of as "tobacco". For whatever it's worth, in their 1980 catalog, they list "tobacco sunburst" and "cherry sunburst". Here's an image: The 1983 catalog doesn't show a sunburst for the Custom model (only a black and a red are illustrated, and no finish options are listed). It does have this image for a Les Paul Standard (but doesn't appear to name the sunburst): I'm not sure you'll ever get a definitive answer. I think sunburst varieties and shadings have always been less than 100% consistent or cut and dried. At any rate, yours looks nice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j45nick Posted January 14, 2012 Share Posted January 14, 2012 Hi Nick, You're correct. It's a "dark sienna" at the edges, not black. It goes to a "burnt umber". (I feel like I'm describing Crayola's!) The color of the sides and back is something in between. It's got Shaw's and is just stupid sounding through all stages of clean and dirt. Do you know if Gibson would have called this "tobacco sunburst" or "vintage sunburst" in '82? I ask because I generally don't like TS but I absolutely adore this finish and want to refer to it properly. Warren I don't know how many 'burst designations Gibson had back in the early 80's. Since this finish is now 30 years old, it is entirely possible that some real fading has added to its character. Pigment stability has varied a lot with Gibson over the years, and it's very difficult to know with a vintage piece like this how much of its current beauty reflects the original finish, and much is the benign effect of the passage of time. Whatever the case, it's an absolute stunner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZuWa Posted January 14, 2012 Author Share Posted January 14, 2012 I don't know how many 'burst designations Gibson had back in the early 80's. Since this finish is now 30 years old, it is entirely possible that some real fading has added to its character. Pigment stability has varied a lot with Gibson over the years, and it's very difficult to know with a vintage piece like this how much of its current beauty reflects the original finish, and much is the benign effect of the passage of time. Whatever the case, it's an absolute stunner. Thanks Jim and Nick for the responses and info! Yes, the guitar in full outside light looks different than indoors under fluorescent which is why I uploaded that one too. Some pics I took show a very dark outline, almost clown-burst style, and others show the figure running out to the edges. That, plus the ravages of time and who the heck knows what this thing looked like when it rolled off the assembly line. I'll call it "kinda like a tobacco burst" I guess. :) Great PAF tone. It will ring with too much volume if I get near the amp but nothing that can't be reeled in. Thanks agn for the info, Warren Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
retrorod Posted January 15, 2012 Share Posted January 15, 2012 Yes indeed! A very nice-looking Custom. I would call it tobacco-burst! Since you know that it is Shaw-equipped.... have you been under the p'ups to the route cavities? My '80 LP Standard (Cherry Sunburst) has CHS.B. in black stencil under the bridge p'up. Perhaps yours has some clue like that also?? Rod Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZuWa Posted January 15, 2012 Author Share Posted January 15, 2012 That's a beauty too! Yes, I pulled the pickups and checked the inkstamps but I didn't look for any writing in there. I will check soon and advise! Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
retrorod Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 That's a beauty too! Yes, I pulled the pickups and checked the inkstamps but I didn't look for any writing in there. I will check soon and advise! Thanks! I was browsing the net recently and found the term Cremona sunburst. Do you think yours is that? I think tobacco sunburst applies to your LP. I don,t know if Gibson used the term Cremona burst in the 80's....?? At any rate, just another piece to the puzzle.... RRod Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZuWa Posted February 5, 2012 Author Share Posted February 5, 2012 I was browsing the net recently and found the term Cremona sunburst. Do you think yours is that? I think tobacco sunburst applies to your LP. I don,t know if Gibson used the term Cremona burst in the 80's....?? At any rate, just another piece to the puzzle.... RRod I'll checkinto that. I vaguely remember references to that color too. I haven't pulled the pickups again yet. I will do that and check for any ink stamps. I have found a seller that has two guitars that look just like mine. He is selling them as Sunburst without any Tobacco, Cremona, or other reference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimR56 Posted February 5, 2012 Share Posted February 5, 2012 I think the term "Cremona" is/was associated more with older archtops, and their connection with the violin-making tradition of Italy. Not sure when it was phased out, but I don't associate it with solidbodies or guitars of more recent decades. I could be wrong, though, as I was never as much of a solidbody player. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
retrorod Posted February 6, 2012 Share Posted February 6, 2012 I think you are right about that Jim. I was just shooting from the hip.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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