Biz Prof Posted January 21, 2019 Share Posted January 21, 2019 Perusing CL, Reverb, and other FS sites, I am stunned at how many "sunburst" finishes are mostly teardrop shaped inner hues framed by lazily sprayed outer rings with nearly zero transitional shading. Hell, even PRS does nice 'bursts in its SE line, so it's not exactly mission impossible. Gibson is probably the worst offender of all manufacturers (in the Epiphone line and the Gibson USA line), and frankly, I just cannot fathom how a drive for numbers can overtake the inherent value of doing a proper 'burst that might take a couple of extra minutes by a trained finisher. I certainly don't expect Pirro-level quality, but if Gibson can render a finish like that shown on the 2006 LPC below, certainly it can do better than the yellow teardrops and clownbursts that have become ubiquitous (and yes, I realize that some bitchin' guitars from the old days have these lazybursts, i.e., Ree-shard's LP Deluxe). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Camstone Posted January 21, 2019 Share Posted January 21, 2019 This may be a personal preference issue. I think I prefer the teardrop burst shape rather than having the shading follow the upper bout. Here's a couple of pics of actual original 1960 "Bursts" that are down at Emerald City Guitars for sale right now. They look to be teardrop shaped shading and I think they look awesome and correct. The first one is $325K and the second in $195K. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cynic Posted January 21, 2019 Share Posted January 21, 2019 Add me to the lazy burst camp. I orefer amber and lemon bursts which show a fairly consistent grain top to bottom, but I still like an obvious teardrop to the fading. The rules don't apply across the board though...Strats and Teles have to follow the edge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Shark Posted January 21, 2019 Share Posted January 21, 2019 I like 'em after they fade. This one is a Historic Makeovers, but it's spot on. The real ones still have the red under the pickguard, the poker-chip and in the cavities. So cool... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Camstone Posted January 21, 2019 Share Posted January 21, 2019 Here are a couple of my Gibsons, both Cherry Sunburst. A 2016 R8 and a 2016 Custom Shop LPC. I like the way the red is blended in on these. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BubbaVO Posted January 21, 2019 Share Posted January 21, 2019 18 minutes ago, Camstone said: Here are a couple of my Gibsons, both Cherry Sunburst. A 2016 R8 and a 2016 Custom Shop LPC. I like the way the red is blended in on these. That one on the top really floats my boat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keoghpjk Posted January 21, 2019 Share Posted January 21, 2019 I see the charm with the lazy burst. I sure like the one on my trusty old ‘52 Gibson L-48.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff R Posted January 21, 2019 Share Posted January 21, 2019 Here's her most recent photo for reference ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff R Posted January 21, 2019 Share Posted January 21, 2019 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marvelicious Posted January 21, 2019 Share Posted January 21, 2019 2 hours ago, Biz Prof said: Not my cup o' tea that... I don't much care either way about the pattern, it's the color that makes or breaks it for me. That is way too starkly YELLOW, RED, BLACK for my tastes. Leave it in a window for about a decade and you'd have something! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZR Posted January 21, 2019 Share Posted January 21, 2019 30 minutes ago, Marvelicious said: Not my cup o' tea that... I don't much care either way about the pattern, it's the color that makes or breaks it for me. That is way too starkly YELLOW, RED, BLACK for my tastes. Leave it in a window for about a decade and you'd have something! Yes, very sears catalogish! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biz Prof Posted January 21, 2019 Author Share Posted January 21, 2019 Good points, all of them. It is certainly more of a preference. I think my issue is mostly with the stark contrast in the teardrop 'bursts on many lower end Gibsons. Perhaps a few decades of fading will help, especially since the translucent edges of the photos you gents have posted look nice and show a gentler transition. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
django49 Posted January 21, 2019 Share Posted January 21, 2019 Don't get me wrong.....I have owned several great Gibsons over the past 4+ decades. But I sometimes think their marketing line has changed from "Only A Gibson Is Good Enough" to "Its a Gibson---Its Good Enough". There are so many builders doing drop dead gorgeous bursts (Don't MAKE me post pictures!) that you would think the company would make a bit more of an effort. Admittedly. many of those builders are not competing at the level of the "lower end" Gibsons. That said, many compete in the same realm, cost-wise, as such as the various RI products. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northsider Posted January 21, 2019 Share Posted January 21, 2019 How it's done Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biz Prof Posted January 21, 2019 Author Share Posted January 21, 2019 ^^^^ These are superb examples of what I call a proper sunburst. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Shark Posted January 21, 2019 Share Posted January 21, 2019 Here's another... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Shark Posted January 21, 2019 Share Posted January 21, 2019 My B3... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BubbaVO Posted January 22, 2019 Share Posted January 22, 2019 5 hours ago, django49 said: There are so many builders doing drop dead gorgeous bursts (Don't MAKE me post pictures!) I double dawg dare ya. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
django49 Posted January 22, 2019 Share Posted January 22, 2019 Double Dawg Dare! Dammit! Django Dasn't Disappoint Does Don? Speaking of dares, I might dare add that the total cost of the three (1 new, 2 SLIGHTLY used) were roughly equal to 3 used R9s. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cmatthes Posted January 22, 2019 Share Posted January 22, 2019 I personally HATE the non-teardrop burst on a Les Paul. Looks cheap to me for some reason, probably because that's how many copy brands did it in the 70s and early 80s. I'll pass 100% of the time on those. A burst should look like this on a LP: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BubbaVO Posted January 22, 2019 Share Posted January 22, 2019 36 minutes ago, gtrdaddy said: ....and there he goes again, Thanks a lot @BubbaVO Dayum! Django delivers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Len Posted January 22, 2019 Share Posted January 22, 2019 I Like this one ... '79 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kizanski Posted January 22, 2019 Share Posted January 22, 2019 10 hours ago, cmatthes said: A burst should look like this on a LP: I have to agree. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottcald Posted January 22, 2019 Share Posted January 22, 2019 I have to say on a single cut LP with 2 pickups, I like the teardrop the most and also like the perimeter burst when the LP doesn't have a pickguard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BubbaVO Posted January 22, 2019 Share Posted January 22, 2019 1 hour ago, scottcald said: I have to say on a single cut LP with 2 pickups, I like the teardrop the most and also like the perimeter burst when the LP doesn't have a pickguard. I'm usually a traditionalist when it comes to these things. I see the merits of the more historically correct approach to the tear drops bursts - especially when the top isn't particularly flamey/quilty/otherwise interesting. Here's what I'm talking about: https://loviesguitars.com/product/1974-gibson-les-paul-standard-tobacco-sunburst/ But as the tops get more interesting, I like seeing more of that detail. Those "rim" jobs can obscure the detail in a nice top as well: http://www.peachguitars.com/guitars/electric-guitars/gibson-2018/gibson-usa-2018-les-paul-traditional-tobacco-sunburst-perimeter.htm My favorites are the time faded bursts tear drops that show off the wood really nicely and let the binding accent the arcs of the LP shape: https://reverb.com/item/10639066-gibson-les-paul-standard-1959-sunburst Ideally, I would have had a guitar that had the distinct tear drop that over time faded. But chances are pretty good that I won't have another 50 years to let the guitar fade so I'll have to buy it in an "accelerated" state. I like the looks of this one: https://reverb.com/item/17614442-gibson-collector-s-choice-37-1959-les-paul-carmelita-2016 Not quite "proper" I suppose, but what the heck you only live once. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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