Gibson's New Murphy Lab

Brize

It will count for nothing if they continue to use low-grade rosewood for their fretboards.

johnl

Brize said:

It will count for nothing if they continue to use low-grade rosewood for their fretboards.

Are they using low-grade rosewood for their custom shop fretboards? 

JD50

Whitecat said:

JD50 said:

Still do get why they don't just reduce the headstock angle and make a guitar that stays in tune.

68 reissues have shallower headstock angles. Otherwise we’re talking about replicas which is why they don’t...

I dis not no that....  off to check 68 reissues!

Whitecat

johnl said:

Brize said:

It will count for nothing if they continue to use low-grade rosewood for their fretboards.

Are they using low-grade rosewood for their custom shop fretboards? 

It’s better than the USA stuff but not nearly as dark as what Fender Custom is using for example. 

Darkest stuff goes on 59s/60s, then trickles downwards as the reissues go back in time. 

johnl

Whitecat said:

johnl said:

Brize said:

It will count for nothing if they continue to use low-grade rosewood for their fretboards.

Are they using low-grade rosewood for their custom shop fretboards? 

It’s better than the USA stuff but not nearly as dark as what Fender Custom is using for example. 

Darkest stuff goes on 59s/60s, then trickles downwards as the reissues go back in time. 

Sure - I can't say I've seen a consistent difference between the Fender / Gibson custom stuff in terms of colour but is colour the only way you're grading the boards or is there evidence of them using consistently lower quality wood?

crunchman

Whitecat said:

johnl said:

Brize said:

It will count for nothing if they continue to use low-grade rosewood for their fretboards.

Are they using low-grade rosewood for their custom shop fretboards? 

It’s better than the USA stuff but not nearly as dark as what Fender Custom is using for example. 

Darkest stuff goes on 59s/60s, then trickles downwards as the reissues go back in time. 

Colour doesn't mean a lot.  I had a 1990 PRS Limited Edition with a Brazilian board that was very light in colour.

Whitecat

johnl said:

Whitecat said:

johnl said:

Brize said:

It will count for nothing if they continue to use low-grade rosewood for their fretboards.

Are they using low-grade rosewood for their custom shop fretboards? 

It’s better than the USA stuff but not nearly as dark as what Fender Custom is using for example. 

Darkest stuff goes on 59s/60s, then trickles downwards as the reissues go back in time. 

Sure - I can't say I've seen a consistent difference between the Fender / Gibson custom stuff in terms of colour but is colour the only way you're grading the boards or is there evidence of them using consistently lower quality wood?

Just colour. I don’t think the wood is less good “as wood” so to speak. 

Henrytwang

Interesting that he worked for Taylor guitars. Not much call for relicing there I guess. As someone has already mentioned it’ll be interesting to hear what the cork sniffers make of his efforts to bring back the past.

Corvus

Still waiting for the TM signature tuning fork.. would make an ideal Xmas present ; )

Skipped

Sergio Villanueva has been the plant manager at Taylor Guitars in Tecate, Mexico. He will head up the new custom shop.

If any of you have ever picked up a Taylor Academy model, even for 2 minutes, you are probably wondering why Gibson are not asking him to produce a Gibson MIM range, with impossibly good fretwork, for less than £1k.

In the article, linked to in the OP, is a picture of a heavily checked 50s Gold Top, and a suggestion that Gibson want to replicate this. It is not clear how Tom Murphy will achieve this. If they are  serious, should they be asking vastly experienced people from the Antiques industry if they think that their incredible skills might be somehow transferable to Nitro?? 

guitars4you

IvisonGuitars said:

guitars4you said:

Does TM actually build guitars - Or his he an expert on the refin and ageing ? 

I don’t think he builds or ever has, he’s the Gibson go to guy for razor checking on the bodies, luckily he doesn’t go near the fretboards with it though.

That was my thought as well

Brize

johnl said:

Brize said:

It will count for nothing if they continue to use low-grade rosewood for their fretboards.

Are they using low-grade rosewood for their custom shop fretboards? 

Judge for yourself:

£4,800:

£5,200:

$5,000:

impmann

Murphy's law.

:-)

johnl

Brize said:

johnl said:

Brize said:

It will count for nothing if they continue to use low-grade rosewood for their fretboards.

Are they using low-grade rosewood for their custom shop fretboards? 

Judge for yourself:

£4,800:

I can't see anything wrong with any of those? Alright they look a little on the light side in the photos (which can be deceptive) but that doesn't mean much at all. There looks to be quite an attractive pattern / figuring on the SG as well....

Brize

johnl said:

I can't see anything wrong with any of those? Alright they look a little on the light side in the photos (which can be deceptive) but that doesn't mean much at all. There looks to be quite an attractive pattern / figuring on the SG as well....

Each to their own, but those fretboards and dry and streaky, which is a hallmark of low-grade rosewood. Compare those boards to the rosewood that the Gibson Custom Shop was using just a few years ago and there's no comparison.

TINMAN82

Brize said:

johnl said:

I can't see anything wrong with any of those? Alright they look a little on the light side in the photos (which can be deceptive) but that doesn't mean much at all. There looks to be quite an attractive pattern / figuring on the SG as well....

Each to their own, but those fretboards and dry and streaky, which is a hallmark of low-grade rosewood. Compare those boards to the rosewood that the Gibson Custom Shop was using just a few years ago and there's no comparison.

From what I’ve seen trawling websites recently, your absolutely right. Probably seen worse examples than these too.

clarkefan

Brize said:

johnl said:

I can't see anything wrong with any of those? Alright they look a little on the light side in the photos (which can be deceptive) but that doesn't mean much at all. There looks to be quite an attractive pattern / figuring on the SG as well....

Each to their own, but those fretboards and dry and streaky, which is a hallmark of low-grade rosewood. Compare those boards to the rosewood that the Gibson Custom Shop was using just a few years ago and there's no comparison.

Is that a fact? Colour is an indicator of low-grade rosewood? Genuinely curious, not being a swearword.  

Agreed about prior years, even cheap guitars had darker rosewood boards in the past, like my 80s Squier Strat for example.

Brize

clarkefan said:

Is that a fact? Colour is an indicator of low-grade rosewood? Genuinely curious, not being a swearword.  

Agreed about prior years, even cheap guitars had darker rosewood boards in the past, like my 80s Squier Strat for example.

Do you think that rich, chocolate-coloured rosewood sells for the same price as light, streaky, greyish rosewood?

tony99

Brize said:

johnl said:

I can't see anything wrong with any of those? Alright they look a little on the light side in the photos (which can be deceptive) but that doesn't mean much at all. There looks to be quite an attractive pattern / figuring on the SG as well....

Each to their own, but those fretboards and dry and streaky, which is a hallmark of low-grade rosewood. Compare those boards to the rosewood that the Gibson Custom Shop was using just a few years ago and there's no comparison.

When do you think it changed?

Brize

tony99 said:

Brize said:

johnl said:

I can't see anything wrong with any of those? Alright they look a little on the light side in the photos (which can be deceptive) but that doesn't mean much at all. There looks to be quite an attractive pattern / figuring on the SG as well....

Each to their own, but those fretboards and dry and streaky, which is a hallmark of low-grade rosewood. Compare those boards to the rosewood that the Gibson Custom Shop was using just a few years ago and there's no comparison.

When do you think it changed?

It started going downhill in 2012, although there were good boards on 2013 and 2014 guitars. In the last few years the quality of the rosewood has generally been dire.