Three Piece Tops

[rodneyk915]

From what I understand 3 piece tops were used throughout the '70s. When did they change to 2 piece tops. I thought it was early '80s but the Slash VOS appears to be a 3 piece top and I thought his was a 1988 model.

[masta_191]

no clue but i really wanna see a one peice top

[masta_191]

i was at musicians pro shop (australia) and the VOS slash was a 2 peice im 100% sure of it

[ianhobo]

well then they must have a funny guitar!
All the pics that have been posted here of the VOS have been 3 pieces.
The USA Standard is two piece.
The whole thing about the VOS is that its 3 piece (And that the alignment on the VOS actually differs from Slash)

[mobprop667]

i have an 89 custom that is a 3 pc top.

[dwagar]

a lot (maybe most?) of the 50s goldtops were 3 pc tops too.

[tasticafe]

are 3 piece tops more or less desired than 2 piece?

[djem]

Originally Posted by dwagar

a lot (maybe most?) of the 50s goldtops were 3 pc tops too.

as well as a lot of solid colour finishes as well. My '86 black standard is a three piece top.

to me, it makes economic sense that all solid colour finishes would be three piece tops. who cares about figuring and grain alignment if you're going to paint the guitar?

as for one piece tops, i've heard that it's not commonly done because of stability and trying to avoid splitting. not sure if this is true or not, but it makes sense that two smaller pieces would be more structurally sound than a single carved top. especially when you consider the carve depth varies across the top of the guitar. would like to hear a luthiers' opinion on this as well.

[djem]

Originally Posted by tasticafe

are 3 piece tops more or less desired than 2 piece?

for a clear top burst and a collector POV, i would say yes. this be be from a visual sense. if the guitar is a great player, then it's just a matter of personal preference.

[docadillac]

I don't think it makes any difference on solid color tops, but on bursts its just not that aesthetically pleasing at least to my eye.

[Lampens]

My 89 ebony standard is a three piece too.

[LoKi]

Was early 90's when the went 'back' to the 2 piece tops. All of my Les Pauls are 3 piece and sound amazing.

Collectible? Desirable? If its old, somebody will want it someday. That is the story of Gibson guitars.

Even Norlin era Kalamazoo guitars have gone up in value. My '79 Custom is a Kalamazoo and a guy offered me $4000 for it, road wear and all.

I know thats a little high, but they go on fleabay for $3500-3700 which is considerably more than they cost new.