Anybody else notice...

[dumeril7]

... Gibson quietly changed the spec on the USA Les Paul Standard '50s. The burst finished models are no longer spec'd with AA maple tops. They're now just plain maple tops. The '60s models still have AA tops. It's a shame IMO. If you want a USA '50s LP with some figuring on top, get it quickly...

D7

 

[Central Scrutinizer]

Huh!
Glad I got mine last year.
Thanks for the heads up.

 

[Phillycheez402]

What exactly does AA and AAA stand for? Lol

 

[LtDave32]

What exactly does AA and AAA stand for? Lol

Grades of figure in maple tops..

It should be noted that a high grade number doesn't necessarily mean lots of flame stripes. It's got to do with consistency , symmetry and stripes all the way across.

 

[gball]

Good news for those of us that prefer a plaintop. But that's probably not the majority of buyers.

 

[Stinky Kitty]

Good news for those of us that prefer a plaintop. But that's probably not the majority of buyers.

I'll stand to be counted in the minority. Nothing against the posh tops, they just aren't for me. Leaves more for those who do prefer them. There are some fancy tops though that when stained and finished are quite drool worthy.

 

[Central Scrutinizer]

I'll stand to be counted in the minority. Nothing against the posh tops, they just aren't for me. Leaves more for those who do prefer them. There are some fancy tops though that when stained and finished are quite drool worthy.

Yes plain tops are cool as well.
I am trying to strike a deal as I type this on a plaintop LP Custom.

 

[Stinky Kitty]

Yes plain tops are cool as well.
I am trying to strike a deal as I type this on a plaintop LP Custom.

Good Luck!

 

[truckermde]

Yes plain tops are cool as well.
I am trying to strike a deal as I type this on a plaintop LP Custom.

Nice!

 

[Musha Ring]

Good news for those of us that prefer a plaintop. But that's probably not the majority of buyers.

Didn't a plain top use to be the "standard"? A buddy of mine has a 1977 Standard in Heritage Cherry and it has a plain top.

 

[gball]

Didn't a plain top use to be the "standard"? A buddy of mine has a 1977 Standard in Heritage Cherry and it has a plain top.

Depends on the year/era. The original 'bursts were Les Paul Standards, and at various times over the years Standards have come with figured tops, but I have always preferred plaintops. Perhaps because that's what was in the case of the shop when I was a kid in the '70's, or because my own first Standard was a plaintop HCS '96. Not sure. Just really don't like the way figured tops look - I even went with a goldtop when I got my '50s Standard because it was the only non-flamed finish available (and, well, goldies are cool and timeless).

 

[Musha Ring]

Depends on the year/era. The original 'bursts were Les Paul Standards, and at various times over the years Standards have come with figured tops, but I have always preferred plaintops. Perhaps because that's what was in the case of the shop when I was a kid in the '70's, or because my own first Standard was a plaintop HCS '96. Not sure. Just really don't like the way figured tops look - I even went with a goldtop when I got my '50s Standard because it was the only non-flamed finish available (and, well, goldies are cool and timeless).

I've always had a soft spot for plain tops. I prefer them a lot of the time.

I'm pretty ocd, so if a top isn't really symmetrical, I find it can be distracting or not as nice. In that way I prefer plain tops. Plus, I think their humble, understated look is just nice.

 

[gball]

I've always had a soft spot for plain tops. I prefer them a lot of the time.

I'm pretty ocd, so if a top isn't really symmetrical, I find it can be distracting or not as nice. In that way I prefer plain tops. Plus, I think their humble, understated look is just nice.

What I like best is a plaintop that has some swirling, obvious grain in it. This is a photo that Sweetwater sent me of my 2016 LP Traditional when I bought it. This is ideal for me (and this is pretty much my favorite guitar that I have ever owned):

 

[Musha Ring]

What I like best is a plaintop that has some swirling, obvious grain in it. This is a photo that Sweetwater sent me of my 2016 LP Traditional when I bought it. This is ideal for me (and this is pretty much my favorite guitar that I have ever owned):

View attachment 545997

Holy cow, that's nice! Beautiful grain!

See, I personally would take that over a flame top any day. Just my taste.

I need a plain top tobacco burst to finish my collection.

 

[01GT Eibach]

As I understand it, all guitar makers are different with no set industry standard. But for Gibson:
A - no figuring, but visible grain (i.e., a "nice plain top")
AA - Visible figuring
AAA - Heavy figuring
AAAA - Heavy figuring and excellent book matching

That being said, some of the recent Standards with "AA" have had heavy figuring per eyes.

 

[Phillycheez402]

I wonder when that change started lol

 

[DaveSG]

Alternate take: The intern got handed the job of updating the Gibson website.

We've had past accounts of erroneous information about guitars on Gibson's website, as well as other weird stuff that seems to escape review and oversight. One of my favorite examples was when the internet found quality control issues one of of the USA LP Standard photo shoot guitars. Anyone else remember that? Honesty it was pretty funny

It brings to mind a thread from a while back that asserted that the new 'Original' Standards were getting worse quality tops than the previous iterations of USA LPs. I can't remember if the theory was to create more contrast between the USA line and the CS, but the complaints about the tops really did seem to have some merit as it seemed like there was a period of time recently when it every other USA LP was getting a really plain-ish top or a top that appeared to be horribly mismatched, with flame on one side but not on the other, or extreme colorations between the two halves.

I'm sort of betting that Gibson contracts w/ wood suppliers to bring in a certain quality range of tops, and they just throw them all through the mill, slap them on the body, and make guitars. I almost have faith that Gibson wouldn't care about expending the effort to try to sort out all the plain tops and save them for 50s Standards.

However, if I am wrong, I think there would be a huge outcry and they'd get a huge amount of complaints about it. Or sales of 50s Standards would plummet and they'd have a mini-2015 moment on their hands and be forced to adjust.

 

[AJK1]

Yep plain tops are the bomb !

 

[dumeril7]

Didn't a plain top use to be the "standard"? A buddy of mine has a 1977 Standard in Heritage Cherry and it has a plain top.

’58-‘60 ‘bursts varied, but many of them had highly figured tops.

D7

 

[Central Scrutinizer]

What I like best is a plaintop that has some swirling, obvious grain in it. This is a photo that Sweetwater sent me of my 2016 LP Traditional when I bought it. This is ideal for me (and this is pretty much my favorite guitar that I have ever owned):

Nice!