Does a goldtop sound different than an IDENTICAL LP with regular nitro?

[HappyFingers]

Goldtops have metal in the paint. Metal. Therefore they rock harder.

 

[mudface]

Can you imagine what this piece of crap would sound like if it was gold....??

.....tone is in the fingers.

 

[Brooklyn Zeke]

I'd say that if you were to compare a LP Goldtop to a LP with a more conventional nitro finish, both guitars would need to have the exact same pickups, the exact same string brand and gauge, the exact same saddle, the exact same nut material, the exact same tuners, the exact same electronic components, each played using the same pickup(s) in the same locations on the guitars, and the exact same tailpiece (good luck with all that). If you're going to critically listen to them both aurally, they'd need to be played through the same amplifier, in the same room or venue. If you were blindfolded, I'd bet that they'd either sound somewhat different from each other, you wouldn't be able to differentiate between them. Could go either way. Even sending their respective signals through an oscilloscope, you'd probably not be able to distinguish which guitar was playing which note by viewing the waveform. The oscilloscope would need to hooked up to a computer running software that digitizes the waveform to yield a numerical value for each note, both open and fingered, at each fret, up and down the fretboard, to get a comprehensive digital comparison of the audio profile of each instrument. I guarantee that there'd be differences between the two, and you'd still not be able to definitively conclude that those differences are due to the two different finishes. But, you should know that ALL Gibson guitars are finished with several layers of nitro-cellulose lacquer, regardless of their color stain, including goldtops. Each guitar manufactured by any manufacturer is unique in its sound. No two guitars sound exactly alike.

 

[Brooklyn Zeke]

I've read all of the responses in this thread. My conclusion is that there's a ton of moronic shitheads who own guitars out there.

 

[lawrev]

There are no many variables in individual guitars that I don't know if you can scientifically make a determination. Both the guitar and the person.

 

[Ninja1195]

There is so much flat out stupidity in this thread that I actually find myself longing for the less stupid threads such as......

-Pickguard or no pickguard?
-Relic or no relic?
-Schaller vs Dunlop vs Grolsch straplocks?
-Top wrap or standard wrap?
-50's vs modern wiring?
-Humbucker covers vs no covers?

And the other endless utterly moronic threads that have been beaten to death and clog up the internet

 

[Jay4321]

There's no way I'm reading what sounds like a horrible thread but the answer is no. Not only have I repainted in gold, I'll be doing it again on an LP--sort of--in the not so distant future.

For some reason I can't run into folks with these crazy ideas locally. There are all kinds of interesting tone tests we could wager on in the spirit of science.

 

[Bryansamui]

I don't believe there's enough mass or resistance to expansion in a finish to restrict or dampen the vibrations of a 7 lb chunk of wood.
Acoustics, on the other hand, are probably affected by a drawn out and noisy fart.

Pickups: On my YT channel I replicate

I don't believe there's enough mass or resistance to expansion in a finish to restrict or dampen the vibrations of a 7 lb chunk of wood.
Acoustics, on the other hand, are probably affected by a drawn out and noisy fart.

I replicate with uncanny accuracy on my YT channel the tone of Jimmy Pages Doubleneck guitar using a completely WRONG Les Paul instrument but correct pickups.
.This is in comparison to Gibsons correct Double Neck instrument which has PAF type( Jimmy didn't have PAFs in his)and subsequently do not sound like Jimmy's Doubleneck..Yes , the wood does Change tone, but it's miles down the food chain compared to pickups..

 

[searswashere]

Oh this got two pages of replies *today*.

Abcd - always be checking dates.

 

[Barefoot]

Regular finish meaning a cherry burst or sunburst. The reason I ask is that I think that the goldtop is paint or some kind of colored lacquer different than the plain nitro finish of the 'regular' guitars. And I think this might sound different.

I know (or am convinced) that nitro finish guitars sound warmer than poly- finish guitars. I would really like to know if anyone has an opinion on goldtops (or black ones too, since that is paint also).

It’s posts like this that make me doubt this whole site.

Why do we even let people post these questions?

 

[Bryansamui]

It’s posts like this that make me doubt this whole site.

Why do we even let people post these questions?

Well, some people possibly can hear these micro details..I can't..
I lost interest in this cork sniffer stuff the day I stuck a 1971 Stratocaster pickup In a Les Paul and replicated Ritchie Blackmores Strat sound off Made in Japan!

 

[benderb9]

What I’d be interested is that if the gold top’s different nitro finish holds up better than the other finishes.

my 91 Bullion Classic looks like cracked ice all ove, seen worse and better

 

[electricblue]

It does make a difference ..i can always tell the difference between a Gold Top and a Sunburst or a Plain Top blindfolded ..to prove this i went with some friends to a concert to see the Allman Brothers blindfolded ..when the guitarist Dickey Betts played i knew right away it was a Gold Top !!!! and when Warren Haynes played , i also knew it was a Sunburst !! i was 100 % correct ..my friends were amazed ..i went to see "Snowy White" again blindfolded and again i just knew he was playing a Gold top ..now Black Les Pauls also have there own sound ,to prove it i went to see "Peter Frampton" live , blindfolded and guess what ..i immediately knew the guitar sound i was hearing was a Black Les Paul !!! i was right !! ..you can also hear the tonal difference with a Sunburst ..having seen Led Zeppelin blindfolded it did not take me long to just know jimmy page was playing a Sunburst Les Paul ..they all have there own unique sound depending on the colour ..

 

[Lee Phillips]

No, not at all. The whole concept started when the vintage market began to take off. Before that you could buy a LP for $50 to a couple hundred bucks. The idea was that if an acoustic instrument like a two hundred year old violin could sound different because of the finish material then why couldn't an older guitar. But that was so flawed even in analysis of a violin because there were so many different factors beside just the finish and a violin is a far more resonate instrument. But, if you think it makes you sound better, and you are playing better than go for it. One of the things about a lacquer finish though it is easy to get rid of scratches though I would not attempt to do it if you are not familiar with wood finishes as you could do far more cosmetic harm.

 

[Lee Phillips]

It does make a difference ..i can always tell the difference between a Gold Top and a Sunburst or a Plain Top blindfolded ..to prove this i went with some friends to a concert to see the Allman Brothers blindfolded ..when the guitarist Dickey Betts played i knew right away it was a Gold Top !!!! and when Warren Haynes played , i also knew it was a Sunburst !! i was 100 % correct ..my friends were amazed ..i went to see "Snowy White" again blindfolded and again i just knew he was playing a Gold top ..now Black Les Pauls also have there own sound ,to prove it i went to see "Peter Frampton" live , blindfolded and guess what ..i immediately knew the guitar sound i was hearing was a Black Les Paul !!! i was right !! ..you can also hear the tonal difference with a Sunburst ..having seen Led Zeppelin blindfolded it did not take me long to just know jimmy page was playing a Sunburst Les Paul ..they all have there own unique sound depending on the colour ..

LOL! Dicky almost always played the goldtop. He had a sunburst he gave to Dan Toller in the '70's and for a short time in the 90's played a strat and had the very same sound.

 

[red_bull]

Regular finish meaning a cherry burst or sunburst. The reason I ask is that I think that the goldtop is paint or some kind of colored lacquer different than the plain nitro finish of the 'regular' guitars. And I think this might sound different.

I know (or am convinced) that nitro finish guitars sound warmer than poly- finish guitars. I would really like to know if anyone has an opinion on goldtops (or black ones too, since that is paint also).

Most likely the two instruments will sound at least slightly different, but it has nothing to do with the color or finish.

 

[jamhandy]

Especially with Fender Strats it has been known in all the unicorn lands that if it has a Red finish it has more "vintage" tone than Black or Olympic white... but the Super Fairy mostest bestest tone is from reliced 3-color sunburst models that need to cost exactly $3,247.66 and were sent to shipping at exactly 10:23 in the morning on a Wednesday of a week when the moon is waxing gibbous and it hasn't rained in 17 days, 7 hours 52 minutes and 14 seconds... and the shipping employee had ate 13 grams of Psilocybin mushrooms that were kept in a refrigerator for 72 hours 16 minutes 42 seconds 15 days prior to shipping

 

[Roger66]

Regular finish meaning a cherry burst or sunburst. The reason I ask is that I think that the goldtop is paint or some kind of colored lacquer different than the plain nitro finish of the 'regular' guitars. And I think this might sound different.

I know (or am convinced) that nitro finish guitars sound warmer than poly- finish guitars. I would really like to know if anyone has an opinion on goldtops (or black ones too, since that is paint also).

No

 

[Roger66]

Why, is the paint resonating?

No they dont

 

[Roger66]

Ah shit ive only unleashed a chain of events to end the reign of man.

You should know better!