Plaintop LS150 vs. Flametop/Sunburst UK LS150

[looktoyourorb]

No worries, inconsistent finishes should be very rare on high end Tokais. Have a look in the flesh, the finish should be even.

If you live in the UK I suggest you contact Richtone and go there to try a buch of MIJ tokais, they have them all. Don't blame me if you end up spending money though.

 

[Leif]

No need to be an arrogant dickhe*d about it. The forum is for questions, sharing information and those seeking clarification. I just want to know more about the finish on the guitar. If you're struggling to be mature and can't contribute in a positive manner then p*ss off!

No need to go over the top. Other people are posting helpful comments.

 

[karppi]

A Cherryburst always looks like a clown burst in a photo...in real life it doesn't look like that.

Diamond, you can not be serious? :lol:

I am just wondering how can there be tons of nice photos of nice cherryburst les pauls, including Tokais, in interweb if that is not possible?

Ok, bursts can be really tricky to be photographed but it looks like they know what they are doing at Richtone's, lots of nice photos on their web site.

 

[Diamond]

A Cherryburst always looks like a clown burst in a photo...in real life it doesn't look like that.

Diamond, you can not be serious? :lol:

I am just wondering how can there be tons of nice photos of nice cherryburst les pauls, including Tokais, in interweb if that is not possible?

Ok, bursts can be really tricky to be photographed but it looks like they know what they are doing at Richtone's, lots of nice photos on their web site.

Richtones photos are excellent.

For the 10 thousandth time...when you photOgraph a CHERRYBURST...the clown of the burst is more pronounced in a photo than when you have it in front of you.

Now tell me Karppi...how many Cherrybursts do you have in front of you?

 

[looktoyourorb]

is there such thing as a nice cherry burst anyway...?

Hold fire I was just joshing!!!!

 

[Diamond]

Diamond, no I was just making a statement. Looktoyourorb, exactly, well spotted and thanks for the clarification. I've played mostly strat models so just wanted some clarification on the finish of these LP-type guitars. My main concern all along was the poly vs. nitro finish on LS-150s. Just not very familiar with them and when I took some photos of the LS-150 then I noticed the laquer/nitro/poly (?) finish was heavier in certain parts and really stood out so I just wanted to know what it was and why it's heavier in certain places more so than others. It's not a problem and I appreciate all positive information that was contributed on this thread.

The "gloss" isn't the poly or nitro, it's the polish on top of the poly or nitro.

 

[Diamond]

I'm confused by this entire thread.

Justin...is the guitar in your photographs your guitar, did you take photos of your own guitar?

 

[marcusnieman]

For the 10 thousandth time...when you photOgraph a CHERRYBURST...the clown of the burst is more pronounced in a photo than when you have it in front of you.

The plaintop Reborn I posted earlier in this thread is a clownie and it is MUCH more pronounced in photos than in real life. In fact, the LS150 I also posted is a VF and is much more orange/red in the photos as well.

 

[Justin Connolly]

Diamond, sorry for the harsh overtones earlier. Yes, the pics I posted are my guitar (as on P.1) but for convenience here are two more shots (below):

You can see the left side and especially a blob or lump on the top right side which really stands out under the light.

As I said before, not an issue; just wondering why it wasn't more even or tapered out for a more smooth finish and the earlier question was how much of the finish is actually poly and/or nitro overall.

Regards
J

 

[Leif]

You probably need a very soft lighting to accurately capture the colours on these guitars, which means using diffusion tents and the like. Alternatively an overcast day provides a wonderful natural light tent. I suspect most people use a couple of flash units, or direct sunlight, which will produce lots of contrast. Not a bad thing, but the colours will appear more pronounced.

I must admit that I thought about the HDC but came to the conclusion that it was rather too 'expressive' for my tastes. I favour the natural wood top with no veneer, and no plastic 'bib'.

 

[JVsearch]

You can see the left side and especially a blob or lump on the top right side which really stands out under the light.

As I said before, not an issue; just wondering why it wasn't more even or tapered out for a more smooth finish and the earlier question was how much of the finish is actually poly and/or nitro overall.

Not sure what I'm supposed to see on that top - there doesn't seem to be any smudges/blobs or any irregularities in the finish? You know the top is carved so reflects differently in different areas?

The base/sealer coat is poly and the top coat is nitro, no idea on the colour coats, but I would assume poly.

 

[Leif]

Not sure what I'm supposed to see on that top - there doesn't seem to be any smudges/blobs or any irregularities in the finish? You know the top is carved so reflects differently in different areas?

I didn't see it at first. But look at the sticky out bit with the cutaway, and there is a horse show shaped 'reflection' which I think is due to a thicker area of coating. It might be that the light is exaggerating a subtle thickening that is normally not noticed, or it might be an extra inch or two of coating ...

 

[jawilluk]

Diamond, sorry for the harsh overtones earlier. Yes, the pics I posted are my guitar (as on P.1) but for convenience here are two more shots (below):

Regards
J

Justin, why have you posted exactly the same photo 4 times?

 

[karppi]

Richtones photos are excellent.

Yes they are.

For the 10 thousandth time...when you photOgraph a CHERRYBURST...the clown of the burst is more pronounced in a photo than when you have it in front of you.

You must be very talented and experienced photographer then

There is one cherryburst for you, can you see the difference? Photographing the burts might be difficult, but don't tell us it is impossible.

Now tell me Karppi...how many Cherrybursts do you have in front of you?

:lol:

 

[Diamond]

Justin

Sometimes a nitro finished guitar leaves the factory not 100% 'dry'...in fact John Suhr reckons nitro takes 10 years to really dry.
What happens is the nitro re-acts to the pink furry stuff in the case, and in some places it gets smudged.
You might interpret the smudge as an uneven nitro finish, or bad workmanship, but it's not.
It's also best to leave the guitar out of the case for a while, to let the nitro cure for a while.

Easy solution.
Buy yourself any of these products.
Turtle Wax Super Hard Shell Car Wax, or Turtle Wax Express Shine Spray Wax.
It should be easy to find at any store that sells car care products.

Or.
http://www.virtuosopolish.com/

Those smudges will polish away like magic, and one bottle will last you a lifetime.
My tech uses another product, can't remember the name, I'll find out today...also a car care product.

 

[singemonkey]

Ok. I don't get this.

Justin, if you want people to understand your issue, take this guitar outside, put it in the shade, and re-photograph it.

The "smudge" looks very much like a reflection of some object in the finish. This would not be surprising since LS150s are polished to a high gloss.

If there's really an irregularity in the finish and you want an opinion on it, please rephotograph the guitar outside (bright light) in the shade (even, soft, light). You don't need a fancy camera - a cell phone will be fine. But you do need to get it in bright and soft enough light, where the camera will turn off its flash, to be able to get any sense of the surface texture of the finish.

There is little that can be said about the finish on a guitar when the photograph is taken with direct flash.

 

[guitarslinger]

The Heritage Dark Cherry is a hard one to photograph in my experience. The dark crimson red with the middle band of orange really seems to be picked out no matter what camera i have used in the past.

This one is with Lumix G1 with daylight balanced tubes through a light-tent.

Having said that - i've always found a straight cherry sunburst to be much more "acrid" looking to the natural eye - however, doesn't quite jump out as much on camera.

 

[Paladin2019]

I didn't see it at first. But look at the sticky out bit with the cutaway, and there is a horse show shaped 'reflection' which I think is due to a thicker area of coating. It might be that the light is exaggerating a subtle thickening that is normally not noticed, or it might be an extra inch or two of coating ...

I can see what you're describing, but I don't think I would have noticed without looking extremely hard and expecting to see something. It could just be a trick of the light in that photograph.

To be honest it just looks like the normal play of light on a carved top.

 

[singemonkey]

Thanks for the great pics. Yeah. Kinda weird. Again, unfortunately, it kind of looks normal - at least no different up there compared to further down the body - the highlight following the contour of the body.

So it may be near impossible to photograph. I'd tell you to turn the guitar a different direction to the light, but by now you're probably getting a little ticked off

 

[Diamond]

Where's Justin?