~2025 Murphy Lab and Historic Reissue Updates from Mat Koehler

[matkoehler]

I am not a ML guy but one thing that is hard to duplicate is greening on the GTops. That would be cool and perhaps more accurate in many cases.

Agreed, we have "faked" it with green overspray as far back as a decade ago and refined that technique a lot more in recent years, but we're still experimenting with "natural" ways of bringing out the green. Toxic sweat and a lot of playing time is the common denominator on the old ones. We got some decent results with vinegar and salt but it's subtle. Going to keep working on it. We don't get as many requests for this as you may think but it may be a "if we build it they will come" type of offering.

Yes we still use bronze powder for the gold.

 

[matkoehler]

Thanks for joining in @matkoehler, sorry for an misunderstanding, perhaps that's on me getting cross-threaded with the greening of the knobs, too.

I've tried my best to accurately document the drips and drabs coming across from the posted sources I see.... but, I am just a guy watching YouTube, ha.

Thanks for any clarification you offer here... You know, everyone REALLY wants someone to produce a year-by-year change each and every each part: be it screw, knob, pickup surround, details on the ABR-1 shape... all sorted out since you took over, with continuity since 2013. Probably above your paygrade but maybe nobody is really assigned to track the details for publication. But we are willing to take what we can get!

Hope all went well after NAMM -- I am sure it's both energizing and tiring both in the run-up and time on the ground in front of the legions each with their

Take care and thanks!

PS: More lefties! Always gotta throw that out there...

I thought your recap was fantastic! Just wanted to clarify that one tiny detail. We are working on adding more lefty platforms btw .

 

[matkoehler]

Would it be too obvious to point out that you are the cracked knob? Had to get that one in after your AI rendering of my good self. Cheers Big Ears. View attachment 29199

I think you've been cooped up too long.

 

[Blind Lemon Chicken]

I think you've been cooped up too long.

Free Range all the way ..

 

[Jethro Rocker]

Are they using copper in the gold paint? That’s what greens

Dunno but they did in 57. One would hope they did the same as a reissue.
Oops I see Mat has answered and they do indeed.

 

[Jethro Rocker]

Agreed, we have "faked" it with green overspray as far back as a decade ago and refined that technique a lot more in recent years, but we're still experimenting with "natural" ways of bringing out the green. Toxic sweat and a lot of playing time is the common denominator on the old ones. We got some decent results with vinegar and salt but it's subtle. Going to keep working on it. We don't get as many requests for this as you may think but it may be a "if we build it they will come" type of offering.

Yes we still use bronze powder for the gold.

I have been speeding up the green kn my old cracked 73 Deluxe with vinegar salt water. But it takes time sadly.

 

[K Dub]

Speaking of Greened Knobs, I just purchased these aged top hat knobs for my Historic Makeovers R9 from a company in Poland called 59Parts. I always thought that the original knobs looked too new for the level of aging of most Murphy Labs and Historic Makeovers.

 

[Blind Lemon Chicken]

I have been speeding up the green kn my old cracked 73 Deluxe with vinegar salt water. But it takes time sadly.

Put some WD40 on it , should screw up your nitro nicely. not on pots now..

 

[Wizard1183]

Metal powder in gold top paint is either brass (copper and zink alloy) or bronze (copper and tin alloy).

Exactly my point. Copper

 

[Wizard1183]

I have been speeding up the green kn my old cracked 73 Deluxe with vinegar salt water. But it takes time sadly.

Why vinegar and salt water and not just salt water? No need for the acid. It’s the chlorides. Think of it like this: a bronze statue out side being green. It doesn’t rain vinegar. Just water with chlorides in it. You might not taste the salt in it? But it’s in there

Also, if one wanted to mimic sweating on a guitar? You can buy synthetic sweat at like $160 a gallon. That would help age your guitar finish and metal parts faster…

 

[Blind Lemon Chicken]

Throw Tomatoes at it. Then leave it in it's case with sweaty t shirts and some smelly socks..pack it in bi carb and silica packs then throw it in the freezer then expose it to sunlight but never spray 40 on it . it might ruin your guitar..

 

[Jethro Rocker]

Why vinegar and salt water and not just salt water? No need for the acid. It’s the chlorides. Think of it like this: a bronze statue out side being green. It doesn’t rain vinegar. Just water with chlorides in it. You might not taste the salt in it? But it’s in there

Also, if one wanted to mimic sweating on a guitar? You can buy synthetic sweat at like $160 a gallon. That would help age your guitar finish and metal parts faster…

Ah, OK. Got it. I thought the vinegar might help it oxidize faster than salt water alone. Salt water is easy. Cheers

 

[mikeslub]

I think the copper iridescent is cool. I actually held Joe Bonamassa’s vintage 1955 in that color. He bought it from Gruhn’s many years ago - I know because I bid on it and he scooped me! A very cool geetar!

 

[thin sissy]

I think the copper iridescent is cool. I actually held Joe Bonamassa’s vintage 1955 in that color. He bought it from Gruhn’s many years ago - I know because I bid on it and he scooped me! A very cool geetar!

I loved that guitar from the first time I saw it! How did it play?

 

[mikeslub]

I loved that guitar from the first time I saw it! How did it play?

I didn't get to plug it in.

I do confess, however, to succumbing to buy one of the '55 NAMM reissues in iridescent copper. Call me addicted. I blame it on Mat Koehler.

 

[thin sissy]

I didn't get to plug it in.

I do confess, however, to succumbing to buy one of the '55 NAMM reissues in iridescent copper. Call me addicted. I blame it on Mat Koehler.

Wonderful! Can we expect a photo thread in the near future ?

 

[mikeslub]

Wonderful! Can we expect a photo thread in the near future ?

Will post photos and my take on how it plays/sounds and looks, when I get it.

 

[matkoehler]

I think the copper iridescent is cool. I actually held Joe Bonamassa’s vintage 1955 in that color. He bought it from Gruhn’s many years ago - I know because I bid on it and he scooped me! A very cool geetar!

I got it wrong when I shared with Joe what color I thought it was when he purchased "the brown thing" way back when...very recently discovered that his is actually Viceroy Brown. An honest mistake as Viceroy Brown was a sunburst color for Tal Farlows, mandolins and banjos in the 1960s -- not a dark opaque metallic color. Interestingly, the knobs on Tal Farlows are a dark brown color just like the knobs of the 1955 NAMM Show model in Viceroy Brown...so perhaps there is a through line. But in certain light Copper Iridescent and Viceroy Brown can look similar as well. In any case...they are both beautiful! And sorry to all for the confusion.

 

[thin sissy]

I got it wrong when I shared with Joe what color I thought it was when he purchased "the brown thing" way back when...very recently discovered that his is actually Viceroy Brown. An honest mistake as Viceroy Brown was a sunburst color for Tal Farlows, mandolins and banjos in the 1960s -- not a dark opaque metallic color. Interestingly, the knobs on Tal Farlows are a dark brown color just like the knobs of the 1955 NAMM Show model in Viceroy Brown...so perhaps there is a through line. But in certain light Copper Iridescent and Viceroy Brown can look similar as well. In any case...they are both beautiful! And sorry to all for the confusion.

Viceroy brown is also a very beautiful guitar colour!

 

[mikeslub]

Will post photos and my take on how it plays/sounds and looks, when I get it.

Posted some photos in the 1955 NAMM thread.