Gibson Murphy Lab...

[yeatzee]

Update: I retract my comment on the neck shape in my previous post. I pulled out a few of my vintage 59 Bursts today, and the Murphy Lab neck shape is very close to them. The checking on the Murphy Lab looks more realistic than the razor checking on previous Historics when compared to vintage Gibson . So they’ve done a pretty nice job on these guitars!

Can we get some side by sides?

 

[MikeSlub]

Can we get some side by sides?

Side by side photos of necks don't show differences very well, from past experience in trying to take photos for comparison. And comparing checking patterns in photos is equally challenging.

 

[jenton70]

I am sadly without any vintage bursts for comparison but I like the necks on both my Murphy Labs. The 59 reminds me of the most recent vintage burst I got to enjoy which was a 1960. The 58 is a bit fuller feeling but certainly no bat. The 58 is heavy aged with very little flaking. The 59 is light aged with considerable flaking at both strap buttons. So far my vote is to live with it. I love them.

 

[yeatzee]

Side by side photos of necks don't show differences very well, from past experience in trying to take photos for comparison. And comparing checking patterns in photos is equally challenging.

Well of course neck comparisons are better left to the calipers Aging is more interesting anyways! I always find the best way to get checking to show is to have some reflection of light against the guitar body, a window works great. But yes checking can be tough to capture. Still, might be interesting.

 

[Dr. Green]

I found out something
I read a magazine article called " the art of aging"
ends up the nitro is different on the Murph labs and Gibson claims it is a re creation of the primo nitro from the 50S ............ snort

 

[Morgan24]

Is it possible to order a Myrphy lab with no relicing?

 

[The Guitar Hunter]

Is it possible to order a Myrphy lab with no relicing?

I think at that point it's just a M2M guitar. All the lab does is the relic and aging work. Maybe consider a Murphy painted guitar???

 

[NYCBURST]

Update: I retract my comment on the neck shape in my previous post. I pulled out a few of my vintage 59 Bursts today, and the Murphy Lab neck shape is very close to them. The checking on the Murphy Lab looks more realistic than the razor checking on previous Historics when compared to vintage Gibson . So they’ve done a pretty nice job on these guitars!

The checking on the new ones indeed does look better than the razor nonesense, but, the lacquer they are using still isn't even close to original lacquer, and they used temperature to check it and it just breaks up like a mirror and in my opinion just kind of looks ridiculous, that being said, I have seen a couple random murphy labs that actually have some decent long horizontal checking that looked pretty good, but nothing too accurate.. And I agree, they age these guitars in very strange areas indeed... they never age the plastic or the fingerboards, which I totally dont understand... still great playing and sounding guitars, but this is why I rather go with a private build. I know I catch hell for saying that, but I'm sorry, I like my private replicas... If I'm going to buy a customshop, I just go with a vos finish... still beautiful guitars... I'm just over gibson's attempt to age the guitars.. I'd rather buy a new reissue and just enjoy the dam thing..

 

[The Guitar Hunter]

I don't have a lot of experience playing vintage guitars, but I can't imagine they feel like the way this light aged 58 felt like that I played today. Kinda sticky to some extent and the checking didn't look that great. But again, maybe it's spot on and I'm the one without the knowledge. I hope to check some more out. Maybe that was just that guitar. Who knows?

 

[Dr. Green]

thats weird if it was sticky ..... the ones I checked out - admittedly a small sample - were rock hard like glass

 

[The Guitar Hunter]

thats weird if it was sticky ..... the ones I checked out - admittedly a small sample - were rock hard like glass

yeah definitely weird. it could be the store or the conditions that it has been in or something like that. They also had a 60 V2 with no reflector knob covers so who knows what's going on there.

 

[Morgan24]

Love the sound of my M2M 59'. But hate the laquer. Still sticky three years old. I think it will never crack or look old. Gibson should not call it nitro laquer, when it is plastic with a pinch of nitro