• Guys, we've spent considerable money converting the Les Paul Forum to this new XenForo platform, and we have ongoing monthly operating expenses. THE "DONATIONS" TAB IS NOW WORKING, AND WE WOULD APPRECIATE ANY DONATIONS YOU CAN MAKE TO KEEP THE LES PAUL FORUM GOING! Thank you!

What year did they start getting 'the dish' right?

JPP-1

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 11, 2006
Messages
1,336
Self anointed experts aside, the dish carve of the CCs and the post 2016 Historics is pretty spot on next to the vintage goldtop and conversions I’ve had fhe pleasure of seeing. Earlier Historics might have the right carve too, I just no longer have any to compare. Bottom line, there’s no wrongness to unsee except perhaps in someones imagination.

It’s also ludicrous to think Gibson is incapable of taking of few measurements of the dozen or so bursts that went through their custom shop and inputting those measurements into their CNC machines. If Jam City, Bartlett and Yaron can get the carve right so sure as hell can Gibson. It ain’t rocket science, yet some folks wax on like it is.
 

Todd Louis

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 7, 2002
Messages
14,526
The Tops on Historics are all different.
They neva changed it in truth.
I have seen 2003 and 2017 with the same carve.

There is no "real carve" because all the originals were driftnet as well.
If you take into account how the carve is done today and back then you can see why.

Gibson uses this as a selling point every year.
its all just marketing
 

Todd Louis

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 7, 2002
Messages
14,526
The Top carve will neva be right because there is no one right.
There is no spasific 50s top carve. There all slightly different.
As is the same with Historics.
There is no year they got it right.
There all different
 

corpse

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 9, 2007
Messages
4,876
There is tremendous variation- but I believe GT's tended to have more belly than burst finishes- at least it is more visible.
 

TM1

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 27, 2003
Messages
8,349
Let’s not forget that the tops are shaped by a slack belt sander back then and now. So it depends on who’s working the sander each day..
 

pdfiddler

Active member
Joined
May 25, 2006
Messages
144
I think the modern Les Paul reissues with fit and finish (not sound) are every bit as good if not better than the vintage counterparts. They are on whole just beautiful works of art.
I have a Screensaver I run on my computer and 55" big screen TV that has 17,000 photos that I downloaded from the 2 forums and other places and I've got to tell you they are just fantastic. What a show!:cool:(y)
 

dnabbet2

Active member
Joined
May 31, 2017
Messages
211
If by "getting it right" we mean pronounced and pleasing to the eye, then I too nominate the 1980 Standard 80s -- I had a bunch of them, and they were all great.


standard80top.jpg

standard80top2.jpg
 
Last edited:

Joshabr1

Active member
Joined
Apr 25, 2021
Messages
102
Like it has been mentioned. There is no “one top carve” they are as different as fingerprints.
 

Wilko

All Access/Backstage Pass
Joined
Mar 11, 2002
Messages
20,854
I'm not so sure about any that I've seen. They fix one area, then another suffers.

i actually changed the carve on my #1 to match (close as I could) to the first '59 I ever played.
 

AA00475Bassman

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 26, 2016
Messages
3,769
Barking up the wrong tree ,there was very little repetition
I'm not so sure about any that I've seen. They fix one area, then another suffers.

i actually changed the carve on my #1 to match (close as I could) to the first '59 I ever played.
How many other 59's you played matched the carve of the first one ? If any did most likely not
 

AA00475Bassman

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 26, 2016
Messages
3,769
Here's the 50's top carve machine on the right is the master pattern looks to me not capabilities of repetition are minimal !

There is no correct copying one 59 carve is just that .3737436440_4ddb71d4b3.jpg
 
Top