thin sissy
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jan 2, 2006
- Messages
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Thanks for clarifying! Looks like my R8 is the same era 2007 as your R9.
I loved that older Historic dark burst you used to post. The color and top were phenomenal. Do you still have it?The backs on my 2018, 2019, and 2020 Historics all look about the same as the backs on my 2003-2004 Historics. They're all a medium red color with pore filler that bleeds.
From around late-2006 to 2012 the back finishes were changed to a recipe that didn't bleed at all. I believe that both the filler and the lacquer changed, but I'm not sure. The color was more rust-like and the grain didn't pop out as much. Late-2006 was also the start of the VOS finish as I recall.
I haven't owned any Reissues newer than 2020, but I do recall seeing photos of some later models which had overly dark back finishes. This may have been in 2021 or 2022.
I browsed around through my photo archive and I can't find any images that I saved showing the super-dark backs, but I recall seeing a number of those guitars online and thinking to myself "what the hell is up with the ultra dark backs". They didn't look like you would picture an un-faded factory-fresh 1959 back might have looked like, they were just ultra-dark marron-red backs that didn't look historically correct at all. As I recall, this lasted for maybe a year or so of production and then the color lightened-up again..... but Im still questioning why the pore filler on the backs of the current Murphy Labs (Ive had a few of them dating from '21 to '24) looks almost black instead of cherry? And doesnt spread into the surrounding lacquer.....
I think the “almost black” is an accumulation of aniline cherry in the pores. But if the binding bleeds, you better believe it all bleeds. You just don’t notice it. But stick that back in a hot sun for a few hours and you’ll see that aniline dye disappear even in the poresI remember having lunch with Murphy a bunch of years ago and he said that the custom shop got away from doing the backs correctly, Im gonna guess we had that lunch some time between 2007 and 2013..... but Im still questioning why the pore filler on the backs of the current Murphy Labs (Ive had a few of them dating from '21 to '24) looks almost black instead of cherry? And doesnt spread into the surrounding lacquer..... wonder if it has anything to do with the new fast checking lacquer or maybe to do with the problem they initially had of the finish flaking off the backs... I heard that was an issue with pore filler adhesion.... In any case as someone else said earlier their are bigger problems in life to worry about LOL
Would this count as a super dark back? It's my 2021 R9 (non-Murphy) and it's definitely darker than older reissues or most newer ones. It's also got massive amounts of binding bleed that I hope will go away in time...I browsed around through my photo archive and I can't find any images that I saved showing the super-dark backs, but I recall seeing a number of those guitars online and thinking to myself "what the hell is up with the ultra dark backs". They didn't look like you would picture an un-faded factory-fresh 1959 back might have looked like, they were just ultra-dark marron-red backs that didn't look historically correct at all. As I recall, this lasted for maybe a year or so of production and then the color lightened-up again.
Would this count as a super dark back? It's my 2021 R9 (non-Murphy) and it's definitely darker than older reissues or most newer ones. It's also got massive amounts of binding bleed that I hope will go away in time...View attachment 27598
Ahhhh, I get it. But I thought the dark back R7s are black and that's part of the "dark back" spec? Do R9s (or 8s or 0s) have a "dark back" spec?I'd say that's a beautiful robust darker factory cherry back from the contemporary era.
Most of the "super dark backs" under discussion above were rather opaque, with more of a turd-like appearance, rather than cherry-turned-dark-walnut...
Like this HJ-era R7, an extreme example:
View attachment 27600
Ahhhh, I get it. But I thought the dark back R7s are black and that's part of the "dark back" spec? Do R9s (or 8s or 0s) have a "dark back" spec?
More of a dark brown on an R7 and they don’t bleed like the red ones. This pic was taken in direct sunlight. It’s much darker looking inside the house. I don’t believe that I’ve seen a dark back R8 or R9.Ahhhh, I get it. But I thought the dark back R7s are black and that's part of the "dark back" spec? Do R9s (or 8s or 0s) have a "dark back" spec?