Unusual sunburst guitars

**Philco** · 10-08-2017, 05:30 AM

My 58 Customshop Closet Classic Jazzmaster "2 Burst" and my Collings CL Jazz Tangerine.

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**Cavalier** · 10-08-2017, 10:28 PM

A day at the beach.... The satin finish lets the mahogany laminate glow while reducing glare. The new light green plexi pickgard shades the right C hole while allowing view of the shape. A Metro on the shoreline, with no city in sight the acoustic volume cuts through the sound of the surf...

**Doctor Jeff** · 10-09-2017, 05:53 PM

Cavalier, that guitar is super cool--Hofner? Or a bespoke luthier-made guitar?

It has a lot of features you don't see very often, including a vertically oriented grain pattern on the front and back--is that spruce? Cedar? And also the full-fret abalone inlays.

The transparent pickguard is also quiet striking.

**Gitfiddler** · 10-09-2017, 06:03 PM

My all time favorite 'unusual' bursts are Scott Chinery's blue archtop collection...

**Cavalier** · 10-09-2017, 09:08 PM

Originally Posted by Doctor Jeff

Cavalier, that guitar is super cool--Hofner? Or a bespoke luthier-made guitar?

It has a lot of features you don't see very often, including a vertically oriented grain pattern on the front and back--is that spruce? Cedar? And also the full-fret abalone inlays.

The transparent pickguard is also quiet striking.

If it can go to the beach, it must be a Bjarton.....

Hey guys, I'll revive my Swede thread so people can get more of the history and post the pics there too. This really is a Swede from the early 60s. It is one of 3 models made by Bjarton for Hagstrom when they wanted to branch out from accordions but didn't have a factory yet. The model was called Metro and came in acoustic, 1 and 2 pickup variations. The vertical grain is mahogany in a laminate touted as the crack proof construction of the future. The top features a single diagonal brace like a Stromberg which might be part of the Swedish connection,

I love this thing, it is loud and warm with a midrange peak and I'm still sorting strings out. The original pearloid inlays had fallen out when I got the guitar and the pickguard was missing. I wanted to keep within the original character of the build which has a solid working man vibe to it but it is stuck together as well if not better than a typical laminate Gibson. So I replaced the inlays with a green/blue pearloid to go with the light green , thin, plexiglass I sourced for the pickguard. I hadn't seen this done before but it seemed the best way to replace the missing translucent plastic pickguard. This is a neat approach and lots of colors are available. I got practice recreating pickguards from photos when I did my ES125.

I play this thing all the time and actually got it for a travel oriented guitar. I installed a K&K Big Twin pickup system as I've described before which works out very well. These can be a good value if you can find one.

**Jazzstdnt** · 10-22-2017, 05:07 PM

Originally Posted by ThatRhythmMan

How about a tangerine sunburst Super 400, a la Super 4000.

Please show the back and sides. Is this a Montana version?

**iim7V7IM7** · 10-22-2017, 05:53 PM

Since we’re including examples beyond archtops, here’s another of mine...

**ThatRhythmMan** · 10-22-2017, 06:35 PM

Originally Posted by Jazzstdnt

Please show the back and sides. Is this a Montana version?

Here is the back. I should take some better pics. I don’t have any of the sides on my phone.

It’s a Nashville build, Hutch signed.

**QAman** · 10-22-2017, 06:42 PM

ThatRhythmMan,
This is an extraordinary super 400. Scott had some nice pcs. Very rare to see abalone binding- smart buy.

Sent from my GT-N5110 using Tapatalk

**ThatRhythmMan** · 10-22-2017, 07:36 PM

Originally Posted by QAman

ThatRhythmMan,
This is an extraordinary super 400. Scott had some nice pcs. Very rare to see abalone binding- smart buy.

Sent from my GT-N5110 using Tapatalk

It’s amazingly good playing guitar too. I have better sounding acoustic archtops, though not by much. When it’s dialed in right on my Clark Amplification custom modded Piedmont 2x12 (5F6 clone) it’s near nirvana.

Good idea about Scot’s pics. I went back and looked. He didn’t actually have any good pics of the sides.

**2bornot2bop** · 10-22-2017, 07:52 PM

Originally Posted by ThatRhythmMan

How about a tangerine sunburst Super 400, a la Super 4000.

Nice!!! What floater is that?

**ThatRhythmMan** · 10-22-2017, 07:58 PM

Originally Posted by 2bornot2bop

Nice!!! What floater is that?

It’s the same full size humbucker used on the Super 4000. It also has the frets over the binding and without nibs just like the Super 4000.

**2bornot2bop** · 10-22-2017, 08:09 PM

Originally Posted by ThatRhythmMan

It’s the same full size humbucker used on the Super 4000. It also has the frets over the binding and without nibs just like the Super 4000.

It's a '57 Classic in a floating mount?

**ThatRhythmMan** · 10-22-2017, 08:11 PM

Originally Posted by 2bornot2bop

It's a '57 Classic in a floating mount?

If that’s what was used on those, then that’s what it should be. I honestly don’t know more than that. It also has “Chet Atkins” engraved on the cover.

**Ejay** · 10-27-2017, 09:57 AM

....

**omphalopsychos** · 01-11-2018, 11:52 AM

I know it's a zombie thread, but I had to share. The Trenier Broadway has the most tasteful sunburst I've seen on a guitar.

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**Gramps** · 01-11-2018, 04:44 PM

Originally Posted by cosmic gumbo

What is this. Stunning!

**iim7V7IM7** · 01-11-2018, 05:09 PM

Here is a beautiful one in mid-process (sealer a dyes applied, pre-nitro)...

**plasticpigeon** · 01-11-2018, 06:51 PM

Yes, that is a lovely sunburst, one of yours?

**Little Jay** · 01-12-2018, 04:36 AM

I like the burst on my Ibanez AF55. "Tobacco flat" Ibanez calls it. I polished it myself, it was a satin finish.

**mongrel** · 01-12-2018, 02:55 PM

1962 es 355

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**GNAPPI** · 01-12-2018, 10:37 PM

Speaking of Ibanez, here's an AS-103 in a color variant I've only seen out of Japan.

**RonD** · 01-12-2018, 10:43 PM

My mongrel.

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**skykomishone** · 01-13-2018, 12:33 AM

This Heritage Eagle, Mahogany back, sides, and neck, with a very unusual sunburst, according to Patrick.
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Originally Posted by Patrick2

Not quite sure how I missed this NGD post . . but, congratulations to you Sky!! I'm obviously a bit biased as it relates to Heritage arch tops . . . but, now that you own one, you'll probably understand why. ;-)

Originally Posted by Patrick2

The shading on the top, if the camera is showing it accurately, is very unique. I've not seen that on a Heritage archie before . . and I've seen many many many Heritage archies. The Q of the serial number does confirm it to be a 2000 build, so Floyd was alive, healthy and creating some real works of art "upstairs" in the spray room. I'm wondering if he was either experimenting, or made an effort to match a color sample that the original buyer sent to Heritage? If you have a chance to do so, please look at the label inside the F hole and see if there is a color designation noted on it.

The pickup appears to be a Schaller. The Schallers from back during early 1990s through the early 2000s were very soft, understated, but articulate and well balanced. If you look at the underside of the pup with a mirror . . or have an occasion to pull it out for any reason, I'd be curious if there are any model designations on it. If it says "Golden 50" you've got one of the best ever to come out of Schaller. If it say HRW . . . it's one of the hottest and most powerful. . may need some toning down.

Once again, congrats on a real beauty of an arch top.

The original post I just refreshed. Patrick really got into the discussion about the sunburst. It's a great read.