Junior vs Junior
Most of us have limited access to real vintage pieces, especially models that haven’t been molested. It can be the same for many guitar makers who may base their ’59-alike builds on far-from-vintage instruments, or even use books such as The Beauty Of The ’Burst (Yasuhiko Iwanade) as their guide. When it comes to ageing and relicing, it can be just as difficult: not every artisan working in this area has a real piece to study before they create their ageing. Evaluating authentic ageing, then, can be just as difficult.
The finish of our Murphy Aged ’57 Junior illustrates a problem: there’s not one definitive colour
The TV Yellow finish of our Murphy Aged ’57 Junior illustrates another typical problem: there’s not one definitive colour. Some are more sand-like, mustard or a brighter, deeper yellow – and even if there were a precise colour, is Gibson (or any ageing artisan) basing the colour on how it would have looked in 1957 or how it would look some 60-odd years on? A carefully cased guitar is going to look very different from one that’s been used and abused, even if they had consecutive serial numbers. And then, of course, whether it’s a finish, a pickup or a neck shape, there’s the “Oh, they were all different back in the day” caveat that can be a great get-out-of-jail-free card for any relicer,
