Can you explain the Bursted finishes on G&L instruments?

[Craig]

Back in October of 2001 and again in October of 2003, Dave McLaren posted the following information about G&L's Bursted finishes in response to various posts about why some instruments with bursted finishes had solid color backs while others had the same bursted finishes front and back.

Also note that these things have evolved over time, particularly over the past couple of years. In other words, your milage may vary. My goal here is to cover the current state of finishes - Dave McLaren

BURSTED ON BOTH SIDES (WITHOUT top binding, wood binding, or maple top option)

* All Legacy models (except Deluxe), Fullerton, S-500, Comanche.

* All ASAT Models except Deluxe, Deluxe Semi-hollow and Special Deluxe.

* SB-1, SB-2, ASAT Bass

BURSTED ONE SIDE (With or without top binding or wood binding)

* L-1500, L-2000, L-1505, L-2500.

Since the top is Swamp Ash and the back is Tilia, the burst would look significantly different on the front than the back. Therefore, as is the industry norm for instruments with different woods for tops, the back is painted whatever the outside edge of the burst was. If it’s 3-Tone Sunburst, the back is black. If it’s Honeyburst, the back is Honey. I don’t believe anyone would disapprove of this.

* Any model with a different top wood than body wood, such as ASAT Deluxe or Invader Deluxe.

-- Here’s where the confusion comes in: --

INSTRUMENTS WITH TOP BINDING OR WOOD BINDING:

These would be bursted on one side, just like the L series basses or Deluxe models. However, when the guitar or bass is one solid wood, this instrument would *also* have the back painted with the outside edge color.

For example a 3-tone Sunburst ASAT Classic coming with the standard Alder body, but ordered with top binding or wood binding, would have the black edge of the burst continued around and completely covering the back of the instrument. If it were a Cherryburst ASAT Classic, the Cherry edge would continue around completely covering the back. I believe this is the example that folks are disapproving of.

While the team at G&L, particularly the paint department, thought this was a nice style, I can understand why many of you don’t like it - especially on a burst with a dark edge color. If you’d ordered the same guitar without top binding, you would have been able to admire the woodgrain on the back of the guitar.

-- end of confusing part --

INSTRUMENTS WITH DOUBLE BOUND BODIES

If you ordered the same ASAT Classic in the above example, Sunburst over solid Alder, but with a double bound body instead of just top binding or wood binding, you’d get the burst on the back as well as the front. The back would mirror the front being both bursted and bound. This makes sense intuitively as well as aesthetically.

However, order a maple top on that ASAT Classic in Sunburst, still with double binding, then you’d have a solid black back (the edge of the sunburst color). However, ordering a guitar with a maple top and double binding is quite rare for us, clearly not interesting to the connoisseurs and certainly not to our taste either.