G&L Custom Shop Matador in Andromeda over swamp ash...

From a post on G&L's facebook page (5/31/2024):

G&L Custom Shop Matador in Andromeda over swamp ash, 1-ply black guard, quartersawn maple neck with Clear Satin finish and matching headstock.
Built for G&L Premier Dealer The Bass Place in Peoria, Arizona.

Is it just me or did the Andromeda finish get way busier than the original, or at least the 2021 version?
I much prefer the version with fewer 'stars'.

Great observation, and this is a finish I would love to have one day.

Here is the original post from 2021 on introduction of Andromeda beyond custom orders.

viewtopic.php?f=36&t=16906

Your pictures do look a little busier, so is it due to lighting on the picture? Is the finish truly different? Does the star visibility change each time?

Inquiring minds want to know….

It definitely looks way busier in the most recent photos. The ones that Sam posted a link to look better to me. I also recall before Andromeda that there was a finish called " Galaxy Black " that was more subtle but looked great. That finish was short lived however.

The Andromeda finish on my Bluesboy is sort of between the old posts and this bass. Quite a few colored specs but not as much silver as this bass has. Gotta think there is significant variability on what comes out of the paint can. The color sort of reminds me of my old Sears (Silvertone) guitar with the case amp. Black with silver sparkles in it. It even has a white cloth "binding" around the side of the body. I REALLY like Andromeda, though it seems my favorite color is whatever the Custom Shop posted last on this forum (unless it's green).

It definitely looks way busier in the most recent photos. The ones that Sam posted a link to look better to me. I also recall before Andromeda that there was a finish called " Galaxy Black " that was more subtle but looked great. That finish was short lived however.

Galaxy Black did have a short life as a standard finish. However, Galaxy Black Thin Urethane was seen on this G&L Custom Shop ASAT Classic Alnico in Galaxy Black ....

Great observation, and this is a finish I would love to have one day.

Here is the original post from 2021 on introduction of Andromeda beyond custom orders.

https://guitarsbyleo.com/FORUM/viewtopi ... 36&t=16906

Your pictures do look a little busier, so is it due to lighting on the picture? Is the finish truly different? Does the star visibility change each time?

Inquiring minds want to know….

You're the best Sam! I like everything about this bass -except for- the finish! hehe. It really is just me. I used to install floors back in the 80s, and was contracted to install ceramic tiles in 32 hotel-suite bathrooms. Those tiles looked just like this Andromeda finish. I can't help the association - when I look at it, I see a bathroom floor trying hard to look "posh". It isn't that there is anything wrong with the finish itself - it is just that I can't un-see the association.

Is it just me or did the Andromeda finish get way busier than the original, or at least the 2021 version?
I much prefer the version with fewer 'stars'.

This isn't really something we have a ton of control over when spraying. It's luck of the draw. The holoflake is mixed in with clear at the same ratio every time, and it comes out pretty fast through a gun with a fairly large needle, so sometimes we don't really have a ton of control over how much gets sprayed on there.

In this particular instrument's case, we made the body a little heavier on the flake on purpose because we already had a neck laying around completed with the Andromeda headstock, and needed to make the body match. The headstock was heavy, so the body was heavy.

It's not really a conscious decision to change the amount of flake that goes on. That's not really how that works.

Is it just me or did the Andromeda finish get way busier than the original, or at least the 2021 version?
I much prefer the version with fewer 'stars'.

This isn't really something we have a ton of control over when spraying. It's luck of the draw. The holoflake is mixed in with clear at the same ratio every time, and it comes out pretty fast through a gun with a fairly large needle, so sometimes we don't really have a ton of control over how much gets sprayed on there.

In this particular instrument's case, we made the body a little heavier on the flake on purpose because we already had a neck laying around completed with the Andromeda headstock, and needed to make the body match. The headstock was heavy, so the body was heavy.

It's not really a conscious decision to change the amount of flake that goes on. That's not really how that works.

So if I wanted a more sparse amount of flake, would it be possible to add less flake to the process and hope for the best?
I really was going to have my next guitar be an Andromeda finish but I would not want to chance a crowded universe

Is it just me or did the Andromeda finish get way busier than the original, or at least the 2021 version?
I much prefer the version with fewer 'stars'.

This isn't really something we have a ton of control over when spraying. It's luck of the draw. The holoflake is mixed in with clear at the same ratio every time, and it comes out pretty fast through a gun with a fairly large needle, so sometimes we don't really have a ton of control over how much gets sprayed on there.

In this particular instrument's case, we made the body a little heavier on the flake on purpose because we already had a neck laying around completed with the Andromeda headstock, and needed to make the body match. The headstock was heavy, so the body was heavy.

It's not really a conscious decision to change the amount of flake that goes on. That's not really how that works.

So if I wanted a more sparse amount of flake, would it be possible to add less flake to the process and hope for the best?
I really was going to have my next guitar be an Andromeda finish but I would not want to chance a crowded universe

You can request this, and we can certainly try to accommodate that request by getting it intentionally lighter.
But with flake finishes like this, there's simply no guarantee on how much you get, especially when you're intentionally trying to not cover the entire thing like the actual metal flake finishes.
Malcolm is a fantastic painter, and is usually capable of getting whatever our customers are after in terms of paint options. If I ask him to spray it more sparse, we can certainly give that a shot.

I just wanted to clarify and let you guys know, this isn't really a super controllable thing we're doing when we add that holoflake for Andromeda or Galaxy finishes.