I’ll be 100% honest with you about that 54 Les Paul gold top that just sold. Two things. That finish to me is just a “pull the nitro finished guitar out of the freezer and hit it with a ball peen hammer in a few spots”. And that goofy P 90 pickup cover situation is just inexcusable. I’m not saying all of his guitars are not good. I’m just saying this one was particularly suspect. I am really fussy and I have owned some really well constructed Guitars. I’m saying that to qualify my opinion here. Some of his other guitars I’ve seen for sale and sold I think are stunning, including that blue Les Paul Junior.
I understand your concern as far as the items you mention.
Glad you didn't go for the goldie if it wasn't up to your expectations.
Everyone has different taste, limits, expectations, etc.
Myself? I'm a bit different.
I have no real experience per se with artificially 'aged' guitars with the exception of two of Lefty's builds (both Explorers) and a 2011 Bacchus BLP-STD FM Relic.
Strange thing about the Bacchus is it has lacquer 'checking' on the body but not on the neck. Upon close inspection this looks quite fake to see the difference in the body lacquer with the checking and the neck lacquer with no checking. I assume the body checking has to be from a blade technique because if this was from a cryo (freezing) technique the checking would also be on the neck but it isn't.
None of that however negates the fact that this BLP Relic is one of my three favorite carved top LP Standard types. It's a great piece of lumber and at the end of the day any solid body electric is just that to me; a piece of lumber. If you don't have that to start with then there aint anything else there.
As far as the two Lefty Explorers I have: neither guitar has any lacquer checking.
As far as what Lefty states in some listings ("The weather check is not caused by cutting with a blade, but by the shrinkage of the paint film") that may or may not be true. I don't know. Hopefully Lefty is telling the truth when he states that but who knows, besides Lefty?
