OK-Gloves OFF-It's all about the TOPS-Pics Please

[Tonart]

If you notice this on your body while climbing Everest, you’re in trouble!

Or you could play a few licks in high altitude..

 

[elvis]

If you notice this on your body while climbing Everest, you’re in trouble!

Or you could play a few licks in high altitude..

AND a white back. Purty.

 

[11top]

Bonnie pink tops are cool.

 

[Song]

 

[danktat]

I am sure you guys know where I am going........2004 CU22 Brazilian limited run. One piece quilt.

 

[ViperDoc]

THIS AIN'T TOO BAD.

 

[Tosca]

Don’t wanna bore you all with the same old stuff...

But here’s a new one.....

 

[goat-n-gitter]

Here is my small bunch:

P22 in faded blue emerald burst:

CU24 30th anni in blood orange:

594 in faded blue jean:

CU24 piezo in violet:

 

[Mozzi]

Whilst my other 2 (594 & 509) Fire Red Burst PRS guitars are what I consider quite ordinary, my Custom 24 is much more interesting. By ordinary, that doesn't mean that they are plain or boring as each has its own interesting pattern, its just that they are what I would consider the normal horizontal flame maple tops you tend to see on a PRS and as mine are non-10-tops, I don't know if they could compete with some of the tops in this thread.

I do however think my Custom 24, with its Chevron style book-match can compete. Its not a 10-top (none of my guitars are) but I do think its actually better than many 10tops I have seen. Some of that of course is subjective and preference but I am not a fan of flame tops that have horizontal thin regular striping that looks almost as if it was drawn on with a ruler but that's my opinion.

As such, the chevron pattern here is much more interesting and I prefer this to many of the 10 tops I see - again, just my opinion. Even the irregular thicknesses of the strips add more to the characteristics of this and I feel there is less likelihood of many people owning a top like this on their Custom 24 in this colour. With so many horizontal stripe guitars, even if they are as unique as a fingerprint, there is still a lot of guitars that look very similar - my 509 and 594 are quite similar even if they are also different.

I know the first picture looks like there is a dead or at least lacking flame under the switch/tone control, but as this picture shows, there is more flame than was captured in the first picture. I know many people say that the camera never lies but in the case of both this and my Hollowbody ii (there is a lot more striping - which can just be seen from the side view and its missing all the fine natural wood grain too). We all know that camera pics don't do these guitars the justice they sometimes deserve...

Anyway, this is a favourite top amongst my guitars...

 

[11top]

This would (wood) make a nice one:

 

[Solteroblues]

This one is jaw-droppingly gorgeous....absolutely beautiful.

THANK YOU!

 

[veinbuster]

My crazy wood adventures started here

 

[Tonart]

My crazy wood adventures started here

Burl to curly to burl. Or so it seems to my eyes!

 

[Alnus Rubra]

This would (wood) make a nice one:

Drop or Carve?

 

[Solteroblues]

A couple more...

594 Faded Whale Blue 10-Top

And one that I don't have anymore...

Artist V in Blue Crab Blue

 

[sergiodeblanc]

 

[Bowtiefanatc]

I need to get an SE and send it out to Serg!

 

[Mozzi]

Its no secret that I love Fire Red Burst and, if I could of located one in the UK, I would probably of bought that instead of the PRS Special 22 semi-hollow I have pictured below. I think this has an absolutely stunning top and, like the others, wasn't classified as a 10-top. Not that I am complaining as 10-tops add to the price and if I can find one as stunning as this without being a 10-top, then why pay the Premium? As stunning as this is, I would have picked a Fire Red Burst that wasn't as figured as this top is.

I absolutely love the pattern of this and whilst I had to settle for my 2nd choice (as far as colour is concerned), I don't think I could of bought a better top. The mix of flame and wood grain makes this top such a great top in my opinion and certainly better than a lot of the 10tops and above that I have seen. The Charcoal Cherry burst adds to the effect (just a shame the red was just around the outside LOL) and really transitions well with the back.

The above picture shows off more of the flame (I think) than the other picture which shows off the grain more so. I love my Chevron top Custom 24 but I think this top may have it beat. I keep going back and forth between those 2 guitars as to which has the best top. If this was Fire Red Burst, I doubt there would be much competition. My HBii has quite a bit of grain in it, but not like this. All three of these though are what I consider to be my most unique and most interesting tops.

Whilst my 594 and 509 have great tops - which are pictured below - I don't think they are particularly unique or as interesting as these. I do love both, and both are in the 'best' colour scheme, I don't think they would be too hard to replace with something similar looking. By that I mean that these tops are 'typical' PRS Flame Maple non-top core level tops. If I had to replace, I don't think I would struggle to find a Fire Red Burst PRS that is not too dissimilarly flamed where as I would struggle to find a Chevron cut Cu24, a 1 Piece top HBii or a Special as flamed or wood grained top as the one above. as they are not as uniquely flamed, I will just put pics up in this post instead of doing another post or two for these.

My PRS 509

My PRS McCarty 594

 

[Song]

Kanile'a Guitalele

 

[WA Paul]

Twinsies!

I played that guitar when it arrived at the store in Seattle - its a killer one! Wasn’t blue though