OMG Santana model lovers...

Northern Lights has more variation than nearly any other color.

Here was one I briefly owned before I traded it in

image.jpg


Less purple than the one in the link. Les’ PS 10th Anniversary is my favorite version of the color (hint for yet another posting of it Les!)
Beautiful, I like when the shade is more purple
 
Wow.... tough crowd! Let’s hear from Les now

It’s gorgeous.

Pretty guitar and I like the color, but I’ll never understand adding a burst to lively colors like that.

Speaking only for myself, the smoke burst makes that finish a little more subtle/interesting.

There’s no mileage in knocking other folks’ personal taste.

“But you do it all the time with the modeler thing.”

“Did I ever say I was consistent?”
 
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I had a feeling that would happen LOL. I don’t like the natural mahogany back with that color scheme but it wouldn’t keep me from buying that guitar it I had the disposable income. Sadly I don’t.

My Northern Lights guitar has a ribbon mahogany back finished like that. In person, there’s a nice glow, and the combination looks great (er...to me).
 
Paul:
You have great taste and that’s a really pretty guitar, but.....
I’d like it better without the burst.
But hey, what a boring world if we all felt the same; and once again, it’s subjective. :)
No worries! Couldn’t resist teasing ya a bit :D

Besides, my avatar was supposed to have the smoke burst finish but doesn’t and I like it better without it :)
 
My Northern Lights guitar has a ribbon mahogany back finished like that. In person, there’s a nice glow, and the combination looks great (er...to me).
I hear ya, I only like the natural mahogany On brown guitars, light tops like vintage yellow box, vintage Sunburst etc.

One thing this thread has shown me. We all have a Lotta different tastes LOL
 
I hear ya, I only like the natural mahogany On brown guitars, light tops like vintage yellow box, vintage Sunburst etc.

By coincidence, I also have the African ribbon mahogany on a Vintage Yellow 30th Anniversary PS, and a faded McCarty Burst McCarty Singlecut PS, along with the Northern Lights guitar.

The simple translucent finishes are nice on all of them.

I’m big on all the various amber finishes myself, but I confess that the color of the guitars’ backs isn’t a very big deal (I only see the backs when cleaning the darn things, and am perfectly fine with opaque brown paint, too).

Since the various amber colors feel right to me, I probably would have ordered the Northern Lights PS 20 in Tiger Eye or Black Gold instead of blue/violet, but it was only offered in NL or an orange color, neither of which were in my wheelhouse, so throwing caution to the wind, I literally flipped a coin and NL it was.

I really wanted that model, and it’s one of my best sounding all-time PRSes. I liked the NL finish when it arrived, though, and it’s grown on me, plus it sounds so sweet that I’d love the thing regardless of finish. I haven’t cleaned the guitar in an embarrassingly long time, maybe I’ll do that soon and actually look at the back!
 
I really like this one IF it was MY PS build I would have matched the back to the front ( that natural back leaves we wanting more ) and I would have put in the 58/15 mt pickups or 408s and that would be
my PS build
 
By coincidence, I also have the African ribbon mahogany on a Vintage Yellow 30th Anniversary PS, and a faded McCarty Burst McCarty Singlecut PS, along with the Northern Lights guitar.

The simple translucent finishes are nice on all of them.

I’m big on all the various amber finishes myself, but I confess that the color of the guitars’ backs isn’t a very big deal (I only see the backs when cleaning the darn things, and am perfectly fine with opaque brown paint, too).

Since the various amber colors feel right to me, I probably would have ordered the Northern Lights PS 20 in Tiger Eye or Black Gold instead of blue/violet, but it was only offered in NL or an orange color, neither of which were in my wheelhouse, so throwing caution to the wind, I literally flipped a coin and NL it was.

I really wanted that model, and it’s one of my best sounding all-time PRSes. I liked the NL finish when it arrived, though, and it’s grown on me, plus it sounds so sweet that I’d love the thing regardless of finish. I haven’t cleaned the guitar in an embarrassingly long time, maybe I’ll do that soon and actually look at the back!
In the end it really is about the sound and playability, Looks are just a bonus. Let’s not forget instruments can create art with the help the musician, they’re also a work of art by their creator.
 
I really like this one IF it was MY PS build I would have matched the back to the front ( that natural back leaves we wanting more ) and I would have put in the 58/15 mt pickups or 408s and that would be
my PS build
I agree with your cosmetic choice. Your pup ideas sound cool also!
 
In the end it really is about the sound and playability, Looks are just a bonus. Let’s not forget instruments can create art with the help the musician, they’re also a work of art by their creator.

So true!

In fact, I think a PRS is a triple work of art: tone, appearance, and making beauty a joy to play. Then we use them to create musical art. We’re pretty lucky to have such great choices.
 
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