Btw, these 2017's appear to look great!
Somebody really obsessive seems to be calling the shots at Gibson.
Aside from the TH plastics and hardware,
- the top carve has improved (much more noticeable dish);
- the tailpiece angle has improved (it's actually a little angled now);
- the cutaway depth has improved (deeper now).
Wow, the templates used for the TH's of 2015 and 2016 did not even have these appointments.
They do look great. The top carve is noticeably deeper. However, I a/b'd a bunch of the pics on WW's site to see if I can spot the cutaway difference. I could definitely see the difference between the 2016 Standard Historic and the 2017s, but not with the TH / CC guitars and 2017. I compared numerous guitars (as best I could given that WW's photos are every so slightly different) and I couldn't see the change. Maybe it's for the best I don't.
I also noticed that there is a slightly larger gap between the end of the fretboard and the neck pickup ring. The most recent CC's have that gap (those made this year), while the CC's from last year don't have the same gap.
Of course, I won't swear by any of this as lighting can play tricks on the eyes.
Btw, these 2017's appear to look great!
Somebody really obsessive seems to be calling the shots at Gibson.
Aside from the TH plastics and hardware,
- the top carve has improved (much more noticeable dish);
- the tailpiece angle has improved (it's actually a little angled now);
- the cutaway depth has improved (deeper now).
Wow, the templates used for the TH's of 2015 and 2016 did not even have these appointments.
Charlie was good enough to post facts about the 2017 custom standards in a thread titled separating fact from rumor.
-It was already mentioned that they are using the top carve of a specific Burst (supposedly of Carmelita) rather than an average of Burst tops. While this might be more aesthetically pleasing to some as one of the more pronounced top carves, it is not any more or less accurate unless all Bursts have the same top carve as the Carmelita
-Improved tailpiece? Do you have any facts that support this or is this a phantom improvement like the cutaway depth because the tailpiece doesn't look any more or less accurate from what I can see
-The TH and 2017 custom standard cutaway depth is the same.
So given the title of this thread I'm curious as to your post. Do you not think it beneficial to keep a thread dedicated to the facts, factual without this type of BS or embellishment. And afaic, while I'm sure Gibson has some good people their now Several of their key people, the people that actually built the custom shop to what it is today are no longer there. So saying somebody obsessing over the details is now calling the shots - well to that I say, Wow.
I agree with above, these new 17's are basically TH guitars at a lower price point. Loving mine!
Hey, please take a chill pill. I'm sorry if my post came across as embellishment or even BS to you. My God. I was merely stating that some of the details of the 2017's look really good and those in charge of such details have clearly listened to what the consumers of these high-priced instruments have wanted for a long time, basically replica-like details. What is it that seems to bother you so much? I was actually complimenting the Custom Shop for their products.
All I said was, to me, some of the details on the 2017 look even more accurate than what I have seen on the last couple years' TH's. The top carve certainly looks deeper than the TH's, the tailpieces look angled, and the cutaway appears to be an improvement over the 2016 Standards. I agree that most TH's have cutouts that are correct and deep, if you browse the entire internets, you will notice that some TH's actually do not and are closer to the 2016 Standards. Whether that is a result of the handwork that goes into building these guitars or the templates, my point was merely an observation and was not intended to anger anyone. If you are so deeply troubled by my post, I suggest you ignore it.
The differences:
-The top is not "double carved" but they are now using a more dramatic profile scanned from a well-known original 59.