Snatch up those Murphy Aged! [Archive]

JofZ

07-21-2006, 07:36 PM

I got an email today that said Murphy is no longer aging Gibson's!
While I have heard it before, I trust this source. I think Murphy's shop is going to continue the aging, but it will no longer be done by Tom. From all the Les Pauls I have seen this makes sense, the aging has gotten worse and worse as the years have gone by. The recent Murphy's have been a joke IMO.

PeeWee

07-27-2006, 02:28 PM

This is an interesting piece of info. I kind of figured something was afoot when I inquired about getting an aged R4 done for me. When either the dealer, who is a good friend of Tom's, or I asked Gibson Custom if TM was "cherry picking" the guitars and doing the aging, we got no replies; but they did answer every other question posed to them. Wonder if this means that Tom will start taking work on his own again?

JofZ

07-27-2006, 09:07 PM

This is an interesting piece of info. I kind of figured something was afoot when I inquired about getting an aged R4 done for me. When either the dealer, who is a good friend of Tom's, or I asked Gibson Custom if TM was "cherry picking" the guitars and doing the aging, we got no replies; but they did answer every other question posed to them. Wonder if this means that Tom will start taking work on his own again?

I think GP still has the contract with Gibson, just TM is no longer doing the work himself. He obviously trained some people over the last couple years as the aging is just terrible today compared to 04.

I have never seen an asged R4, but know of 3 in Japan. None are for sale. You are better off buying a new one and sending it to RS.

PeeWee

07-27-2006, 09:12 PM

Yeah I hear ya. I decided to bag the whole idea when I couldn't get a straight reply - really too much $$ to shell out not knowing what the end result will be. I love that R6 of yours! Been salivating for an aged goldtop ever since I saw your post on the other forum. Love that Stanleyburst, too!

JofZ

07-28-2006, 08:17 PM

Yeah I hear ya. I decided to bag the whole idea when I couldn't get a straight reply - really too much $$ to shell out not knowing what the end result will be. I love that R6 of yours! Been salivating for an aged goldtop ever since I saw your post on the other forum. Love that Stanleyburst, too!
Thanks :D
I saw a couple RS GT's this past week and they looked really good IMO. Not sure what the cost is though.

jerseydrew

07-30-2006, 04:30 PM

I got mine in 2003. It's a 58 plain top. It might be hard to see in the picture but it really looks like it's aged right. It's the best guitar I've ever played.

BTW, hi everyone! This is my first post :)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v295/jerseydrew/R8murhpy.jpg

PeeWee

08-20-2006, 04:32 PM

Thanks :D
I saw a couple RS GT's this past week and they looked really good IMO. Not sure what the cost is though.

I'd spoke with a guy who had a '56 all gold model restored and he recommened Dave Johnson in Washington. From the pics I saw, his refin and aging work was stellar! He did tell me that I should be prepared to wait anywhere from 9-12 months to get the guitar back in hand, tho'. :eek:

PeeWee

11-10-2006, 04:50 AM

Here are a few pics of my 2004 Murphy in an Iced Tea finish that I found in Japan -

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p283/M_L_Dutton/r9agedIIb.jpg

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p283/M_L_Dutton/61.jpg

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p283/M_L_Dutton/91.jpg

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p283/M_L_Dutton/112.jpg

PeeWee

11-10-2006, 04:55 AM

Here's my 2001 Murphy painted & aged Lemondrop with a Brazilian fretboard -

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p283/M_L_Dutton/DSC00016.jpg

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p283/M_L_Dutton/DSC00246.jpg

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p283/M_L_Dutton/DSC00242.jpg

I took some better pics this afternoon that I'll share once I get them loaded.

1959burst

11-10-2006, 04:59 AM

stupid money for those................no offense to you murphy owners but i'll age mine by playing it..........................funny i try to avoid the aging factor in my vintage guitars.........go figure?:eek:

PeeWee

11-10-2006, 05:38 AM

My lemondrop has had the piss played outta it over the last two years. All the hardware and screws have gotten pretty nasty due to my ph make up. The pics above are just after it was new, which was October of 2004. It's since ambered quite a bit and the nickel plating on the bridge pup cover has worn away to expose the base. There's also quite a few dings and scratches that have come from steady gigging and some rootbeering of the back of the neck. I think the biggest tell-tale is how the pup rings have aged from sweat; definitely not the pristine looking off cream in these pics! I found the guitar in the basement as NOS of a local dealer in '04 and actually got it at dealer cost and not the crazy mark-up that they're going for now;I paid just about equal to a regular R9 goes for new today.

For me, having the Murphies alleviates any worry about the occasional ding, scratch or gouge - it's already there and usually I won't even notice until days or weeks after the fact. My third LP is a custom authentic R6 from 2001 that has loads of battle marks from 5 years of touring. I like to have it both ways, so I can see where you coming from. :)

PeeWee

11-10-2006, 03:47 PM

These pics were taken yesterday afternoon. It's aged on it's own from playing and my nasty chemical make-up:

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p283/M_L_Dutton/SC-CoxFarms-Halloween050.jpg

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p283/M_L_Dutton/SC-CoxFarms-Halloween058.jpg

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p283/M_L_Dutton/SC-CoxFarms-Halloween057.jpg

Mac Daddy

01-30-2007, 09:19 PM

Murphy's Law

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a373/bduds/LP1.jpg
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a373/bduds/LP3.jpg
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a373/bduds/3g.jpg

PeeWee

01-30-2007, 09:38 PM

Me like.....Me like!! Nice looking group of R7s - I especially like the middle one; great greening job on that one. Nice pics, Mac Daddy!

Mac Daddy

01-30-2007, 09:45 PM

Thanks the middle one is mine , the other two are a friends

MooWahmBah

02-27-2007, 11:32 PM

Could anyone comment on the guitars (mostly of japanese origin ) that are supposedly Murphy aged but don`t have any paperwork to back it up .
There`s quite a price difference between those with certificates and those without . Anyway to varify a non certificate guitar as an true murphy aged ?
thanks

PeeWee

02-28-2007, 12:51 AM

Could anyone comment on the guitars (mostly of japanese origin ) that are supposedly Murphy aged but don`t have any paperwork to back it up .
There`s quite a price difference between those with certificates and those without . Anyway to varify a non certificate guitar as an true murphy aged ?
thanks

My advice would be to run the SN through Gibson customer service. They're usually fairly quick with a reply. They'll pass on anything that they show on record regarding an instrument in question.