Anyone?

[Twitch]

In addition to possibly seeing the pixles in the pattern, would the photo tops also be lacking the 3D iridescent prismatic effect of natural wood grain?

[toejam]

I thought that the earlier versions were maple veneer, and that the gravure tops didn't show up until around 1996-97 with matching headstocks.

Hmm, you may be right. The pic above sure looks like a gravure top to me, but I could be wrong.

[Newc]

If it "moves", it should be real wood, unless they found a way to blend that color-shift paint just right back then.

And I've never been fond of those necks - they felt thick and way too wide to me. Thinnest neck I ever saw that Jackson made came on some of the JTX models - thinner than a KV neck, even with a thick polycoat on it.

[Rich#6]

I think the older ones were veneer and the photo came later. I had a 93 xl trans purple and if I remember it looked real. I have a 96 and 97 photo tops and they are very different from the older ones.

[Inazone]

Hmm, you may be right. The pic above sure looks like a gravure top to me, but I could be wrong.

The quilts on most that I saw weren't figured nearly as much as a lot of other brands, definitely not in the same ballpark as something like a PC1, for instance. Same with the trans finish XLs that I remember seeing. On the other hand, the gravure tops looked heavily figured, to the point that if you'd seen a natural quilt top before, they'd look almost too good to be true. Sort of like some MOTO inlays - too consistently figured to be the real thing.

It's hard to tell from the OP's pic, but there was a subtle difference in the burst between the veneer and gravure versions from what little I remember.

[scabaway]

Will post a better pic of this when I get a chance.