Maybe I'm slow... I don't understand what the problem is with the finish.
I do see some dried residue sitting on top of the finish towards the edge of the top, but the head-on view in the center doesn't seem to show up anything.
I ask because I once worked at the Gibson Nashville factory. I wasn't one of the buffers, but I can assure you every guitar leaves them with a flawlessly buffed clear coat. I was actually surprised how fast they can get a great surface when there is a fine line between removing all orange peel and burning through the lacquer.
Maybe a photo of the top picking up reflected light (looking at the surface at a 5-10 degree angle) instead of head-on will show what you're concerned about.
If the residue on top is the issue, it looks mostly like skin oil (and any polish if you've put it on the guitar; I never do). The fastest way I've found to clean sweat/nicotine/gunk off a finish is lighter fluid on a clean soft cotton cloth. Bunch up the cloth into a quarter- to half-dollar-sized round surface, squeeze on the naphtha/lighter fluid generously, scrub a small section of the surface with circular movement. You'll know instantly when you've cut through all the gunk to the finish surface, and you'll see the dirt buildup on the cloth. Keep moving to a different section of the cloth as dirt builds up and continue till the whole guitar is clean.
LMark wrote:... I'm guessing that the NC has a poly finish.
Unless Gibson started using poly in the last decade or so, the finish is nitro. I never saw any U.S.-made Gibson with a poly finish. The Epiphones are an entirely different matter, and 10 years ago nearly all of them had poly finishes only.