I’ve played both and to me there’s no difference in the tone. some people will say there is and that they can hear a difference and I suppose that’s why they have different laquer options but even if you can hear it it’s not going to be big.
I think in the TJ case the raw is made to look “cool” with that type of finish which some people like.
get a hold of Sandro at Massulo Music in Burnaby BC. he is my sax tech and also the North American distributor for TJ
.