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Cracked
Mar 17, 2021 19:39:53 GMT -5
Post by LVF on Mar 17, 2021 19:39:53 GMT -5
I cringe when I see things like this. Cracks around the volute. This is the neck of my Gibson ES 345 that I bought new back in '08. To be honest, they are surface cracks but, it does serve to remind just how fragile the necks are on Gibees. I can only imagine that this area is under quite a bit of strain from a tuned guitar and this one has never had the strings loosened except for a string change I may have done. Got anything similar on you Gibson?  |
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Cracked
Mar 17, 2021 20:10:40 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by Leftee on Mar 17, 2021 20:10:40 GMT -5
Those don’t look good.
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DrKev
Wholenote
It's just a guitar, it's not rocket science.
Posts: 416
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Cracked
Mar 18, 2021 4:10:32 GMT -5
Post by DrKev on Mar 18, 2021 4:10:32 GMT -5
Usually just finish cracks though. Not uncommon and usually only cosmetic. Would be good to get it checked out though.
This is why pressurized aircraft have round windows - stress builds up in corners and can cause cracks. Cracks in pressurized aircraft are absolutely not a good thing. It's also part of the reason finish cracks occur in bolt-on neck pockets.
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sirWheat
Wholenote
For a better future, play Stevie Wonder for your children.
Posts: 319
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Cracked
Mar 18, 2021 7:11:58 GMT -5
Post by sirWheat on Mar 18, 2021 7:11:58 GMT -5
Yep.
Those probably wouldn't have happened if gibson had installed the nut after the finish was applied. They are likely the result of binding and lacquer shrinkage and nothing more. If string tension were the issue I think you'd see cracking in more/other places.
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Cracked
Mar 19, 2021 18:52:33 GMT -5
Post by Seldom Seen on Mar 19, 2021 18:52:33 GMT -5
Whether superficial or a sign of bad things to come, that sucks!
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Cracked
Mar 20, 2021 7:40:38 GMT -5
Post by Peegoo 🏁 on Mar 20, 2021 7:40:38 GMT -5
Yeah, we see this occur and we freak right the hell out. The good news is these cracks are not a structural failure because wood on the front of the neck is in compression, not tension. You know the wood's dimension has changed because there's a shadow line where the nut meets the binding.
If these cracks were on the back of the neck, it would be a much more worrisome condition.
This is cosmetic--most often caused by wood shrinkage across the width of the neck. The wood's dimension changes and the nut does not, so the finish lifts. It's the same mechanism that causes fret sprout: the wood recedes a teensy bit and the fret ends protrude.
You can do a spot repair on these using acetone or lacquer thinner and a very fine artist's brush. Paint the acetone along the crack while staying off the surface next to the crack. This melts the lacquer, causing it to reflow. Allow that to dry for an hour or so. The area you touched up will be uneven because you've disturbed the lacquer. Follow with clear lacquer and drop-fill over the line you painted with acetone. You want a build-up of lacquer over the area.
Let that cure for a week or two and then scrape smooth and polish. In most cases the repair is just about invisible.
Take extraordinary (and I do mean extraordinary) measures to protect the finish around the repair as you're working. Accidentally getting a drip of solvent on the finish will necessitate another repair, because it cannot simply be wiped off; it will leave a scar. When taping around the repair, do not tape right up to the repair area (give yourself at least 1/2" of room to work), because if you allow the solvent to contact the edge of the tape, it will run up under the tape and really make a mess of things and you will Not. Be. Happy.
Despite these warnings, a job like this is well within your capabilities if you can work slowly and carefully. Use bright light and magnification. This is not brain surgery, but it requires some precision.
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Cracked
Mar 20, 2021 7:55:56 GMT -5
Post by Peegoo 🏁 on Mar 20, 2021 7:55:56 GMT -5
It does serve to remind just how fragile the necks are on Gibees. I can only imagine that this area is under quite a bit of strain from a tuned guitar... When you consider how much (how 'little' actually) wood there is in cross section directly under the nut and then remember they dig out about 20% of that for the truss rod adjustment nut, it's enough to make you a little bananas if you think too much about it.  And a typical string set (9s/10s) exerts about 120 lbs of tension on the neck. Okay, stop thinking about it!  |
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Post by funkykikuchiyo on Mar 20, 2021 9:20:01 GMT -5
My guess is that if you were to take the nut out (no reason to except curiosity) you'd find that the nut never had good contact with the bottom of the nut shelf. Maybe a shim, maybe a bunch of glue squirted in there, maybe bad clean up from the peghead veneer, maybe something else, but something that compressed a bit over time, causing some movement that the lacquer didn't like. Guild has been notorious for this over the years for reasons I don't fully understand. I've found some weird stuff hiding down in those nut shelves. If you're curious and want to check without pulling the nut out (don't recommend it unless you want/need to replace it), you can feel the area at the bottom of the nut (see the nut goes below the brown finish line, you can see a rectangle that is the bottom of the nut) and see if anything is pudging out. If they used a bunch of glue or something to gap fill where it wasn't down all the way, it might stick out. When you consider how much (how 'little' actually) wood there is in cross section directly under the nut and then remember they dig out about 20% of that for the truss rod adjustment nut, it's enough to make you a little bananas if you think too much about it. Or, makes you admire how incredible of a material wood can be! |
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Cracked
Mar 22, 2021 14:55:00 GMT -5
Post by LVF on Mar 22, 2021 14:55:00 GMT -5
It doesn't surprise me that there are some very good insights, repair ideas going on here. Where else would one go for this kind of information.  It elevates my concerns over this kind of issue and makes me realize that it really isn't an issue more than it is a sign of age and maybe some character going on with this guitar. I find it interesting that the two guitars I spent the most money on, rival each other in the 'road worn' department. This Gibson spends most of it's time in it's case and only bought out when I'm recording something, general maintenance or the rare occasion of just playing it and yet, it looks more used than my G&L or Tele that spend all their time hanging on the wall or in a stand until use. In fact, I have many guitars hanging on the wall that haven't seen their cases since I took them out for the first time after I received them. We can go back almost 20 years several of them and they show no wear other than the usual scuffing of the fret board. Sorry, just making an observation here.  |
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Cracked
Mar 22, 2021 19:34:14 GMT -5
Post by Seldom Seen on Mar 22, 2021 19:34:14 GMT -5
Yep Peegoo your explanation makes sense, as usual. I can just see old "ham fist" Seldom trying to paint within the cracks.
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It elevates my concerns over this kind of issue and makes me realize that it really isn't an issue more than it is a sign of age and maybe some character going on with this guitar. I find it interesting that the two guitars I spent the most money on, rival each other in the 'road worn' department. 