What do you think? Finish issue.

[Bryced]

Hi,

 

Apologises that my first post is about an issue.

 

Okay its a finish/wear question. By the way this is not a complaint. I want know if this is normal. I have had Gibson's before and it didn't occur.

 

I have a 2014 J45 Standard. Love it. I play it a lot. I have owned it about 18 months. I wipe it down with a 100% cotton cloth after playing. It is stored in a temperate room on a hanger padded with cotton.

 

Is it normal for the sides of the fretboard to wear from black to a streaky brown? . This has happened on both treble and base sides. Plus a small but unsightly 'island' shapped patch plus a streak have to appear on the side of the next by the first fret.

 

See picks ( best I can do)

 

http://i883.photobucket.com/albums/ac36/Bryced_2010/45%20neck%2021-8%20-%201.jpg

 

http://i883.photobucket.com/albums/ac36/Bryced_2010/P_20160821_100351_002.jpgSee picks

 

http://i883.photobucket.com/albums/ac36/Bryced_2010/45%20neck%2021-8c%20-%201.jpgJohn

 

 

Any thoughts?

 

Cheers John

[Buc McMaster]

Can't tell from the photos, but is the top coat finish worn away completely, exposing bare wood? Though perhaps premature and accelerated for a 2014 instrument, it appears to be normal finish wear for a cowboy chord player........which you may or may not be.

[BigKahune]

.

As Buc asked - Is the finish worn away or is there still some of the lacquer left? . . If there's lacquer left, maybe the dark color of the finish was achieved with some toner in the lacquer. So as the lacquer wears off, you're looking through a thinner and thinner layer of the toner which lets the color of the wood below show through. Basically I"m saying the same thing as Buc - looks like finish wear to me. Pretty fast wear for a 2014. I've seen it on many older guitars, not just Gibson - particularly in the open chord area aside/behind frets 1, 2 and 3. . . Is that "island" a chip or is worn through?

 

Your pic -

 

 

.

[Bryced]

.

As Buc asked - Is the finish worn away or is there still some of the lacquer left? . . If there's lacquer left, maybe the dark color of the finish was achieved with some toner in the lacquer. So as the lacquer wears off, you're looking through a thinner and thinner layer of the toner which lets the color of the wood below show through. Basically I"m saying the same thing as Buc - looks like finish wear to me. Pretty fast wear for a 2014. I've seen it on many older guitars, not just Gibson - particularly in the open chord area aside/behind frets 1, 2 and 3. . . Is that "island" a chip or is worn through?

 

Your pic -

 

 

.

 

Thanks for replying guys.

 

The finish on the side of the fretboard is wearing away. Obviously it was black to start with but its now worn away to brown in places (Streaky in others) all along the whole neck -treble and base sides. The 'island' blemish is looks like its worn through the black to a very light pale brown. There is s similar streak above it. I bit longer i guess and I will reach the wood ha. Early rellicing?

 

I have borrowed a few cowboys chords here and there but mainly hybrid pick the blues, Hopkins, Mcghee, Lispcombe etc.

 

Sorry about the pics but my camera is poor.

 

Thomann - where I bought the guitar - say its normal wear and tear if you play a guitar a lot. They said they also asked Gibson who agreed with them. I was just surprised. Its only 18 months old in playing terms. Other Gibson's I've had e.g. J35 which I also played a lot showed none of these issues.

[58 Relic]

Yes my 2015 J45 has the same issue but just along the fretboard from frets 1-3 and 5-7 . I personally don't worry about it kind of adds personality

[Bryced]

Thanks for the reply. I confess this issue is not giving me any sleepless nights. I just play. Then I play some more. Its the only guitar I own.

I was simply surprised it happened so quickly. Mind you it may bug me more if the blemishes get worse and I want to sell or trade up. Not everyone likes a relic :-)

 

 

 

 

 

Yes my 2015 J45 has the same issue but just along the fretboard from frets 1-3 and 5-7 . I personally don't worry about it kind of adds personality

[sbpark]

Stop wiping it down so much. It's like you were told as a kid, if you masturbate too much you'll go blind/grow hair on your palms. Well, if you continuously wipe your guitars down you'll wipe the finish right off. It's either from tons of playing and is a normal side effect/normal wear and tear on an instrument that you should be proud of actually, or it's from chronic neck wiping!

[sbpark]

Not everyone likes a relic :-)

 

A relic is when someone purposefully, artificially puts wear on an instrument. Normal wear and tear that results in the finish wearing off isn't relic'ing!

 

FWIW my 2014 J45 Standard is starting to do the same thing int he same area. I NEVER wipe my guitars down though, i just play them. Wear, nicks, dings, scrapes, dents, etc. do not bother me since I am not a collector/flipper, and don't buy guitars with the intent of selling them later on. I just enjoy them and don't sweat the small stuff.

[Bryced]

A relic is when someone purposefully, artificially puts wear on an instrument. Normal wear and tear that results in the finish wearing off isn't relic'ing!

 

FWIW my 2014 J45 Standard is starting to do the same thing int he same area. I NEVER wipe my guitars down though, i just play them. Wear, nicks, dongs, scrapes, dents, etc. do not bother me since I am not a collector/flipper, and don't buy guitars with the intent of selling them later on. I just enjoy them and don't sweat the small stuff.

 

Fair enough guys. The wiping is very light. Just the strings mainly. I do not fuss guitars. I play 'em. As I have said I was just surprised this happened so quickly as is had never occurred on any previous models. so I was intrigued to see what others thought. It still sounds and plays great.

 

As for the masturbatory side of things, well that's between me and my imagination.

[62burst]

Well, the good news is that you mention you've had other Gibsons in the past, and those guitars did not develop this wear. That eliminates any weird body chemistry reactions with the nitro, so a closer look at this guitar is in order. And not a big fan of leaving guitars out on hangers, not just for potential finish reactions, but to keep a guitar out just leaves the box more susceptible to drying out.

 

The guitar may have been buffed too much by someone along it's travels before it got to you, and the finish thinned as a result. It would be helpful to get a good look at the back of the headstock; could this have had a headstock break/repair or something necessitating some finish work?

 

[Edit] Aren't these finished by humans? It could be a guitar that started out with a slightly lighter finish than usual, allowing wear to appear earlier than normal.

 

Here is the '43/'44 Hog J-45, showing some similar wear, and even the small divot; your situation, accelerated some 70 years:

 

[fortyearspickn]

I normally cringe and bite my tongue when I see posts questioning 'imperfections' , especially in the finish of a relatively new Gibson. Ripples in the finish because of the grain, bear claws on the sunburst, bridge wood not perfectly matching the fretboard grain.

But - in your case, I think there is a real issue and you have a valid concern It sounds like you're the original purchaser, you haven't 'abused' the guitar and the level of wear one would expect after 25 years is showing up in 18 months. Wearing on both the treble and bass side is not normal. And that dime sized, irregularly shaped flaw - is a definite clue that something was done wrong at the factory. Someone might have wiped the neck down with a damp cloth, or smeared glad and not cleaned it off properly - before staining.

As you said - it will only get worse, and it will be a problem if you ever decide to re-sell.

I would guess 90% of those who own high-end guitars wipe them down most of the time after playing. Most are careful on the cloth material (cotton or micro-fibre) and what they use as a cleaner. I have a 12 year old Gibson that gets played regularly that has no visible wear.

I would get better pix and send them to Bozeman. Your salesperson may have just called Nashville and verbally described the issue as some here have described it. "It looks like normal wear if you play a lot."

Worse case - you can probably get a luthier to fix the problem for a hundred bucks or so. Good Luck !

[Buc McMaster]

I would guess 90% of those who own high-end guitars wipe them down most of the time after playing.

 

Count me in the 10% that don't. I just play it.

[OldCowboy]

Count me in the 10% that don't. I just play it.

I'm with the small percentage of non-wipers, too. 'Course, if the guitar gets sweated/spilled/drooled/snotted on, I'm willing to make an exception....

[zombywoof]

Ruling out alien spit sweat, I am still not buying that a simple wiping with piece of cheese cloth, even if slightly dampened with some distilled water, can remove finish that quickly. I have been wiping my guitars down like that for decades. I mean they show wear, my 1950s SJ developed divots in the board the size of Crater Lake but that was from playing the thing. Sounds like what Gibson is shooting on their guitars ain't your granddaddy's lacquer which would make sense since our granddaddys did not have to deal with the EPA.

[blindboygrunt]

I'm with the small percentage of non-wipers, too. 'Course, if the guitar gets sweated/spilled/drooled/snotted on, I'm willing to make an exception....

 

Me too

 

Gets cleaned maybe once a year.

Play it , back on stand

[Bryced]

Me too

 

Gets cleaned maybe once a year.

Play it , back on stand

 

 

 

Well thank you to everyone who replied. A really diverse set of views thats given me plenty of food for thought.

 

 

Cheers John

[slimt]

wear and tear..

[OldCowboy]

Ruling out alien spit sweat, I am still not buying that a simple wiping with piece of cheese cloth, even if slightly dampened with some distilled water, can remove finish that quickly. I have been wiping my guitars down like that for decades. I mean they show wear, my 1950s SJ developed divots in the board the size of Crater Lake but that was from playing the thing. Sounds like what Gibson is shooting on their guitars ain't your granddaddy's lacquer which would make sense since our granddaddys did not have to deal with the EPAote]

Makes sense from here - nobody ever says that safer does a better job....

[MissouriPicker]

I sincerely hope the issue you're dealing with turns-out to be very minor or nothing at all. I', pretty bad at not noticing something wrong on my guitars. If it doesn't scream at me, I'll never notice it. And in all honesty, I hardly ever wipe-off my guitars. Guess I should, but I don't. This evening at a gig with my Hummingbird, I looked at it under some bright lights and it looked like "The Great Speckled Bird." Coffee, spit from my harmonicas, taco grease from my fingers, little-bitty flecks of icing from muffins and cinnamon rolls, it's all on there. Probably need to wipe it off some day soon. Some day. Also, I have no idea if any of my Gibsons (or any in the rest of the herd) have the issue your describing. They might all have it, but I've never noticed. I've likely bought new guitars with the issue your pics show, but I truly didn't know it was an issue. Not trying to be flippant or a smart ***, etc., but after so many years on The AGF where people freaked-out over a smear of glue somewhere on a brace that could only be seen with a dental mirror, I figured "what the hell." So long as I like my guitar/s and don't see anything that's actually "broke," I just play them and have a blast. I'm not a great picker, but I have a lot of great guitars.........Hope your problem is soon resolved and you can really get into playing/enjoying your guitar.

[58 Relic]

1472353181[/url]' post='1794911']

I sincerely hope the issue you're dealing with turns-out to be very minor or nothing at all. I', pretty bad at not noticing something wrong on my guitars. If it doesn't scream at me, I'll never notice it. And in all honesty, I hardly ever wipe-off my guitars. Guess I should, but I don't. This evening at a gig with my Hummingbird, I looked at it under some bright lights and it looked like "The Great Speckled Bird." Coffee, spit from my harmonicas, taco grease from my fingers, little-bitty flecks of icing from muffins and cinnamon rolls, it's all on there. Probably need to wipe it off some day soon. Some day. Also, I have no idea if any of my Gibsons (or any in the rest of the herd) have the issue your describing. They might all have it, but I've never noticed. I've likely bought new guitars with the issue your pics show, but I truly didn't know it was an issue. Not trying to be flippant or a smart ***, etc., but after so many years on The AGF where people freaked-out over a smear of glue somewhere on a brace that could only be seen with a dental mirror, I figured "what the hell." So long as I like my guitar/s and don't see anything that's actually "broke," I just play them and have a blast. I'm not a great picker, but I have a lot of great guitars.........Hope your problem is soon resolved and you can really get into playing/enjoying your guitar.

 

Sorry I thought you were talking about beards after a gig with all that food references lol ( yes I am a proud beardsman )Have good day

[Lars68]

I'm in the "something's wrong with your guitar" camp. It should not look like that being as new as it is. No way! It will only get worse. Something is wrong with the finish. Could the white spot be from where you place your thumb on some of your favorite chords?

 

Contact Gibson Bozeman directly and keep escalating the issue until you get the right response, which I personally believe is to have the guitar replaced under warranty.

 

Best of luck!!

 

Lars

[Bryced]

I'm in the "something's wrong with your guitar" camp. It should not look like that being as new as it is. No way! It will only get worse. Something is wrong with the finish. Could the white spot be from where you place your thumb on some of your favorite chords?

 

Contact Gibson Bozeman directly and keep escalating the issue until you get the right response, which I personally believe is to have the guitar replaced under warranty.

 

Best of luck!!

 

Lars

 

Thanks again to all those who have responded. I want to make it clear that I am not a complainer or overly fussy by nature. I look after my guitars in a reasonable manner and just play, admittedly a lot. As I have said above I was genuinely surprised by this issue as none of my previous Gibson's, treated and played the same, had any problems. I have written to Thomann again stating my case plainly. I hope their next response will not be so complacent. The guitar has a 3 year warranty. I guess I will find out what that's worth. If I get no satisfaction then the next step will be better pics and contact Bozeman.

 

Now time to play some more.

 

John