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Epi Les Paul - cracked neck heel joint


ChrisD70

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I removed my comments about the Massey stuff.. I misspelled Massie...I visited the Massie Plant in the pre CBS days with an employee, I was very young, we just walked in the back door and I may have misunderstood what I thought I saw. The plant was just a warehouse with work benches that had amp components spread on them.

 

Well yeah, and they made pretty good amps, a lot of people still hunt them down. Somehow in there, there was a guy that worked for Leo with that last name, but was not the person involved with those amps. He has never been connected but it persisted. It was supposed to be the St. George was really a Fender for about 1/3 the price, but it wasn't. Those that have had them apart find them remarkably similar to what Rickenbacher once made, not at all Fenderish.

 

It would have been cool to have seen that.

 

rct

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Well yeah, and they made pretty good amps, a lot of people still hunt them down. Somehow in there, there was a guy that worked for Leo with that last name, but was not the person involved with those amps. He has never been connected but it persisted. It was supposed to be the St. George was really a Fender for about 1/3 the price, but it wasn't. Those that have had them apart find them remarkably similar to what Rickenbacher once made, not at all Fenderish.

 

It would have been cool to have seen that.

 

rct

 

Ray Massie was one of Leo Fenders chief designers.

 

 

I owned a few new Epiphones before production went overseas. They were great guitars I preferred them over Gibsons. Seeing a production flaw was very distressing for me. My view on Chriss's thread was very myopic only seeing the crack and not seeing the beautiful guitar he fell in love with.

 

The Epiphones I own now are all excellent Asian built guitars, between them and my Gibson's I have a hard time deciding which one to play.

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This is interesting. I have a 2015 Epi Black Beauty. I recently swapped out all the electronics and hardware on it. I took a look at one of the pictures I took when it was disassembled and it looks like it has the same "crack". I bet these are not cracks but rather cuts. Possibly some shortcut way of fitting the neck?

 

It's hard to see in this picture but if I zoom in on it there is definitely a "cut" there in the exact same place as your guitar.

 

NrUN5NZ.jpg

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This is interesting. I have a 2015 Epi Black Beauty. I recently swapped out all the electronics and hardware on it. I took a look at one of the pictures I took when it was disassembled and it looks like it has the same "crack". I bet these are not cracks but rather cuts. Possibly some shortcut way of fitting the neck?

 

It's hard to see in this picture but if I zoom in on it there is definitely a "cut" there in the exact same place as your guitar.

 

 

Great image by the way. I think yours looks the way it is supposed to. The crack being a seem between the body and the neck. It doesn't look like there is a gap in it like Chriss's.

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Great image by the way. I think yours looks the way it is supposed to. The crack being a seem between the body and the neck. It doesn't look like there is a gap in it like Chriss's.

 

Yes, but I don't see it on the other side. Also, I didn't think all these guitars had a deep set neck (are they even set that deep?). I had a Tribute Plus that had a deep set neck, but that was unique among the contemporary Epi's.

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I owned a few new Epiphones before production went overseas. They were great guitars I preferred them over Gibsons.

Would assusme you know that from 1958 to 1969, Epiphones were built by Gibson in Kalamazoo - but wanted to clarify just in case. Some were direct clones of Gibson models, while others were quite unique.

 

Overseas production started in 1970 in Japan, although a few remaining instruments dribbled out of Kalamazoo that year.

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I saw the same recently on a Burny LP from the 1990's/early 2000's. The neck was stable and secure and had survived like that for 15+ years. I don't know why they are like this, but if the neck is secure I wouldn't worry about it too much. It should be interesting to see what Gibson say.

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Yes, but I don't see it on the other side. Also, I didn't think all these guitars had a deep set neck (are they even set that deep?). I had a Tribute Plus that had a deep set neck, but that was unique among the contemporary Epi's.

Chris showed examples with small gaps on the right side of the neck between the neck and the body, his LP gap looked wider with a wood anomaly on the neck side of the gap that looked like it might be a wedge.. only on the right side, the left side of the neck is not undercut. The good thing is that in most cases this would not effect the structural integrity there is still plenty of neck bonded to the body...... If the guitar plays good and sounds good there shouldn't be any problem it might even sustain better with a slight resonating cavity in it.

 

Would assusme you know that from 1958 to 1969, Epiphones were built by Gibson in Kalamazoo - but wanted to clarify just in case. Some were direct clones of Gibson models, while others were quite unique.

 

Overseas production started in 1970 in Japan, although a few remaining instruments dribbled out of Kalamazoo that year.

The dates sound about right in the mid 60s I had a green 64 Coronet and white 65 Wilshire some of my favorite Epiphone electrics both with the batwing headstock, also a 65 jumbo body 12 string, I really wish I still had them now. Also a Kalamazoo SG style Bass but it came along much later, along with every time I found an affordable batwing headstock Epiphone I bought it..

 

note I took these guitars apart and did different things to them but never did they have gaps. I have had quite a few Gibson style guitars and took them all apart and no gaps.. I currently have an Epi 61 SG reissue and a Blueshawk They do not have gaps. My LP junior DC has a bolt on neck so it doesn't count but its neck fits tightly into the body..

 

On this thread is the first time I have ever seen gaps between the neck and R body.. It was a bit of a shock.. I guess that means I haven't seen everything yet.. When I have people will be kicking dirt on top of me..

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