littlejohnny Posted April 13, 2013 Share Posted April 13, 2013 Hi, I bought my es 335 block inlay january 2011. About three months ago I noticed a little finish crack at the nut. I did not worry to much about it, but lately I thought I noticed something like a little twist in the neck. The headstock seems to be bend a little forward on the base side. Now I'm worried if the neck/headstock/ fretboard or whatever is moving. Guitar was not bumped into anything and stored well. Compared to my other guitars, tuning an intonation has to be adjusted quite often. What do you think? Here are some pictures: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Voodoo Monkey Posted April 13, 2013 Share Posted April 13, 2013 I have had Gibsons that have had that. That is where they took a razor and away some of the finish from around the nut. I had it where it was noticeable on an SG and a Les Paul but not as bad as yours looks. Sometimes Gibson's quality control is lacking but I don't think that should give you any problems. The headstock issue I have no idea but I hope I was able to help out a little. Chris VM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobouz Posted April 14, 2013 Share Posted April 14, 2013 A finish crack in this area is unfortunately pretty common. Yours is a little more extreme than most I've seen. A twist in the peghead is also frequently seen. The plek machine should compensate for it, so that the fretboard is level. Regardless, it couldn't hurt to have a local authorized Gibson repair person look at it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badbluesplayer Posted April 14, 2013 Share Posted April 14, 2013 IMO there is a problem with the twisted neck. It's bad. It should be covered under warranty. The nut was probably smashed. That's what it looks like to me. Not necessarily a problem, but the neck is bad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badbluesplayer Posted April 14, 2013 Share Posted April 14, 2013 dblpost Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
littlejohnny Posted April 14, 2013 Author Share Posted April 14, 2013 A finish crack in this area is unfortunately pretty common. Yours is a little more extreme than most I've seen. A twist in the peghead is also frequently seen. The plek machine should compensate for it, so that the fretboard is level. Regardless, it couldn't hurt to have a local authorized Gibson repair person look at it. Problem is, I'm in germany and there is no lifetime warranty like in the USA. If someone from gibson could chime in here, to tell me where I find a authorized gibson luthier I'd be happy to have him have a look at it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobouz Posted April 14, 2013 Share Posted April 14, 2013 IMO there is a problem with the twisted neck. It's bad. It should be covered under warranty. The nut was probably smashed. That's what it looks like to me. Not necessarily a problem, but the neck is bad. From looking at these photos, I don't believe it's possible to say the neck is bad. There appears to be a bit of a twist at the peghead, yes, but the fingerboard is another matter. I've seen many Gibsons (and other brands) with a twisted peghead, some more extreme than this one, and they played fine. A twisted neck/peghead is one of the first things I look for when considering a new Gibson, having had a wonderful 2001 J150 succumb to a twist that did indeed effect playability. Obviously, a dead on straight neck is most desireable, but a slight twist is not necessarily the kiss of death. What I've discovered is that in recent years since the advent of the plek system, a sight twist will be compensated for when cut by the plek machine. This can generally be seen in the depth of the cut at the nut, and where the peghead overlay joins. On the OP's guitar, it's not obvious to me because the scraping of the binding and the cracked finish around the nut make it difficult to assess in these photos. Also, note that a very sight angle change in a photo (or even when looking first hand at a neck twist issue), can throw off your assessment of what's really happening. If I were a betting person, my guess would be that your fingerboard & nut are within specs. What's happening above the nut with the peghead is actually of no consequence if the fingerboard is true all the way up to the nut. Believe me, for years I would shy away from a neck with any hint of a twist, but the plek system has changed the playing field in terms of how instruments are leaving the factory. Since you are in Germany, the warranty issue is a different matter. I think it's only one year internationally, so if you are beyond the warranty period, you can take it to anyone to have it assessed. If it is still within the warranty period, I would call or email Gibson to find out who you can take it to for an assessment that will be backed by the company. Best of luck in sorting this out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twang Gang Posted April 15, 2013 Share Posted April 15, 2013 Difficult to tell from just photos, but I tend to agree with badbluesplayer - it looks like the neck is a little twisted to me. In the photo where you show the headstock looking down to the body you can see the headstock on the bass side is not equidistant from the body in relation to the treble side. I guess since you are in Germany you are out of the 1 year warranty. I would go to the best luthier you can find and have them take a look, it's not going to correct itself. Again hard to tell from just a photo but looks like some possibly back bow in the neck too, and your mention of tuning and intonation adjustments frequently point to neck issues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jayyj Posted April 15, 2013 Share Posted April 15, 2013 The photo does appear to show a slight twist but before you panic too much I'd let someone who knows what they're doing make a proper assessment with the guitar in hand. What bobouz says about the plek process makes good sense, but if there is an issue there's a great deal a good luthier can do to make things right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobouz Posted April 15, 2013 Share Posted April 15, 2013 Yes indeed, do not panic. In fact, the first order of business should be a proper setup with the neck relief dialed in. Only then can the fingerboard be accurately assessed in terms of whether or not it is within specs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigKahune Posted April 15, 2013 Share Posted April 15, 2013 . There's something going on there. But it might not be too bad. There's a company that makes ergonomically twisted necks - Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jabberwocky Posted April 16, 2013 Share Posted April 16, 2013 An authorised Gibson Warranty and Service Workshop in Europe: http://www.fineart-guitar-workshop.de/ If it is under warranty, Gibson should make good on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
littlejohnny Posted April 16, 2013 Author Share Posted April 16, 2013 Thanks everybody, I have a three year warranty from the shop I bought it. I have a gibson authorized luthier have a look in a couple of days. Than I will decide to ship it back or not. I'll report back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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