Mark L Posted April 15, 2013 Share Posted April 15, 2013 It's been 20 days since I got my Tribute LP in Faded Sunburst. It was flawless (thats what I thought) until I found a small hair-like linear crack on the finish under the stop bar/ tail piece. It's actually invisible under normal lighting plus the intense grain of its flame makes it even more invisible. But it's there. Will it get worse/bigger? Should I return it for an exchange? Has anyone had a similar problem like this? Thanks!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pin Posted April 16, 2013 Share Posted April 16, 2013 There are plenty of people on here better qualified to advise than me Mark but my view would be to return it IF you have that sort of perfectionist turn of mind that it will persistently bother you. If you are the type that just couldn't be happy knowing it's there then best deal with it now. As to "getting worse" then I am on less sure ground but my inclination would be to say no. Remember that veneer is literally paper thin and that crack is probably going to stay just as it is. In past years, some veneers were more than paper thin and thus had more "substance" to continue to crack but I'm talking furniture veneer here and, so far I know, such veneers have never been used on guitars. Often cracks stay stable even in solid (pressed or carved) archtops. There is a crack about 2 inches long in the upper bout of my Yamaha AE12 which has been there for years and stays exactly as it is with no change. And I'll leave it as it is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark L Posted April 16, 2013 Author Share Posted April 16, 2013 Thank you Pin for your very informative reply. Yes, I am that kind of guy - perfectionist, very detailed. I sometimes get complains from my co-workers for that! While the crack on my Tribute is less than an inch I'm afraid that it might bother me later on considering that not a day go by without me looking, at least at my growing collection. And since I am still within the return time frame I better act on it now. Again thanks for taking the time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pin Posted April 16, 2013 Share Posted April 16, 2013 Thank you Pin for your very informative reply. Yes, I am that kind of guy - perfectionist, very detailed. I sometimes get complains from my co-workers for that! While the crack on my Tribute is less than an inch I'm afraid that it might bother me later on considering that not a day go by without me looking, at least at my growing collection. And since I am still within the return time frame I better act on it now. Again thanks for taking the time. And that is good self-aware answer Mark - you know what to do! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mgrasso Posted April 17, 2013 Share Posted April 17, 2013 Return it and get your piece of mind back. Also, don't these have a carved maple top instead of veneer? I was just comparing LPs on line and I'm pretty sure the tributes have that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark L Posted April 17, 2013 Author Share Posted April 17, 2013 Yes. The Tributes do have carved hard Maple top instead of veneer. Would there be difference in how the crack will behave over time? Again, any information is much appreciated. By the way, my Tribute is all packed and ready to go. To be picked up today. We already said our goodbyes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pin Posted April 17, 2013 Share Posted April 17, 2013 Chaps, the Tribute Plus guitars do indeed have a hard maple cap on top of which is the paper thin flame veneer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluemans335 Posted April 17, 2013 Share Posted April 17, 2013 Chaps, the Tribute Plus guitars do indeed have a hard maple cap on top of which is the paper thin flame veneer. Yes. That's one way they keep the price down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark L Posted April 17, 2013 Author Share Posted April 17, 2013 Chaps, the Tribute Plus guitars do indeed have a hard maple cap on top of which is the paper thin flame veneer. Pardon my ignorance on this matter, Pin. It has only been a little over 2 months since I bought my very first Epiphone Les Paul. And the Tribute is already my 3rd. Maybe I should slow down and try to learn a little bit more about them. Again, thank you for your replies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.