SteveFord Posted December 16, 2013 Share Posted December 16, 2013 I just changed strings and polished my 03 LP Studio and the back of the guitar is getting checkering - right now it's just longitudinal lines (running from the base of the body up towards the neck). Has anyone else run into this? The guitar just sits on a stand and is nowhere near a heat vent or window. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjsinla Posted December 16, 2013 Share Posted December 16, 2013 I just changed strings and polished my 03 LP Studio and the back of the guitar is getting checkering - right now it's just longitudinal lines (running from the base of the body up towards the neck). Has anyone else run into this? The guitar just sits on a stand and is nowhere near a heat vent or window. That looks pretty severe. Was that a gloss or faded finish? BTW, it's called "checking" when the finish cracks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crust Posted December 16, 2013 Share Posted December 16, 2013 only on the back ? No evidence of that condition on the front or sides ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crust Posted December 16, 2013 Share Posted December 16, 2013 Has there been any rapid change in temperature in the room where you keep that ? Seems odd it's only on the back. Did you play it after you came in from the cold (or warm) and maybe somehow caused a rapid temp change on the back ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
btoth76 Posted December 16, 2013 Share Posted December 16, 2013 Hello! I`ve never seen finish checking on recently made Gibsons. I have it on my '78 Recording. They don`t use the laquer they did in the 60s/70s. My guitars - unfortunately - are exposed to frequent temperature and humidity changes, still they don`t crack. Neither the high-gloss ones, nor the thin "worn" finished Studio. Yours is a strange case. Cheers... Bence Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pippy Posted December 16, 2013 Share Posted December 16, 2013 I agree with the others who say it's odd that the checking is only on the back. My 1960 Re-Issue has developed extensive checking in the last four years or so but it has appeared all over the body and not just in one place. The affected guitar is kept in exactly the same conditions and within just a few meters of 3 other LPs and none of the others has shown any propensity to follow suit. P. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveFord Posted December 16, 2013 Author Share Posted December 16, 2013 Sorry, checking it is. Yeah, just on the back, nowhere else and it's a gloss. The marks on the front by the knobs are just flash reflection. It's an odd one and no, no sudden temperature changes or anything like that. It lives by a bureau in the bedroom. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pippy Posted December 16, 2013 Share Posted December 16, 2013 A few more questions for you if you don't mind, Steve? Do you take the guitar gigging? How long have you owned the guitar? If you bought it used do you have any idea how it was kept by a previous owner? When did you notice the very first signs of the checking? Did it appear pretty much all at once or has it developed over a period of time? If the latter; a long or short period of time? Is the place where it rests next to an exterior or interior wall? Does the room have reasonably stable temp. and humidity throughout the year? FWIW I meant to say my 'affected' R-I is a '95. P. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie brown Posted December 16, 2013 Share Posted December 16, 2013 Looks more like "buckle rash" type scratches to me. Especially that circular worn area. If you don't wear a buckle, while playing, the rivets on your jeans, can do that, as well. CB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveFord Posted December 17, 2013 Author Share Posted December 17, 2013 I'd say it's two foot from an exterior wall and there's some temperature and humidity change but nothing really extreme. My other guitars aren't going berserk, knock on wood. I've had this guitar for about 5 years now but seldom play it so it happened sometime in the last year. It's not gigged and I'm always really careful about covering pocket rivets and the like. I'm not the original owner and there was some marks but not like this. The front of it also developed this one weird "sitz mark" on it - almost like fish eye in a paint job where it pushes the paint away. I always used Gibson's spray polish on it. I guess if it gets too severe I'll strip it down and start from scratch. From what I gather this is not common to the model. I forgot to mention that what wood grain pattern there is has become more prominent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rct Posted December 17, 2013 Share Posted December 17, 2013 The whitish appearance indicates moisture under the finish. rct Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quapman Posted December 17, 2013 Share Posted December 17, 2013 Looks more like "buckle rash" type scratches to me. Especially that circular worn area. If you don't wear a buckle, while playing, the rivets on your jeans, can do that, as well. CB I agree,, although the area it covers is way beyond buckle rash. But still,, it looks more like abrasion to me than checking. The checking I am used to seeing is more like cracks. That looks more like abrasion. Weird. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crust Posted December 17, 2013 Share Posted December 17, 2013 looks like something might of spilled on it..maybe before finishing, looks like "runs"/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjsinla Posted December 17, 2013 Share Posted December 17, 2013 I just changed strings and polished my 03 LP Studio and the back of the guitar is getting checkering - right now it's just longitudinal lines (running from the base of the body up towards the neck). Has anyone else run into this? The guitar just sits on a stand and is nowhere near a heat vent or window. Would it be possible for you to get a Photobucket account and post links here to those pics so that we can see them in a larger format? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pippy Posted December 17, 2013 Share Posted December 17, 2013 Would it be possible for you to get a Photobucket account and post links here to those pics so that we can see them in a larger format? Yes. This would certainly help us see the effect better. ...The checking I am used to seeing is more like cracks....Weird. I agree. Weird. FWIW here's a snap of my R0 mentioned earlier. This is the more usual type of Checking (AFAIK); P. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie brown Posted December 17, 2013 Share Posted December 17, 2013 I agree,, although the area it covers is way beyond buckle rash. But still,, it looks more like abrasion to me than checking. The checking I am used to seeing is more like cracks. That looks more like abrasion. Weird. Agreed, but if he's in the Pete Townsend mode, or doing the running and jumping all over the stage, that some players do, these days, that kind of long scratching could occur. Just a thought. CB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjsinla Posted December 18, 2013 Share Posted December 18, 2013 Agreed, but if he's in the Pete Townsend mode, or doing the running and jumping all over the stage, that some players do, these days, that kind of long scratching could occur. Just a thought. CB Also, he stated that the marks appeared after the guitar had been sitting for a while. I'm hoping he will post more, bigger, pics as it is hard to tell what he is calling 'checking." From the pic, it almost looks like the finish is breaking down due to a chemical or something. Remember those guitar stands in the 80's that where tearing up finishes? I had a Strat that looked as if the finish was cracking in some spots and melting in others. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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