Gibson Advanced Jumbo Historic Collection

[SanQ]

My 2005 Gibson Advanced Jumbo (Historic Collection) is falling apart. I don't know what to do. Can it be fixed under that lifetime warranty that it was supposed to be covered under when it was bought?

 

Here are some pictures of the damage...

 

Photo 1 and 2: Where the neck is attached at the body, it is cracking. I'm worried that it's going to snap completely.

 

Photo 3: The bridge is lifting.

 

Photo 4: The top has hairline cracks, starting at the bridge going all the way to the binding.

 

I just don't get why this is happening. In the past couple of years it's been getting worse. Now it's unplayable just as I was about to sell it.

 

What should I do? How much will it cost to repair? Is this a major job?

[Lars68]

Does the relative humidity drop in the fall/winter where you live? If so, have you kept the guitar humidified?

 

Lars

[MorrisrownSal]

This looks to be a major job, and humidity related. If you are the original owner I would call the customer guys in Bozemon. When I see that crack in the upper bout, it means to me the neck is pulling into the body. I saw this on an Epiphone AJ500M i bought years ago, and I returned it. I dont think it is a cheap fix, although a lifting bridge may be.

 

If you dont get a good answer here, you should try to post in the http://umgf.com/ technical section. I would want to hear what Frank Ford (Frets), Tippie (John at Blues Creek Guitars), or John Arnold have to say about your guitar.

 

If you are not the original owner, and the warranty does not apply, I would contact Brothers Music in WindGap PA. I would not let anyone near me touch it save for them. If you are, however, I would stop posting about your guitar and just call them and make sure you speak to the guys in Bozemon... Maybe Jeremy Morton, who used to work for Gibson, can point you here to the right contact information. I believe you will get farther by talking with them and being nice (no reason to think that you wouldn't... I only bring this up because some people + the internet = dangerous).

[blindboygrunt]

Yeah , its gonna be hard to prove that these issues are not the result of neglect.

Im not saying they are the result of neglect , but considering there are guitars kicking around at a hundred years old that dont have issues and yours looks to me that its been in places it shouldnt have been

[rct]

I've had guitars from super cheap to super expensive in all kindsa weather and all kindsa conditions and none of them came close to that. Lifting bridge is never good but not too hard to fix. The crack there at the neck seems alarming, more alarming than the cracks in the top.

 

I wouldn't listen to crackpots like me on the internet, I'd get to the nearest Gibson dealer and get a warranty claim started and make them tell you "NO".

 

rct

[BigKahune]

... its gonna be hard to prove that these issues are not the result of neglect. ...

 

+1

 

Looks like possibly humidity levels were neglected and the guitar got very dry and cracked. The crack by the neck on bass side makes it look like there's movement around the neck block. If you haven't already, loosen the strings to prevent more damage, and get the guitar into an appropriate humidity level.

 

If you're the original owner get it checked out by an authorized Gibson dealer/shop for warranty coverage.

 

If you bought it used, you'll have to decide if you want to put money into a repair or sell it as is. Find a luthier/shop to evaluate the damage and give you a repair estimate.

 

 

.

[kidblast]

Wow, this all does look humidity related. Have you kept this guitar at least in the case? I'm going to take a leap of faith and say that you've never had any RH control devices (like dampits, or case humidifiers?) Either way, that's water under the bridge at this point. If you are the original owner, I would definitely see what the warranty is going to cover. if you bought it used,, sorry to say the warranty is not valid, so that's not an avenue for you.

 

A bridge reset in these parts (Central Mass USA) is around 400 bucks give or take.

 

the cracks at the sound hole where the neck joint is,, looks pretty serious. That's usually caused by a severely sunken top, which is quite often caused by lack of moisture in the wood.

 

I'm not sure what Gibson's terms are, (you may want read a warranty online somewhere on the gibson site?) but I do know for example, that Taylor will check the RH levels of the wood when they take in the repair, and they are not liable for any warranty work if the instrument was not properly maintained with RH levels. it's right in their warranty.

 

At any rate, don't just post about it here, (although we will be interested in hearing how the story ends on this) but we can't help you, we're all bozos on this bus.

 

You need to make some phone calls to Gibson customer service asap.

 

Good luck

/Ray

[MissouriPicker]

Sorry for the guitar issues you are having. It does look to be humidity related. In 50+ years of owning guitars, never had one do that. I've got a 70 year-old cheapie that hasn't done that. Hope you can get it resolved.....and dealing with humidity is not difficult, but it is necessary. In consistently dry areas, it's very necessary. I keep a humidifier in my guitar room and it's usually somewhere just over 40%. Let us know what you find out.

[rct]

I see all the talk of humidity and my experience doesn't match.

 

Looks to me like something landed on the case or sat on it in the van, heavy enough or possibly enough blunt force trauma to mis-shape the top. Doesn't take much at 3am in Poughkeepsie. Puhkeapsee. You know.

 

rct

[blindboygrunt]

I see all the talk of humidity and my experience doesn't match.

 

Looks to me like something landed on the case or sat on it in the van, heavy enough or possibly enough blunt force trauma to mis-shape the top. Doesn't take much at 3am in Poughkeepsie. Puhkeapsee. You know.

 

rct

 

What i was thinking

[BigKahune]

.

^ It's possible that there could have been a physical incident that caused the damage. But the OP says "I just don't get why this is happening. In the past couple of years it's been getting worse. Now it's unplayable ...", so he apparently wasn't aware of such an incident.

 

I've seen this kind of damage from poor bracing designs - I remember Epiphone had trouble with collapsing tops in the 70s. I had an Epi 12 string that suffered from that. But that wouldn't be the problem with a Gibson AJ. . I've also seen this type of damage occur from the guitar being to dry. The cracks tend to occur in those places - either side of the neck into the sound hole, and below the bridge on the center seam or by the outside edges of the bridge. Here's a good chart on humidity effects by Dave's. Take a look at what is said about being 20% RH or lower.

 

.

[duluthdan]

Looks like the neck is being tugged into the body - evidenced by the cracks on both sides of the neck into the sound hole, and the lifting bridge. I have an Alvarez that this happened to, hardly ever played it, never humidified, and paid the price. Loosen the strings, and get thee to a Luthier.

[RichG]

Had a 1991 HD28 that did that, except for the cracks. Bridge lifted and needed a neck reset. I owned it since new and this happened around 2010. For most of it's life I did not adhere to any humidity recommendations. It got whatever it was which in the Northeast is pretty variable. Since I was the original owner, Martin fixed it at no cost to me except shipping. It did take several months. I now have a room humidifier where I store the boys and girls.

 

Rich

[modoc_333]

just because some guitars survive bad conditions, doesn't mean that this one isn't the result of neglect.... which is what I guess the assessment will be. I have seen plenty of guitar that are kept in less than ideal environments... many of them show these exact same issues.

 

it's not a case of "always" or "never". but this guitar does have the tell-tale signs of being dry.

 

 

 

 

Keith

[kidblast]

Doesn't take much at 3am in Poughkeepsie.

 

is 3 am in Poughkeepsie much different than 3 am at Sh*ts creak? Hard to say right?

 

I did see a sunken top create something similar to what we see in the picture with a martin 12 string,... as things move around, string tension (esp on a 12er) can be like karma,

a b***h

 

but hey who knows,, we've yet to hear a response from the owner to shed more light on this. We need investigative reporting, and eye witnesses, and if you can find an air tight alibi, we'll bring them too.. who's in?

[slimt]

My 2005 Gibson Advanced Jumbo (Historic Collection) is falling apart. I don't know what to do. Can it be fixed under that lifetime warranty that it was supposed to be covered under when it was bought?

 

Here are some pictures of the damage...

 

Photo 1 and 2: Where the neck is attached at the body, it is cracking. I'm worried that it's going to snap completely.

 

Photo 3: The bridge is lifting.

 

Photo 4: The top has hairline cracks, starting at the bridge going all the way to the binding.

 

I just don't get why this is happening. In the past couple of years it's been getting worse. Now it's unplayable just as I was about to sell it.

 

What should I do? How much will it cost to repair? Is this a major job?

 

how do you store this guitar? in a case? on a stand in a room? basement or main level? also.. Humidity could be a factor .. hows the headstock ? and back of the neck? just questions..

 

It almost looks like the Guitar may of been put in a layed back position causing the neck to shift forward to break the sound board.. it what it looks like to me anyways..

[jt]

Something softened the glue, allowing the top and maybe neck block to slip. Here's my bet as to the cause.

[chasAK]

Years ago one of our local shops had this happen when their humidifiers went down. The neck block may be a real issue. Keep it in a good environment for several weeks or longer and see what happens. Hopefully you will just have to get the cracks repaired.

 

ps. been gone a while and had a computer crash and die

 

[SanQ]

It had to be the temperature fluctuations. It most definitely was not due to any kind of damage where something was placed on the guitar or the case.

 

Where I live, we have hot summers and very cold and dry winters. I suspect that the temperature must have fluctuated one time too often. I use a sound hole humidifier but with the severe changes in weather, it's hard to know when to keep the guitar in it's case and when not to. For years I haven't had one problem with it. Though I have moved around a lot up until 2014 when I found a place. It must have happened on a very hot day.

 

I am the original owner.

[j45nick]

It had to be the temperature fluctuations. It most definitely was not due to any kind of damage where something was placed on the guitar or the case.

 

Where I live, we have hot summers and very cold and dry winters. I suspect that the temperature must have fluctuated one time too often. I use a sound hole humidifier but with the severe changes in weather, it's hard to know when to keep the guitar in it's case and when not to. For years I haven't had one problem with it. Though I have moved around a lot up until 2014 when I found a place. It must have happened on a very hot day.

 

I am the original owner.

 

 

If you purchased the guitar from an authorized dealer, it should at least be evaluated by Gibson to see if it could be a warranty issue. That is certainly the most extreme case of environment-related damage (if that's what it is) that I've ever seen.

 

As a general rule of thumb, guitars are best kept in their cases, with the weather monitored and appropriate steps taken to keep the guitar in a stable environment. Guitars can adapt to big changes in environmental conditions, as long as those changes do not take place suddenly. Keeping them in the case provides a buffer.

 

I left my 1948 J-45 in its case in an unheated storage unit in coastal Rhode Island for five years while my wife an I were out of the country. Temperature in there probably varied from up to 90 degrees on occasion, going down into the low teens in winter. Humidity varied in a similar fashion.

 

The guitar might have had a small amount of additional lacquer checking on the back when I got back, but it was still in relative tune, and none the worse for the conditions it went through.

 

Extremely low humidity is the worst thing for a guitar. Extreme heat and low humidity (like an Arizona summer) is the deadliest combination of all.

[SanQ]

If you purchased the guitar from an authorized dealer, it should at least be evaluated by Gibson to see if it could be a warranty issue. That is certainly the most extreme case of environment-related damage (if that's what it is) that I've ever seen.

 

As a general rule of thumb, guitars are best kept in their cases, with the weather monitored and appropriate steps taken to keep the guitar in a stable environment. Guitars can adapt to big changes in environmental conditions, as long as those changes do not take place suddenly. Keeping them in the case provides a buffer.

 

I left my 1948 J-45 in its case in an unheated storage unit in coastal Rhode Island for five years while my wife an I were out of the country. Temperature in there probably varied from up to 90 degrees on occasion, going down into the low teens in winter. Humidity varied in a similar fashion.

 

The guitar might have had a small amount of additional lacquer checking on the back when I got back, but it was still in relative tune, and none the worse for the conditions it went through.

 

Extremely low humidity is the worst thing for a guitar. Extreme heat and low humidity (like an Arizona summer) is the deadliest combination of all.

 

The place I bought the guitar from, Long and McQuade, they ordered it from Gibson and I believe they are an authorized dealer. Should I take it to them? I can't see them being able to help would they? My name is registered with Gibson in Montana as the original owner which was done shortly after purchase. I had them send a booklet for the guitar...or owners manual I think it was. Something like that.

[j45nick]

The place I bought the guitar from, Long and McQuade, they ordered it from Gibson and I believe they are an authorized dealer. Should I take it to them? I can't see them being able to help would they? My name is registered with Gibson in Montana as the original owner which was done shortly after purchase. I had them send a booklet for the guitar...or owners manual I think it was. Something like that.

 

 

It can't hurt to try, but I don't know what the warranty arrangements are outside the US.

[Anthony Buckeridge]

Quote: "I see all the talk of humidity and my experience doesn't match."

 

 

 

With respect to everyone here.

 

I would agree with this bold, assertive, statement by our Fellow Fora Friend, rct.

 

Like so many hereabouts, I always thoroughly enjoy his posts and am glad to say, I think he is right to somewhat disagree.

 

This is a not uncommon sight to Experienced Luthiers and usually the first suspect is that the Instrument has been subjected to Excessive Heat.

 

The Cracks along Places of Greatest Stress and the Clear Give are due to a Specific Environmental Cause, which in my opinion, should have been Recognised as a Clear Danger.

 

For that reason alone I would not have expected the Manufacturers to Repair the Instrument under a Lifetime Warrantee. And the Light under which they are likely to see and evaluate the problem is Owner Neglect.

 

Unfortunately, it is the case that sometimes Owners who should know better are Thoughtless, Lazy or Careless about the Care of their Instrument. Brilliant Guitarist, Julian Bream down the road from me, left his Priceless Classical Guitar in the back of a Small Car, Overnight in the Arctic Region once.

 

 

 

However, it was not Cold that affected this Guitar above, but Mainly Heat, too due to a similar carelessness.

 

Its Why the Fingerboard Area, Top Cracks have Appeared, and the Bridge is Lifting.

 

These are the Problems and Issues we can very easily see.

 

What else can't we see?

 

 

 

I would strongly suspect that there may be Additional Issues with Internal Struts and Braces, basically, anything at all that is Glued.

 

Though once the Guitar has Cooled and the Glue Re-hardens, it will hold together but possibly and probably not in a manner truly equating to its Original Shape.

 

A Recording Engineer friend of mine contacted me a while back because he left a 100 year Old Violin in the Back of his Car on a Hot and Humid Day. The Entire Instrument, Completely Fell Apart.

 

 

 

Its Temperature that is the Fundamental Active Agent with this Type of Repair.

 

 

 

This can All be Repaired.

 

But needs to be done well, by an Expert Luthier.

 

And will take a While to Repair Invisibly, even if that is a Possibility.

 

The Problem is, it will be Expensive, though it was Probably Avoidable and Unnecessary.

 

Send it to Gibson, go to Frets.Net or the Unofficial Martin Fora to get in Contact with Advice from Someone Local.

 

 

 

Owners of Fine Instruments have a Duty of Care.

 

So Take Proper Responsibility for Them.

 

And Use Common Sense.

[kidblast]

it's hard to know when to keep the guitar in it's case and when not to.

 

well maybe not everyone agrees with this, but unless you have a controlled environment where temp and RH can be monitored and maintained, which I personally don't really have, I keep guitars their cases and in the winter, try to be religious with sound hole humidifiers. a bit of a chore to keep those re-charged every few days for the acoustics, but it seems to work for me.

 

The place I bought the guitar from, Long and McQuade, they ordered it from Gibson and I believe they are an authorized dealer. Should I take it to them?

 

you should at least "Start" here. They'll be able to tell you what to expect from the Warranty, and they'll probably also be able to put you in contact with an authorized factory repair center.

 

Good luck, I really hope you can get your guitar repaired adequately.

[cody78]

 

 

Anthony, I think you may find the following useful;

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paragraph

 

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/edit

 

It's also common practise not to double space everything you write on here as it can become incredibly annoying for the reader. That's assuming the reader even bothers to read such a poorly written post.