Jump to content
Gibson Brands Forums

Explorer Lacquer Crack - how back is it


Recommended Posts

Hi guys, First time poter but long time lurker now I need some advice. My missus picked me up a 2008 classic white explorer for xmas from a stores close out sale, unfortunatly while I was cleaning it yesterday I spotted a lacquer crack at the neck join, it only goes about 2/3rd's down one side and seems stable, I sent a picture of over to my tech and says it should fine just want some extra opinions.

25461915578_c041fc46b4_h.jpg

 

The thing that does have me confused it that in looks like the store replaced the nut as well, when tuning the Low E doesn't want to stay in tune - I know the nut is a c**p plastic one that the slots are poorly cut and am hoping its just binding in the nut, the other strings seem fine but the crack has me worried. Any advice would be fantastic

 

Current Gibsons

 

1982 Spirit 1 (Tim Shaw humbucker)

2008 Explorer

2012 Les Paul Clasic Custom

2012 SG 50s Tribute

2014 Les Paul Traditional

2017 Firebird T

Link to comment
Share on other sites

is there a similar crack on the other side of the neck joint?

 

What is interesting here tho, is the place where a crack would be the most suspicious to being a problem would be if it was on the bottom of the joint. Where that still (from the photo) looks solid, it's very likely this would be just cosmetic. I kind of agree with your luthier. something to keep an eye on I guess, but it's probably nothing to sweat.

 

Regarding the nut, They're NEVER cut right it seems.. easily rectified with a setup. Does it help if you use any kind of lubricant in the not slots (like Big Bends Nut Sauce?)?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

is there a similar crack on the other side of the neck joint?

 

What is interesting here tho, is the place where a crack would be the most suspicious to being a problem would be if it was on the bottom of the joint. Where that still (from the photo) looks solid, it's very likely this would be just cosmetic. I kind of agree with your luthier. something to keep an eye on I guess, but it's probably nothing to sweat.

 

Regarding the nut, They're NEVER cut right it seems.. easily rectified with a setup. Does it help if you use any kind of lubricant in the not slots (like Big Bends Nut Sauce?)?

 

 

Thanks for the reply,

 

No thats the only sign of a crack, nothing along the bottom or the other side [biggrin]

 

I know most makers skrimp on the nut material but this one is really really cheap plastic even lubing it doesn't help. cant really open the slots up either as theres virtually no play above the first fret. I also think that the bridge has been swapped, when it arrived the intonation was all over the place and the bridge saddles look cheap (not a big problem as its going for a full setup in the new year, Graphtech saddle savers and nut)

 

Normally I wouldn't overly stress but with it being a gift I just like to make sure. I have a fairly large collection of guitars (112 and counting) and have never seen a stress fracture just on one side like this so was just checking.

 

Thanks again

 

If your interested in seeing my modest collection click on the link below

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/76319442@N04/albums/72157632741036277

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I know if this were my guitar, I would have a qualified Luthier (Hopefully a Gibson warranty station) do a full inspection on it.

If you didn't have the tuning stability issue I would be less concerned, but with the these two complaints together, this could be a neck joint issue.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for the reply,

 

No thats the only sign of a crack, nothing along the bottom or the other side [biggrin]

 

I know most makers skrimp on the nut material but this one is really really cheap plastic even lubing it doesn't help. cant really open the slots up either as theres virtually no play above the first fret. I also think that the bridge has been swapped, when it arrived the intonation was all over the place and the bridge saddles look cheap (not a big problem as its going for a full setup in the new year, Graphtech saddle savers and nut)

 

Normally I wouldn't overly stress but with it being a gift I just like to make sure. I have a fairly large collection of guitars (112 and counting) and have never seen a stress fracture just on one side like this so was just checking.

 

Thanks again

 

If your interested in seeing my modest collection click on the link below

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/76319442@N04/albums/72157632741036277

 

 

that is quite the collection! some impressive stuff!

 

With a used axe, it sure is hard to really know what happened, that could be a result of mishap, (impact damage) that it is one only one side like that is peculiar to me, but who knows?

 

 

regarding the nut problems.. I'd probably just go for a new nut and hopefully solve some of these problems. good luck.. let us know how it turns out.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...

I see that hairline crack a lot on glued neck guitars. I'm not sure why manufacturers forget that the neck will flex in that area and just paint over it like it'll never move.

 

Glued necks shouldn't be moving at all. The neck joint doesn't flex, but the finish shrinks down over time and the joint seam causes the finish to check. If it were caused by the actual neck joint flexing, you'd have bigger problems than finish checking.

 

Bend on the neck and see if the crack opens up (it shouldn't). If it does, then that is a rare occurrence of a broken or improper neck joint. If it doesn't move then it's normal finish checking due to aging.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Nitro seems to crack easily, doesn't it?

 

Just noticed something that looks like this on the side of the nut:

 

 

---

| \ <---- white nut

|___\_________________________________

L___| <--crack formation --- Neck

 

The line indicating the neck should be black btw. Looks like the base of the nut is painted over. The cracks are forming like a little "pocket" underneath the white of the nut.

 

I'm assuming the wood has shrunk, and the Tektoid hasn't, since it hasn't banged into anything or anything like that.

 

So much for a humidified room in this country.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Nitro seems to crack easily, doesn't it?

 

Just noticed something that looks like this on the side of the nut:

 

 

---

| \ <---- white nut

|___\_________________________________

L___| <--crack formation --- Neck

 

The line indicating the neck should be black btw. Looks like the base of the nut is painted over. The cracks are forming like a little "pocket" underneath the white of the nut.

 

I'm assuming the wood has shrunk, and the Tektoid hasn't, since it hasn't banged into anything or anything like that.

 

So much for a humidified room in this country.

 

The nut sits flush with the top of the neck wood (bottom of the fingerboard). What you see is normal and a common place for finish checking to start.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...