Gibson Acoustic Neck Lacquer problem?

[VincentG]

I bought a brand new j-45 4 years ago. I have played it like maybe one hour everyday, sometimes more on holidays and during summer. Now after those few years, the back of my guitar neck looks like I ripped off the lacquer. Is it something I need to be concern about or that I should "fix" to avoid problems in the future? 

Edited September 18, 2019 by VincentG

[kidblast]

I have Gibson guitars that are close to 25 years old, and the necks pretty much look like the did as new.

I wonder if something was touching the back of the neck for a long duration, or "often" where that interacted with the finish. 

For example,  Like a strap in the case that is lying on the same spot where the neck supports on the case are, so the guitar rests on the strap in the case instead of the case's material?   That's kind of what that looks like in the first photo.  the second, hard to say, looks like something knocked into the wood there.

[VincentG]

59 minutes ago, kidblast said:

I have Gibson guitars that are close to 25 years old, and the necks pretty much look like the did as new.

I wonder if something was touching the back of the neck for a long duration, or "often" where that interacted with the finish. 

For example,  Like a strap in the case that is lying on the same spot where the neck supports on the case are, so the guitar rests on the strap in the case instead of the case's material?   That's kind of what that looks like in the first photo.  the second, hard to say, looks like something knocked into the wood there.

 

No, It's been guitar stands almost the whole time. The back of the neck was only in contact with my hands, Capo and the microfiber clothes I would use to wipe it clean from sweat and gunk. 

Especially the first year, the neck was sticky during spring and summer so I would wipe it clean energically everyday with a microfiber cloth. But that's it. The guitar only went into an Hiscox case maybe one time a year when flying away with it!

[kidblast]

That does seem unusual for a 4 yr old guitar.  I get the sticky thing tho.. they all will do that. 

And if the stand wasn't safe for nitro, I'd expect the problem to be only where it was resting on the neck support, but not the whole neck like that.

Not sure what can be done tho other than bufffing smooth with 00000 steel wool or some sort of rubbing compound and I'm not so sure I'd do that either

maybe someone else can offer advice.  you could try the acoustic guitar forum too, there's a number of builders and repair types that frequent the pages there.

[VincentG]

1 hour ago, kidblast said:

That does seem unusual for a 4 yr old guitar.  I get the sticky thing tho.. they all will do that. 

And if the stand wasn't safe for nitro, I'd expect the problem to be only where it was resting on the neck support, but not the whole neck like that.

Not sure what can be done tho other than bufffing smooth with 00000 steel wool or some sort of rubbing compound and I'm not so sure I'd do that either

maybe someone else can offer advice.  you could try the acoustic guitar forum too, there's a number of builders and repair types that frequent the pages there.

Thank you very much for your time and advices! 

[Buc McMaster]

No offense intended, but that looks like abuse to my eye.  There are narrow, tangled-looking lines apparently drawn in the finish, like you were wearing a ring or something that scarred it.  Any kids in the house that might have mishandled the guitar?  I've seen older instruments with chunks out of the neck finish like this one shows, generally from being leaned on a table/desk, an amplifier or some such as that.  This does not look like a bad finish bubbling up or peeling......looks like abuse.

 

[VincentG]

9 hours ago, Buc McMaster said:

No offense intended, but that looks like abuse to my eye.  There are narrow, tangled-looking lines apparently drawn in the finish, like you were wearing a ring or something that scarred it.  Any kids in the house that might have mishandled the guitar?  I've seen older instruments with chunks out of the neck finish like this one shows, generally from being leaned on a table/desk, an amplifier or some such as that.  This does not look like a bad finish bubbling up or peeling......looks like abuse.

 

Abuse? No, really nothing like that. I have no kids, no pets, and I don’t even wear rings. 

Now, my girlfriend would pick up the guitar sometimes to sing a tune and she may wear rings, as I have a couple of buddys that have played this guitar at my place to jam and they might wear a wedding ring... But I don’t know if any of that qualifies as abuse, and for 95% of the playtime the guitar had, it’s my ringeless hands. 

[Cabarone]

I might be totally wrong, but the top photo looks like the finish is just wearing off...a whole lot more than I'd expect on a 4-year old...the second shot looks like nicks, as if something dug into it...weird...

Edited September 19, 2019 by Cabarone

[jvi]

perhaps a call to Gibson could shed some light... there is good info here as well no doubt- J

[VincentG]

On 9/19/2019 at 10:43 AM, Cabarone said:

I might be totally wrong, but the top photo looks like the finish is just wearing off...a whole lot more than I'd expect on a 4-year old...the second shot looks like nicks, as if something dug into it...weird...

I know, it does look weird. But I have no reason to lie about what kind of treatment the guitar was exposed to, I just came here to get advices and maybe be reassured as to wether I needed or not to do something about it. It does not prevent me in any way to play my guitar like I always did. 

 

16 hours ago, jvi said:

perhaps a call to Gibson could shed some light... there is good info here as well no doubt- J

I could try and contact them, absolutely! That's a good idea!

[Cabarone]

I wasn't suggesting you weren't  being honest...sorry if it came across like that...it's really weird to see that kind of wear...

[QuestionMark]

The same thing happened to my 1972 SJD about 20 years ago.  The neck was in pristine shape from the time I bought it new and then its finish on the back just started kinda flaking in one spot and then it kept spreading, until it just stopped.  And, then it stayed that way, no more and no less.  

The thing is there are tons of vintage Gibson necks that I’ve seen at vintage guitar shows  that look exactly the same way.   Not all of them could have been abused as it’s too consistently the same in some, but not all cases.  I could never figure out what happened to mine, but I I do know that once it started it spread until it just stopped and then hasn’t since gotten worse.  So, I suspect it had to do with some kind of interact of the nitrocellulose with the environment or maybe some kind of natural or sped up drying out of some kind that once it started had to run its course.  It doesn’t effect the guitar’s playing in any way and like I said, there are tons of vintage Gibson’s where apparently the same thing has happened.  If anyone can more scientifically figure it out why it just seemed to happen on mine or the poster’s or the many vintage Gibsons I’ve seen at various seemingly random times, hope you’ll jump in.  I personally quit thinking about the surface flaking/loss of finish on mine years ago, but this post made me remember how I was like what the hey when it started and then stopped on that guitar in my collection.

QM aka “Jazzman”  Jeff

[VincentG]

8 hours ago, Cabarone said:

I wasn't suggesting you weren't  being honest...sorry if it came across like that...it's really weird to see that kind of wear...

No problem mate!

6 hours ago, QuestionMark said:

The same thing happened to my 1972 SJD about 20 years ago.  The neck was in pristine shape from the time I bought it new and then its finish on the back just started kinda flaking in one spot and then it kept spreading, until it just stopped.  And, then it stayed that way, no more and no less.  

The thing is there are tons of vintage Gibson necks that I’ve seen at vintage guitar shows  that look exactly the same way.   Not all of them could have been abused as it’s too consistently the same in some, but not all cases.  I could never figure out what happened to mine, but I I do know that once it started it spread until it just stopped and then hasn’t since gotten worse.  So, I suspect it had to do with some kind of interact of the nitrocellulose with the environment or maybe some kind of natural or sped up drying out of some kind that once it started had to run its course.  It doesn’t effect the guitar’s playing in any way and like I said, there are tons of vintage Gibson’s where apparently the same thing has happened.  If anyone can more scientifically figure it out why it just seemed to happen on mine or the poster’s or the many vintage Gibsons I’ve seen at various seemingly random times, hope you’ll jump in.  I personally quit thinking about the surface flaking/loss of finish on mine years ago, but this post made me remember how I was like what the hey when it started and then stopped on that guitar in my collection.

QM aka “Jazzman”  Jeff

 

Ok, that is very interesting. I do not care whatsoever what my guitar looks like and if it stills sounds and feels great in many years to come, then what happened isn't that important. Though I am a bit curious like you seems to be. 

I have friends spending all their savings on vintage guitars in player grade just because they sound so good. The rest is a matter of taste I guess!  

[slimt]

You wear rings? Lean it up against a coffee or end table?  Where you live at.  Is it humid or hot? 

[jbeecham]

I don't know if the finish on that guitar is nitro, but if it is, it is sensitive to certain chemicals found in bug repellant, sunscreen etc. 

Jerry

[Keefoman]

All Gibsons are nitro finished.

[chasAK]

The first thing that comes to my mind in the top picture is a reaction to the material on the stand.

[slimt]

2 hours ago, chasAK said:

The first thing that comes to my mind in the top picture is a reaction to the material on the stand.

 

True enough. I had one that had chunks of finish  crumble from a guitar stand.    

[drathbun]

First thing that came to my mind was the finish being softened by bug repellent on player's hands. Just once is enough to soften the nitro finish and then it gets tacky and wears, flakes and chips off.