Brucebubs Posted November 10, 2020 Share Posted November 10, 2020 Loving how my new Historic 1957 SJ-200 plays and sounds but I'm not impressed with the Truss Rod Cover - black over white but the black panel looks like it was cut out with a rusty butter knife - very rough around the edges. I have a bad feeling no-one is going to do anything about it - I contacted Gibson USA Customer Service and they passed the buck to the Australian distributor and they passed the buck on to the dealer who .. surprise, surprise .. hasn't replied to my emails or returned my call. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave F Posted November 10, 2020 Share Posted November 10, 2020 Does look a bit hokey. I would just order a nice one with J200Â engraved Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E-minor7 Posted November 10, 2020 Share Posted November 10, 2020 I wouldn't make a bigger fuzzz out of this. Screw it off, slip it in a plast-bag, put that in the case. Then seek and get the creme de la creme. . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brucebubs Posted November 10, 2020 Author Share Posted November 10, 2020 2 hours ago, E-minor7 said: I wouldn't make a bigger fuzzz out of this. Screw it off, slip it in a plast-bag, put that in the case. Then seek and get the creme de la creme. . Which is ... ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EuroAussie Posted November 10, 2020 Share Posted November 10, 2020 They can be easily bought, I bought a couple replacements but here in Europe via Thomann ... but Ill tell you what Bruce, forget about it. Tiny detail, you will have a ding on her soon anyways. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lars68 Posted November 10, 2020 Share Posted November 10, 2020 My first attempt would be to clean it up myself by scraping with a razor blade along the white edge. I bet that would help a lot. My second alternative would be to just order a new one. With that said, it shouldn't look like that and you shouldn't have to fix it yourself, but some things are not worth fighting for. Lars Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brucebubs Posted November 10, 2020 Author Share Posted November 10, 2020 I can find plenty of the correct shape covers but this black with wide white border is not so common. Any links would be greatly appreciated, thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted November 10, 2020 Share Posted November 10, 2020 9 hours ago, Brucebubs said: Which is ... ?  Our 1960 came with a repro TRC. While not as inky looking as yours it still just did not look right. I ended up digging up an orinal 1950s TRC. Not cheap though. Anyway there are always the usual suspects - eBay and Reverb. Also that thick white outline TRC was used on other Gibsons at various times such as the Byrdland. So you might want to widen your search. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fortyearspickn Posted November 10, 2020 Share Posted November 10, 2020 If I were me, I would get a small piece of very fine sandpaper (400+) and go over the edges of the black piece. Maybe painters  tape on the white piece, or just keep a thin piece of paper under it as you move around the edges of the  black piece.  I think all that happened there was that  = after the black piece was cut, it got into the parts bin before someone sanded the cut edges down.  Of course it will be a little tedious because the actual size is only half of the photo - but it will take less time than finding a suitable replacement and ordering it.  With the attendant risk it might be of lesser quality.. Just make sure you don't get one with three screws. That's a tip-off it's not OEM !   Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt. Pepper Posted November 10, 2020 Share Posted November 10, 2020 13 hours ago, Brucebubs said: Loving how my new Historic 1957 SJ-200 plays and sounds but I'm not impressed with the Truss Rod Cover - black over white but the black panel looks like it was cut out with a rusty butter knife - very rough around the edges. I have a bad feeling no-one is going to do anything about it - I contacted Gibson USA Customer Service and they passed the buck to the Australian distributor and they passed the buck on to the dealer who .. surprise, surprise .. hasn't replied to my emails or returned my call. Some would call that Custom. Yeah its not nice to look at. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dhanners623 Posted November 10, 2020 Share Posted November 10, 2020 I’m having trouble telling from the photo.... Is the black portion a separate piece that is inset into the white border piece? Maybe the glue melted the plastic? It does look out of place on a pricey guitar. What of finding a local woodworker or jeweler who could make something similar? Except with cleaner edges, of course. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt. Pepper Posted November 10, 2020 Share Posted November 10, 2020 2 minutes ago, dhanners623 said: I’m having trouble telling from the photo.... Is the black portion a separate piece that is inset into the white border piece? Maybe the glue melted the plastic? It does look out of place on a pricey guitar. What of finding a local woodworker or jeweler who could make something similar? Except with cleaner edges, of course. How about just get a Gibson TRC. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
62burst Posted November 10, 2020 Share Posted November 10, 2020 The original part is widely available, https://www.zzounds.com/item--GIBPRTR010?siid=126285&gclid=EAIaIQobChMItu2goaH47AIVicDICh1Yqg1oEAQYASABEgIF__D_BwE It’s supposed to be a black over white laminate,. I bought one of these replacements online… believe the new one also comes with the screws. Just don’t over tighten them, or it will crack. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j45nick Posted November 10, 2020 Share Posted November 10, 2020 6 minutes ago, 62burst said: The original part is widely available, https://www.zzounds.com/item--GIBPRTR010?siid=126285&gclid=EAIaIQobChMItu2goaH47AIVicDICh1Yqg1oEAQYASABEgIF__D_BwE It’s supposed to be a black over white laminate,. I bought one of these replacements online… believe the new one also comes with the screws. Just don’t over tighten them, or it will crack. Also, be careful removing and tightening the screws, as it is easy to damage the plating and slots on these tiny screws. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E-minor7 Posted November 10, 2020 Share Posted November 10, 2020 11 hours ago, Brucebubs said: Which is ... ? Been experimenting a lot with tr-shields, but admit I never touched this version. Taking a brief look over the BAY is quite surprising. I thought they were easier found.                                 The one burst62 presents doesn't really do it and this variation seems sloppy too - https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-flared-bell-truss-rod-cover-2-ply-w-screws-for-Gibson-Les-Paul-Custom/224014849627?hash=item342853565b:g:EQoAAOSwYJNaxRKj You have a challenge - Keep searching Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
62burst Posted November 10, 2020 Share Posted November 10, 2020 (edited) 16 minutes ago, E-minor7 said: ...doesn't really do it and this variation seems sloppy too -  I know you have been experimenting with other materials, and thought I remembered you having one of metal? The one I linked to is a two piece laminate, and is original equipment Gibson part number included, higher quality than the one Bruce currently has. Perhaps what you were seeing is the plastic that is part of its packaging. Edited November 10, 2020 by 62burst Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul14 Posted November 10, 2020 Share Posted November 10, 2020 I would contact Gibson again, & let them know of the run around you’re getting. I don’t see why they can’t put one in the mail. I just don’t get why they are making this so complicated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E-minor7 Posted November 10, 2020 Share Posted November 10, 2020 31 minutes ago, 62burst said: I know you have been experimenting with other materials, and thought I remembered you having one of metal? The one I linked to is a two piece laminate, and is original equipment Gibson part number included, higher quality than the one Bruce currently has. Perhaps what you were seeing is the plastic that is part of its packaging. The version behind your link is an ordinary white-line Gibson cover. The one in question is the traditional J-200 thing with a much fatter frame. Are we in synch. . Yes, been experimenting with metal, brass and leather - various identities in general. Still have some in plastic though. (Experimented with screw hue also 😙 )                                        Yet had to remove the thin black original plast-one on the 1953 J-45 the other day. It kept buzzing no matter how tight it went down. It now has a metal cover which spent over a year - that means 4 seasons - buried in soil, , , , outdoors. . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brucebubs Posted November 10, 2020 Author Share Posted November 10, 2020 I'm in contact with Gibson and let them know I feel like I'm being passed around at the moment - no-one wants to own it! Then there's always this .... Â Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul14 Posted November 10, 2020 Share Posted November 10, 2020 9 minutes ago, Brucebubs said: I'm in contact with Gibson and let them know I feel like I'm being passed around at the moment - no-one wants to own it! Then there's always this ....  If you are able, contact Montana. That’s who I have found to be the most helpful. Personally, I hate dealing with Nashville. Never had a bad experience with Bozeman. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brucebubs Posted November 10, 2020 Author Share Posted November 10, 2020 (edited) Update - store owner just got back to me and agreed the TRC is pretty poor quality and he's taking steps to replace it. Meanwhile, I found these on ebay here for $1.90 each, think I'll have a little fun with some white paint and see how it turns out. Edited November 10, 2020 by Brucebubs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brucebubs Posted November 10, 2020 Author Share Posted November 10, 2020 For the record, this is the difference between the wide white border TRC and more common type. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j45nick Posted November 11, 2020 Share Posted November 11, 2020 33 minutes ago, Brucebubs said: For the record, this is the difference between the wide white border TRC and more common type. The more common type looks a lot better to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul14 Posted November 11, 2020 Share Posted November 11, 2020 3 minutes ago, j45nick said: The more common type looks a lot better to me. I agree. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RBSinTo Posted November 11, 2020 Share Posted November 11, 2020 (edited) 4 hours ago, Brucebubs said: Update - store owner just got back to me and agreed the TRC is pretty poor quality and he's taking steps to replace it. Meanwhile, I found these on ebay here for $1.90 each, think I'll have a little fun with some white paint and see how it turns out. According to the descriptions and prices shown here on the Gibson website, this is a $6,000.00 (U.S.) instrument. For that kind of money, one would expect the Gibson Company to hand deliver a perfect replacement rather than ignoring the customer and simply leaving it up to someone else in the supply chain to possibly look after. I for one, am not impressed with what passes for their customer service. RBSinTo  Edited November 11, 2020 by RBSinTo 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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