zntrimble Posted December 13, 2020 Share Posted December 13, 2020 (edited) There is a smudgish-looking line where the carve is ...close to the neck (pictured). Is this common with gold top guitars due to the reflective nature of the finish or is this a blemish? Note - it dissapears and reappears under different lighting and angles so i believe its under the lacquer. It is not a shadow as i have experimented with putting paper next to it to cast/block shadows from the neck. Edited December 13, 2020 by zntrimble Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rabs Posted December 13, 2020 Share Posted December 13, 2020 Looks like a red arrow to me... 😄 Sorry... But more seriously... Its so minor I wouldnt be worried about it. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retired Posted December 13, 2020 Share Posted December 13, 2020 Well, It's not on my Gold Top Standard is all I can say. Mine is perfect. Whoever painted it, might have held the cup gun there a bit too long? If it bothers you, then send it back. That red arrow looks worse, Lol. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rct Posted December 13, 2020 Share Posted December 13, 2020 A ripple in the paint where it pooled a little. Got sanded out as far as possible. rct 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merciful-evans Posted December 13, 2020 Share Posted December 13, 2020 It looks fine. Not something that could concern me anyway. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparquelito Posted December 13, 2020 Share Posted December 13, 2020 It's what makes your gold-top wonderful and unique in all the world. 🙂 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LarryUK Posted December 13, 2020 Share Posted December 13, 2020 Is it the line? If you don't like it, send it back. I've sent guitars back. You wouldn't have a tv with a fault. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
01GT eibach Posted December 13, 2020 Share Posted December 13, 2020 The good news is that Gibson is only being beat up for small things like this instead of much more egregious defects. For me, my (recently purchased brand new) 2018 LP Classic Player Plus has a small defect/chip at the very top of the headstock. I know what caused my issue though. The guitar went into the cardboard box "headstock down" so that the side of the box with the "Top - This End" was actually the end with the body of the guitar and not the headstock. So the guitar, especially being a 2018 model, may have been resting on its headstock (in its case, though) for well over a year. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dub-T-123 Posted December 13, 2020 Share Posted December 13, 2020 Not that it really matters but you can’t sand metallic finishes so I disagree that it was a high spot sanded down. The metallic particles sometimes do not lay down in the same direction causing this effect. That’s basically why metallic finishes are more difficult to spray 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retired Posted December 13, 2020 Share Posted December 13, 2020 I'd take it, if I didn't already have one! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rct Posted December 13, 2020 Share Posted December 13, 2020 2 hours ago, Dub-T-123 said: Not that it really matters but you can’t sand metallic finishes so I disagree that it was a high spot sanded down. The metallic particles sometimes do not lay down in the same direction causing this effect. That’s basically why metallic finishes are more difficult to spray Yes, that's why I said sanded out as far as possible. Isn't much they can do if that happens, they can only rub out so much before they finish, so they left this one because it wasn't all that bad. rct Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rct Posted December 13, 2020 Share Posted December 13, 2020 Just now, rct said: ...they can only rub out so much before they finish... I'm the same way. rct 2 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanHenry Posted December 13, 2020 Share Posted December 13, 2020 It doesn't look much to worry about to me, however now that you've identified it there's always the problem that it's presence could bug you going forward, after all I'm presuming you're intending keeping and playing the guitar for years to come. At the end of the day it's your call. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LarryUK Posted December 14, 2020 Share Posted December 14, 2020 I've been looking for another 18 Classic. In gold or blue. I've always wanted a P90 red top/plain back LP and that is the cheapest way to get one. I looked at the M2M route but the price was ridiculous. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
btoth76 Posted December 14, 2020 Share Posted December 14, 2020 Hello. Looks to me like a sanding irregularity. My Goldtop looks like this too. I suspect, the builder tried to sand the escaping glue away after neck installation and gouged the top. Bence. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fortyearspickn Posted December 14, 2020 Share Posted December 14, 2020 Yeah, it's definitely gouged. Probably used a belt sander after a 3 martini lunch. Maybe a wood chisel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fortyearspickn Posted December 14, 2020 Share Posted December 14, 2020 Oh, and Welcome to the Forum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zntrimble Posted December 21, 2020 Author Share Posted December 21, 2020 (edited) On 12/14/2020 at 6:44 AM, fortyearspickn said: Oh, and Welcome to the Forum. Thanks. Update: I see from other angles there is some rough texture near it too. Definitely something was going on. Its a hard choice. I LOVE the feel and sound of this particular one - but that spot really is more noticible in real life than it is in the pic. It bothers me. I looked at another one at the same store since posting this and there is also a blemish - albeit smaller in the same general area - thought about exchanging it but there are other factors i didnt like anout that one like the back is lighter in color than mine. Gibson still struggling with quality a little? Thats a pretty visible spot to mess up. Its a gold “top”. Im sure its hard to finish but isnt that the most crucial place to get it right as far as the finish goes? Im curious if this spot is messed up fairly commonly on gold tops. Edited December 21, 2020 by zntrimble Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
01GT eibach Posted December 21, 2020 Share Posted December 21, 2020 1 hour ago, zntrimble said: ... Definitely something was going on. Its a hard choice. ... It bothers me ... I get where you are coming from. I was the one who posted above in this thread that I also recently bought a new Les Paul with a small flaw. For me, I was concerned that I would return the guitar and then get a replacement guitar with a (much worse to me) fret-edge problem, possibly a small dent in the neck, some screwed up binding or something even worse or a combination thereof. So for me, I opted to keep the original guitar to prevent that from occurring, also knowing the small headstock blemish is pretty small and where a guitar often will take real life bumps and bruises anyway. In your case, just by the words you used above, it sounds like you will always be second guessing yourself if you did keep it. Just return it, and get what you want. You are spending good money on this purchase. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
efj2008 Posted December 21, 2020 Share Posted December 21, 2020 On 12/12/2020 at 7:27 PM, zntrimble said: There is a smudgish-looking line where the carve is ...close to the neck (pictured). Is this common with gold top guitars due to the reflective nature of the finish or is this a blemish? Note - it dissapears and reappears under different lighting and angles so i believe its under the lacquer. It is not a shadow as i have experimented with putting paper next to it to cast/block shadows from the neck. How does it look from 5-10 feet away? can you take a picture of the entire guitar from a few feet away? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fortyearspickn Posted December 22, 2020 Share Posted December 22, 2020 On 12/14/2020 at 9:14 AM, ghost_of_fl said: If it was gouged, the paint would be sunken in that spot. Paint doesn't fill and level a surface. It’s called “sarcasm”. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Gibson Posted December 22, 2020 Share Posted December 22, 2020 Don't sweat the petty stuff,pet the sweaty stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retired Posted December 23, 2020 Share Posted December 23, 2020 Your pickup screws don't match either. One is a phillips and the other is a flat head. 🤥 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
efj2008 Posted December 23, 2020 Share Posted December 23, 2020 3 hours ago, Retired said: Your pickup screws don't match either. One is a phillips and the other is a flat head. 🤥 You are joking, correct? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retired Posted December 24, 2020 Share Posted December 24, 2020 18 hours ago, efj2008 said: You are joking, correct? Hi Grandpa. Joking? Yes, but just stating, that might bother someone, Haha. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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