Christian96 Posted January 28, 2022 Share Posted January 28, 2022 My 59 Les Paul reissue came to me brand new. Everything was absolutely perfect besides the fretboard. On every fret, too and bottom there are gouges where it seems the craftsman might of began to cut the fret slots but moved them a 1/8 in down instead. Besides that it’s a beautiful instrument and a joy to play. If anyone can give me some insight on whether I should look into having Gibson fix the blemishes or if it’s a common thing that I shouldn’t worry about. The only reason I’m even considering sending it in to get fixed is because of its price tag. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparquelito Posted January 28, 2022 Share Posted January 28, 2022 Wow. I have never in my life seen such a thing. How did you come to acquire the guitar?😐 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merciful-evans Posted January 28, 2022 Share Posted January 28, 2022 I've seen this on some newer Gibsons. It looks like fettling marks. Perhaps where finishing the fret ends? I know what you mean about the price tag. I cant in all conscience advise you as to what to do. If it bugs you enough then talk to the supplier. Personally I think I would accept it. On this subject, I watched one of Phil McKnight's videos (the long 2+ hour ones) yesterday evening and he said of Gibson. If you're going to love Gibson there will be little flaws, you need to know and live with that. That's not a proper quote, but the gist of what he said. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karloff Posted January 28, 2022 Share Posted January 28, 2022 typically imperfections don't bother me as long as I like how it plays & feels, as long as the imperfection does not affect it's playability. but I imagine that guitar had a pretty hefty price tag and I would expect it to be near perfect ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fortyearspickn Posted January 28, 2022 Share Posted January 28, 2022 Assuming you've selected the 2 or 3 worst gouges and magnified them 3x, I would be more worried about the process a 'repair person' might take causing other issues, not so visible to the not so naked eye. Especially if the worst are down around the 12th fret on the bass side, where I rarely Venture. But, of course, it's your scratch and it's not perfect. Most of the gouges aren't as deep as the grain in the wood. Might not be as noticeable with strings on it whilst playing. If you can bring it back to where you purchased it and ask for a replacement - that might be the safest route. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidblast Posted January 28, 2022 Share Posted January 28, 2022 (edited) believe or not, it's kind of "normal" it's not pretty. it's just sloppy work on the fret finishing stage. I've seen worse. you may be able to smooth some of it out with some 0000 steel or brass wool, just buff the neck in the direction of the grain. it will put a shine on those frets too. make sure to cover the pickups with something like painter's tape first. use some compressed air or a clean paint brush to remove the "dust" from the wool. (Brass wool will make less of a mess) Edited January 28, 2022 by kidblast Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NighthawkChris Posted January 28, 2022 Share Posted January 28, 2022 I have 2 R9s from 2019 and they are similarly affected. It shouldn’t be something to worry about if it were me. I see the scraping marks on tons of bound neck Gibsons. If your guitar plays good I wouldn’t worry overall. Mine have binding bleed going on as well so prepare for that. Well.. one does this the other doesn’t. I like it TBH. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badbluesplayer Posted January 28, 2022 Share Posted January 28, 2022 There needs to be some crime scene tape around that. I've had worse - my 2007 ES-339 was like that. But I've had wayyy better. I've always wondered why that happens. Not sure if that's from some filing or maybe it's from scraping the binding? You'd have to be awfully heavy handed to do that. Maybe that's how bad they were in 1959? Nah, no way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt. Pepper Posted January 28, 2022 Share Posted January 28, 2022 In case you were unaware Gibson has rabid beavers chew the paint off the binding after the paint department gets though with it. No but seriously they have people scrape the paint off the binding with razor blades. Must have been a 3 joint lunch that day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NighthawkChris Posted January 28, 2022 Share Posted January 28, 2022 Those marks look like it was carried out of the store in someone’s pants… 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt. Pepper Posted January 28, 2022 Share Posted January 28, 2022 8 minutes ago, NighthawkChris said: Those marks look like it was carried out of the store in someone’s pants… Is that were the term razor d-ick came from? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John P Posted January 28, 2022 Share Posted January 28, 2022 Tooling marks. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zigzag Posted January 29, 2022 Share Posted January 29, 2022 That looks bad. Make sure you've kept all of the paperwork at sale. If it is too late to return it to the seller, take pictures, contact Gibson customer service and send them pics. They will advise you from there. Looks to me like sloppy work on the fretboard, binding and frets. If Gibson thinks it's bad enough, they'll tell you to ship it to them for evaluation. If they're serious enough to tell you to ship it and pay that shipping cost, it is very likely they'll agree to replace it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rct Posted January 29, 2022 Share Posted January 29, 2022 I can only speak for two other American guitar companies when I say I have not ever seen that on theirs, not in 50 plus years of playing. Taylor and Pauls guitars I've never cared enough about to even look at, so I can't speak for them. rct Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mihcmac Posted January 29, 2022 Share Posted January 29, 2022 Looks like machining marks, like from a CNC that wasn't setup right. Maybe.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christian96 Posted February 4, 2022 Author Share Posted February 4, 2022 On 1/28/2022 at 8:35 AM, fortyearspickn said: Assuming you've selected the 2 or 3 worst gouges and magnified them 3x, I would be more worried about the process a 'repair person' might take causing other issues, not so visible to the not so naked eye. Especially if the worst are down around the 12th fret on the bass side, where I rarely Venture. But, of course, it's your scratch and it's not perfect. Most of the gouges aren't as deep as the grain in the wood. Might not be as noticeable with strings on it whilst playing. If you can bring it back to where you purchased it and ask for a replacement - that might be the safest route. They’re all the same. It’s the angle of which the light is hitting the fretboard that makes these appear worse than the others. They’re all nearly identical Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pinch Posted February 4, 2022 Share Posted February 4, 2022 (edited) HMy LP has tooling marks on a couple frets. Every one? They should cut the price by a lot. I know I've let **** slide over the years too, and the marks may only be a cosmetic thing, but Gibson really should have QC as good as their tones at their prices. You won't find a MIM Strat leaving the factory looking like that. None I've seen anyway. It shouldn't be an anxiety-ridden ordeal plonking down hard-earned cash for a new guitar. Edited February 4, 2022 by Pinch Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt. Pepper Posted February 4, 2022 Share Posted February 4, 2022 Any body want to use Tooling Marks as a band name. If not I'm changing Nut Wrinkles to Tooling Marks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fortyearspickn Posted February 5, 2022 Share Posted February 5, 2022 19 hours ago, Christian96 said: They’re all the same. It’s the angle of which the light is hitting the fretboard that makes these appear worse than the others. They’re all nearly identical In that case, if I were me, I'd return it to the Gibson Dealer, ask for a refund and tell them to call you when they get one in that is 100%, AFTER they've don't THEIR due diligence ! G'luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christian96 Posted February 22, 2022 Author Share Posted February 22, 2022 Thank you for your advice! I’ll see what I can do Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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