Sonny Posted October 18, 2009 Share Posted October 18, 2009 Hi, I hope someone can answer or give thier opionion on what might be the issue with this 64' ES-335 neck, I got this from a friend who's dad played it for years but passed about 10 years ago. My friend sold it to me for cheap. I took it to a Gibson shop and the repair guy said everything was original but had an issue with the back of the neck. The paint is gone from just below the headstock to just above the body (See large pic, sorry tried to make it small but) He took a black light but did not see any cracks or repair work. The color from the dark sunburst does not match exactly the neck paint. From the strap knob up to the headstock. He believes someone tried to modify the paint? Could someone wear that paint off from playing? I think if you look at the top of the neck it matches the shape of your hand as you wrap it around the neck. Also would refretting the guitar take away from it's vintage value. The rest of the guitar is mint. My friend's dad babied this beauty and it rocks. I was a Tele man till I heard this tone it really is awesome. The case is in excellent shape. God does smile on us sometime.. Anyway I would appreciate any help cause I would like to know and ain't the expert. Sorry I will post better pics tomorrow. sonny Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
modoc_333 Posted October 18, 2009 Share Posted October 18, 2009 we would need better pictures (or in hand inspection) but it looks like they covered a break on the headstock. the blacklight wouldn't necessarily show this. if it was an old overspray then it would glow the same as the rest of the guitar, and if the repair was sanded smooth, and sprayed well, then you would see nothing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimR56 Posted October 18, 2009 Share Posted October 18, 2009 I don't go around calling myself an "expert" on anything, but I have some thoughts that I hope will help. First of all, it's not all that uncommon to see vintage guitars with the finish worn off the back of the neck like that. Sometimes it looks less "even" (evenly worn) than this, and sometimes people go ahead and sand it off to make it look more even after it's had some uneven natural wear from playing. Some players like the feel of a sanded neck, and will sand it off before it shows any wear. That was more common back in the days before guitars were worth as much as houses, though. If the neck is sanded and then oversprayed with a clear coat (leaving a non-uniform finish pattern, like on yours), it makes less sense that they sanded it in the first place. At any rate, that's a part of a guitar that sees a lot of contact with the player, plus it's on the back of the instrument, so opinions will vary on how big a deal it is. It's not like somebody did that to the guitar's top, which would be a bigger issue. Refinishing typically cuts the value of a vintage guitar roughly in half, but not necessarily if it's just the back of the neck. It's a little bit odd to see a guitar that has a worn or sanded neck when the rest of the guitar is minty, though. Typically, when a guitar has a bunch of wear on the back of the neck which has led to it being sanded or refinished, it means it's been played a lot, and the rest of the guitar will show some wear also. In this case, the back of your 335 looks like an original finish to me- and like you say, clean- so it's a little unusual. It's hard to tell for sure from the photos, but I'd say it's possible that somebody refinished the back of the headstock and upper neck, even if there was no break/repair. I'm not saying it's likely, but I've seen people do all kinds of things. Also, I've seen Gibsons where the original finish was quite a bit darker up around the lower headstock vs the heel area. But again, it's tough to say just from your photo. If a pro repairman couldn't detect any signs of a repair, that's a good sign, despite the cosmetic issues of the finish. I think the refretting thing is a little bit subjective. I've known guys who object to the idea of a nice vintage piece being refretted, but to me it's only natural (eventually it's necessary when a guitar has been played enough). It doesn't really affect the appearance or feel of the guitar is it's done well, so to me it's not a big deal. If we were talking about an extremely valuable guitar that wasn't really being played anymore (kept as an investment, or whatever), and the frets were on the verge of needing replacement, that's about the only case where I'd say it wouldn't make sense to do a refret. Just my opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sonny Posted October 18, 2009 Author Share Posted October 18, 2009 Thanks for the replies. Makes me feel a little better. The man that owned this sat everyday and played chet atkins for the family but was like me anal about keeping his stuff nice. When the tech restrung it, you can see the wear on the fret board and frets from being played but as far as dings and scatches..nothing Again thanks for the help and I will probably refret and enjoy this beauty. I will add some detail photos tomorrow if you don't mind taking another look. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sonny Posted October 19, 2009 Author Share Posted October 19, 2009 I hope these photos help but I imagine I will have to let someone get hands on to really tell the issue.. IMG]http://i682.photobucket.com/albums/vv184/sonny1_2009/DSCF2091.jpg[/img] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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