What's happening with my LP?

[EvanPC]

A while back, I noticed some imperfections at each dot along the neck of my LP Studio. It almost appears as though clear glue had been dropped on each dot, but over time, it's dried out and peeling/chipping away. This isn't under the surface of the finish, as I can get a nail under it, and chip it off if I choose.

 

Not sure if others have seen this on their guitars or not...Here's a pic. It was difficult to get a good close shot that wasn't blurry...

 

This little discrepancy can be found on each dot along the neck. Hoping it's nothing major.

 

[EvanPC]

rumplebumpskin...

[Andy R]

To me from the picture is it looks like your fretboard is shrinking due to lack of humidity. Looks like your fret ends have done somewhat of the same to the finish. If the fretboard shrinks, which is pretty common in the winter, it would most likely cause the finish bond to the fret dot to break before it does with the bond of the wood since the wood is more porous.

 

And you might actually be right about the SuperGlue as this is a pretty common trick that guitar companies and luthiers use to fix finish chips and dings. So thinking about this it could very well be that maybe during assembly someone didn't put the fret dots in and someone went ahead and finished the guitar. So at some point probably at the Quality Control point the guitar gets kicked back because someone didn't install the fret dots. Not too many companies are going to refinish the whole neck to do this. Most likely they would drill the holes for the fret dots, use a small pointed set to seat them below the finish and drop quick curing super glue filler to build the "clear" back up then level the glue off to the finish and polish. Presto! problem solved.

 

Another reason could be that whoever installed the fret dots had some oil on their finger....

 

 

What you don't want to happen is allow this to grow to the point where the finish is coming off the whole neck. So I would take it to a luthier to fix it. Most likely they will offer you a few options.

 

Cheap - Strip the finish from the rosewood and polish and oil it

 

More Expensive - cut out the areas that have bubbled or lifted and redo the super glue trick

 

Most Expensive Strip and re-clear the neck.

 

 

 

 

Just my Opinion from a million miles way

[Thundergod]

How old is the guitar? Where do you keep it? (case, house, any direct sunlight, cold, and so on)

[EvanPC]

It's about 4 years old. I play it all of the time, so it remains out in the open, on a stand.

[Andy R]

Are the edges of the frets "Tang" sticking out a little so it feels a little sharp or bumpy when you run your hand up and down the neck?

 

[EvanPC]

Yes. It's actually visible to the eye. You don't even need to feel for it.

[Andy R]

This is pretty common when you live in a climate that has extreme seasonal changes. In the summer the fretboard takes in moisture and expands slightly, in the winter the dryness of the air removes the moisture from the wood and causes it to shrink. The problem is once it shrinks it generally never regains enough humidity to expand to the point it was when the frets were installed. That's why it is recommended to keep your guitar in a case with a humidifier/dehumidifier. Also when going from extreme conditions as in from hot to an air condition room and especially cold into a heated room that you leave the guitar in the case until it gradually reaches room temperature.

 

If the frets are sticking out then the plastic dot markers would be too which is why it is bubbling.

 

 

Unfortunately there's not much you can do about it now but take it to someone that can fix it for you.

[EvanPC]

Sounds like a pretty logical explanation.

 

Too bad keeping a guitar cased up all the time is a pain in the ***. Not to mention, it just takes up so much room, especially when you've got more than one you like to play frequently.

 

Maybe I'll look into a humidifier and beefing up the insulation around the room, wherever possible.

 

Thanks

[BigKahune]

Yes, the damage can happen from shrinkage due to poor care.

 

But, a while back(not sure exactly how long) Gibson had trouble with fretboards that weren't properly dried before they were used in production. The damage included what you have described as well as finish cracking along the joint between the fretboard and the neck wood. I saw (participated in) a couple of threads here on the forum where Gibson covered the damage under warranty if it was traced back to the "wet" boards. If you are the original owner, you might want to check with Gibson C/S on this.

[EvanPC]

Yes, the damage can happen from shrinkage due to poor care.

 

But, a while back(not sure exactly how long) Gibson had trouble with fretboards that weren't properly dried before they were used in production. The damage included what you have described as well as finish cracking along the joint between the fretboard and the neck wood. I saw (participated in) a couple of threads here on the forum where Gibson covered the damage under warranty if it was traced back to the "wet" boards. If you are the original owner, you might want to check with Gibson C/S on this.

That's interesting. I'll have to look into that.

 

Ahh, the power of the interwebs...

 

Thanks

[chase1410]

Not to hijack the thread or anything...but how many of you actually do use humidifiers in there case's? I live in the midwest, so we get cold winters and hot summers but I take precious care of my guitars and there always wiped and put back into there case after every session..Should I invest in a few humidifiers to stick in the case's?

[Andy R]

Yes, the damage can happen from shrinkage due to poor care.

 

But, a while back(not sure exactly how long) Gibson had trouble with fretboards that weren't properly dried before they were used in production. The damage included what you have described as well as finish cracking along the joint between the fretboard and the neck wood. I saw (participated in) a couple of threads here on the forum where Gibson covered the damage under warranty if it was traced back to the "wet" boards. If you are the original owner, you might want to check with Gibson C/S on this.

 

Yep exactly right. We had a shipment of about 2000 guitars when I worked for Fernandes that the necks were not properly dried before shipping and the same thing happened. Me and 2 other techs had to fix every one of them.... The rose woods weren't bad but the maple necks sucked to fix.

 

 

 

[Andy R]

Not to hijack the thread or anything...but how many of you actually do use humidifiers in there case's? I live in the midwest, so we get cold winters and hot summers but I take precious care of my guitars and there always wiped and put back into there case after every session..Should I invest in a few humidifiers to stick in the case's?

 

I live in the midwest too ( Indiana ) I honestly have never used either and never had issues. Obviously they wouldn't hurt but I think they are more important with an acoustic or hollow body guitar. It usually takes extremes to cause an issue (unless as noted in another post) the guitar had too much moisture in the wood to begin with. I do keep guitars in cases when not in use and try to always let them acclimate to the environment in the case before taking them out if I have traveled with them during extreme weather. Cold to hot is usually what causes the most damage I have found.

 

Just my 2 Cents

 

 

 

[Andy R]

Just curious is this a Gibson Les Paul or an Epiphone?

[EvanPC]

Gibson Studio Prem Plus

[badbluesplayer]

I'm with rectora. It looks like the board went through some serious humidity changes. Your board may have dried out pretty badly. If you haven't oiled the fretboard, it may have shrunk due to low humidity. That'll make the ends of the frets poke through the finish. That's what it looks like. Never saw that happen with the dots, though.