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newbie questions: wood damage on fingerboard nearby frets


moslet

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Posted

I bought a LP Classic the other day (yay), but found there are ugly wood "damage" on the fingerboard near just about every frets. You know what I'm talking about? It looks like re-freted marks due to poor craftsmanship.

 

I asked the dealer, and he said it's quite the norm for Gibsons.

 

Well, I'm probably a noob. But I also owned a LP Custom, and it didn't have these.

 

Are these on EVERY Les Paul or what?

Posted

I think you need to post some pictures of it. I'm probably way off on this, but I'm visualizing cracks on the binding.

That's typical of a guitar that's sat in a Guitar Center show room for a long time.

Nothing to do with Gibson craftsmenship, if that's the case.

Posted

My new ('07) ES339 is perfect. But I just sent back an '08 Les Paul Studio to MF due to a bad cut on the fretboard between the 2nd and 3rd fret. Actually had a splinter under the small E string. I have no idea how it got past QC.

 

I fully expect to replacement to be perfect.

 

Stuff happens. It's people and wood we're dealing with here.......

 

Best to ya.

 

Murph.

Posted

Stuff happens. It's people and wood we're dealing with here.......

 

 

 

You are so right...I hate when people bassh gibson (not that it's been done here) because their guitar came with this little thing... and then they say their epiphone (er even a squier) was perfect...

 

Gibson: actual wood. handmade.

Epi/squier (the cheapest ones) plywood. machine made.

 

Machines: always the same outcome.

Hand: uniqueness.

Posted

Hi, thanks for the feedback. Again, I just would like to know if these are NORMAL or not.

 

This is a Gibson Les Paul Classic 1960 (brand new), the fingerboard is intended not to have finish, I think.

 

The "problem" I am seeing is the white area on the wood next to the frets. It is so WHITE it is so obvious. Does your Classic have this? Or is it intended to leave it there for the vintage look?

 

DSC06494.jpg

 

DSC06495.jpg

 

DSC06496.jpg

 

DSC06497.jpg

Posted

OK first off, nice job on the macro photos. I don't know what could cause those rough spots (other than splitting out when refretting, like you suspected, but that's not likely for a new guitar). One thing you could try is to take a tootbrush or small stiff bristle brush and some naptha and try to clean out that white stuff. It looks like residue of rubbing compound or polish - stuff that doesn't belong on the fretboard anyway. It won't get rid of the indentations but it may make them less obvious.

 

I've heard that some of the Gibson USA guitars come out with file marks on the fretboard, maybe that's what they're talking about. Maybe it's just a variation in the wood.

Posted

Looks okay to me. A soft tooth brush and a tiny bit of lemon oil will fix you right up.

 

And I must say those nicely crowned frest look spectacular.

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