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Weird thing happening after cleaning up the guitar


duane v

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I clean up my 80 LPC about two months ago and hadn't played it since.... Well I pulled it out today and I noticed there is some cracking on the headstock coming from where the two screws that attach the pearloid plate [confused] .....

 

About two months ago I pulled off the pearloid plate to clean it up and touched up the "G" on the REG because it was wearing off, and gently placed it back on.... I know those cracks weren't there when I put the plate back on [cursing]

 

hdll.jpg

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Those look like typical nitro finish cracks Duane......I'm suprised that those are the first to show up......I KNOW you put the screws back on very gently,

 

so, hmmmm...........That's your RR LPC ?? I came across one of those for sale.......Beautiful LPs.....The cracking should remain localized, since it

 

spends it's time in the case.....Then again, sometimes Les Pauls just decide to start the crackling processon their own.....

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I clean up my 80 LPC about two months ago and hadn't played it since.... Well I pulled it out today and I noticed there is some cracking on the headstock coming from where the two screws that attach the pearloid plate [confused] .....

 

About two months ago I pulled off the pearloid plate to clean it up and touched up the "G" on the REG because it was wearing off, and gently placed it back on.... I know those cracks weren't there when I put the plate back on [cursing]

 

All I can think of is that you screwed them in a bit too tight.. and thus in time putting more pressure on the stress points (the screw holes)..

 

Shame that... I guess you could either get it touched up or take a chance and hope it doesnt get any worse.. I only recently noticed on my 2002 Classic that there were cracks on the top and bottom of each fret marker binding nib.. Its shocking when you first notice this stuff but I guess as long as it doesnt get any worse thats ok?

DSC01408.jpg

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Those look like typical nitro finish cracks Duane......I'm suprised that those are the first to show up......I KNOW you put the screws back on very gently,

 

so, hmmmm...........That's your RR LPC ?? I came across one of those for sale.......Beautiful LPs.....The cracking should remain localized, since it

 

spends it's time in the case.....Then again, sometimes Les Pauls just decide to start the crackling processon their own.....

 

they're not the first cracks to show up.... I have some coming off the strap pegs and the neck pocket area and paint wear coming of the neck near the neck binding in some spots. But those have been there for some time.

 

But I'm a little pissed at myself for even messing with it now [cursing] ..... I was gonna pull the tuners off and shine those up.... Thank god I didnt do that

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They are obviously only finish cracks.

 

I don't want to rub it in, or seem like I am, but the guitar is getting old. If it follows the same 'pattern' as every other Gibson, there will be more cracks. No one likes seeing the first, especially after 32 years, but you didn't really expect to escape did you?

 

It is possible you might have screws the screws a little tight (or loose) causing the pressure in the wood to be different from the pressure of the finish, helping the finish to separate from the wood and make it crack easier. But if not, it would have likely cracked at some point anyway. There is no way to ever know for sure.

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+1, some people pay to have that happen to their guitars...

Good point... like $1000 more for an aged version lol..

 

Plus I think a good saying is that if it doesnt effect sound or playability it only adds character :)

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Good point... like $1000 more for an aged version lol..

 

Plus I think a good saying is that if it doesnt effect sound or playability it only adds character :)

 

I don't like chips, dings or yellowing of guitars..... I wished they could look like the day I purchased them. IMO a guitar is at it's most beautiful when brand new

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I don't like chips, dings or yellowing of guitars..... I wished they could look like the day I purchased them. IMO a guitar is at it's most beautiful when brand new

A good excuse to buy a 2012 Standard then :P :)

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Guest farnsbarns

Taking out screws which go through nitro long after it dried out probably caused it, just relieving the pressure on the plate could have started it too. Once it's started, as with most cracks in most materials, it will continue. If we were talking about wood or metal then drilling a hole at the end of the crack would be advised but I'm guessi you'd rather the cracks grew.

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Hmmmm.........There was a SMALL crack in the nitro on this aged previously white Gibby of mine; It started out as a very small nitro crack, and then........

 

sgheadstock001.jpg

 

....[crying] :unsure: [scared][blink] :o :-k ......

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I don't like chips, dings or yellowing of guitars..... I wished they could look like the day I purchased them. IMO a guitar is at it's most beautiful when brand new

 

i agree, i loved nothing more than bringing out the "virtuoso" cleaner and polish and sprucing up my lp's, just as a car enthusiast would polish and wax his pride and joy.

 

but natural ageing is to be expected.

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I don't mind natural aging (nothing looks cooler than a yellowed white guitar IMHO!) or checking, etc.

 

But I just don't get the relic thing. I'm absolutely fine with taking the finish off the back of the neck, etc, but not with pre-aging.

 

I mean, if you're a serious player, what's that guitar gonna look like after a decade or two of constant playing?

 

It would be almost unplayable.

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Yes, I'd be really upset too. I agree that it was the nitro that may have stuck to the screw as it passed thru it and cracked even if you didn't over tighten it any.

 

Just had a crack in the finish like that fixed at a Gibson warranty station. Can't see it or any evidence it had ever been there. They said they desolve the nitro in the crack with some solvent, buff it some to heat it back up, apply a couple of coats of new clear and buff those off by burning them into the original finish. Been doing that for years I guess and it must work as they haven't been showing back up.

 

$150 however is what it cost me to get that fixed, but to me it was worth it and happy to pay it to have that one crack gone.

 

Aster

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Duane, I think the aging on your guitar looks sweet. I just bought an SG Standard in Classic White, I hope it ages to look like the white on your guitars. I understand your dismay with the cracking, but I think over time its almost unavoidable.

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Duane, I think the aging on your guitar looks sweet. I just bought an SG Standard in Classic White, I hope it ages to look like the white on your guitars. I understand your dismay with the cracking, but I think over time its almost unavoidable.

 

what's weird is my 78 EDS has no webbing to the finish at all, but the finish has really gone piss yellow and is not very uniform. Also you can easily see the 3 piece neck lines through the finish [confused] .... They are barely noticeable on my 80 LPC

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Hmmmm.........There was a SMALL crack in the nitro on this aged previously white Gibby of mine; It started out as a very small nitro crack, and then........

 

sgheadstock001.jpg

You could have some tuning problems with that. I think it's taken weight relieving to the limit though.

....[crying] :unsure: [scared][blink] :o :-k ......

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A finish like this behaves much like glass. It's strong and will take a lot of wear, but brittle.

 

 

 

Is the "REG" plate OEM? I've never seen such a thing.

 

When the tuners are screwed to the headstock at the factory, the finish while essentially dry, still contains VOCs which allow the finish to be somewhat pliable, so sinking screws through the finish doesn't yield cracks. But now that the finish has been allowed to fully out-gass (cure), it is quite brittle.

 

As other posters have indicated, the cracking started when you torqued the screws down. Having glass like properties, I suspect the cracks will continue to progress like a crack in a windshield; keep growing until it runs out of glass, and most likely branch into a web of cracks.

 

Sorry about that.

 

Most likely, though you may have just accelerated the inevitable, depending on when that "REG" plate was screwed down.

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