blindboygrunt Posted January 9, 2013 Share Posted January 9, 2013 was reading on the agf , seeing as nothing's happening here at the minute , about finish checking - who likes it and who doesnt is the point of that particular thread . i was wondering what causes it ? i am assuming that changes in temperature would speed it along ? if that is so then would it not be unwise to buy a guitar that has checking being an indication that it has been exposed to changes ? and yet i have read in the past of how people love it and would nearly be an encouraging thing when purchasing . does it start tiny and spread ? how old should a guitar be before you would expect to see checking ? any pictures would make this interesting :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gruffchris Posted January 9, 2013 Share Posted January 9, 2013 Hey, I was reading a topic about this, on this forum. I think they was saying that it's due to humidity rather than temperature? And about buying a guitar with checking, well, personally I wouldn't :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geeterpicker Posted January 9, 2013 Share Posted January 9, 2013 My understanding is that finish checking can be caused when you take a guitar that is cold and open the case on it in a warm room. Personally, if I am looking at a used guitar, it doesn't bother me much at all. I believe in taking care of guitars, but not in sweating small incidentals. Some guys spend more time polishing their guitars then they do playing them. I wouldn't forcibly encourage exposing the guitar to conditions to cause checking, but if I noticed one day that some had occurred, I wouldn't lose sleep over it. I have a '71 Martin D-28 that has some finish checking on it and I think it adds to the character of the instrument. It hasn't spread that I have noticed. Here is a shot of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aitch Posted January 9, 2013 Share Posted January 9, 2013 I like it; it's something that makes your guitar that much more different than everybody else's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted January 9, 2013 Share Posted January 9, 2013 Lacquer breathes and so contracts and expands with the wood as it is exposed to varying temperature and humidity levels. I don't feel any particular way about crazing and checking. As my guitars are all pretty old, it is there and will be there tomorrow and the next day. Nuttin' I can do about it short of a refinish. And that ain't about to happen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buc McMaster Posted January 9, 2013 Share Posted January 9, 2013 i was wondering what causes it? It's the difference in the expansion of the wood vs. the lacquer finish. When a cold instrument is brought into a warm room and the case opened, the wood expands in response to the temperature change faster than the lacquer does - crack. Generally cosmetic only, checking won't compromise the instrument structurally. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobouz Posted January 9, 2013 Share Posted January 9, 2013 A low humidity environment can lead to checking, but this can vary from instrument to instrument, depending on the composition of the nitro itself. I might pass on a new guitar with checking & look for a cleaner example, but tone & playability would be more crucial to the purchase, and negotiations on the price might come into play as well. I certainly wouldn't pass on a desirable used or vintage piece solely based on checking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnnyReb Posted January 9, 2013 Share Posted January 9, 2013 I don't particularly care for it on a nice Gibson sunburst. My AJ is 3 years old and has some checking here and there already. I'd just assume it not be there, at least not this early in its life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jayyj Posted January 9, 2013 Share Posted January 9, 2013 On older instruments I find a little checking looks good, particularly the gentle spider webbing you see on 30s and 40s era Gibson acoustics. My L-00 is checked all over, and looks great! On the other hand, I used to have a 90s L-20 with lacquer checking around the heel that looked like the surface of a shattered mirror, which looked desperately ugly and really detracted from the guitar for me. I don't think I'd buy another instrument which had checking of that nature. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Del Nilppeznaf Posted January 9, 2013 Share Posted January 9, 2013 Don't some people actually look for checking on a vintage guitar.. to make sure its pukka I actually like some of the examples I've seen with it... nitro should check over many years..? unless its kept under the bed..or in a glass case Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cogs1880 Posted January 17, 2021 Share Posted January 17, 2021 I have a 2006 Gibson Advanced Jumbo. It was well kept and humidified and it has checking. I do not feel that it should. I called Gibson years ago but all they can do is refinish it. I am not happy overall that it checked, although it s only one line at this point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j45nick Posted January 17, 2021 Share Posted January 17, 2021 Nitrocellulose lacquer finishes often check over time, no matter how they are kept. Nitro finishes expand and contract, and change color and character over time in the best of circumstances. The Gibson Gold Warranty does not cover: "cracking, discoloration or damage of any sort to the finish or plating for any reason." (I just pulled out the warranty booklet on one of my Gibsons to verify this.) Most of us accept this and tolerate it in exchange for the pleasure the guitars bring us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jinder Posted January 18, 2021 Share Posted January 18, 2021 All of my Gibsons have checking somewhere or another...my '95 Dove looks like it's been through a war (heavy checking on the headstock, checked top, nitro almost entirely gone on the back of the neck through checking and playwear), my '67 J45 is a little less checked up and the Hummingbird 12, SJ200 and Maple AJ all have minor checking/lacquer cracks in places such as around the logo, headstock binding. I think it's just a reality of life with a Nitro finished instrument. I don't mind it at all, it adds a bit of character and patina. My guitars aren't case queens in the slightest, in normal circumstances they all earn their keep on the road and wear their scars accordingly. If I was a collector or investor, I would probably feel quite differently about checking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fortyearspickn Posted January 18, 2021 Share Posted January 18, 2021 18 hours ago, Cogs1880 said: I have a 2006 Gibson Advanced Jumbo. It was well kept and humidified and it has checking. I do not feel that it should. I called Gibson years ago but all they can do is refinish it. I am not happy overall that it checked, although it s only one line at this point. I noticed you also unearthed another Zombie on the same subject 5 hours before dis-interring this one. Since you seem to want an answer - here's my attempt. You are right to not be happy: It is disappointing to see finish checking in a 14 year old guitar that was, obviously in your possession from Day One and well cared . But ... You stated you called Gibson years ago and all they can do is refinish it. If it is only a single line, after a number of years, it may be safe to say it is not going to spread. And, realistically, I'm not sure what else Gibson can do, other than re-finish it. But, you should accept the imperfection - change and impermanence are a part of life - and let it go. Will your family not still love you when you get your first wrinkle, or premature gray hair? Accepting reality and not resisting change will enable you to enjoy your AJ at a higher level. Play it today !!! and refuse to allow the voice in your head tell you to be unhappy with the crazing! And, Welcome ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
groovadelic Posted January 18, 2021 Share Posted January 18, 2021 As lacquer ages, it gasses out, discolors, gets brittle, and hardens. The wood continues to environmentally change with humidity and temperature variances. Hence you get lacquer checking and crazing. If you like everything to stay shiny and new, I’m sure you can encase it in glass with climate control in a room with minimal UV exposure. Otherwise, it’s going to age just like everything else in life. Personally, I love both! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich H. Posted January 29, 2021 Share Posted January 29, 2021 (edited) I am glad to say my 1990 Dove being held at a courthouse for my grandson to inherit next year, and it has no checking. I went to place the D'Addario HumidiPaks in her yesterday, and the finish looked as good as the day it went in to their vault. This guitar has the "Tobacco Sunburst" and would show any signs of checking. I am very pleased how the finish has held up for the 31 years. Edited January 29, 2021 by Rich H. spelling Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E-minor7 Posted January 29, 2021 Share Posted January 29, 2021 Approx 35 years ago I opened a Martin case and saw a D-45 with totally checked top. It quite shocked me as I never had seen anything like it and knew the model as something precious and majestic. Have to say I neither saw a checked M since. Not so with Gibsons, which makes me wonder what lacquer-differences are in play. Actually quite like a touch of crack-pattern, but sometimes wonder if the general acceptance even praise of the phenomenon has risen out of necessity. Would be rather lame to make a good sounding and beautiful vintage instrument fall in value due to a little splinter-expression, wouldn't it. . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt. Pepper Posted January 29, 2021 Share Posted January 29, 2021 (edited) CFM and Gibson both spray Nitro. Different manufacturers? I've owned guitars from CFM and Gibson from the early 80's up to today (well 2019), and I have never had a guitar check on me. Edited January 29, 2021 by Sgt. Pepper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E-minor7 Posted January 29, 2021 Share Posted January 29, 2021 5 minutes ago, Sgt. Pepper said: CFM and Gibson both spray Nitro. Different manufacturers? I've owned guitars from CFM and Gibson from the early 80's up today and I have never had a guitar check on me. Neither have I, , , apart from some minor headstock/logo-cracking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scriv58 Posted January 29, 2021 Share Posted January 29, 2021 The Pre-war guitar company is of the opinion that finish checking can improve tone- I suspect this to be the case as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt. Pepper Posted January 29, 2021 Share Posted January 29, 2021 (edited) 1 minute ago, scriv58 said: The Pre-war guitar company is of the opinion that finish checking can improve tone- I suspect this to be the case as well. More sound can escape through the cracks. Edited January 29, 2021 by Sgt. Pepper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holiday Hoser Posted January 29, 2021 Share Posted January 29, 2021 (edited) Love the checking on my '64 Hummingbird Would never change a thing. I was weathering (relic) a refin stratocaster and I used a heat gun and one of those keyboard cleaning spray cans upside down and got the same time honored effect. May have got a little carried away though... (photo is not reversed it's my take on a Hendrix tribute) Edited January 29, 2021 by Holiday Hoser Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E-minor7 Posted January 29, 2021 Share Posted January 29, 2021 1 hour ago, scriv58 said: The Pre-war guitar company is of the opinion that finish checking can improve tone- I suspect this to be the case as well. Yes - and an Uwe Kruger does too. Check, , , (if I may use that word) 0:40. 1 hour ago, Sgt. Pepper said: More sound can escape through the cracks. It may get looser. . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt. Pepper Posted January 30, 2021 Share Posted January 30, 2021 (edited) 18 hours ago, E-minor7 said: Yes - and an Uwe Kruger does too. Check, , , (if I may use that word) 0:40. It may get looser. . Wish I was in the Suisse right now. I loved that place when I went there in 2007. When one of mine finally check, if they every do, that is I guess when I find out if it actually sounds better, till them I'm left with what they sound like now. Edited January 30, 2021 by Sgt. Pepper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fortyearspickn Posted January 30, 2021 Share Posted January 30, 2021 19 hours ago, Sgt. Pepper said: More sound can escape through the cracks. Usually when sound escapes through the cracks - it sounds more like a trumpet than a guitar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.