Please Help!

[nibs 0]

Hi, I'm new here - I picked up a guitar Gibson Les Paul and noticed this very small split near fretboard and neck - the rest of the guitar is mint - no scratches, dings or dents - how could this have happened?

 

Also seems to be groove along fretboard/neck like a split could occur in the near future- maybe this is just a bad one perhaps?

 

Please help - or guide me to the right luthiers.

 

Thank you.

 

nibs

[Dave F 237]

If you bought it new, I would see if warranty would cover it.

[duluthdan 84]

Looks like a gouge to me, and not a split that will meander.

[luckycanine 1]

Looks like a gouge to me, and not a split that will meander.

 

I agree with you, looks like a split...of course, I do not have 20-20. How long have you had the guitar? Was the "split/gouge" present when you bought it? Has it moved/changed since you noticed it?

[retrorod 93]

I say..."play it till it breaks"....Then fix it!

[fhartery 0]

That mark looks like an 'after the impact' mark where the weakest wood will give. Take it to a qualified Luther; they are around. Wood is a study to itself. My cats, my guitars, my girls.... nine pages later my name might appear down the list.

[tmoney 1]

I'm with FZ Fan. Get it taken care of either way. It's a stress crack, caused either by whiplash or impact. The pitch of Gibson headstocks, which can make them more prone to damage when stressed, is also a big part of the tone of a Gibson vs. say, Fender. Notice that Fenders require string trees to hold the strings in the nut - no pitch to the headstock. That's where the 'springy' sound of the Fender comes from rather than the deeper, richer sound of the Gibson. That's not a knock at Fender, each does it's own thing equally well and neither can do what the other does. It's not a design flaw or defect either. If it doesn't get dropped, it won't break.