Inlay problem

mart

One of the inlays on my Les Paul is lifting up:


It's a 2014 Gibson, which I bought new, so my first plan is to take it back and ask them to sort it. 

But what should I be expecting them to do - is it easy to level the inlay as it is, or better to take it out and re-fit it?

WezV

It would need to be taken out and re-fit.

assuming it used to fit okay it shouldn't be too much work.  

mart

WezV said:

It would need to be taken out and re-fit.

assuming it used to fit okay it shouldn't be too much work.  

Thanks. So is it something that the tech in the shop should be able to do?

fendergibson

What would make it lift out like that ? Exposure to sudden temp change or the like ?

mart

fendergibson said:

What would make it lift out like that ? Exposure to sudden temp change or the like ?

Yes, that's a question I've been pondering.

I've only had the guitar 18 months, it's hardly ever been out of the house, and indeed most of the time it's been kept in its case. 

The humidity here might be slightly higher than average, but the temperature certainly hasn't ever been extreme or rapidly changing. So it's certainly not a result of that.

WezV

Possibly heat, possibly too little glue when originally installed

WezV

mart said:

WezV said:

It would need to be taken out and re-fit.

assuming it used to fit okay it shouldn't be too much work.  

Thanks. So is it something that the tech in the shop should be able to do?

It's a bit of an unusual one, I wouldn't assume most shop techs know what to do with something like this.

Philly_Q

I had this on an old Orville by Gibson LP, several of the inlays were lifting and I wondered if they might all drop out eventually.  

Anyway, I got it sorted out by Feline.  I think they lifted them out, scraped out any old glue residue and reglued them.

Sassafras

This is one of the reasons why I hate block inlays.
That and they look naff.

Andyjr1515

WezV said:

mart said:

WezV said:

It would need to be taken out and re-fit.

assuming it used to fit okay it shouldn't be too much work.  

Thanks. So is it something that the tech in the shop should be able to do?

It's a bit of an unusual one, I wouldn't assume most shop techs know what to do with something like this.

I was in guitarguitar in Brum a few years ago (maybe even 2014) and a guy who clearly buys a lot of guitars (and some - and I didn't get the impression he was a dealer!) brought back three of his recent Gibson Les Paul purchases with the same issue so I suspect it's a known problem.

On that basis, OP, ideally contact original supplier in first instance.  As the others say, it's not a difficult job but does want to be done by someone who knows what they're doing

jacksparrow

Mine started lifting on my  R8, then one day it just fell out, bit of super glue job done, no need to take it to a shop imo.

mart

Thanks for all the comments, folk, and particular thanks to @WezV and @Andyjr1515 because I know from your build threads how much expertise is behind your input.

Andyjr1515 said:
...

On that basis, OP, ideally contact original supplier in first instance.  As the others say, it's not a difficult job but does want to be done by someone who knows what they're doing

This is what troubles me. If I take it back, then I fear the shop tech will have a go whether he knows what he's doing or not.

If it's beyond him, what options does the shop have - send it back to Gibson? Or is there some UK repair centre for problems with Gibsons?

I love the guitar, so I am wondering if I should just fork out myself and get a safe pair of hands, such as @FelineGuitars, to sort it.

Voxman

Might be worth having a word with Gibson customer service in the UK - it's possible they might agree to sort this out for you.  

BloodEagle

Just glue it back in yourself, no big deal 

FelineGuitars

It's possibly not a big job as long as it hasn't been previously botched like the one we had in last week had..... I have a nice story to print about that one!

fendergibson

FelineGuitars said:

It's possibly not a big job as long as it hasn't been previously botched like the one we had in last week had..... I have a nice story to print about that one!

Please do !

stuagu

I had the sae thing happen on r7 goldtop. My guitar repair bloke just masked it it all off everything , just leaving tye tinest gap and think he used a glue that had a capilary action ? ( whatever that is...?) and anyway, it stayed stuck. Didnt cost a lot. 

mart

FelineGuitars said:

It's possibly not a big job as long as it hasn't been previously botched like the one we had in last week had..... I have a nice story to print about that one!

So far it's not been touched.

I'll drop you a pm to discuss this a bit more.