Crack in the Neck or the finish

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HHwarnerHHwarner Frets: 137
edited November 2017 in Guitar
Hi all, just after second opinions on this, my Gibson SG 61 reissue. After owning this guitar for 2 years I never noticed this before.
What do you good folk think, is this a cracked finish or cracked neck. It goes pretty much all the way around neck pocket joint. It doesnt look like its opening up when I push on the neck.
https://i.imgur.com/2Fnz9bf.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/boevSsE.jpg
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Comments

  • WezVWezV Frets: 16546
    Just finish. 
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  • guitars4youguitars4you Frets: 14034
    tFB Trader
    WezV said:
    Just finish. 
    I agree - might have been a touch of movement and/or stress to cause it - but just finish from what I can see
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  • Philly_QPhilly_Q Frets: 22516
    I always get panicky when I see this kind of thing. 

    My head says just finish, but then I think there must have been some kind of shifting to cause it.... or is it just a natural place for shrinkage, whether of the finish or the wood, to have an effect?
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  • ICBMICBM Frets: 71960
    Philly_Q said:

    ... or is it just a natural place for shrinkage, whether of the finish or the wood, to have an effect?
    Exactly that.

    "Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski

    "Just because I don't care, doesn't mean I don't understand." - Homer Simpson

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  • 57Deluxe57Deluxe Frets: 7329
    yeah probbo just finish, Are you in the habit of doing the PGS Andy neck/body vibrato flexing??
    <Vintage BOSS Upgrades>
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  • HHwarnerHHwarner Frets: 137
    57Deluxe said:
    yeah probbo just finish, Are you in the habit of doing the PGS Andy neck/body vibrato flexing??
    No its sat in its case for most of the time Iv had it.
    Cheers for your help guys ;-)
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  • HHwarnerHHwarner Frets: 137
    edited November 2017
    Is it possible to get it sorted. Im looking to sell it on and have already lost a sale because of it and who would blame a potential buyer. 
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  • impmannimpmann Frets: 12646
    The issue here is that its likely to have faded/yellowed. If you refinish the affected area, it will just serve to highlight it and may cause further question.

    I'd leave it well alone - mention it in your advert and that it is just a shrinkage/movement crack. Use the pics above. Anyone who knows about SGs will take a good look and think "yep, thats just finish". It will weed out the prats who want perfection for peanuts, as they won't be interested and also those who nit-pick over the slightest things... you're just being honest.
    Never Ever Bloody Anything Ever.

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  • impmann said:
    The issue here is that its likely to have faded/yellowed. If you refinish the affected area, it will just serve to highlight it and may cause further question.

    I'd leave it well alone - mention it in your advert and that it is just a shrinkage/movement crack. Use the pics above. Anyone who knows about SGs will take a good look and think "yep, thats just finish". It will weed out the prats who want perfection for peanuts, as they won't be interested and also those who nit-pick over the slightest things... you're just being honest.
    impmanns right on this. Getting a matching refinish on a white guitar is very very difficult. You would probably draw more attention to it if you got any finish work done.
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  • ICBMICBM Frets: 71960
    You could polish the guitar with a compound that leaves a white residue behind :). That will fill the obvious dark 'crack' and make it look much less scary for people.

    Of course you don't want to do this on a black guitar, as @Philly_Q knows ;).

    "Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski

    "Just because I don't care, doesn't mean I don't understand." - Homer Simpson

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  • HHwarnerHHwarner Frets: 137
    Yes I was thinking to try and repair the paint would make it very obvious as its faded to a cream colour. I have repaired dinks in nitro finishes before with good results as new paint melts the old and blends together but the colour is the issue on this one 
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  • guitars4youguitars4you Frets: 14034
    tFB Trader
    The other issue here on a potential repair is that it is awkward to get into the 'crease' as such to buff up any repair work by the neck/body join - Not sure who in your neck of the woods is the best to look at it and 'repair' accordingly - I've seen very good work before with 'skilled' repairers with a touch of superglu in the crack to hide - But best left to an expert - muck it up and it will look worse
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  • impmannimpmann Frets: 12646
    HHwarner said:
    Yes I was thinking to try and repair the paint would make it very obvious as its faded to a cream colour. I have repaired dinks in nitro finishes before with good results as new paint melts the old and blends together but the colour is the issue on this one 
    Yes the colour - and give it a couple of years and it will fade some more, leaving the repair even more obvious as the new paint won't have the same pigments etc as the original so won't fade in the same way. You can see this on guitars where an older headstock repair looks really obvious and yet when first done it had been blended in perfectly... or at least a damn sight better than it looks later!
    Never Ever Bloody Anything Ever.

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  • If I was buying an SG, the crack in the finish wouldn't put me off yours. If you repaired it and I could detect the repair, it would put me off, because I'd wonder what was behind the repair. 

    It's mojo. You should charge extra!   :)
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  • Philly_QPhilly_Q Frets: 22516
    ICBM said:
    You could polish the guitar with a compound that leaves a white residue behind :). That will fill the obvious dark 'crack' and make it look much less scary for people.

    Of course you don't want to do this on a black guitar, as @Philly_Q knows ;).
    Too true. :)
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  • Philly_QPhilly_Q Frets: 22516
    The other issue here on a potential repair is that it is awkward to get into the 'crease' as such to buff up any repair work by the neck/body join - Not sure who in your neck of the woods is the best to look at it and 'repair' accordingly - I've seen very good work before with 'skilled' repairers with a touch of superglu in the crack to hide - But best left to an expert - muck it up and it will look worse
    I did a superglue repair on a similar crack on a white Tokai SG.  Problem was the glue - being transparent, of course - sealed the crack but didn't hide it, so it was still visible as a thin black line.
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  • HHwarnerHHwarner Frets: 137
    I had another good look at it last night, it really is quite difficult to spot unless in bright light & with my reading glasses on. Thats why I missed it before.  It actually looks worse in the photos as I was using a very bright LED light. I guess if it were a cracked neck Id be getting tuning instability and problems with the action etc. Tuning is stable as is the action. Thanks for the input guys. Your help is always appreciated.
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  • guitars4youguitars4you Frets: 14034
    tFB Trader
    HHwarner said:
    I had another good look at it last night, it really is quite difficult to spot unless in bright light & with my reading glasses on. Thats why I missed it before.  It actually looks worse in the photos as I was using a very bright LED light. I guess if it were a cracked neck Id be getting tuning instability and problems with the action etc. Tuning is stable as is the action. Thanks for the input guys. Your help is always appreciated.
    they often do look worse than any pic shows and valid comment regarding tuning stability and playing performance - yet equally it makes many prospective buyer very nervous
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  • WolfetoneWolfetone Frets: 1479
    Finish. There was a batch of 1995 LP Studio's I remember with this exact problem.
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