This is more than just a paint crack right?

danban

I saw this and the same reason why I passed on it

HarrySeven

I asked the seller (as I live about 10 miles away), if I could view it and if I could take the scratchplate and neck off to inspect it further. I got this reply:

"your welcome to come view it
But as its all stung up I wouldn't be happy with it being taken apart
I've had loads of offers on this so I'm not desperate to sell
But I can promise you it's just a paint crack
I'll send a photo with it now
Feel free to make me a cash offer and I'll see what I can work out"

HarrySeven

Got this pic:

underdog

No way in hell that is just a crack in the paint

TonyR

I'm no expert but that looks considerably more serious than just a crack in the paint

Antique_Guitars

Call Dr WHO, there is clearly a rift in the time space continuum!

ICBM

It is odd though - the flash has shown up what looks like wood in the crack, rather than a black void which is what you would expect to see if the wood was split too.

And also, the crack is wider in the middle than at either end, which wouldn't be possible if the wood had split due to a shock or something - it would have sprung open leaving a tapering crack wider at the end than in the middle. It is possible that the wood itself has shrunk and split due to being badly dried, perhaps… but I'd still expect the crack to look deeper than that.

So it is *possible* that it's exactly what he says it is, and that these guitars have some sort of issue with the paint shrinking.

I think I would want to see in in person though - or a lower price than he's asking, now I've found the ad.

Puzzling!

Ché

If it's a very heavy finish it would make sense. If you take a cast of a guitar and crack the cast, you'd see the same thing. Weird though, as for that to happen it would mean the finish has hardened and not adhered to the body. @ICBM could be on to something with the paint shrinkage.


More likely it could have cracked/split the wood underneath the paint work and the finish has just cracked in it's own way. If you look hard enough you can see faint black marks within the crack but I can't say for sure. If you took the neck off you'd be able to assess it better. A crack that severe must have been caused by something. It looks to start at the bottom of the neck pocket which is routed out so weaker and more prone to damage.

Ché

Too many red flags for me, bad grammar for one:

"your welcome to come view it
But as its all stung up I wouldn't be happy with it being taken apart
I've had loads of offers on this so I'm not desperate to sell
But I can promise you it's just a paint crack
I'll send a photo with it now
Feel free to make me a cash offer and I'll see what I can work out"

Without taking the neck off and inspecting it, he can't promise you shit.

DamianP

Impossible to be 100% sure from the picture.   Don`t listen to anyone who gives you a definitive answer, they are guessing.

My best guess,  Paint.  

Not uncommon with plastic coated Fenders.

Philly_Q

If it is a big crack in the wood, how would you repair it?  Glue and clamps obviously, but would you need to somehow force open the crack to get the glue in there properly?

mlennon

This American deluxe Strat had a similar "crack" in the upper bout. I don't seem to have any pictures of the crack before I started sanding but this is the result of the heat generated from the sanding.

mlennon

The wood was not split on this one and the finish was as thick a coating as I have ever seen.

Philly_Q

I looks almost like the finish is exploding off the body there!

strtdv

It might be just a paint crack but you can't tell without taking the neck off. Unless the seller is willing to take the neck of (which they seem not to be), or offering it for seriously cheap (which again, they seem not to be), then I'd avoid.

If it's not a split in the wood, it looks like there are some serious issues with the paint not adhering to the body, so I would anticipate a full refinish being required in the long run.

It's not unusual for Fenders to get paint cracks in that location, they can do it with changes in temperature causing the neck joint to expand and contract (I've seen several, and it's happened to me too), but I've never seen one anywhere near as bad as that one.

grungebob

You can see another crack from the neck pocket floor going in oposite direction, to me this thing took a knock

mlennon

The blue guitar had been damaged by a PA speaker falling on it, the neck was damaged at the headstock so its likely that the crack in the body was a result of the shock travelling down the neck.
In my pictures you may be able to see that that there is a thick clear sealer coat under the transparent blue in the paint that came away.  The body still has a bit of a sheen with the topcoat / sealer removed so its not back to bare wood suggesting that there is a delamination of the different layers of paint. This would help explain why the top coat has cracked open.

The green guitar does look very similar to the way the blue one was damaged although the crack as it goes under the neck may be in the wood also.

ICBM

Actually having thought about it, I don't know that a finish crack isn't *worse*.

If it's a wood crack, really all you need to do is work some Titebond into it, clamp it firmly and clean it up. Job done, although you'll still see a hairline on the surface. (Assuming that there isn't any damage to the neck from a drop.)

But if it's just in the finish and the wood is definitely not split, then the finish must have *separated* from the wood on at least one side of the crack as well as shrunk - otherwise it wouldn't be able to pull back leaving a gap. So it's possible that the finish could shrink more and/or eventually flake off, leaving a really unsightly mess that's hard to repair well.