kayDUB
Good news first: I added an Epiphone Dot to my collection this weekend!
Bad news: When I got the guitar home I noticed a small crack on the one side where the neck meets the body of the guitar which I didn't see when inspecting it earlier.. ?
It doesn't look like it is just a finish crack, but its not even a millimetre wide, about 1.5 centimetres long. Other than this the guitar is absolutely spotless.
Any ideas/advice?
AlanRatcliffe
Show me a pic if you can and I'll be able to diagnose a little better. Even if it's a crack in the wood, it's a pretty simple fix, but those neck joints are pretty solid, so it's unlikely.
JoeyBones
Dr Ratcliffe to the rescue. What would we do without you Alan ?
kayDUB
Thanks Alan (aka Dr Ratcliffe ?), I'll try take a pic tonight...
I did some more reading online and now I don't think that it's so much a crack in the neck joint, but rather where the fretboard joins the body.
AlanRatcliffe
More likely, and probably nothing to worry about. I'll wait for pics before my final diagnosis though.
kayDUB
Here are the pics.
AlanRatcliffe
Looks like finish crack. Poly finishes don't flex well while wood does. It's a very thick clump of finish there... 'nuff said.
Just two things to check:
Movement - if you can see the crack open or close when you manhandle the neck (don't be shy), then it's loose and is going to need a glue injection (pro job).
Impact damage - check everywhere for evidence of the guitar being knocked badly - especially on the fingerboard side (this type of crack points to the neck being pushed down from the front). Check the frets under the strings particularly - it may have been bumped against the fretboard, and the strings mashed into the frets. Strings can be changed, but the evidence stays in the form of a ding in the fret itself. If you find evidence of a major knock, rather be on the safe side and have it checked out.
The cosmetics are up to you. I would still inject some thin cyanoacrylic glue into the crack and rub out, which makes it a lot less visible, but it's a small flaw and for most people it's not worth the expense/effort. If you didn't see it when you first inspected the guitar, it's not that visible.
kayDUB
Thanks again Alan, its really good to be able to get professional advice/feedback!
I did try to "manhandle" the neck a bit, the crack didn't seem to change... but I think I should try again a bit harder. (I was shy...)
I will give the guitar another look for signs of damage according to your suggestions, but other than the crack the guitar is pretty spotless except for dust.
I'm not too worried about the cosmetics... I need to take it in for a setup, so I'll see if they can do something for me.
JoeyBones
Errrm .. PICs ????
kayDUB
You mean pics of the guitar, not just the crack? ;D
I was a bit harder on the neck last night, and no change in the crack, YAY!
Also, no signs of any sort of impact that I could see...
Feeling a lot better now!
