A slight dilemma....

andy_k

I have a bit of a dilemma with a guitar that I want to move on, only because I have others that get much more playtime.
It has been posted for sale on here in the past, but recently when I looked at re advertising it, I found a problem.
The guitar is a 2007 Gibson faded model, that was bought new from a modder in the USA called Larry Corsa.
He built a business from his discovery that the then current faded model of the LP made a perfect platform for the Peter Green sound that everybody was looking for. My advert was using his own hosted pictures, and it now seems the links have expired, so I would have been advertising with my own pictures.
Anyhoo, when I looked closely at the guitar recently, I see that it has developed a split in the bookmatched top- which means it obviously is less than perfect now.
I have tried to show this in the pics below, the guitar has always been stored in it's case, with the packet of stuff to prevent moisture, so I think the wood has just dried out.
It is only a cosmetic thing, but obviously heavily detracts from it's condition for a sale.
I wont go into details about this model, it is no secret that the USA models have always been chambered since 2006, and I guess this is one of those cases that shows why it might not always be a good thing.
My dilemma is,
1, do I waste money getting a pro refin done ??, the intention was to sell it, and I would like to get a fair price for it, the defect does nothing to alter the sound or performance of the guitar, it is a great sounding instrument.
2, do I just advertise as is, and wait for the problems that could arise-if the purchaser decides he isn't happy with it?
3, do I strip it, and fix the problem myself, and then refin it myself, which would be some form of stain and oil process. I think I am confident I could refine the carve a bit, and would probably do a blacktop look.
I know it is a difficult market these days, but I think I would be happy getting a fair price for what it is-around £1600, but I though I would ask in this part of the forum first, there will be no attempt to pass over the issue.
pics should explain all, the distinctive grain pattern is why I originally chose the guitar, and it would be nice to get it looking right.


https://i.imgur.com/Fp0mzFg.jpg


https://i.imgur.com/iXodkp8.jpg


https://i.imgur.com/DN57reG.jpg

The pics are clear enough to see the scale of the problem, but a problem is a problem, and opinions and advice are all welcome.
cheers
andy k

Funkfingers

With patience and skill, it ought to be possible to reverse the shrinkage and run some very dilute adhesive to hold the halves of the top back together.

My inclination would be to advertise the guitar as is, describe the issue and lower the price accordingly. The buyer then has the free choice of how much money to throw at remedial works.

barnstorm

I'd leave it alone if you're selling and it's stable.

Some people will pass regardless of how well the fix is done, as with better-than-new headstock repairs; some people won't be bothered by it; and some people will want to arrange a repair themselves so they know exactly what's been done.

If it makes you feel any better:

WezV

i take it its a veneer over the original top, not a complete new top added in the conversion.

A split in the veneer join is purely cosmetic, and this happens eventually in the vast majority of cases (look at old Dick Knight conversions and it wont take long to find one).  A split in the actual top join is structural and much more serious

andy_k

Thanks for the comments,
it is nothing like McCartneys, that one is pretty much unique-I think there were only 2 built left handed, so in his case he needn't worry.
It isn't a veneer, it is a solid top, on a chambered body, the separation is at the thinnest part of the carved top, it is a 2 piece body which is also centre jointed.
I could advertise it as an 'i' hole I suppose, the point about somehow pulling it back together and re gluing is probably possible, but I think it would then  definitely need a refin, I think a fill would be easier, but again it would be hard to hide the results.
All good points taken though. 

WezV

ah okay, the top doesn't look like a typical gibson one which is why i assumed veneer. 

so can you slide a piece of paper through the split all the way into the body cavity?

andy_k

You can Wez, a narrow one.

WezV

 In that case, the dilemma on fixing it is whether to try and close the gap, or fill it.

If attempting to close, it would be working against all the other wood.   It's a common repair on violins for example, but much easier to access and you are not fighting against the mahogany back... I would still be tempted to try a big clamp, with some cauls shaped to fit the body and see if it can be closed with clamping pressure.  If so, reglue.   My worry would be it reopening for the same reason later... It would be 50/50.  Might get away without doing much to the finish other than a drop fill

If it doesn't close with reasonable clamping pressure then it needs to be filled.  That going to be a difficult match and need more finish work... But it is a more reliable fix.

ICBM

You either need to pay whatever it takes to have a professional fix that more or less invisibly - which is quite a tricky job, and will probably never be 100% invisible - or do as Funkfingers said and advertise it with full disclosure of the problem and a suitably lower price.

Personally I would do the latter because it's not only likely to be less of a financial hit, it transfers the risk of any future recurrence of the problem to the buyer. I doubt just swelling the wood and gluing it will work - wood shrinkage is incredibly powerful and it will almost certainly pull apart again. I would expect it to need a thin piece of new wood fitted into the crack.

(Edit - Wez posted more or less the same while I was typing that!)

andy_k

Thanks Wez, I don't think this is comparable to a violin, I have watched a lot of violin stuff lately, fascinating, but Les Paul construction is a lot simpler-in theory. There is a chance clamping could work on a hollow box, which has some flex I guess, but there are pictures out there that show how Gibson did their weight relief around the time mine was made-still a fairly substantial chunk of wood there, and the top starts out at about 5/8 thick and is carved on the top only- so the area of the split is probably the thinnest point, not enough area to resist splitting-if it could be drawn back in.
I think my options really are to either leave it and try to explain it and picture it to a buyer-easy in practice, but not so easy at a distance.
Or to attempt a fill, which would be visible, ( these are stained, thin nitro finish-which has been buffed out ) or to attempt a fill and refin, which would completely fix the problem.
The value would not be affected much either way, it is not something like a neck break which is structural.
Part of me wants to fix it for the fun of it anyway.
First world problems and all that.
thanks anyway.

WezV

andy_k said:

Thanks Wez, I don't think this is comparable to a violin, I have watched a lot of violin stuff lately, fascinating, but Les Paul construction is a lot simpler-in theory. There is a chance clamping could work on a hollow box, which has some flex I guess, but there are pictures out there that show how Gibson did their weight relief around the time mine was made-still a fairly substantial chunk of wood there, and the top starts out at about 5/8 thick and is carved on the top only- so the area of the split is probably the thinnest point, not enough area to resist splitting-if it could be drawn back in.

its comparable in that split repair is very common in the acoustic instrument world, and the solution is to clamp it together and glue,  and that might work here...

but i totally agree about the chances of it reopening on  the chambered LP design.