2006 Gibson Gold top Classic Checking already

[ZMAN]

To my shock and dismay I picked up my gold top the other day and notice lines in the finish around the tone controls. You can see them at an angle when the light hits it. I am sure it has happened over night. I called my tech and he said that both of his personal goldies have this as well.
I let Gibson know about it and I sent along two pictures of the checking. They said that this is not included in the warranty and said it is fixable. And referred me to their repair department. I sent back a reply that I was very disappointed with them and that I had 5 Gibson guitars, and this would be my last one. The rep sent me a list of the exclusions and said he will send the pictures to his repair department to see if they would come under warranty but doubts it. I got the same explanation from my tech. I went on a couple of Gibson websites and several guys are experiencing this with guitars other than gold tops, which I was told are more prone to this because of the metalic paint. I personally feel it is an issue with chambered guitars. I think because of the thnner top and the finish used by Gibson they are more prone to this checking than the older solid guitars. My Studio is Chambered but has none of these marks. I will keep an eye on that one.
I just thought I would give you guys a heads up on this.
Also these are not cracks and are under the finish, and can only be seen at an angle.

"Just based on the photographs, this appears to be finish checking, which unfortunately, is not covered under warranty, but could still be repaired. Our repair and restoration division can be reached at 615-244-0252, EX 5102. They should be able to assist you with it."

Thanks for writing,

Daryl Mosley
Gibson Customer Service
1-800-4GIBSON
THIS WARRANTY DOES NOT COVER:

Any instrument that has been altered or modified in any way or upon which the serial number has been tampered with or altered.
Any instrument whose warranty card has been altered or upon which false information has been given.
Any instrument that has been damaged due to misuse, negligence, accident, or improper operation.
The subjective issue of tonal characteristics.
Shipping damages of any kind.
Any instrument that has been subjected to extremes of humidity or temperature
Normal wear and tear (i.e., worn frets, worn machine heads, worn plating, string replacement, scratched pickguards, or damages to or discoloration of the instrument finish for any reason).
Any instrument that has been purchased from an unauthorized dealer, or upon which unauthorized repair or service has been performed.
Any factory installed electronics after a period of one (I) year following the original date of purchase.
Cracking, discoloration or damage of any sort to the finish or plating for any reason. Gibson does not warranty the playability of a instrument whose "action" is lower than the standard "action" as defined in the owners manual.
Thank You,

[Kodiak3D]

Nothing says quality like Gibson...right?

[oldguy]

For what you paid, that's wrong.They should fix it, or replace it.

[ZMAN]

Let the buyer beware I guess. I am in no way bashing Gibson. It states it right in the warranty. If everyone knew this before they made the purchase, I think it would make people think twice. My only concern is that they will develop into cracks. But I have been assured that they will not by my tech.
The other problem is that I bought this guitar New Old Stock, and was surprised to find it was a 2006. It was of course flawless then. At the time it was over two years old and I saw the date they received it, from the distributor and it was only 6 months at their shop. He had ordered 5 Goldies and there was still one more still in the box. So the distributor had this guitar for possibly 1.5 years, and who knows how they stored them.
I have registered my complaint with Gibson and if they do develop into cracks I will be after them. I will give Gibson a chance to look at the pictures, and see what they say.
It is amazing how many guys on other Gibson related forums have replied that their guitars have the same issue. Most of them have the attitude it gives the guitar character, and mojo. It doesn't in any way hamper the playability.
If they offer a replacement I will take it as long as it is a solid body like a
Traditional. I really like this guitar though. Just a little disappointed.
PS. I have owned it about a year.

[bigG]

Man o man, Z! That is a shame, and IMHO, unforgivable and unacceptable. You're taking this ALOT better than I would.

This is yet another reason to add to my list of reasons NOT to buy Gibson guitars. It's akin to a higher-end auto manufacturer (ie, BMW, Volvo) not covering the paint job against checking or "orange-peeling". I understand it is in Gibson's list of things not covered under warranty, but one has to wonder why that is...!? Are they aware from the start that this is "likely" to happen, and simply not willing to correct the problem at the R&D/Production level? This seems like the only reason to mention it as NOT being covered - it is a "known" defect before the fact!!

(I understand improper care from humidity and temperature extremes not being covered, but those situations are likely to show themselves in certain specific ways. Your situation is WAY different, but apparently not covered thanks to this "blanket" warranty rule. How convenient and blatantly wrong for the good folks at Gibson! I wish them all the worst, and I hope the guitar-buying public lets their unhappiness with Gibson be known where it means the most - in their bottom line! I AM bashing Gibson, and am personally boycotting their products. I sincerely hope there are others out there who will join me. Perhaps David won't kill Goliath, but if Goliath feels David's "attacks" in the pocketbook, they might finally come down off their high-horse!)

Okay, sorry. Rant finished.

G

[M29]

That is terrible. It will more than likely need to be stripped down to the wood to correct it. If nitro lacquer is used again it will probably do it again. That is a shame, guitars usually don't do this for many years. You might be on to something with the chamber body. The top could flex more in temperature changes being thinner that a solid body and that could cause the finish to flex as well causing the checking.

Very sorry to hear this Gibson needs to do something about this especially on this new of a guitar. I will spread this around to those I know.

[oldguy]

Fair enough, Z, and I understand what you're saying. It's still a great guitar functionally, just has a cosmetic "blemish", if you will.
I know people who would freak out over a new guitar, at that price point, if it happened to them, tho. Like if they bought a new car and the paint started going south.
It's still a fine guitar, in any case, and should last you forever.

(edit: I see bigG made the car analogy while I was typing.......I believe he's more upset than you are about this, Z)

[ZMAN]

Don't get me wrong I am upset. All of my guitars are flawless and kept that way. To ses this I almost croaked. But short of replacement what can you do.
A refinish will be the same so a big waste of time. I agree with the car analagy. That was my first thought. I used to make the steel for car hoods and roofs, and if there was even a spec of fly crap on it, it would be rejected because of the issues with painting.
The guy at Gibson has sent me some more emails and has submitted it to his warranty section for appraisal. IF they deem it bad enough, I would have to send the guitar to Gibson then see what happens. I think if it was a crack I would want a replacement. I have talked to several people and I really don't think I have a hope in hades in getting anything done.
I have enough issues in my life without getting worked up about this.
Since the dealer, who I have purchased over 15,000 dollars worth of guitars and amps thinks this "Checking" adds character to it, I should take it back and trade it for a Traditional Gold top, and see what kind of deal I would get. LOL.

[Spudman***]

That really is an ugly finish problem. I certainly would be upset considering the brand reputation and price. If it were a normal occurrence then it would stand to reason that all their guitars would do the same thing and they don't. Therefore it should be considered a manufacturing defect unless you are standing on the knobs while turning them and causing the cracks.

Sorry you have to experience this.

BTW - if you ever decide to part with the Blue Deluxe Squier contact me.

[red]

Yep, I was stupid enough to buy a Gibson Billie Joe Armstrong Les Paul Junior in Europe in 2008, sight unseen (bought online).
The body finish checked in a couple of months after I got the guitar (it already had a noticeable line on the neck when I got the guitar), the fretboard wood looked horrible (it was badly chipped in 2-3 positions).

Since it was expensive to send it back (it had been bought from a dealer in another country), I thought I'd just keep it like that, I could ignore the neck finish flaw and had the fretboard very carefully sandpapered at the chipped spots.

After a while the neck started to curb and I had the guitar properly set up (truss-rod adjustment included). Left the guitar in it's case for a while and to my horror when I took it out I saw that it had developed a crack at the back of the headstock. The truss-rod had been improperly installed from the factory and did not really work - the tech tried to tighten the truss-rod as much as possible to make a difference in neck relief, but the wood just ended up cracking a couple of weeks (!) after the setup.

I sent the guitar back, but Gibson said (through the dealer) that the warranty does not cover the issue - because the neck now had a crack. So it's my fault that I didn't return the guitar intact even though they made a crap guitar with a faulty truss-rod that caused the crack in the first place. I still have it in writing (email from the dealer) that Gibson's techs agreed that the truss rod was improperly installed from the factory, but they all still used that technicality against me. So here's a case where they essentially admit I got a lemon from them but still Gibson says jump and the dealer asks how high.

I ended up having to take an extremely bad deal with the online store - they would repair the old guitar and keep it and I'd pay the difference in price to an expensive guitar they had in stock. My old guitar was valued at about 60% of what I paid for it. All this after about 9 months after the initial purchase.

You're lucky your only problem is esthetic. If your guitar works/plays fine and you like the tone, keep it. Your next one might have even bigger issues.

If you read the fine print, Gibson doesn't cover anything under warranty. I will never buy a new Gibson as long as I live. I prefer the Gibsons that sound more like Fender anyway (to steal a line from Marc Ribot), so the choice is a no-brainer.

[ZMAN]

Spudman. The problem isn't restiricted to the tone area. There are also "checking" where the pick up ring is attached, and where the holes for the bridge and stop tail piece are attached. The problem is only with the finish. You can't feel any irregularities. I don't think there are many Gibson owners on this site, but the general consensus over at the Gibson sites it no biggy! To make matters worse I have a Vintage Icon Gold top mfg in Asia and there isn't a mark on it. At around 450 bucks it sure makes the Gibby look bad. I will wait and see what happens with Gibson. I am being true to my word though. I told them I would make sure everyone I talk to on the many forums I am a member, will know the issue and see the pictures. IF that doesn't get their attention, I don't know what will.
As far as the Daphne blue. I ordered that one and when they came in the dealer showed me the White Pearl first, and I could not make up my mind so I got a 2 for 1 deal. LOL. I traded an Epi LP standard for them. I put a set of 9s on the Daphne and 9.5s on the Pearl and that little bit of difference makes it, I prefer the 9.5s. They were both set up by my tech and they play very nice. Screwed down ala hardtail and I don't use the Trem. Some days it almost looks surf green depending on the light.
I hope everyone understands why I am posting this as a heads up. It should be a consideration before you buy a Gibson. To be continued....

[red]

To make matters worse I have a Vintage Icon Gold top mfg in Asia and there isn't a mark on it. At around 450 bucks it sure makes the Gibby look bad.

Not to defend Gibson (obviously...) but the Vintage most likely has some kind of plastic finish, whereas Gibson uses nitrocellulose lacquer. Only the lacquer checks. The plastic finishes (that all MIM and most MIA Fenders also use) don't crack unless you hit your guitar really hard, and then whole chunks of the finish just fall off.

[M29]

Maybe a group gripe to gibson is in order here.

[Brian Krashpad]

Man, that's some funky checking. I haven't seen any like that before.

Mojo sent.

[Plank_Spanker]

Man, that's some funky checking. I haven't seen any like that before.

Neither have I. I've seen some spoke like checking develop radially from the pot shafts, but nothing like this. I don't think the chambered body had anything to do with this checking. The wood is thin there whether the body is chambered or not. My '06 shows no sign of it.

ZMAN, I hope that Gibson gets right with you on this this, but I'm doubtful.

[MAXIFUNK]

Wow, that is not cool in any way shape or form.
So far I only own Fender guitars but when I have saved my bucks seems to me Micheal Kelly guitars are going to get my money when I want an LP style axe.

I know fenders are far from flawless but based on what I've read on-line there seems to be far more complaints of quality issues from Gibson and its subsidiaries.

Sorry to here about this ZMAN damn shame they would not even consider taking care of a loyal Gibson Customer like yourself.

[Plank_Spanker]

I know fenders are far from flawless but based on what I've read on-line there seems to be far more complaints of quality issues from Gibson and its subsidiaries.

Five Gibsons in my house - zero complaints.

ZMAN has a genuine issue, but most of the online noise is generated by cork sniffers and wannabes - and the uninformed who are willing to buy it. I would definitely NOT shoe horn the entire Gibson brand into the internet noise. There is nothing wrong with the current Gibson models and their QC..............but given the numbers produced, there will be a few turds.

Like any guitar - play and choose wisely.

[red]

Wow, that is not cool in any way shape or form.
So far I only own Fender guitars but when I have saved my bucks seems to me Micheal Kelly guitars are going to get my money when I want an LP style axe.

Collings also makes fantastic Les Paul type guitars in the same price range as Gibson.

[red]

I would definitely NOT shoe horn the entire Gibson brand into the internet noise.

Perhaps, but when, like me, you live in a country where you can't find anything above Gibson Les Paul Studios in the local shops and have to order online it's a good rule of thumb to avoid everything a brand puts out after a bad experience with one of their more expensive models at the time. Obviously, if you can go into a shop, pick and choose, it's possible to have a good deal in both financial and quality terms. YMMV.