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Fit and Finish question on my new 2019 Gibson Original Collection 50's Les Paul

lp56tv

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Feb 21, 2018
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Crack in finish underneath crew that holds pickgaurd to body on new Les Paul Standard

Just received my new Original Collection 50's Les Paul today. First off the guitar looks, plays and sounds amazing especially through my Marshall2203x into my 4x12 cab with Celestion Creambacks. I noticed the finished was cracked underneath the screw that holds the pick guard to the body.
I know nitro is a pretty soft finish especially on a new guitar. Is this pretty common on new Les Pauls?
Thanks
 

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nhwildbill

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Jan 7, 2020
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What Big Al said, the thing is can you live with it on a Guitar you seem to love?:hmm
 

sunking101

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They're mostly all like that. Gibson have started to put a small felt washer underneath the bolt but it still presses into the surface and dents the finish. They need to use a longer bracket like they used to, and like Epiphone still do on their LPs. It's obvious that the nut is pressing into the body yet Gibson still churn them out like that.
 

lp56tv

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Feb 21, 2018
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They're mostly all like that. Gibson have started to put a small felt washer underneath the bolt but it still presses into the surface and dents the finish. They need to use a longer bracket like they used to, and like Epiphone still do on their LPs. It's obvious that the nut is pressing into the body yet Gibson still churn them out like that.
There is a felt washer under the pickgaurd to protect the top of the guitar. I was talking about the screw thats screwed into the side of the body.
 

sunking101

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There is a felt washer under the pickgaurd to protect the top of the guitar. I was talking about the screw thats screwed into the side of the body.

Sorry mate, I didn't even look at your photo.
No, that's unusual and not good at all. It's visible even with the bracket on.
 

lp56tv

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Feb 21, 2018
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Sorry mate, I didn't even look at your photo.
No, that's unusual and not good at all. It's visible even with the bracket on.
Its actually not visible with the bracket on so that good.
Part of me wants to keep it and the other part of me says I just paid $2500.00 for a new Les Paul I should be able to put my own dents and scratches in it.
 
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sunking101

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Jan 13, 2020
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Its actually not visible with the bracket on so that good.
Part of me wants to keep it and the other part of me says I just paid $2500.00 for a new Les Paul I should be able to put my own dents and scratches in it.

That's good then, it looks like it would be visible even with the bracket attached. If you intend keeping the scratchplate on then you're good to go but yes, it's not nice knowing that there's some damage on your new, expensive axe.
 

grimlyflick

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From what I can see in the photo the crack is where the finish goes from the wood to overlapping the binding slightly. My 2016 standard has it in the cutaway, I wouldn’t worry about it, especially if the bracket covers it and you are happy with all other aspects of the guitar.
:salude
 

Wilson_smyth

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Feb 23, 2020
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Would agree with the rest, its very superficial and has no bearing on the guitars ability and with any luck the guitar will live to see a lot worse over its long life.

That said, after spending 2500 quid on a guitar, its very annoying. Its even more annoying when you consider Japanese copies like tokai, bacchus, edwards can churn out guitars of exceptional quality, on a consistent basis.
My tokai LS135, which is effectively an R9 replica is as flawless as Les Pauls come. the pickguard is fitted perfectly, doesnt leave a mark.

My 2019 50s Standard on the other hand has a small scratch in the exact same spot as your laquer crack. The hole was also bored a little lower than i expect on a Les paul, meaning the nut under the pickguard is quite close to the finish.
Not a big deal, i dont use a pickguard anyway and its easily fixed by slightly bending the pickguard bracket, but on a 2500 quid guitar, these stupid mistakes shouldnt happen.

All that said, the gibson is still nicer to play than the tokai and it feels like it has more "mojo" if thats even a real thing.

The cost of having a gibson is the fact that they are far from consistent or perfect. perhaps that fact imbues them with something that adds to their appeal.
 

Musicman

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Keep it and maybe get a slight discount if you're lucky.:peace2
 

SpencerD

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Yeah,that's fucked up.

My career has been in furniture for 30+ years now. If I sent something like that to a customer,I would fire myself. No excuses -- people pay money for brand new things and they deserve brand new things.

We know that our products are probably going to get beat up and knocked around some when they get to the end user right? Makes no difference to us! NONE!

If it isn't right,it doesn't ship. Ever.

Don't buy from me if you think "good enough" is good enough. It's not.
 
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uncajoey

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Apr 1, 2016
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Sounds to me like you’re taking the thing apart to find issues with it. Play it and enjoy. If it still bothers you, hire a psychiatrist.
 

lp56tv

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Feb 21, 2018
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Sounds to me like you’re taking the thing apart to find issues with it. Play it and enjoy. If it still bothers you, hire a psychiatrist.
Just wanted to see what it looks like without the pickgaurd. My apologies. Put the guard back on and all is well. Already seeing a psychiatrist but thank you.
 

Big Al

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Yeah,that's fucked up.

My career has been in furniture for 30+ years now. If I sent something like that to a customer,I would fire myself. No excuses -- people pay money for brand new things and they deserve brand new things.

We know that our products are probably going to get beat up and knocked around some when they get to the end user right? Makes no difference to us! NONE!

If it isn't right,it doesn't ship. Ever.

Don't buy from me if you think "good enough" is good enough. It's not.

Oh, so if I pop off a leg and find a mark in the glue it's flawed? Bunch of anal retentive hubbubers!:hee:##
 

madformac

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Oh, so if I pop off a leg and find a mark in the glue it's flawed? Bunch of anal retentive hubbubers!:hee:##


Gotta agree Al.

All modern Les Pauls with a pick guard will have an impression in the finish to some degree. When you screw a metal angular bracket against a soft plasticised finish it will always mark unless it's screwed so loose it doesn't grip. I've owned dozens of modern USA and Custom Shop Les Pauls and EVERY SINGLE ONE has press marks in the finish under the guard bracket. The finish is not hard as glass. Polyester finishes would be harder but I don't want that personally. If the marks are light you could have the finish buffed flat again but you still have the screw holes?

Guitar ownership never ceases to amaze me. We have people happy to pay $10K for a relic Strat that looks nothing like real wear and then we have the pristine brigade with the slightest blemishes causing concerns and distress. These are hand finished and relatively mass produced. They won't send everything back for a respray for small finish issues.

Modern nitro marks easily. If you can push your fingernail in and make a mark then screwed on metal will do it. As Al says, you are not supposed to see under the bracket. PRS don't use pick guards on the carved tops probably to avoid such issues.
 

sunking101

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Jan 13, 2020
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102
Sounds to me like you’re taking the thing apart to find issues with it. Play it and enjoy. If it still bothers you, hire a psychiatrist.

You're accepting mediocrity and defending bad workmanship.
The pickguard and its bracket are an extremely poor design. Quite why they can send out elaborately painted and finished guitars with this shoddy contraption knowingly damaging the surface is beyond me. The crude nut and bolt need to be kept further away from the guitar's body by way of a longer bracket. Epiphone manage this so why don't Gibson??
Just look at the healthy gap between the bolt and top of the guitar in this photo I took of a 2020 Epiphone Les Paul hanging on the racks. Gibson know that some people remove the pickguard and even if they don't there should be no damage underneath. It's nothing like removing a table leg and complaining about a mark that's hidden by the leg like a previous poster remarked.

 

Texas Blues

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You're accepting mediocrity and defending bad workmanship.
The pickguard and its bracket are an extremely poor design. Quite why they can send out elaborately painted and finished guitars with this shoddy contraption knowingly damaging the surface is beyond me. The crude nut and bolt need to be kept further away from the guitar's body by way of a longer bracket. Epiphone manage this so why don't Gibson??
Just look at the healthy gap between the bolt and top of the guitar in this photo I took of a 2020 Epiphone Les Paul hanging on the racks. Gibson know that some people remove the pickguard and even if they don't there should be no damage underneath. It's nothing like removing a table leg and complaining about a mark that's hidden by the leg like a previous poster remarked.


Well then.

You should just stick to Epiphone.

Since they are superior.
 
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