2018 Les Paul Modern Cracking Finish

rpipes said:

Hello everyone. My 2nd post to the forums here.

I have a 2018 Les Paul Modern that I've had for about 6 or so months. A couple of months ago I noticed a couple of cracks in the finish around the 2 volume knobs, and since then this has spread and become a major visual issue on what amounts to a pretty expensive investment. The guitar is always in the house, and the house is kept around 70 degrees.

My question at this point is not so much on how to prevent this, as I understand that this will happen to a Gibson over time. The question is more along the lines of, what kind of overall care does it need when it comes to cleaning and wiping down. Similar to another post I made about my Les Paul Junior, is any kind of Wax for the guitar to be avoided? Just a simple cleaning spray on a rag and a wipe down?

I did email Gibson support on this issue, knowing that finish problems aren't covered under the warranty, asking what could be done to prevent this and overall future care, but the response was pretty lacking. Thus, I'm hoping there are those in the know here on the forum that might be able to offer some guidance in regards to future care, cleaning, etc. The overall sound and playability is not affected. It's just a visual issue and I'd like to ensure that I don't do anything that could potentially make it any worse. Granted, it's going to happen over time with these types of finishes, but the cracking that is now there is just way over the top for a guitar this young.

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Keefoman said:

You don't want to prevent it from happening. Just play it and let it crack. If you want a showroom piece, buy a guitar with poly finish, and keep it in a display cabinet.

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rpipes said:

I hear what you're saying, but if I ever figure out how to upload a pic you'll see what I mean. I have an original '57 Les Paul Junior which is heavily checkered, and realize this happens over time. However, this brand new Les Paul looks like it's been hammered and it's just a few months old. I expect this to happen as time goes by, but at this rate in 5 years there won't be any finish left on the thing.

The question is more about how to care for it once this does begin to happen. Should I use any form of wax on it at all? Just wipe with a damp rag? There's no real way to prevent it seeing as how I've kept it a constant temp and it has already done this. My query is more on how to look after it once it's happened.

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