Help with my 1960 Les Paul Junior

[php221988]

Dear fellow Les Paul enthusiasts,

Let me start by wishing you a superb year ahead, full of new guitars and great tones !

I’m reaching out to your advice regarding my LP Junior from 1960. It’s a guitar I acquired few weeks ago and I enjoyed it a lot since then : it’s resonant, super light and has so much mojo & harmonics.

It has a significant crack checking on the back of the neck, close to the headstock but below it : the woodgrain is appearing but no wood crack as I see.

There is no visible crack on the face of the headstock and no repair visible anywhere under black light.

I want to keep it, I paid a fair price for it : I would like to know your opinion about this crack and if I should do anything about it ?

Any idea how come this guitar had such damage ?

In your opinion, and from the photos, was the wood structure affected ?

Here’s below some pictures of it :

 

[VamboRool]

Crack happened when someone incorrectly adjusted the truss rod. Have a tech who is experienced in vintage Gibsons take a look at it.

 

[miserneil]

As Vambo says, the truss rod has been overtightened. It does look like someone has glued it though but I'd take it to a reputable tech in your ares and get him to check it out.

 

[DutchRay]

That indeed, looks like incorrect use of the truss rod, combined with the thin 1960 shape neck... As long as the truss rod has enough room for adjustment, you should be fine, but I'd have an experienced tech take a look at it, maybe even try to x-ray it (from the side).

 

[php221988]

Thanks gents for the quick feedback ! Not necessarily happy to hear this but I guess that life, I knew something, somehow, had happened.



How bad is this kind of damage ?



I do not see any glue actually, even with a X10 watchmaker loop... looks like wood is plain to me but I might be wrong of course, definitely not expert. Looks old anyway, the lacquer on both side of the crack is super smooth, it’s been played since.



Could the lacquer be filled in any way from your experience ? Should I leave it like this (cosmetically I mean, if structure things must be done, I’ll do it) ?



I have no choice but to show it to some vintage experts I guess.

 

[DutchRay]

Thanks gents for the quick feedback ! Not necessarily happy to hear this but I guess that life, I knew something, somehow, had happened.



How bad is this kind of damage ? Pretty bad, if it's not glued, it will get worse. It started out only a few mm in length and look at it now... A good 10cm. You really need to get it fixed or the neck will crack further and the guitar will become unplayable.



I do not see any glue actually, even with a X10 watchmaker loop... looks like wood is plain to me but I might be wrong of course, definitely not expert. Looks old anyway, the lacquer on both side of the crack is super smooth, it’s been played since.



Could the lacquer be filled in any way from your experience ? Should I leave it like this (cosmetically I mean, if structure things must be done, I’ll do it) ? When the crack is fixed, a good luthier should be able to fill it with lacquer.



I have no choice but to show it to some vintage experts I guess. A good luthier will do, no need for a vintage expert.

 

[ourmaninthenorth]

Ray's correct, a good luthier will sort this out; don't despair some of them are magician grade necromancers when it comes to these type of repairs.

Love to see the outcome when you get it sorted.

All the best.

 

[php221988]

Thanks again for the answers, so you guys think it's not been fixed yet ?
@DutchRay , how do you see it actually got worse over time ?

There absolutely no gap in the wood...

 

[DutchRay]

Thanks again for the answers, so you guys think it's not been fixed yet ?
@DutchRay , how do you see it actually got worse over time ?

There absolutely no gap in the wood...

Because I've seen cracks like these before. They start out very small and every time you touch the truss rod it'll crack further, usually within a day. I can't tell if it's glued or not but a good luthier can help you with that.

 

[akstrat61]

Calling BCR Greg!

 

[php221988]

Hi there,

I had the previous owner on the phone today, he said this has not moved a bit for years, even though he changed string gauges several time with TR adjustment.

Here are some pics under black light : it seems like I could see a super super thin clearer line in the wood : could this be a repair ?

 

[DutchRay]

So hard to tell, I think I see some faint glue residue in some pictures, but not in others.. I would expect to see more glue residue if it had been fixed recently so it might be an old repair.
I would still show it to a good luthier and have the laquer fixed if it was mine.

 

[ourmaninthenorth]

Again Ray, I'm thinking along similar lines.

Love to hear what Yukki and Neil and of course a few others craftsmen think.

Paging Jumping@shadows and Miserneil.

 

[miserneil]

It's hard to tell without having it in hand but there does look like some glue residue in the crack. I'd be very surprised if an obvious crack like that ( especially one that's blown the lacquer) wouldn't have been repaired previously.

If I had it in the workshop, I would look over the area with magnification, take off the strings, gently flex the neck, and if needed, put some gentle tension on the rod, paying close attention to the crack to see if there was any movement at all. If it was stable, I would drop fill the missing lacquer and match it in with the existing finish. It'd never be invisible but could certainly be made very presentable.

The main thing to do is not panic, it's definitely more than fixable (if indeed needed at all). I've currently got a '56 Special on the bench that's had a DIY attempt at a neck shave and they've hit the truss rod....a little bit more work involved in saving this one....

 

[php221988]

Hi there - quick follow-up on my Junior as I've had the opportunity to go to a well-known luthier in Paris on Saturday.

He tested it on the bench, looking at it with a magnifier and made few manipulations : to him it’s been repaired a long time ago and quite rock solid. At least I’m relieved on that part

So from now on, it’s more of an aesthetical question : I agreed with him that he’ll do his magic and drop fill the lacquer crack.

I’ll keep you updated and show you the result in a few weeks.

Thanks again for your answers and support !

 

[DutchRay]

Great news!!

 

[ourmaninthenorth]

Fantastic.

Play in the finest of health.