-
Hi
I live in the UK and rarely see a benedetto for sale over here but this bravo has come up. I would love one but the seller only gives a one line descroption " good condition with minor signs of use and a couple of scratches" Benedetto Bravo | Reverb UK
looks like seperation to me but wondered if anyone can give me some more opinions. I had a heel seperation on ne of my guitars a few years ago. It was an easy fix but this one looks a bit ugly. Thanks everyone
-
12-07-2022 04:07 PM
-
I assume you're referring to this:
I've seen this before and for the majority of cases it's fine. For a small minority, it's an indication that something has caused a momentary impact severe enough to compromise the underlying glue join.
Truth of the matter is no matter how many people tell you it's OK, or that it's a sign of underlying compromise that will haunt you at some point in the future, you do not know the history of what happened the moment before this shift beneath the finish appeared.
You can carefully check the alignment of all the geometry and get some assurance if nothing overtly out of tolerance manifests itself. Nobody knows what's going on with the wood join there, but it is one of two points of the guitar that takes the stress of an impact and something transmitted a momentary impact that shifted the glue join at some point. Any more is merely speculation. I wish there was a close up detail photo of the neck right at the finish beneath the nut. That's the other point that gives telltale albeit tiny evidence of a case drop or transport trauma.
Price seems good. It's really your decision on an unknown quantity with evidence of an unknown past.
Good luck.
By the way, I had a Bravo 7 string. I loved it. And by the way if mine had this kind of finish breach when I was considering, I would not have purchased it. But I'm not a gambler.
-
On closer scrutiny, there seem to be radiating finish fracture lines along the body of the instrument perpendicular to the join, two lines that don't seem to be features of the wood. Hard to tell, but if they are actually finish breaches they indicate some disparity of the side and neck block, I'd put that in the "pass" column.
-
It's very hard for me to tell exactly what is going on there. It could be photo artifacts/reflections, but with only one photo I can't really say. If there were separation going on, I would expect to see it on both sides of the heel, and I see nothing out of the ordinary in the photo of the other side. It's possible that force was applied to the side of the neck and caused finish cracking, but that seems less likely to me. I would request more photos, from different angles, of both sides of the heel and the back of it.
-
I think I do -
Originally Posted by sgosnell
I've never seen that pattern before. My first thought on seeing the other side was that it was a poor man's neck reset, and I don't know if this side is consistent with that or not. Those parallel finish cracks (or whatever they are if not that) could be from a blow to the bottom of the heel too, but that might have happened during an inexpert attempt to separate the neck from the body. There are several JGO regulars with more luthier experience than I have who may be able to weigh in on this.
-
I have. Torque compression. The impact came from the other side, it separated the neck on the treble side, compressed the neck on the bass side. It may have been a whack on the neck against something, walking through a doorway or something. But these are surely tell tales. Next would be a very close inspection of the headstock and headstock sides and joins for further finish evidence of the incident. Good eye nevershouldhavesoldit, I didn't catch that one. Originally Posted by nevershouldhavesoldit
I think I do -
I've never seen that pattern before. .
-
I normally wouldn't think too much of it as a bunch of my old guitars have that neck joint line w some associated checking, though to a lesser degree than this, but are very stable, no movement since I've owned them. This is pretty normal on vintage guitars even those that haven't had trauma, just wood movement/environmental changes, but those 2 long cracks/checks in the cutaway parallel to the neck are a concern. It almost looks like the heel took a shot judging by the circular damage above the heel cap.
-
Hi
thanks so much for the comments and advice its really appreciated. The seller is going to send me some more pics so ill share them on here.
As for price I think its too high the same model went for £2800 in the UK a good few moths ago. There seems to be a model with bound headstock and then this one without the bound headstock and then there is the deluxe model I was thinking of offering £3000 but im not sure yet. Guitars seem to be very highly priced noawadays I cant find anything under £4000 at the moment that is single venetian cutaway with carved tops
-
Just looking at pictures really in this case does not help. The glue joint normally stronger that the wood so I just see nothing about this that suggest anything horrible. I certainly do not think the neck has come off and been reset. Any blow that would alter the finish in this way would be easy to spot it would leave a huge dent in the guitar somewhere. That said this would be guitar I would only buy if I could personally inspect it with my trusty mirror inside and take a bunch of measurements. Frankly it could be nothing unusual as such. I have seen finish melt this way when exposed to heat like some lit a match near it or heat from something. What guitar model is this exactly?
-
Hi a benedetto bravo you can get one made for $6000 but imnot that rich. I think ill pass on it though as i know I would have to do a lot of explaining about that if i was to sell it on and I cant try it first as im too far away and the seller never sent over the extra pics but thanks to everyone that helped out cheers
Reply With Quote
Playing live and getting the best sound from the...
Today, 02:08 PM in Guitar, Amps & Gizmos