Gibson L-5 neck joint

[PenderJazz]

Hello!

I'm the happy new owner of a 1998 L-5 CT. I'm in love with the guitar, but have one point of concern.

There is an irregularity with the neck joint, as I hope can be seen in the attached pictures. I'm not very knowledgeable when it comes to guitar anatomy/construction, so I'm hoping to poll the crowed to get some opinions. Does it look like the neck has been damaged and/or replaced? It seems odd to me, as it's hard to imagine it would have gotten out the factory door that way. I admittedly did not notice this until a couple days after getting the guitar home. I'm trying to get opinions before I ask the seller - he didn't mention any previous repairs.

It is set up perfectly and plays like a dream. Perfect action, intonation and tuning, so at this point it only seems cosmetic to me, but I'm not sure. I don't know if this may be indicative of any future problems. If it is just cosmetic, can it be resolved? Expensive?

Thanks for your thoughts in advance!

[LtKojak]

This is an assessment that can only be done looking at the guitar in person.

Take it to your trusted luthier and ask him. I don't think it'll cost you anything.

[Jabberwocky]

It looks cosmetic. Nitrocellulose contracts and "sinks" into the joints and grain of the wood. Its being from 1998 it has had 21 years of that going on.

Seasonal change would also cause nitrocellulose check lines due to expansion and contraction of wood.

Try rapping the joint gently with a finger knuckle. If you hear a hollow rattling sound it may indicate a fracture. It should return a woody resonant tone.

That brown paint bleedover is due to the binding scraper not bothering to scrape it clean.

My opinion only.

What do the others think?

[deacon Mark]

Hard to see need another angle on the photo. Do you feel a define joint with your fingers, or is it smooth.

My opinion is that it is nothing other than shrinking of finish. Gibson necks on the whole are usually very stable. They use a mortise and tenon joint and I have never had to reset a Gibson archtop neck. They are done well.

[geogio]

There are lots of good luthiers around, you need to go make some phone calls and find one and take it in for an evaluation. Be prepared to take a drive if necessary.

Most of the really good luthiers are not unscrupulous. One thing I will say, is that early to mid 60's Gibson SG's needed their necks dowelled or what is also called "pinned" and that might be the case here. If the neck is mahogany, that too could be part of the reason. Maple is a more stable wood but mahogany was very popular in the Gibson line

If surgery is warranted, notice I didn't say repair because this is going to be a refit and refinish... if needed that is. It won't be too expensive but it won't be cheap either.

[PenderJazz]

Thanks for the reply! Yes, the joint can be felt. It is smooth at the base of the heel and becomes more pronounced moving up toward the fretboard.

[deacon Mark]

Gibson L5 s have maple necks get it checked but your description leads me to say it is fine. If pulling up the joint would not be smooth at base.

[deacon Mark]

There are lots of good luthiers around, you need to go make some phone calls and find one and take it in for an evaluation. Be prepared to take a drive if necessary.

Most of the really good luthiers are not unscrupulous. One thing I will say, is that early to mid 60's Gibson SG's needed their necks dowelled or what is also called "pinned" and that might be the case here. If the neck is mahogany, that too could be part of the reason. Maple is a more stable wood but mahogany was very popular in the Gibson line

If surgery is warranted, notice I didn't say repair because this is going to be a refit and refinish... if needed that is. It won't be too expensive but it won't be cheap either.

Taking the neck off an L5 and refit and refinishing would be hugely expensive, not cheap at all........beyond comprehension in some respect. My guess is that is not the case though.

[lammie200]

It looks like a quality control cosmetic defect from the factory - nothing more. You might want to shoot off an email to Mark Agnesi at Gibson. I think that he handles things associated with branding and quality.

[wintermoon]

I must say I've never seen that on a an L-5 or Super 400, etc
very strange they would miss that.
I wouldn't worry about it though.

[vinnyv1k]

My eyes are seeing a substantial gap ? Can a piece of paper or a feeler gauge be inserted into the gap ? As long as it is dead tight with no movement just a QC error once again from Gibson. If you are the original owner it would qualify for free warranty repair. Not the checking just the heel gap. Is that a actual heel gap at the cutaway ?

I was told that every black Gibson is black because it is hiding something. Decades ago a friend had a LP black beauty stripped. He wanted it blonde. The top had a huge knot hole with a ton of wood putty.
I still love black Gibson’s though. Still trolling for a black Wesmo.

[Marty Grass]

That's a common area for lacquer chipping. It chips because there is always a minimal amount of "play" in a joint from humidity changes and string tension. Yours looks like the woods are off a bit more than that. Maybe there was uneven shrinkage due to "wet" wood being in the mix there.

What does the other side look and feel like? Is the neck twisted?

I don't see finish flaking at the joint, which makes me think that this is the way the guitar was built and it was sprayed with overhang of the neck.

If it plays well, I'd leave it alone until it truly breaks, which likely won't be due to whatever your concerned about now. It will probably die of old age. Smoothing out that joint and refinishing it would be very expensive.

I'd show it to a Gibson luthier to get a quick opinion. I do mean quick. Someone who knows these instruments well should have a pretty good idea within 60 seconds on what the story is.

The poor binding scraping is harmless, but it makes me wonder how good the final inspection was on the guitar.