neck-body transition not flush; Luke III

[herb123]

Hello Music Man forum members,

I got a brandnew Luke III fuchsia. The strings were not centered to the fingerboard at first, so my guitar dealer checked the neck alignment. The strings run quite centered now as far as I can see (see photo).

However, the neck-body transition is still not flush (see photo). I checked my other electric guitars with bolt-on necks (Fender, Charvel) - all neck-body transitions are completely flush and smooth. I checked many other guitars in my guitar shop, even Music Man Lukes, all neck-body transitions were completely flush and smooth.

I know I'm being nitpicky, but on a guitar in this price range, I would expect the neck-body transition to be perfectly flush. It probably doesn't affect playing, but it just looks like it doesn't quite fit. Or is it just a matter of adjustment?

What’s your opinion about that? Do you have any advice?

 

[GWDavis28]

If your not happy take it back. Always be happy with your purchase.

Great guitar and color choice!!

Glenn |B)

 

[Sweat]

Looks normal to me , I have 4 Lukes including an older one

 

[DrKev]

Willkommen in der Forum-Familie, Herb!

That's looks absolutely fine to me. If you are not happy, go back to your dealer and talk to them about it, but I would have no issue with that at all.

Remember that nothing can be manufactured perfectly to specified dimensions (at least not without huge additional expense) and wood is even worse in this regard as it can always swell or shrink in unexpected ways a little away from what it was the day it was made.

 

[banjoplayer]

Hi Herb, where are you from? Not many, but a few germans here...

 

[nervous]

I am in agreement with the others, while not pretty it looks like some aggressive and imperfect sanding in that area that should probably have been caught in QC before or after finishing. Certainly won't ever affect playability but could impact resale value for a fussy buyer.

 

[Spudmurphy]

Anybody post their pictures of a Luke 3 to compare perhaps?

 

[nervous]

Anybody post their pictures of a Luke 3 to compare perhaps?

Here are a couple from my L3 that I no longer have. Not great but you can see it's not precisely flush with the neck. There is a small ledge.

 

[herb123]

Hi altogether,

thanks a lot to all of you for your posts.

@GWDavis: In the beginning I was not sure about the color. Now I love it

@Sweat: Thanks for your information.

@DrKev: Thanks for your Message. I believe you that nothing can be manufactured perfectly. But all other guitars I checked, including Music Man, did perfectly flush, hmm...

@banjoplayer: I am a big Lukather fan from a town near Munich, Bavaria.

@Spudmurphy: Great idea! I would be happy about some more photos.

@nervous: Thanks a lot for your photos. I agree with your opinion.

Best Regards
Herb