EB/MM John Petrucci - Stress Cracks in neck-joint

[guitar99]

I guess the only way to tell is to have them look at it.

 

[DistVibrations]

just got my JP no stress cracks!!

 

[punkin]

New Axis at Guitar Center

I saw a new Axis at the Tukwila WA Guitar center with the same neck joint cracks...the cracks were on both side of the neck. I made a mental note of the serial number but forgot by the time I got back at the computer.

 

[guitar99]

Yeah, I have a seen few here and there on different models at music stores. Just tell the store manager and he/she will take care it.

 

[Estin]

i really wish eb would try releasing a set neck, or neck thru. that would be really rockin. a neck thru axis...........ahh how some can dream.

 

[guitar99]

Yeah, a redesign like that would probably eliminate the cracks.

 

[puppiesonacid]

Hey punkin, when getting a new body, do you have to exchange the old one in order to recieve the new one? or do you send it in to them, how does that work out?


God bless,

Tony

 

[louisgtr]

My JP developed a stress crack, I contacted EBMM and they put in an order for a new body. They said they would call me when the new one was ready. Three weeks later I got a call and sent the guitar in. I got the guitar back a week later, which was pretty quick considering I live on the opposite coast here in Florida. Waiting until the body was ready before sending my guitar saved me a couple of weeks of being without my JP.

 

[guitar99]

How long did you have it before you noticed the crack developing?

 

[guitar99]

Has anyone noticed a crack developing over time or did you purchase the guitar and notice the crack when you examined it later (at home) ?

 

[jimmyp]

I´m not sure about neck pocket cracks on Petrucci models, but my Sil Special developed the same problem not long after I got it, without the case being dropped etc. My repair guy told me it was a fault in the finish - the mixture? of clear lacquer was too brittle and likely to crack with the natural movement of the wood, meaning without stress from moving in the case. I´m interested to know if anyone else has had these problems on any other models. My EVH has been fine since I got it in 94.

 

[bing4sons]

If you'll call EB about this issue, they'll take care of you.

Bing

 

[zabba]

Do you have to be a heavy handed player
or can a wimp get cracks also

 

[jimmyp]

In all fairness to EB, they are currently sorting out a new body for me and have handled it very well. Normally I wouldnt be annoyed - my strat is battered and had stress cracks before I bought it, but that is my playing out guitar wheras my Sil Special was a custom order with a sparkle paint job and it annoyed me that a high end guitar developed this problem within a year without it being gigged or used for rehearsals. They are fantastic guitars and I would recommend an EBMM to anyone - their after sales service is excellent.
p.s. i think wimps can have this problem as well...

 

[guitar99]

I recommend very carefully examining the neck joint before buying an EB. I have seen many good (no crack) EB's on the shelf at the music store. I have also seen a few stress cracked on a few different EB models that were brand new. Examine the neck joint, look closely because sometimes they start out very small.

EB is handling it very well, sending the guitar across the continent and waiting for a replacement body can be the only snag for most people.

This information has been around a very long time (a few years now) and there seem to be no solution except to send the cracked guitar back for a replacement. I luv EB guitars. I hope EB finds a cure to these stress cracks soon.

 

[Jimi D]

I have stress cracks in the finish on the neck pocket of an Albert Lee and my Silhouette... The interesting thing about the Silhouette is that it's the old model with the six-bolt neck plate... I have seen these kinds of cracks on Ibanez and ESP and Fender guitars as well - it's the price of using a very thin, hard Poly finish over something flexible like wood... EB handles it very well indeed; if you call Ibanez and say you have a stress crack on your Jem, they won't even answer the phone. That being said, the last thing I'd do on a guitar I love is replace the body over some minor cosmetic issue - who knows if it would sound the same afterward?

 

[OrangeChannel]

Zactly. I've had stress cracks on almost ever guitar I've ever owned, including a coupla PRS CE's and a GOdin. Might be the climate here, because I baby the axes, but it doesn't matter much anyhow iin terms of playability and such.

 

[guitar99]

It depends on your willingness to accept the crack on a new guitar and the outlook of the crack itself.

I have seen small cracks on older EB, Jackson, and Ibanez neck joints that should not effect the playability of the guitars.

I have also seen a new guitar with a crack that went down around the back to the trem plate. If the crack was down into the wood then it is a concern for the future of the guitar. A while back there were some people who reported neck joint cracks that went into the wood body of the guitar. Probably just a rare instance, most may be just in the finish. Just hard to tell by looking, unless you are looking at Vai's EVO.

 

[OrangeChannel]

Most of the instances where you'd see a crack down to the wodd, thru the wood etc...have to do with misuse of the instrument. Tossing a guitar or dropping it or improper shipping might cause this, but not a stress crack in the finish. I saw a Melancon that got it's arse tossed in a UPS shipping incident. The entire upper bout fractured itself off.

Wait a minute. Wild West is shipping my Petrucci via UPS. Uhoh.

 

[rackmore5]

Just say no to crack!

i have a JP6 . .. my son has a JP7 . . . no cracks . . no sign of a crack . .nothing. we got these axes last year 2003 . . not sure if this helps . . . but this seems to be a non-issue