Help! Cracked Neck

[Mr. Mike]

This is a lousy way to make my first post! I just bought a natural quilt top off of eBay (3779968746; ser#G23712). It is gorgeous, & looks like a 1st year EVH I used to own.

The problem is that there is a severe crack through 60% of the neck at the headstock . I have contacted the seller, he didn't know it, and is being very cooperative.

My question is should I get a refund, or attempt to get another neck put on by EBMM? Has anyone done this? How expensive is it? The neck is very figured birdseye maple, & I want it to look the same. Will EBMM allow me to ask for a dark figured neck ?

In advance, thanks for the help!

 

[jongitarz]

I would go for the refund. A new neck is not cheap, adding to the cost of what you paid for the guitar. If you do order a neck, it will be luck of the draw as far as birdseye goes, so if it were me, I would get a refund, and look for another Axis.

 

[kbaim]

Unless you really love the look of the guitar and the extra cost of a new neck is worth it to you. Which it might be if you got a nice deal on the git.

Always nice to have mucho birdseye, but who of us wouldn't trade SOME birdseye for a great playing/feeling neck? I think we all would.

I would.
KEITH

 

[koogie2k]

Welcome to the addiction!

Yeah....I think if it is worth it to you to get a new neck, then get it. Looks don't replace feel. I can look at guitars all day with all the extra bells and whistles, but, it the neck feels like garbage to me, then the axe ain't worth the price.

Now, jongitarz gave you his recommendation. He works at EBMM in the repair dept. You may want to go that route instead. Unless, the person you bought the axe from wants to replace it at no cost to you.....

All the bird's eye won't replace a good feeling neck. My 2 pennies.

 

[kbaim]

Interested in knowing what necks go for? If anyone cares to post that info.

 

[jimmyp]

I feel bad for you - that is a lousy thing to happen. IMHO I'd try first for a refund, or get the seller to pay for a replacement neck and fitting costs/set up. Hope you get sorted

 

[Jimi D]

The refund is really the only practical way to go - if I'm not mistaken, a new neck, installed at the EBMM factory (which is the only way they do it, and you don't get to keep your old neck) will run more than $400...

btw, a crack like that sounds more like shipping damage than something the seller could overlook...

 

[Mr. Mike]

Hey everyone - thanks for the advice... I sent the guitar back for a full refund today

The crack was really not apparent until you looked for it & then you couldn't miss it. The seller really did feel bad. When he sent it, it was packaged very well, & the strings were detuned.

The crack is such that there was a very hard force from behind the headstock on the underside of the tuning keys (like it fell from a pretty good height or was thrown )... It simply looks like fractured paint, until you realize it circles the neck across the two floyd rose retainer bolts where there is no paint. It goes all the way up to the edge of the fretboard on both sides.

There were fingerboard oils in the crack, so it had been there quite a while.

Back to the search. Houston is the 4th largest city in the U.S. and there are only 4 Axi in guitar stores, all of which are amber at GC. I'd rather overpay and give my money to an independant store or buy it secondhand.

 

[slukather]

Hey everyone - thanks for the advice... I sent the guitar back for a full refund today

The crack was really not apparent until you looked for it & then you couldn't miss it. The seller really did feel bad. When he sent it, it was packaged very well, & the strings were detuned.

The crack is such that there was a very hard force from behind the headstock on the underside of the tuning keys (like it fell from a pretty good height or was thrown )... It simply looks like fractured paint, until you realize it circles the neck across the two floyd rose retainer bolts where there is no paint. It goes all the way up to the edge of the fretboard on both sides.

There were fingerboard oils in the crack, so it had been there quite a while.

Back to the search. Houston is the 4th largest city in the U.S. and there are only 4 Axi in guitar stores, all of which are amber at GC. I'd rather overpay and give my money to an independant store or buy it secondhand.

Sounds like a fair crack. It was better for you to send it back. But l'm glad everything went smoothly, and the seller didn't give you any dramas.

Anyway, good luck with your hunt.

Scott.

 

[PeteDuBaldo]

Man, that's too bad! I had to send my guitar back to my luthier when the fretboard cracked, but I can't imagine having a crack in the neck/headstock and still playing it

 

[francric]

I'm glad it worked out for you. That could have been a nightmare!!! I would have done the same.

I have a question about shipping. This is the second thread I read where it was stated that the strings were detuned for shipping. I thought you were not suppose to detune the strings in shipping. The tension is suppose to help the neck stay stable. Does EBMM send their stuff from production or repair with the strings detuned? So, which should you do EB? Ship it tuned or detuned and why?

 

[jongitarz]

We ship a LOT of instruments, and they are all tuned to pitch. We would not do this if it were wrong. I get guitars sent in all the time, and they de-tune them and leave the truss rod with tension on it. Not good. The neck will want to back bow.

 

[jongitarz]

Could the crack be the paint line where the headstock is finished? I had a guy send in a guitar and he thought the neck was cracked also. It was the finish line. I am not saying this is the case here, but it almost sounds like it could be.

 

[Mr. Mike]

Hey Jon - I can see how someone could make that mistake, but the crack wound around the neck into and out of the paint line. It was a heartbreaking. Like I said, someone had to whack it hard to get it to crack like that.

 

[Sir Edwardo]

Refund all the way man!