small crack on axis neck joint?

[rydiggidydog]

hi
is it quite common for a tiny crack to form at the next joint on the lower heel of an axis guitar? this is quite a small crack and would it put you off purchasing a used axis if it had this? i'd really appreciate people's advice on this
Ryan

 

[kbaim]

This comes up periodically. Some models are more prone to these teeny cracks than others. I own 6 balls, all bought new. 2 have really small cracks.

I don't really think about them. They haven't gotten bigger and they are almost invisible.

Considering how often I yank on my guitar, no biggie

 

[dwf1004]

ry:

Usually these "cracks" that you see are cosmetic in the horn area of a guitar, so it's nothing to worry about, unless vanity is an extreme factor in your purchase, such as scratches, etc.

I wouldn't worry about it, to be honest with you, however, if you really have some doubt in your head about it, you could have a local luthier check it out for a second opinion (it's obviously a little tough to gauge over the Internet).

 

[Jimi D]

I've got these finish cracks on a couple of my EBMMs - an Axis and an Albert Lee both have them. They're just finish cracks, and quite common in guitars with hard poly finishes over thin areas in the wood where stress occurs. This was also very common with my Ibanez Jems. It's just cosmetic, and nothing to worry about from a performance/quality standpoint.

 

[rydiggidydog]

hi
thanks for your help guys, i got the impression the cracks are a reasonably common and non-serious issue. I remember when I used to own my EVH that it had a little crack/line in the same spot and it didn't effect the rest of the guitar at all
Ryan

 

[OrangeChannel]

This finish crack issue is really getting annoying, no offense to anyone (since it;s no one here....we can discuss things like one should on a forum), but certain other forums have had recent threads bashing EBMM and these people are all: "That's bad it means the body cracked, it goes down through the wood, the neck will soon fall off." When it coudln't be further from the truth....soooo very annoying. I've had a ton of guitars with this occurance, it's really not that big a deal.

 

[jongitarz]

Jon...What forums are bashing us? I would love to check it out

 

[hendmik]

Atta boy Jon, go get 'em.

 

[OrangeChannel]

Not forums or admins, but posting contingencies....most like kids that have no clue (and a case o' WebNuts) and will say somethng like EB sucks because their bodies crack. And it's like: "No you idiot....that's not whats happening...the finish doesn't expand and contract at the same rate at which the body does therefore you might see small cracks...it happens but it's not the body falling apart..."

Same clowns are like VAI's guitars had to be repaired with glue, to which I replied "um yeah...thats what happens when you THROW a guitar and no one catches it....and beisdes Va's guitars are IBZ's not EBMMs."

 

[koogie2k]

I have seen some of what OC is talking about.....simply put.....most are idiots! Jon, no need to hunt 'em down.....we know the deal over here. Some dudes are probably crying about having to play a simple pentatonic and couldn't get it down and threw the axe.....saw the crack....and cried some more. No biggie because if it were, they would come over here and then we would lay the smack down on 'em!

 

[Lew]

lol i have read at a couple of places about the bodys being Basswood thus things like the strap buttons and trem posts will just "fall out overtime" i have heard and seen the same said of alder and whilst its obvious that some softer woods will thread easier than others and such,in my little experience you really have to be Hard on the guitar for it to happen.
I got a good 18 months out of one of my Alder tele's taking the bridge off for either a different bridge or pickup swap at leat every 6-8 weeks~(i kid you not).

I dont know why guitar makers bother even using alder or basswood,just use papermache

...or the indestructible and mighty swamp ash

 

[dwf1004]

Alright, don't be A-gressive, be PRO-gressive (or whatever cliche dribble that was)

I took some of your comments, pasted them together into a nifty little paragraph or 3, and put this info in the FAQ/rules of the road thread. This should help to dispel the rumors, and to get that information out before we have to deal with another thread of this nature. (No offense, ry-dog...glad to help out, but if we can lessen the repetitiveness of certain issues, it's a good thing.)

A big thank you to YOU GUYS for getting ME the information (I couldn't have worded it well enough without you), and thanks to ry-dog for bringing it up once again, so that it would kick ME in the butt to get that info up there.

Dude, EVERYONE rules here...I can feel the love.

 

[fabtone777]

Yeah, it's all just finish cracks. Even basswood, though softer then maple or alder, isn't THAT much softer. Finish cracks are very common on really hard finishes because they don't bend. I had a GMP and a G&L, both with poly finishes, that had such problems.

 

[Warg Master]

Every one now!

Chants:
"They crack cause finish doesn't expand and contract with the wood"