Finish or Neck Crack?

[LucSulla]

I don't know that I'm all that serious about buying something like this, but I was curious about this since I saw this.  Seller says it's a finish crack.  Is this common area for a neck crack on a set neck guitar?  I wouldn't think so, but I was curious, particularly since so many of y'all around here built and build them.


 

[crunchee]

I'm no expert, but here I go anyway:

Maybe, if this guitar is a 'cheaper' model guitar like an Epiphone, then the 'crack'/'finish check' might be evidence of a join seam from an additional piece of wood under the finish, to make the neck heel.  'Cheaper' model set-necks (and sometimes bolt-necks, in the case of necks with a steep headstock angle) are often made of two or three pieces of wood (definitely not in the style like Hamer used to do), with separate pieces of wood making up the neck heel and the headstock.  It's lots cheaper than using one piece of wood for a neck like Gibson, as the 'neck' section on multiple-piece necks often is much shorter and doesn't need nearly as much sorting for the 'right' piece of wood.

However, if this is a Gibson guitar (you didn't say what brand, model, or kind of guitar is in your photo), I might think twice about buying it...who knows, a previous owner might have done Townsend-style neck bends and neck vibrato on this guitar.  

[gtrdaddy]

Doesn't matter. It's there, there's no way to examine it and determine what it is, with the limitless quantity of fuckers on the interwebs, just move on. It ain't worth it.

[tbonesullivan]

I'd walk away. If it was a glue joint that would make sense, but a finish crack happening at a non stress point doesn't make sense.

[LucSulla]

4 hours ago, tbonesullivan said:

I'd walk away. If it was a glue joint that would make sense, but a finish crack happening at a non stress point doesn't make sense.

I'm not all that interested like I say.  The crack is more curious to me than the guitar.  I was curious to see what y'all thought about it. 

[murkat]

wood separation, fractured. guitar fell just right to do that.