Gibson Les Paul Cracked Finish

Hi all,I'm a total newbie to this site, and not a very good guitar player. However I keep on trying. My question is a simple one. About a year ago (mid life crisis) I purchased a 2013 LP standard quilted top which I love and continues to inspire me to improve. However the surface finish has started to crack, crack lines all seem to start around the location of holes in the top (controls, bridge etc).

Gibson Custom 2017 Limited Edition Les Paul Standard Figured Electric Guita. Gibson Custom 2017 Limited Edition Les Paul Standard Figured Electric Guita. Gibson Custom '58 Les Paul Standard Light Aged with Bigsby - Solid Body Ele. Gibson Custom Limited Run 1959 Les Paul Standard with Aged Flame Top and Br. Many of the 'dings' look like the finish only lifted in that area and feel like they aren't there. The truss rod cover has cracked where the screws secure it, but it is fine functionally. The truss rod is in good condition. On the Gibson headstock inlay, there is a small crack in between the 'i' and 'b.'

I've attached a a photo. Is this normal? I'm a traditional boat builder by trade so am well aware of the way wood moves and changes with time and moisture content.

Any thoughts would be much appreciated.Cheers, Nick, in deepest darkest Cornwall. Hello Nick, and welcome here.Pippy nailed it in my opinion saying 'Not 'normal' but not 'Unheard-of',' along with a picture of his checked LP top.To be honest, I would be disappointed, too. Furthermore, due to your profession your expertise tells you that something went wrong during finishing, and I think that, too.

I think though that it isn't always easy for the artisan to predict how a specific piece of timber may react during and after finishing.The finish of my 2011 quilt top Les Paul is rather wavy on the top, and I guess this came due to varying soakage. However, there are no cracks up to now. I'm also unsure if there are significant differences in finishing quarter-sawn flamed maple and flat-sawn quilted maple timbers. Anyway, the surfaces of the finishes on my quarter-sawn Gibson maple tops look more consistent.To my eyes your guitar looks like finished with a tinted coat. Payday 2 switch fire mode free. This makes a repair a little more difficult compared to a stained, clear-coated top.

However, a skilled, experienced luthier should be able to do a finish repair without making the guitar looking blotchy. It shouldn't cost that much, too, but to my experiences you will have to do without your guitar approximately three weeks. Not lookin to light a fire under anyone's @$$ but I would personally be chapped if this happens to my les Paul's. Understanding change In humidity an whatnot can effect finishes, but I take great care of them an they are always in the case when I'm not playing them. So taking such good care of them for say 5,8,12 years then to open the case an there checked like that, i would be somethin mad!!!! But I guess i could shed some light on it, tell my wife it's ruined an I need a new les paul.

This could work out ok!!! I'm not sure how to refer finish cracks on quilted maple to the grain since it's flat-sawn. Taking a look at the wood blank shown below, you may see the wavy grain on the narrow, 'quarter-sawn like' side which will be the rib, and the undulating structure of some truncated annual growth rings on the broadside being tho top or bottom area:I'm not sure I understand. That piece of wood obviously has grain direction left to right so a line across the photo would be along the grain. A line top to bottom would be across it. Thanks for all the replies, I'm going to call it 'patina' and not worry about it. I live in an old cottage in deepest Cornwall in the UK, we had a nice summer but it's been very damp so far this winter.

I put it down to atmospheric humidity getting into the exposed end grain in the various holes in the top, leading to slight dimensional change in the wood and hence the cracking of the finish. I'm just glad the modern varnishes I use on boats don't suffer from this lack of elasticity.Thanks againNick. It can crack easily if Your guitar is in, say, a cold closet, and the case is opened near a fireplace or wood stove. The cracks don't always happen all by themselves. That's why Gibson's Lifetime Warranty does NOT cover cracking or checking in the Nitrocellulose.

I saw a guy bring a '68 Telecaster into a gig from his car in January. I watched it as the entire top began cracking as He was in a hurry to take it out and he arrived late to the gig. My friend bought the Telecaster that night at a huge discount because the owner was so upset about his sweet Tele cracking like that. Personally, I think that it looks beautiful with it's disrupted finish. Every time that Paul takes it out I remember watching those cracks crawl across the top.

It is kind of a Creme Yellow top, and with the checking on it looks just awesome. I wish that I would have had the cash with me that night. It's a cool story when You saw the cracks magically appear on the top the night before You bought it.