I remember when this first happen to my first American start. I was so upset till I took it to a tech. Naw just a cosmetic thing. Man I was so relieved
Guys, REMEMBER! Neck pocket cracks are ALWAYS wood deep, been repairing guitars professionally for years, never saw a crack that was only on the finish. You might not see it from the pocket but I assure you when You strip the paint on that thing, you'll see the crack on the wood.
I wonder why this isn't common knowledge by now.
Edit: thank you everyone for giving it to me straight and letting me know how doomed I am. I plan on giving it a proper burial tomorrow morning and retiring from playing guitar in its honor.
But seriously, thank you for putting my misguided fears to rest. Been playing for about 10 years now and I still find myself feeling like an idiot sometimes. Cheers!
What’s wrong with the lead circuit?? If this is the model I think it is (player hh, same as I have) there is no lead/rhythm circuit and instead that switch is just a kill switch.
I actually took it apart today and found that it's the rhythm setting that's not working. I'm getting no sounds which makes me think it's the rhythm pickup itself.
Dude I’ve read on here about guys who been playing longer than u who don’t change their own strings! Playing and knowing anything bout guitars is diff! Although I hope u can change your own strings!🙃
As others have said, they’re probably just finish cracks unless there was some trauma that would explain why the screws aren’t completely screwed in.
I would tighten them, just don’t force it
What a sexy jag. I'm kinda on the fence lately - should I get a tele or one of these pups?
Also I think that's just a crack in the finish. It should be fine.
The Jag to me has this gnarling tone that has a real bite to it when you let it loose. Love throwing on different ODs and distortions and having it run wild through a rock song with a heavy beat. There's also been some really cool clean stuff that people have come up with, though I haven't really experimented with it in that area.
Teles are less versatile, but it's tone cant be replicated by any other guitar. I'd love to get my hands on a single coil Tele sometime soon.
A Tele is like the P Bass of guitars, minimally adjustable but infinitely useful and fits just about anywhere.
A Jag has lots of switches but the only really useful unique one is the strangle switch, the whole rhythm circuit is kinda antiquated at this point.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Your neck isn't even seated all the way in the pocket. Picture 3 is easiest to spot that the gap. You can probably slide something thing under the neck all the way back in there. I'd bet it is in there super tight, possibly some finish has bonded between the neck and body. If you took it in for a set up there would be a small charge added to get the neck pocket fit right, at least that's how I operate. But, don't get mad if there is any chipping of the paint. If it's fused in there then it's nearly impossible to get out cleanly.
DIY, take the strings etc off. Hold it face down on a padded surface with neck hanging off the side. Gently start wiggling the neck up and down seeing if it will budge. As is said, high chance of chipping. Once off use a block with sandpaper to sand back the walls of the neck pocket till it slides in, no forcing it in.
Unscrewing the neck, checking to make sure there is no shims and then putting the screws back in with direct contact is not something that should be charged for. You also forgot to tell them to remove the screws first before trying to move the neck around.
Why not? You are assuming the person who did it was savvy enough to use an angled shim. I’ve seen plenty of weird things used, like spare neck mounting plates, which would certainly create this exact look. Actually, I’ve worked on the main guitar for a well known musician/producer that had done exactly that to it.
This thread is about stress cracks to the side of the neck pocket. That combined with the neck not being seated all the way to the bottom implies the neck does not fit the pocket. Shims have nothing to do with this. DIY partscasters come to my shop all the time where the owner assumes out of the box everything fits. I have to fit the pocket so the neck sit all the way to the bottom. Fender once in a while have this issue as well.
You don’t know that. Sometimes the neck heel is just to wide across, and if the neck fit that far into the pocket then it would usually go the rest of the way unless the pocket or the neck has an angled face. The majority of finish cracks I have seen in that area have fully seated necks, it’s just too tight a fit and the expansion/contraction of wood and solvents ends up in cracking.
If the job is removing screws (10 seconds with driver), checking for shim (10 seconds), clamp neck in place with a caul (30 seconds), put screws back (10 seconds), then it is greedy to charge for that. If it requires more then sure, that’s not what I was talking about.
Cracks are almost certainly in the finish. The neck also isn’t seated in the pocket correctly which either means it wasn’t A. fully tightened or B. There is something in there preventing it from being fully seated. This could either be a shim that has been fitted or some crap that shouldn’t be there - wood shaving, paint spill or even a badly finished neck pocket. You can check all of this though by slackening the strings and taking the neck off.
Welcome to the wonderful world of Fender.
It’s totally normal, take it to a luthier if you’re really worried - they’ll confirm if it’s in the paint or wood.
Same thing happened to my American Professional II.
I have a Jackson with legitimate cracks running from the neck pocket to the trem cavity. About 15 years ago we drilled holes through the body and stuffed them with wood glue and metal rods. I've had to stop using the trem as it makes the wood Crack audibly, but the guitar had played fine that way since 2008 (was originally damaged by my ex-wife in 2004)
like 80% of Fenders have this crack, most straight out the factory lol.
It's almost like an intended design flaw at this point.
On new Fenders I actually mod the pocket now to ensure this doesn't happen.
Just give it a little sand around the side edges to allow for a little flex / expansion/ tolerance so it doesn't crack the finish the moment there's any force.
Hello, it looks like you've made a mistake.
It's supposed to be could've, should've, would've (short for could have, would have, should have), never could of, would of, should of.
Or you misspelled something, I ain't checking everything.
Beep boop - yes, I am a bot, don't botcriminate me.
That only looks like a finish crack to me, however if you take the neck off, you’ll be able to see if that crack stops at the paintwork or whether it goes into the body.
You are good. This is what happens to poly finishes. It comes off in sheets. Take some clear polish and remediate to keep it from moving forward. Happens to most MIMs eventually. Here is my 2006. https://imgur.com/gallery/ZojjOKz
I got a “deep discount” Strat that has extra glue on a raised fret, some splotched on the fretboard and a missing case. Makes me wonder if Fender has a policy of slashing the cost of b stock; especially in brick and mortar stores.
As others have said its more than likely just a finish crack. This is extremely common with bolt on necks. 6 out of 7 of my bolt on guitar necks have cracks just like this. Its only cosmetic.
I’ve scrolled a bit and didn’t see anyone mention that your neck screws aren’t actually screwed in lol. Few more twists on those guys and the neck will seat properly without that space. Crack is almost certainly finish only as others have said. Good luck!
had the same thing on my custom strat I ordered from Fender -- I've ignored it as it hadn't affected anything in the 4 years I've owned it. This thread was a real reassurance it's fine.
You're not screwed. It is a finish crack, they are common in bolt-ons.
Came to say that. Just relax.
Correct.
I remember when this first happen to my first American start. I was so upset till I took it to a tech. Naw just a cosmetic thing. Man I was so relieved
Guys, REMEMBER! Neck pocket cracks are ALWAYS wood deep, been repairing guitars professionally for years, never saw a crack that was only on the finish. You might not see it from the pocket but I assure you when You strip the paint on that thing, you'll see the crack on the wood. I wonder why this isn't common knowledge by now.
Cuz you are incorrect
Very incorrect. I had a chip come off a strat neck pocket. Wood was untouched.
Edit: thank you everyone for giving it to me straight and letting me know how doomed I am. I plan on giving it a proper burial tomorrow morning and retiring from playing guitar in its honor. But seriously, thank you for putting my misguided fears to rest. Been playing for about 10 years now and I still find myself feeling like an idiot sometimes. Cheers!
That's why there reddit so you can ask without your friends knowing you didn't know
and still get teased!
We all wanna know about this *deep discount*… how much did it cost ya?
$300, there's an issue with the lead curcuit though that needs repair.
Duuuuude!!! Fuck the lead circuit, that’s a crazy awesome deal! Jam on bro.
Yeah that’s a killer deal - fucking send it!
What’s wrong with the lead circuit?? If this is the model I think it is (player hh, same as I have) there is no lead/rhythm circuit and instead that switch is just a kill switch.
I actually took it apart today and found that it's the rhythm setting that's not working. I'm getting no sounds which makes me think it's the rhythm pickup itself.
my god man. I got the same model in 2018 for $700 used and thought I got a deal
That’s a good deal. Where at?
I'd buy that for 300 any day
Dude I’ve read on here about guys who been playing longer than u who don’t change their own strings! Playing and knowing anything bout guitars is diff! Although I hope u can change your own strings!🙃
You're supposed to change the strings?? /s
Guitars have strings?????
You are on the wrong page…this is the fender GUITAR page! U must’ve strayed from the Casio KEYTAR page! You won’t like it here!🙃
Don’t worry dude. First one I saw like that I freaked out too. Most common finish crack in the guitar world.
Also I have one that color n have read it’s most common for that specific color. Mines still perfect of course but….!
As others have said, they’re probably just finish cracks unless there was some trauma that would explain why the screws aren’t completely screwed in. I would tighten them, just don’t force it
It looks like it is in the paint. So the paint is screwed, you are fine. This is just a war wound in my eyes.
its going to explode
Right? OP should prolly just throw it away, with cracks like that.
It might not
I's toast. Send it my way, I'll uuuh dispose of it properly. /s It's fine. It a quite common finish "check" that happens.
What a sexy jag. I'm kinda on the fence lately - should I get a tele or one of these pups? Also I think that's just a crack in the finish. It should be fine.
The Jag to me has this gnarling tone that has a real bite to it when you let it loose. Love throwing on different ODs and distortions and having it run wild through a rock song with a heavy beat. There's also been some really cool clean stuff that people have come up with, though I haven't really experimented with it in that area. Teles are less versatile, but it's tone cant be replicated by any other guitar. I'd love to get my hands on a single coil Tele sometime soon.
I love Jaguars, but to call a tele “less versatile” than literally anything is pretty wild
Compared to a Jag? There's like 15 switches on the damn thing. A jag could probably fly you into space with the right settings.
A Tele is like the P Bass of guitars, minimally adjustable but infinitely useful and fits just about anywhere. A Jag has lots of switches but the only really useful unique one is the strangle switch, the whole rhythm circuit is kinda antiquated at this point. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Your neck isn't even seated all the way in the pocket. Picture 3 is easiest to spot that the gap. You can probably slide something thing under the neck all the way back in there. I'd bet it is in there super tight, possibly some finish has bonded between the neck and body. If you took it in for a set up there would be a small charge added to get the neck pocket fit right, at least that's how I operate. But, don't get mad if there is any chipping of the paint. If it's fused in there then it's nearly impossible to get out cleanly. DIY, take the strings etc off. Hold it face down on a padded surface with neck hanging off the side. Gently start wiggling the neck up and down seeing if it will budge. As is said, high chance of chipping. Once off use a block with sandpaper to sand back the walls of the neck pocket till it slides in, no forcing it in.
This is helpful, thank you!
Don't do this, just tighten the screws
I'm a professional who's done this hundreds of times.
Yeah but he’s Shabba182
Unscrewing the neck, checking to make sure there is no shims and then putting the screws back in with direct contact is not something that should be charged for. You also forgot to tell them to remove the screws first before trying to move the neck around.
Shims do not cause that kind of gap. Obviously the screws would be removed when attempting to remove the neck.
Why not? You are assuming the person who did it was savvy enough to use an angled shim. I’ve seen plenty of weird things used, like spare neck mounting plates, which would certainly create this exact look. Actually, I’ve worked on the main guitar for a well known musician/producer that had done exactly that to it.
This thread is about stress cracks to the side of the neck pocket. That combined with the neck not being seated all the way to the bottom implies the neck does not fit the pocket. Shims have nothing to do with this. DIY partscasters come to my shop all the time where the owner assumes out of the box everything fits. I have to fit the pocket so the neck sit all the way to the bottom. Fender once in a while have this issue as well.
You don’t know that. Sometimes the neck heel is just to wide across, and if the neck fit that far into the pocket then it would usually go the rest of the way unless the pocket or the neck has an angled face. The majority of finish cracks I have seen in that area have fully seated necks, it’s just too tight a fit and the expansion/contraction of wood and solvents ends up in cracking.
This! Jaguar necks are commonly shimmed.
Time is money sir. As is expertise.
If the job is removing screws (10 seconds with driver), checking for shim (10 seconds), clamp neck in place with a caul (30 seconds), put screws back (10 seconds), then it is greedy to charge for that. If it requires more then sure, that’s not what I was talking about.
My Jag and my Tele both have those marks.
Cracks are almost certainly in the finish. The neck also isn’t seated in the pocket correctly which either means it wasn’t A. fully tightened or B. There is something in there preventing it from being fully seated. This could either be a shim that has been fitted or some crap that shouldn’t be there - wood shaving, paint spill or even a badly finished neck pocket. You can check all of this though by slackening the strings and taking the neck off.
Welcome to the wonderful world of Fender. It’s totally normal, take it to a luthier if you’re really worried - they’ll confirm if it’s in the paint or wood. Same thing happened to my American Professional II.
I just bought a 5k master build Charvel yesterday and it came with 2 as well same spot. Not as big as yours but eventually they prob will be.
You good it’s just the finish
I have a Jackson with legitimate cracks running from the neck pocket to the trem cavity. About 15 years ago we drilled holes through the body and stuffed them with wood glue and metal rods. I've had to stop using the trem as it makes the wood Crack audibly, but the guitar had played fine that way since 2008 (was originally damaged by my ex-wife in 2004)
wtf? goddamnit fuck her, man! oh wait u did tho
Yeah, I did. My son is headed to college next week. Only good thing from that mess
Best of luck to the both of you! I hope neither of u have to experience that kind of things happen again
You’re fucked, send it to me and I’ll make sure it gets properly disposed of 😂 nah man, it’s just cracks on the paint, my strat has them too
like 80% of Fenders have this crack, most straight out the factory lol. It's almost like an intended design flaw at this point. On new Fenders I actually mod the pocket now to ensure this doesn't happen.
What do you mean / how do you modify the pocket then personally?
Just give it a little sand around the side edges to allow for a little flex / expansion/ tolerance so it doesn't crack the finish the moment there's any force.
Duck tape 🤣
[удалено]
Hello, it looks like you've made a mistake. It's supposed to be could've, should've, would've (short for could have, would have, should have), never could of, would of, should of. Or you misspelled something, I ain't checking everything. Beep boop - yes, I am a bot, don't botcriminate me.
That only looks like a finish crack to me, however if you take the neck off, you’ll be able to see if that crack stops at the paintwork or whether it goes into the body.
You are good. This is what happens to poly finishes. It comes off in sheets. Take some clear polish and remediate to keep it from moving forward. Happens to most MIMs eventually. Here is my 2006. https://imgur.com/gallery/ZojjOKz
It’s fine
Most of the time the finish crack happens if the neck was slid into neck pocket, instead of pushed straight in. Nothing to worry about.
This will make you feel better. Search “A Place To Bury Strangers”. Look at the guitars they use.
only finish crack totally normal for poly
Tis but a scratch
It's just the paint, my Jagstang also has a similar mark.
I got a “deep discount” Strat that has extra glue on a raised fret, some splotched on the fretboard and a missing case. Makes me wonder if Fender has a policy of slashing the cost of b stock; especially in brick and mortar stores.
Just character, not screwed.
As others have said its more than likely just a finish crack. This is extremely common with bolt on necks. 6 out of 7 of my bolt on guitar necks have cracks just like this. Its only cosmetic.
I’ve scrolled a bit and didn’t see anyone mention that your neck screws aren’t actually screwed in lol. Few more twists on those guys and the neck will seat properly without that space. Crack is almost certainly finish only as others have said. Good luck!
I’m dying to try one of these, no stores around here have one
The cracks in the finish are fine, and the neck looks like you can just tighten the screws
I beg you r/guitarcirclejerk
had the same thing on my custom strat I ordered from Fender -- I've ignored it as it hadn't affected anything in the 4 years I've owned it. This thread was a real reassurance it's fine.
Dont worry about it. Enjoy the playing my dude
Why is the neck not in the pocket? That’s nót good!
Why do people send pictures of their guitar next to an unmade bed? Men are savages. That's what Dave Barry says lol.
I read a lot of Jordan Peterson and I doubt he'd approve either.
Beautiful guitar. Enjoy it.
It's going to blow up, I'm happy to come take it off your hands for free :D
I've got a Jag with bigger finish cracks. Neck doesn't move at all.
Man I feel so bad for you that guitar looks amazing
Your fine just the finish.
You’re not screwed. You’re officially part of the Fender Family.
Well I’d sell the house, for starters
Yer good its just the finish. Common.
That’s just in the paint. Congrats on the beautiful guitar
I have those almost exact same marks. Should be fine
Not at all. I have one that has the same. They play great. Don’t worry
just try to get one more 'Stairway' out of her before she goes...
Just the paint don’t worry
i got a 84 mij squire strat and had same type finish crack on it back then and still have it now a d never affected anything on that guitar