Did I buy a Refin w/ Headstock Repair?

[gibsonofabitch]

i love playing guitar center roulette. This time, i purchased a white sg standard with ebony fretboard. I reached out to someone that does such appraisals and they believe the neck has been resprayed and the headstock has been repaired. He suggested I get a refund or ask for a few hundred back. What do you think? It was purchased and then returned a week or two later, so maybe that buyer also ran into this. Thanks

1. I notice the guitar is yellowing nicely but the neck seems to be even more yellowed than the rest of the guitar. I included a picture of the neck/heel where you can see the difference between the shades. Could this just be play wear of a 12 year old guitar?

2. i have also noticed some orange peeling pretty throughout the whole neck where some spots look smooth/polished and the other spots seem matte/dull. I tried using virtuoso cleaner and polish but it did not change anything. I have added some pictures,. What do you think this is? is it bad? is. it a respray?

3. It looks like the nut has been replaced and possibly touched up. Does it look like a touchup to you?

4. On the headstock of the guitar, there is some orange peel but then the tuners seem smooth and doesnt have any orange peel. There also some screw indentations that look like it may have been repainted. The serial number and made in usa stamp are visible, but barely. Do you think the neck/guitar was repainted?

 

[monty john]

well it looks like the nut WAS replaced but upon removal there was damage..it also looks like it may have had Robot tuners? and the holes are or were there and painted over...doesn't look like the neck was broken= just for sure has been touched up.... go back to GC= cause they didn't disclose the details of the guitar...if you like it, it plays good etc ask for 300bux back...talk the manager not the floor sales folks...

 

[Mr French]

There is damage for sure. It's hard too tell specifically due to the forum file compression.

 

[01GT Eibach]

But ... sometimes these types of things are already built into the price which could make the negotiation difficult. Sometimes they will just want the guitar back instead of giving an additional discount. By any chance, was it a real good deal? Is it a 3-pickup custom? Can we see some pics of the rest of it?

 

[gibsonofabitch]

well it looks like the nut WAS replaced but upon removal there was damage..it also looks like it may have had Robot tuners? and the holes are or were there and painted over...doesn't look like the neck was broken= just for sure has been touched up.... go back to GC= cause they didn't disclose the details of the guitar...if you like it, it plays good etc ask for 300bux back...talk the manager not the floor sales folks...

theyre usually pretty good about including any issues in their used listings - there was definitely no mention of it.

By any chance, was it a real good deal? Is it a 3-pickup custom? Can we see some pics of the rest of it?

Heres the ad from 2010

 

[Bobby Mahogany]

How is the ad from 2010 relevant in 2022?

 

[gibsonofabitch]

well it looks like the nut WAS replaced but upon removal there was damage..it also looks like it may have had Robot tuners? and the holes are or were there and painted over...doesn't look like the neck was broken= just for sure has been touched up.... go back to GC= cause they didn't disclose the details of the guitar...if you like it, it plays good etc ask for 300bux back...talk the manager not the floor sales folks...

i think that makes sense and look svery similar to the indentations in the headstock, and also explains why that portion of the headstock is smooth and does not have orange peel

the question that remains is: why is the neck and neck only orange peeled? why is there paint over the binding?

 

[Bobby Mahogany]

poster before asked for pics of the guitar or if it was a triple hum, so i linked the ad to show the model

OK but you mention the ad does not mention the neck situation.
Lots can happen in the 12 years after.
"12 years after"... hey, that could be a good name for a band!

Oh... wait!

 

[01GT Eibach]

So you purchased it new for $1299 in 2010, but you are noticing now (12 years later) that maybe there are actually some fishy issues with it. That is okay to question, but clearly your statute of limitations for the original dealer to do anything about it clearly has run out. Is that correct? Is everything else about the guitar good?

 

[ArchEtech]

Looks repaired and 100% some refinish work. It doesn’t look that bad as long as it plays well.

I wouldn’t pay over $800-900 bucks for a former robot refinish and a ritchlite board. If it’s something else ..shrug?

 

[irocdave12]

i love playing guitar center roulette. This time, i purchased a white sg standard with ebony fretboard. I reached out to someone that does such appraisals and they believe the neck has been resprayed and the headstock has been repaired. He suggested I get a refund or ask for a few hundred back. What do you think? It was purchased and then returned a week or two later, so maybe that buyer also ran into this. Thanks

1. I notice the guitar is yellowing nicely but the neck seems to be even more yellowed than the rest of the guitar. I included a picture of the neck/heel where you can see the difference between the shades. Could this just be play wear of a 12 year old guitar?

2. i have also noticed some orange peeling pretty throughout the whole neck where some spots look smooth/polished and the other spots seem matte/dull. I tried using virtuoso cleaner and polish but it did not change anything. I have added some pictures,. What do you think this is? is it bad? is. it a respray?

3. It looks like the nut has been replaced and possibly touched up. Does it look like a touchup to you?

4. On the headstock of the guitar, there is some orange peel but then the tuners seem smooth and doesnt have any orange peel. There also some screw indentations that look like it may have been repainted. The serial number and made in usa stamp are visible, but barely. Do you think the neck/guitar was repainted?

I don’t see anything that screams headstock break and repaired. What I do see is a nut that was once lacquered in place and has been replaced. Removing the truss rod cover and looking closely or posting some close up pictures would answer the headstock issue more definitely as thats the one area repair work is not easily covered up/

 

[BDW60]

Back of the lower headstock and neck looks like either damage or refinish. No way it had that kind of orange peel originally, IMO. And obviously you wonder what happened in that area. If it were me, the amount of my concern would be commensurate with the amount I spent on it.

 

[FingerLakesFan]

Wait, this is from 2010 and you want relief now? I am confused, could you explain what you are looking for? You are more than a decade beyond relief.

 

[gibsonofabitch]

hi guys - sorry for the confusion:

- I purchased a 2010 gibson sg standard a few weeks ago
- i noticed some orange peel on the neck
- a user mentioned some times refinishes/neck repairs are mentioned in the listing - i responded that this particular used listing did not mention any respray/headstock work
- another user asked if it was a custom or triple hum sg, which it is not, its a regular sg standard with ebony board, so i posted the original ad from 2010 that had the guitars specs
- user @monty john suggested that the impressions on the headstock may have been from robot tuners, which I tend to agree with
- the qurestion remains: why is the neck orange peeled?

Some new discoveries today:
- opened up the truss and noticed there was white paint inside the cavity - i have 2 other white gibsons (another sg standard and a les paul studio) and neither of those have white paint inside the truss rod cavity (see pics)
- bought a black light and when i put it on the neck of the guitar, it looks dark purple and super weird, much different than the rest of the body, and much different when compared to my other white sg. To me it very clearly looks like a repaint. Especially damning is that right by the fretboards are small slivers of the much whiter original paint below

 

[LtDave32]

i love playing guitar center roulette. This time, i purchased a white sg standard with ebony fretboard. I reached out to someone that does such appraisals and they believe the neck has been resprayed and the headstock has been repaired. He suggested I get a refund or ask for a few hundred back. What do you think? It was purchased and then returned a week or two later, so maybe that buyer also ran into this. Thanks

1. I notice the guitar is yellowing nicely but the neck seems to be even more yellowed than the rest of the guitar. I included a picture of the neck/heel where you can see the difference between the shades. Could this just be play wear of a 12 year old guitar?

2. i have also noticed some orange peeling pretty throughout the whole neck where some spots look smooth/polished and the other spots seem matte/dull. I tried using virtuoso cleaner and polish but it did not change anything. I have added some pictures,. What do you think this is? is it bad? is. it a respray?

3. It looks like the nut has been replaced and possibly touched up. Does it look like a touchup to you?

4. On the headstock of the guitar, there is some orange peel but then the tuners seem smooth and doesnt have any orange peel. There also some screw indentations that look like it may have been repainted. The serial number and made in usa stamp are visible, but barely. Do you think the neck/guitar was repainted?

I'm sorry to say, yes you did buy a repair / refin. And a not too clever one at that.

First off, they used the "pink" Stew Mac binding. They (Stew Mac) are infamous for it. I"ve got a small roll, and never used it in ten years. I should just throw it away. It matches nothing.

Secondly, you've got some ju-ju going on with the headstock overlay sides. The corner is the tell-tale paint job. It is hard to mask that corner, and the black sort of dips there.

Also, there's white / cream paint over the overlay where it meets the nut. And there's all sorts of monkey-business going on with the nut and under the nut.

Work like that would never leave my shop. Plus the orange peel.. Bad. A real shop would have wet sanded that and buffed it out.

Somebody worked over that guitar, sold it to GC, and you bought it.

I'd try like hell to get my money back.

Again, so sorry. I hate to be the bearer of unfortunate news, but the truth is always right. These moves on the refinishing / repairs are rookie moves. Novice moves. not a pro. It's careless work.

 

[Nikki M]

OK but you mention the ad does not mention the neck situation.
Lots can happen in the 12 years after.
"12 years after"... hey, that could be a good name for a band!

Oh... wait!

You can't just skip to 12...there needs to be continuity..
11 is the next in line..no skipping..*wink

 

[dasherf17]

"Did I buy a Refin w/ Headstock Repair?"​

To 1, 2, 3, and 4: yes...as others mentioned, try for some money back if you really like it (or it was built into the price) or if it's not what you desired , tell them (yeah, the manager for sure) the repairs and refinancing were not mentioned.

 

[monty john]

hi guys - sorry for the confusion:

- I purchased a 2010 gibson sg standard a few weeks ago
- i noticed some orange peel on the neck
- a user mentioned some times refinishes/neck repairs are mentioned in the listing - i responded that this particular used listing did not mention any respray/headstock work
- another user asked if it was a custom or triple hum sg, which it is not, its a regular sg standard with ebony board, so i posted the original ad from 2010 that had the guitars specs
- user @monty john suggested that the impressions on the headstock may have been from robot tuners, which I tend to agree with
- the qurestion remains: why is the neck orange peeled?

Some new discoveries today:
- opened up the truss and noticed there was white paint inside the cavity - i have 2 other white gibsons (another sg standard and a les paul studio) and neither of those have white paint inside the truss rod cavity (see pics)
- bought a black light and when i put it on the neck of the guitar, it looks dark purple and super weird, much different than the rest of the body, and much different when compared to my other white sg. To me it very clearly looks like a repaint. Especially damning is that right by the fretboards are small slivers of the much whiter original paint below

 

[monty john]

Yeah it looks like one of those robot tuner guitars with the metal nut which they replaced and can be seen by the repair work....if it plays good and you really really like it keep it =but get some cash back for your heartache....sorry man for the bad news

 

[moreles]

No first appearances and assumptions are safe anymore and in this case what seemed too good to be true was too good to be true. You should have no trouble returning a massively reworked guitar for which the issues were not disclosed.