Gibson Les Paul Standard 60s neck and top joint question

[Braga7]

Hi everybody,

This is my first post in the forum I'm planning on putting my hands on my first every Gibson Les Paul and I was considering the most recent Standard series. I wrote to a online music store to ask for the real pictures of the guitar and I've noticed there a wrinkle that looks like excessive glue or varnish. The vendor claims it's completely normal and that I can find it on every Les Paul. Is he right?

 

[tzd]

It is very common. Gibson is known for its sloppy workmanship.

 

[Nick-O]

hmmmm....that doesn't look normal to my eyes....agreeing the QC can be hit and miss.

can you get some closer shots from a couple of different angle and repost here?

 

[JohnnyN]

Not on every Les Paul, and it looks a bit excessive to my eyes.

 

[Braga7]

Sure, I´m pasting more pictures:

 

[pondcaster]

Not normal at all, at least in my experiences with a few LPs from the Original Collection (2019-now).

He's trying to sell it.

 

[BDW60]

That seems somewhat worse than normal. If I played it in person and absolutely loved it, that unfortunate lapse in QC would not stop me from buying it. But would I buy that one without playing and loving it? Hard pass.

 

[gball]

Pretty much normal, but that's a bad case of it. I have some LPs that are flawless in that area and a few that have some rippling, but nothing as bad as that and nothing that really bothers me enough to worry about it. All things being equal, if this is your first LP and you have the option of getting another without that finish flaw I would take another or ask for a discount if the guitar is otherwise your "dream" guitar.

 

[mjross]

I’m a Gibson freak, but that ain’t right! Looks like someone did a bad touchup job. If you dig the guitar otherwise, ask for a blem discount or not deal!

 

[Nick-O]

I agree with the wisdom above...UNLESS...it plays wonderfully and ticks all the other boxes.

It is pretty extreme otherwise, discount or not.

Best of fortune in your decision mate.

 

[Leee]

This is my first post in the forum

Welcome from Texas!
What part of the world are you in?

I'm planning on putting my hands on my first every Gibson Les Paul and I was considering the most recent Standard series.

Right on.
Great choice.

The vendor claims it's completely normal and that I can find it on every Les Paul. Is he right?

He’s wrong.
He clearly wants you to buy his guitar.
Why so eager?

There way too many nice, clean, used Les Pauls to choose from.
Don’t buy what may or may not be a turd.

 

[K Dub]

Here is my Standard 60's neck joint for comparison. I don't see any excess glue on mine. That looks like it has a nice dark fretboard. Show us a photograph of the entire top. If it has a kick-ass flame top, I would overlook that minor blemish and go for it. I would still ask for a discount. Is it an Unburst?

 

[rjwilson37]

That is not normal at all, very bad neck joint craftmanship. There can be a little bit here and there, but that is very bad and I would pass on that one.

My 2014 and 2017 Gibson Les Paul's have no wrinkling there at all, my 2022 Gibson Les Paul Classic has just a little bit barely noticeable, you really have to look at the right angle to see it.

 

[Knoby]

The vendor claims it's completely normal and that I can find it on every Les Paul. Is he right?

Nah. That looks bad.

 

[scgarman]

Mine looks better than that. But not a deal breaker. Ask for a discount if you want it. If seller says no, move on. Plenty of them out there. Sweetwater has them, and you can choose the weight and looks of your choice. 60s Unburst?

 

[rjwilson37]

Wildwood has a lot better selection of Les Paul 60's Unburst. Sweetwater used to be my go-to for purchasing a new guitar, but the tops on them lately have been more plain top than flame top.

 

[cmjohnson]

It's a bit of a challenge to properly block sand and polish the finish next to the fingerboard there, and some get done better than others. That's a pretty lousy job. I've seen it done perfectly, too.

 

[Bobby Mahogany]

Welcome to the Forum!

Nope, not normal and would affect resale either on price or time to sell or both.
For the money involved, it has to be better than that.

Pass.

And do yourself a favor, shop somewhere else.
Don't trust that seller.

 

[1allspub]

Very normal. Depending on the lighting it can look either super exaggerated or almost invisible, but quite common on Gibson LPs (whether USA or CS)... IME, the majority of them have it to some degree.

It’s not glue, it’s basically orange peel from the painting process. Just a spot that is incredibly hard, or impossible, to buff.

If you’re gonna sweat that, then Gibsons are not for you.

 

[01GT Eibach]

To me, that is a very pronounced finish flaw that would bother me. I am not as picky as some others especially on a guitar that plays nice. But that is a very noticeable area that you would always be looking at. Unless it was discounted accordingly, I would move to the next one. Gibson Les Pauls are like buses and women ... there is always another one coming along.