Is this a Defect or am i just being paranoid? HELP

I brought a brand new American Legacy in 2009 from an authorized dealer in Florida,
It was all standard,
with baby blue body and satin gun oil tint finish on a maple neck.
Its been less than 5 months since then,
and I've moved back to New Zealand.



When I first got the guitar,
I was stoked beyond belief at the playability, pickups, the looks everything.
Except that i noticed a tuner misaligned with the rest (yes i'm a bit picky) and also that the edge of my neck where the flat fretboard meets the semicircle of the back of the neck was very very pale (looked almost like bare, untreated wood).
I didnt think much of the faults at first,
because they didnt effect my playing,
But after 5 months of usage the edges of my fretboard was getting very black and deteriorated,
very fast (and its starting to become more and more noticable).

Is this supposed to happen? Or am i just whining?

I had to work for nearly a year to save up for this guitar (my dream guitar),
and i was assured that the quality of G&L is second to none,
however i am starting to doubt the workmanship of my guitar (mainly the neck).

Is there anything I can do about this?
I brought the guitar brand new (still has plastic on it + i have the receipt of purchase),
and it has always been in the hardshell case.
Every other aspect of the guitar is in perfect shape.

this is the pic of the first fret where i hardly ever play, so its basically untouched.
You can see that the highlighted area is whiter than the other parts of the neck. And this is how the whole neck looked like in the beginning.
Fast forward 5 months and i get the following happening.





You can see the difference here between the fretboard and the headstock. Same edge, different color and angle.

I've seen that twice. One was a very old untreated oiled neck on a Tele; it happens and random discoloration was common. The second was from a person whom obsessively cleaned the guitar. Some of those cleaners and polishes can do damage. Then the untreated wood gets dirty...

However, this may fall into a warranty issue.

In a couple of the the pictures it looks like the wood has swelled, usually from moisture, as the fret ends seem to be sunken into the neck. I don't know if that has anything to do with the discoloration, but it could indicate moisture issues, either atmospheric or man-made (cleaners, lot of sweat, drooling while playing , etc.). The neck sure makes it look old beyond its years. Good luck.

Yeah, I was going to say it looks older than a few months to me...especially some of those close up shots of the frets...look like they are starting to oxidize and discolor. I've not inspected my frets that up-close, but my guitar is 12 years old (I bought it used about 2 years ago), but I don't think they look like that.

And I see what Mr.Roundel is talking about, that it looks like maybe the guitar has endured some high moisture. You live in FL, do you keep the guitar in a case? My wife is from FL and still has family there and I know how humid it can get...if the guitar is exposed to high levels of humidity, that might be a factor.

I'm also wondering about the satin finish...does that apply to the fretboard as well as the back of the neck? I can see where that wouldn't wear as well as a gloss finish on the fret board and could be more susceptible to damage...and I know some folk's hands are almost corrosive when it comes to strings. I don't know if you've got those kinds of hands or not, but a satin finish might be especially susceptible to that kind of thing.

My only thought would be to take it to the dealer and see what they say, or else you can try e-mailing G&L Customer support with the same photos.

I don't know what to say regarding the discoloration issue, but I can't believe it left the factory with that misaligned tuner. That in itself should get a warranty replacement neck IMO.

Thank You! I am not crazy >..<

I probably had it in florida for 1 month in winter (which is not that humid) in a hard shell case with the silicone stuff which guards against humidity(i think?),
also i didnt play it till I moved back to New Zealand in January (always in the case)...

I find that strange that NO other part of the neck is discolored.
+ I have not used any cleaners on it. Just dry polishing cloth after every session.

Do you think i should apply for warranty?

It almost looks as if the neck had actually shrunk from overly dry conditions, giving it fret sprout, and someone filed the frets without protecting the neck edge. Then the wood would be exposed to moisture, along with perhaps nickel dust to darken the pores. It just seems weird that it's only on the neck edge around the frets, with extra "darkness" around the frets themselves. If it's the fret ends having a bad reaction with your sweat, you might want to consider a bound neck. Good luck getting it covered under warranty. I mean that sincerely. Cheers.

Thanks Mr Roundel,
I've owned 2 other guitars before,
both with maple fretboards and both less than half the price of this (a esp made in china, and a samick tele copy made in korea),
one gloss and one clear satin,
and i have never had such problems...

I emailed "chris" (the warrantee contact on the G&L site) today with the same photos,
hopefully i can get this sorted.
Have to say that i'm quiet disapointed with my first USA made guitar thou,
i thought it would be miles better than my previous gats :S.

I also tried calling my national distributor,
who knew hardly anything about specifications of G&L guitars,
and told me i have to contact G&L directly because I didnt buy the guitar in New Zealand :S.

I couldn't really see what you were claiming was an out of line tuner, as I was looking at the pictures of the front of the headstock. Apparently, you're referring to the high "E" tuner being crooked on the back of the headstock, where it is quite obvious. I agree with suave eddie now on that one. That should not have left the factory that way. Being that the builder must use a jig to drill the holes, I don't see how it could happen. But, the picture shows it being crooked. I'd think that G&L would make good on that one. The edge finish, and frets, still have me baffled. But, that's not that unusual. I know that it's a bit more difficult with your being in New Zealand. It seems to me that someone else was dealing with the same geographical challenge recently.

Just talked to a local luthier and he says the factory probably sanded it down too far or didnt mask the edge enough when they did the final round of sanding to get the satin finish.
Hopefully the G&L team recognises this because now that i know its not normal,
it bugging me when i play :s

I'm not sure whether or not G&L applies a glossier finish and then roughs it to the satin. If they do, your luthier's theory could very well be true. However, it's quite possible that the finish dries in satin without the need for any roughing up. I'm sure that someone here, perhaps Craig, would know this? Without a doubt, there is an insufficient thickness of protective finish on that edge area, as it should not stain like that, being as new as it is.

Craig, can you offer any guidance on whether G&L applies a finish that dries to satin or is made "satin-like" through a roughing up?

I'm not sure whether or not G&L applies a glossier finish and then roughs it to the satin. If they do, your luthier's theory could very well be true. However, it's quite possible that the finish dries in satin without the need for any roughing up. I'm sure that someone here, perhaps Craig, would know this? Without a doubt, there is an insufficient thickness of protective finish on that edge area, as it should not stain like that, being as new as it is.

Craig, can you offer any guidance on whether G&L applies a finish that dries to satin or is made "satin-like" through a roughing up?

from what i know,
the "gun oil" in the finish is "tru oil". And when tru oil is rubbed on wood, it leaves a plasticky glossy finish. So it has to be sanded down to satin, or else they would have to use a different oil or process.

I could be wrong though :s

Anybody know how long G&L warranty team takes to reply 2 emails?

To me it looks as if you have had the fret ends dressed, and where the repair person sanded the fret ends took off the finish on the neck.
This could've been done at the factory. I am not saying you had it done.

I would lightly sand the neck edge again and re apply some tung oil finish myself, but that's me.

I don't like shipping guitars.

The "high e" machine head will probably straighten out if you loosen it up the next time you change strings.

Again. I wouldn't risk shipping a good guitar for these kinds of cosmetic issues. Especially from New Zealand.

Good luck

I would lightly sand the neck edge again and re apply some tung oil finish myself, but that's me.

Would the tung oil be readily available? If so, that's a great idea.

I know what you mean, bassman, about shipping guitars. I have such an issue presently under consideration. It seems that boxing up and shipping a guitar in a gig bag ,may be an invitation for disaster.

The "high e" machine head will probably straighten out if you loosen it up the next time you change strings.

I was wondering about this. I'm not familiar with these types of tuners and thought maybe it could be straightened out easily.

I'm not sure whether or not G&L applies a glossier finish and then roughs it to the satin. If they do, your luthier's theory could very well be true. However, it's quite possible that the finish dries in satin without the need for any roughing up. I'm sure that someone here, perhaps Craig, would know this? Without a doubt, there is an insufficient thickness of protective finish on that edge area, as it should not stain like that, being as new as it is.

Craig, can you offer any guidance on whether G&L applies a finish that dries to satin or is made "satin-like" through a roughing up?

from what i know,
the "gun oil" in the finish is "tru oil". And when tru oil is rubbed on wood, it leaves a plasticky glossy finish. So it has to be sanded down to satin, or else they would have to use a different oil or process.

I could be wrong though :s

Anybody know how long G&L warranty team takes to reply 2 emails?

I've been away since Thursday and just getting caught up here.

Satin finish is applied just like Gloss finish: sprayed on. Satin is not derived from Gloss and then made "satin-like" by sanding it. It is definitely a different finish from Gloss finish.
They are both polyurethane based, however.

for info on the current application of Gun-oil tinted necks, see this post: What is TGN?
This might help you understand the process a bit better.

Since you contacted Chris, he will help you out regarding these two issues. Just give him a chance to review your emails and he will respond and will work with you
to get them resolved.

Hope this helps.

Thanks Craig for the info
Its also very re-assuring to hear that you say that Chris will be able to help me out.

On a different note,
I dont think anybody likes to ship guitars,
but do i have a choice?
Would i void the warranty if i make my own adjustments?

I would sit tight and wait for a response...

I would sit tight and wait for a response...

Yes, I agree.

I would sit tight and wait for a response...

Yes, I agree.

not as easy as it sounds

I would sit tight and wait for a response...

Yes, I agree.

not as easy as it sounds

Hi,

I have been in contact with Chris and he will be contacting you via email today.

Hope this helps.

I would sit tight and wait for a response...

Yes, I agree.

not as easy as it sounds

Hi,

I have been in contact with Chris and he will be contacting you via email today.

Hope this helps.

Thank you very much!, I got the email this morning and am stoked to say that the G&L team will replace my neck
And i think they mentioned that they can ship a new neck down to New Zealand rather than shipping the guitar back and forth.

Thanks to Craig and the rest of the forum for their thoughts into this issue