Crack in freatboard

[Rupe]

It's not a big deal to fix it, but it is also unacceptable on a new guitar. Make them take care of it.
If you bought a new car and and the paint was bad on one fender, would you accept the fact that its an easy fix or would you expect the manufacturer to take care of it? I don't see the difference here if the guitar is still under warrenty.

[fett]

It's new!!!!!! Send it back. If you ever want to sell it, you will have to disclose the crack or the repair. That just sucks, bigtime.

[mccullpl]

Let them fix it under warranty. I agree, it's no big deal, but hey, that's what warranties are for.

[Mickey_C]

Wow - I am a bit surprised.

There's only one guitar I've ever owned that the fretboard cracked, and it was a fender limited edition GC silver sparkle... that had hung on a dealer wall for two years, basically kiln drying. I oil the boards on all my guitars, and keep my classical and flamencos humidifed (but not the electrics - being the only raw wood is the fretboards, for which oil is enough). If I had a crack in one of them, I would be pissed. Especially if it was a new guitar that I had been careful with.

I'm no luthier, or repairman, but it sounds to me like this is either care and maintenance, or it's the manufacturer not aging the wood properly, or using the wrong glue, or something else not correct. I disagree with the implication that it's just normal for them to crack. I would say it's only normal for them to crack if they're not being properly cared for.

I would return it, for repair or replacement, and then I would religously oil the fretboard, when it arrives, and every 3 months thereafter. Keep your guitars in the case when not played, for a nice little controlled environment. Leaving it out will just dry the thing out completely - then a nice little pressure change can crack it instantly. Oil them, and keep 'em cased.

Maybe I am just ultra careful because I've played spanish guitars for so many years, and this is the number one fear of any classical or flamenco player. You develop super careful habits with your guitars to prevent cracks.

Is anybody here stating that they are oiling their fretboards on their Jackson/Charvels and they are still ending up cracked?

[scotty]

Thanks for all the advice. The guitar plays great. I havent dedcided what to do just yet. UPS just dropped off my new Charvel Star and everything looks to be ok with this one. Hopefully tonight I can take some pics and get them posted.

[sully]

It's not a big deal to fix it, but it is also unacceptable on a new guitar. Make them take care of it.
If you bought a new car and and the paint was bad on one fender, would you accept the fact that its an easy fix or would you expect the manufacturer to take care of it? I don't see the difference here if the guitar is still under warrenty.

i can only speak for myself on this issue, but since this is a really quick and easy fix, i wouldn't waste the time in sending it back. yeah, i'd be bummed because you don't get the full "holy shit, this thing is awesome" experience when you pop open the case. we all know that there's something to be said for that!

the bad paint on the fender issue isn't really the same; in most cases, we don't get a car that we haven't checked out in person and driven off the lot. i can say that the orange peel that's common and accepted on cars drives me nuts. but you don't see me with a sanding block and a buffer.

I'm no luthier, or repairman, but it sounds to me like this is either care and maintenance, or it's the manufacturer not aging the wood properly, or using the wrong glue, or something else not correct. I disagree with the implication that it's just normal for them to crack. I would say it's only normal for them to crack if they're not being properly cared for.

I would return it, for repair or replacement, and then I would religously oil the fretboard, when it arrives, and every 3 months thereafter. Keep your guitars in the case when not played, for a nice little controlled environment. Leaving it out will just dry the thing out completely - then a nice little pressure change can crack it instantly. Oil them, and keep 'em cased.

i hear what you're sayin, but it's hard to say exactly what makes them crack. i can say that there was a 30-piece limited run that i personally inspected, and there were some dry fretboards. i had one particular ebony-boarded guitar that i never oiled for 10 years. it was also my main player. never had a crack, but i've also had a new ebony boarded guitar arrive with small cracks in the board. it got sent back, but not for those reasons. anyway, i'm sure that the boards are cared for before they're shipped, but perhaps not enough... i dunno. i will say that the climate changes and temperature changes that happen in shipping can certainly influence this kind of thing. that said, over-oiling fretboards can lead to the frets unseating themselves.

that said, i wouldn't say that cracks like that on a new guitar are okay, but for me, i'd fix it and forget about it. if it's not something that you're comfortable with doing yourself, by all means, send it back. i had a similar experience with a guitar; it was a set neck guitar, and the binding had pulled away from the fretboard (!!!!!!!!!!). it covered the span of about 4 frets. i certainly wasn't thrilled to see it happen, but i knew that i could fix it without any trace, so that's what i did. once it was done, there wasn't a trace of the repair.

sully