Worst day ever....wanna cry ;..(

[VoiceX3]

Today when I got home from work I decided to Detail my King V Pro. When I finished lemon oiling the fretboard I ran out to pick up some dinner. When I got back I picked up the guitar to play a little, but upon looking at the guitar I noticed something. A noticable crack in the fretboard from the nut at the A string straight down to the inlay. As if that wasn't enough, confused as to the cracks origin I looked up the neck to see if it was bowing or twisting (which it isn't) and found that from between the first 2 numbers of the serial number was a thinner crack than the one at the top, but could it be any worse...this crack goes to the 14th fret (the 19th fret inlay is cracked 1/8 of an inch to the right of the crack in the board. Then at the 12th another crack, the 10th the 8th and the 3rd fret too!!!!! I think the whole ebony board is splitting! Why is this happenning? I don't know whether to ask for help or look for places to send it for repair....I'm still in shock, If this should be posted somewhere else I'm sorry, just not thinking straight right now.....

[Boxcar Willie 84]

Re: Worst day ever....wanna cry ;..(

I'm really sorry to hear that dude, I'd be torn up in your situation too. Probably would be best to have it looked at by a pro. Good luck, hope everything turns out good in the end!

[xenophobe]

Re: Worst day ever....wanna cry ;..(

That sucks bro! [img]images/icons/frown.gif[/img]

They can be filled in with glue and ebony dust, but I'm not sure if the frets need to be pulled or not.

Sorry to hear that. [img]images/icons/frown.gif[/img]

[Svart]

Re: Worst day ever....wanna cry ;..(

sorry to hear that, it's always hell if your precious seems to be suffering [img]images/icons/frown.gif[/img]

[VoiceX3]

Re: Worst day ever....wanna cry ;..(

I checked it again this morning, and the cracks haven't expanded any. Still trying to figure out exactly how this happenned in 2 hours time sitting in it's hardshell case.... I was planning on sending it out for a refin w/graphic and to have locking LSR tuners installed. Now I'm wondering if it's possible to have the fretboard replaced. It would require replacing all the neck binding too. Anybody recommend doing that?

[ranalli]

Re: Worst day ever....wanna cry ;..(

Doing a fretboard replacement is gonna cost big money. I don't know how much but it's gonna be expensive.

[nograveconcern]

Re: Worst day ever....wanna cry ;..(

It can be replaced. They use steam to loosen the glue and the fretboard will come off. A new piece of ebony goes for about $30, MOP may be $50 or so. Frets aren't real expensive, but te board has to be crowned and slotted as well as routed for inlays. The labor is what will cost you. It is odd that the ebony would crack like that. It may need a new truss rod. Get someone that is good and for god's sake don't take it to the guitar center.

[charvelguy]

Re: Worst day ever....wanna cry ;..(

Not to diminish your anquish about this plight, but do you mind sharing a few facts.. like ahh, how often you oil the board, name brand of oil (if any), how long you've owned the guitar. I ask this because this is an unusual thing to have happened if proper maintenance is done, which it sounds like you do, so lack of love or care wouldn't be the culprit. Do you play this axe out alot in clubs? I've had a warmoth neck with a ebony board sitting on the wall for 7 years for a project I'll finish this winter. I oil it like once maybe twice a year (if that) when I make rounds on my other axes. A board like this shouldn't crack so readily... especially under care.

[VoiceX3]

Re: Worst day ever....wanna cry ;..(

I've owned this axe for about 10 months, and I lemon oil (Formby's) about every 3 to 4 months. But I do clean it up with every string change with a nice soft buffing rag. When I got the guitar it wasn't in poor condition, but it obviously had been neglected of the basic care.....I was probably the first person to actually set it up and oil the board. The truss rod is fine, as is every other aspect of the axe other than a few dings and paint chips. In all the guitars I've ever owned, this is the first that has had any type of fretboard problem. Honestly, I've never even heard of this happenning. WHatever it costs to fix I will pay, unless it costs as much as a new y2kv or kv2.....this is my favorite of all 8 of my jacksons.

[Rhoadsfan67]

Re: Worst day ever....wanna cry ;..(

One more important question: did you recently switch string gauges or adjust the truss rod, and if so, how much adjustment did you give it?

I've built two neck through guitars with ebony boards, and I cannot see any way oil could do that. Only three things could have caused that, IMO; severe stress such as a sudden impact, too much tension on the truss rod, or improperly cut/defective ebony lumber.

My advice: email Lee at GMW and get it done right - the FIRST time.

[Subvamp]

Re: Worst day ever....wanna cry ;..(

Damn dude, that sux. [img]images/icons/frown.gif[/img] Everyone is offerring good advice here, so I'll put in my 2 cents. I run a small repair shop and I've seen this from time to time on old Les Paul Customs that have ebony boards. I always go for the simplist solution first. Before you dish out big bucks for labor costs, do as Xeno said, and try the ebony dust and wood glue to fill the cracks. Look in your phone book for a local woodshop/hobbyshop. (there's a place around here called Woodcraft) You can buy a small block of ebony wood from them. Take a file to it over a piece of wax paper, and when you get a decent sized pile of ebony dust, mix in wood glue, like Titebond ($4 at home depot)a drop at a time with the dust, and stir it up with a toothpick. When you get an oatmeal consistency, put the mixture into the cracks with your finger. Be sure to press the mixture down into the cracks, and wipe any excess off the board. After it dries (overnight) you can go over the entire board with #000 then #0000 steel wool, and that will level things out. Since I can't see the extent of the cracks from here, I'll assume this'll fix it, especially if the cracks aren't spreading. This is the repair I do on cracked ebony boards that come in. Keep an eye on your frets though..if they look like they're coming up, or if the cracks are running through the fret slots, you may have to go for the bigger repair. But try this first...I haven't had any ebony boards come back after doing it. And take your time...be patient. Hope this helps.

[charvelguy]

Re: Worst day ever....wanna cry ;..(

Yep, great advice. I thought it could be a drying or cut problem and you never know if the oil has contaminants, so I thought I'd throw it in there. I too wouldn't lift the board before trying to refill the cracks. The board would have to be really dry or brittle to crack under an adjustment or a tension change, but I could see it being possible, but it sounds like the whole length of the neck has been under some expansion/contraction to cause this.

[xenophobe]

Re: Worst day ever....wanna cry ;..(

I was wondering if he left the guitar in his car on a hot dayor in direct sunlight for more than a few minutes...

[Hamner1]

Re: Worst day ever....wanna cry ;..(

Man that sucks. Hopefully my King doesn't do the same thing. I'm definately not that heavy into wood repairs, but I have heard of the titebond and wood dust to fill cracks. I believe I read that in Dan Erlwine's book. And the fill should have the same (or very close to the same color as the fretboard).

I hope this turns out better for you soon.

[VoiceX3]

Re: Worst day ever....wanna cry ;..(

Well, I'm gonna decide by the weekend what course of action i am going to take. Thanks to everyone for all the good advice. And Xeno, this has been my main axe since I bought it about 10 months ago. It is the only one of all my jacksons that stays at home with me in my bedroom in it's hardshell case.....the only time it's out is when I'm playing it at home or at shows. The cause of this is still a mystery to me and probably always will be...but no matter what it comes down to, this guitar will be fixed! Period.....regardless of cost.