Neck joints on early jems - cracking!

[L8X]

This has probably been asked before, but as im new here can i ask anyway or point me in the right direction to old post. Ive had a few early jems and still have one and they have all had some form of hairline cracking at neck joint, why? *ive never really asked anyone in uk this as they are not that common were i come from. And when i did ask someone in the know i was told, they are all like it, is it a problem, i meen the guitars ive had all play ok, is there a way to stop it, or does it get worse as the jem gets older?
thanks and if this has been asked before sorry about that
l8x

[Rich]

Frank Falbo explained it quite eloquently on the old forum, wish I knew where I'd add a link. Just realize it's quite common, and almost rare to find an old model without the finish crack. It will not effect the way the guitar plays or it's durability at all, it's purely a visual thing.

[L8X]

Thanks for that Rich.
thought i would ask as looked around abit and hadn't seen this asked anyware, so thought one of two things, either its been asked, or just me
ta lots
steve

[john w]

I'm batting .500. My DSY has one on each side,
and my LNG is perfect, and has no cracks.
Like Rich said, they don't affect the playabilty at all...

John W

[jemsite]

These cracks are normal and pretty much expected. Think of it this way... if they don't occur, consider yourself lucky. They are the result of the thick yet brittle finish and severe stress found in the neck joint. Don't worry about them because there's nothing you can really do to prevent them 100% from happen... glen

[Christopher Chen]

This is one of the things that I could never comprehend. Why should one pay for a guitar and later it ends up cracking at the neck joint. Jeez...I know it doesn't affect playability but one should expect perfection from jems costing the amount they do. So far I've only seen this happen to old style neck joints...my UV and my 90th have been spared so far.

[jemsite]

It has nothing to do with cost or quality contol. It is a design and physical actuality due to the tension/stress at the joint, paint type, curing process and real life climate where you live.

You see this less on the AANJ obvously since the forces are different at the neck pocket... glen

[Christopher Chen]

Yeah I agree with you, but I mean having discovered the problem, don't you think they should do something about it?

[jemsite]

Quote: from Christopher Chen on 1:04 pm on Jan. 5, 2001. Yeah I agree with you, but I mean having discovered the problem, don't you think they should do something about it?

Not really. First, I didn't say Ibanez acknowledged it as a "problem". They did change to the AANJ which pretty much eliminates the problem. I believe you will find this "problem" on many guitars... glen

[darren wilson]

Think of it this way:

If the tolerances and fit & finish of the Ibanez necks and bodies weren't as good as they are, there would be no problem with the hairline finish cracks!

They're likely there as a result of adding a few millimetres of polyurethane around an already tightly-fitting neck joint.

Think of them as "character lines"... just slight cosmetic blemishes that appear over time, but have no negative impact on the underlying structure. As you get older, you'll find you have a new appreciation for them.

[L8X]

hey Darren. My girlfriend *has "character lines" *think i will start to look at her same as i do my pmc, I like em both more as the years go by
cheers
steve

[steve]

I think an important factor for minimizing or avoiding the neck-pocket cracks is to always make sure the neck screws are good and tight - this will help prevent the neck from shifting in its pocket, and thus will minimize the sideways pressures which can occur against the side walls.
The slight give of wood, as compared to the relative rigidity of the finish on the body allow the slight fracturing.
I think the older neck joint is more prone simply because of the wedge-shaped 'lead-in' to the neck - have you all noticed how very slender and thin the wood becomes there, as a result of the scoop of the horns matching up with the heel block? It's very tiny. The AANJ transition is much less gradual, and hence less delicate to this condition - but not immune, of course.
=]

[ariomia]

id like to also add that ,the night i met steve i checked out his guitars....and even evo was cracked to hell ! Big long ass cracks !!! there were like 2 on each side!
man they were long!
*

[wilch]

That's because EVO's been dropped a few times, and had her neck broken to boot.

Wil..
NotOnMonday

[Matt55655]

My 7PBK has the same thing, being it is a JEM with an old style neck joint. Is there any chance of the body just splitting in half one day? Lol. sounds crazy, but I'm protective of my JEM. Also, are the cracks found at the neck joints, are they just in the finnish, like the lacker coat, or is that crack down through the wood? I know it vaires per model but being this is very common among old neck joint JEM's I though you guys might know.