2002 Flying V BROKEN NECK. OPINIONS.

[javtejada]

Hello everyone, Im new to this forum (though frequent visitor for a while now), I was just hoping you could help me out, I am being offered a 2002 Flying V with a broken and repaired neck for 400 USD. The guitar looks in good condition besides the repair. Im just wondering what do you think in terms of the price. Should I go for it? Thanks in advance!

 

[BTMN]

Re: 2002 Flying V BROKEN NECK. OPINIONS.

Looks good from those shots, and to me, perhaps not a bad price. What does it feel like and does it hold a tune?

 

[javtejada]

Re: 2002 Flying V BROKEN NECK. OPINIONS.

Hey¡ I still don't know, Im trying out tomorrow, I just wanted to have a clearer idea before.

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: 2002 Flying V BROKEN NECK. OPINIONS.

Welcome to the forum.

Does the guitar come with any documentary evidence about who performed the repairs, when and using what materials and techniques? If the guitar seems stable and the repair was several years ago, it would be reasonable to assume that the repair is good to last.

The fingerboard position marker inlays look non-standard to me. Has the fingerboard been replaced as part of the repair?

 

[Chris of Arabia]

Re: 2002 Flying V BROKEN NECK. OPINIONS.

There's a very similar looking 2006 V on eBay at the moment at $599.00 BIN. That one hasn't suffered like this one, so $400 may not be a bad price. I do wonder about who has done the repair though, as I'd have expected a professional luthier to have done good job on repairing the finish too, at which point you may not have even been able to see a repair had been done.

That said, it looks better than the one I saw at SXSW a couple of weeks back, the guy who owned it managed to yank that one over by catching his foot on the cable. I talked to him after their set and he reckoned he'd glued the headstock on around half a dozen times - it still rocked though, but it looked real messy round the back.

Maybe make him an offer if you like the way it plays and the repair looks stable.

 

[javtejada]

Re: 2002 Flying V BROKEN NECK. OPINIONS.

Hey Funk, thanks! Thats another thing thats making me uneasy, he said he repaired it himself ( so no documents ) and I dont know if he is even qualified to to something like that, he did say that it happened 3-4 years ago and hasnt had a problem with it ever since. And I dont know about the fingerboard, he didnt say anything.

 

[Rand-O-Monium]

Re: 2002 Flying V BROKEN NECK. OPINIONS.

The fingerboard position marker inlays look non-standard to me. Has the fingerboard been replaced as part of the repair?

Gibson had a line a while back that had the "Crescent"(?) inlays from the factory...

edit:
It "may" have an Ebony board,too,but don't hold me to that...

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: 2002 Flying V BROKEN NECK. OPINIONS.

I do wonder about who has done the repair though, as I'd have expected a professional luthier to have done good job on repairing the finish too, at which point you may not have even been able to see a repair had been done.

^
This.

Ideally, the repair should be near as possible invisible. Realistically, with a nitro-cellulose finish, you could expect to see some sink lines. If you can see bare wood, the work was done on the cheap.

 

[Toe-Knee]

Re: 2002 Flying V BROKEN NECK. OPINIONS.

The inlays are standard. There were a few models with the crescent moons. Over here they're quite cheap. Usually a bit cheaper than the standard faded models. This is used however.

There's a little more info on here

http://theguitarbite.wordpress.com/2012/02/15/2002-gibson-flying-v-faded/

 

[javtejada]

Re: 2002 Flying V BROKEN NECK. OPINIONS.

Yeah, he clearly went with the cheap solution by deciding to do it himself, however face-value, as-it-is, would the 400 USD be fair?. Thanks again everyone.

 

[javtejada]

Re: 2002 Flying V BROKEN NECK. OPINIONS.

Thanks for the info Toe!

 

[darnright]

Re: 2002 Flying V BROKEN NECK. OPINIONS.

I would play it first, then if all looks good, use the home-made repair as a gambit to lower price. Offer $250 or $300, stating you are a little nervous about the quality of the repair. My 2 cents.

-dave

 

[Scott Olson]

Re: 2002 Flying V BROKEN NECK. OPINIONS.

Nothing wrong with trying to get a lower price if you can. You can see quite a bit of the glue in there but if it's held up for 4 years and you get a chance to play it for a while $300-$400 sounds reasonable. I'd put it through the paces though, play through all the strings and frets, tune around a bit, see if anything comes up.

 

[TheLivingDead]

Re: 2002 Flying V BROKEN NECK. OPINIONS.

Weren't those going for about $500 for a while a few years back?

I wouldn't worry too much about the break. It looks like it was repaired really well.

But that price... Way too high. Offer him $275... $300 tops.

 

[whatshisname]

Re: 2002 Flying V BROKEN NECK. OPINIONS.

I'd buy it. The repair has held up, so it's apparently solid. I wouldn't worry about it. And, if you can get the price down, even more, then why not?

BTW, the fingerboard on the models with the moon inlays were indeed Ebony.

 

[Johnny the Kid]

Re: 2002 Flying V BROKEN NECK. OPINIONS.

It looks good to me. I didn't even see the crack until I saw the third picture. It's in pretty good condition considering.

 

[Kamanda~SD]

Re: 2002 Flying V BROKEN NECK. OPINIONS.

Looks fine to me too...breaks like these only require wood glue, clamps, and a little water. No luthier needed unless you wanted a seamless refinish or its a bad break. Breaks like these are the easiest to fix.

 

[tubecrunch]

Re: 2002 Flying V BROKEN NECK. OPINIONS.

I did my own broken neck repair on an upright bass 2 years ago. The wood was cheap and soft, and I probably should have used twice as many clamps. It works totally fine and stays in tune great. Don't know the value of your v, but the repair either works or falls apart. Not much middle ground there.

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: 2002 Flying V BROKEN NECK. OPINIONS.

I personally have no issues with guitar repairs like neck and headstock repairs.

$400 seems fair but there is nothing wrong with offering a little less...worst thing that can happen is a no.

Good luck and let us know what happens!

 

[DrNewcenstein]

Re: 2002 Flying V BROKEN NECK. OPINIONS.

The seller's already taking a steep hit on it at $400 due to the damage. From my own casual observations of these models over the years, ebony-boarded USA Gibson Vs do not sell cheap consistently (the "fluke" BIN of $450 from some guy's ex or parents and other such "crackhead deals" do not qualify as "consistently"). If you want it, pay the guy the $400 for it. Don't kick him in the nuts, and for Pete's sake don't try "the economy joke" on him, it's a luxury item, not a necessity (i.e. food, shelter, toilet paper), so pay the asking price or look into a bolt-on import or Epi if you want it for less.