Difference in value for neck joint crack

bigcupholder

bigcupholder

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I bought a used guitar body+neck on eBay from a seller that parts out Gibsons. Today I got it and discovered it has a previously repaired crack on the bass side of the neck joint that wasn't mentioned or photographed in the listing. The repair looks solid enough but it's also really noticeable and would definitely make the guitar harder to sell if I decide to flip it at some point. The seller offered me a very small partial refund but I want to do some research before returning the guitar.

In your opinion, what's a typical hit to the value of the guitar with this sort of damage? The guitar is a 1965 Gibson melody maker. I've attached a picture of the crack. It goes into the face of the guitar a bit, but isn't visible on the treble side, so it was some sort of twisting damage I guess.
6cfdab2f4d22f38e287379244963cc2a.jpg


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Re: Difference in value for neck joint crack

Couple hundred bucks.
If competently repaired, it will be fine.
 
Re: Difference in value for neck joint crack

It's a relatively low value guitar to begin with, and appears beat, so it's not as huge a deal as you might think.

I would say it dings the value 30 to 50 percent on an otherwise nice and original example...but if the whole guitar is beat, pieced together, and not original anyhow, and you didn't pay much for it, then it would ding it much less. How much did you buy it for, and how much did he offer back? I myself wouldn't pay more than $500 for a '65 Melody Maker in that condition with that damage, and that's assuming it had all the original parts (hardware, pickups, etc.).

The bigger concern here is that the seller is the type of person who would specifically avoid mentioning a major flaw such as that. That would make me suspect of any dealings with him or her, including partial refund offers.

As far as whether it negatively affects the guitar's potential as a musical instrument, that's big no. But again, it should make it cheap. Like I said, if it has all the original parts, $500 max. If it's just a shell, $200, and what you do is simply throw away all its "vintage" value, and refinish it and outfit it with modern pickups and hardware to have a nice player, or skip the refin, get new parts, and just make it a beater.
 
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Re: Difference in value for neck joint crack

I would immediately send that back. I know some people are OK with major neck repairs. I'm not.
 
Re: Difference in value for neck joint crack

Yeah, depends on what you paid and what they are offering as a discount. If you were interested in a vintage looking instrument anyway it might not be that big of a deal.
 
Re: Difference in value for neck joint crack

id be fine with it, at a discounted price. pretty shady that it wasnt mentioned presale
 
Re: Difference in value for neck joint crack

Yeah, I'm going to return it. The seller claimed that the crack was mentioned in the listing but that eBay must have screwed up and removed that sentence... Clearly that's not someone worth dealing with. Thanks everyone.

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Re: Difference in value for neck joint crack

bigcupholder said:
Yeah, I'm going to return it. The seller claimed that the crack was mentioned in the listing but that eBay must have screwed up and removed that sentence... Clearly that's not someone worth dealing with. Thanks everyone.

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Click to expand...

That claim is laughable.

Who is the seller (I'd like to make sure I avoid that seller in the future), and how much did you pay? Did it have any of the original hardware or electronics?
 
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Re: Difference in value for neck joint crack

Hopefully the return will go well.
 
Re: Difference in value for neck joint crack

The issue with a crack like that isn't just the hit to the value when you manage to sell it, but the greatly reduced potential market of people who would consider it.

Based on that crack, and how it looks like it was repaired, I wouldn't consider it at any price, FWIW.

Larry
 
Re: Difference in value for neck joint crack

bigcupholder said:
The seller claimed that the crack was mentioned in the listing but that eBay must have screwed up and removed that sentence...
Click to expand...

I can't believe that some people are so dumb to think a story like that gets swallowed......ever.
 
Re: Difference in value for neck joint crack

To those who don't trust repaired guitars.... Who do you take your stuff to when you break it? Or do you just toss it on Squeebay and kiss it goodbye?
 
Re: Difference in value for neck joint crack

ICTGoober said:
To those who don't trust repaired guitars.... Who do you take your stuff to when you break it? Or do you just toss it on Squeebay and kiss it goodbye?
Click to expand...

The point is...that's not how it was described and photographed, so the price should have reflected the diminished value. Besides, if you didn't do the repair yourself, how could you know it was "competent"?
 
Re: Difference in value for neck joint crack

Besides, if you didn't do the repair yourself, how could you know it was "competent"?
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SERIOUSLY? Have you never heard of craftsmen? So Frank Ford, Don Teeter, Dan Erlewine are all incompetent boobs despite decades of experience with repairs in the field being used by satisfied clients? Way to insult an entire field of professionals.
 
Re: Difference in value for neck joint crack

ICTGoober said:
SERIOUSLY? Have you never heard of craftsmen? So Frank Ford, Don Teeter, Dan Erlewine are all incompetent boobs despite decades of experience with repairs in the field being used by satisfied clients? Way to insult an entire field of professionals.
Click to expand...

Dan Erlewine did not do that repair

nor did anyone you listed

that looks like an epoxy and clamp
DIY repair

you know it does

no one says you can't
no one says competent repairs can't be done

just that don't look like one of the competent ones

cause it doesn't

calm down
 
Re: Difference in value for neck joint crack

That repair looks totally fine. The finish wasn’t touched up afterwards. That’s all.


It’s beside the point anyhow.
 
Re: Difference in value for neck joint crack

In the end, a seller should disclose any work like this that has been done. It doesn't matter who did it, the buyer should be made aware so they can make the right decision.
 
Re: Difference in value for neck joint crack

+1

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Re: Difference in value for neck joint crack

ICTGoober said:
SERIOUSLY? Have you never heard of craftsmen? So Frank Ford, Don Teeter, Dan Erlewine are all incompetent boobs despite decades of experience with repairs in the field being used by satisfied clients? Way to insult an entire field of professionals.
Click to expand...

Didn't say any of that. Are you suggesting you know who did the repair on this guitar? How can you tell how good/bad it is from that pic alone?

I've repaired plenty of guitars myself and I wouldn't assume to know if that is a proper/high-quality repair or not.

Regardless, should have been disclosed by the seller. Are you the seller? Related to the seller, perhaps? Can't figure out why you're so uppity over this one...
 
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