So I took the pickguard off my Les Paul Jr DC... look at this garbage

[Hank-]

Re: So I took the pickguard off my Les Paul Jr DC... look at this garbage

It's no different to stretchy underpants.

No, stretchy underpants don't leave gaps, unless you mean stretched underpants, those i would never buy. utahere:

 

[Wattage]

Re: So I took the pickguard off my Les Paul Jr DC... look at this garbage

Don't look behind the curtain.....

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: So I took the pickguard off my Les Paul Jr DC... look at this garbage

Its perfectly normal for the gap to be there. In fact for any knowledgeable person the gap is essential......why?? Because you need a small squeezout space for the glue. Any luthier knows enough to leave this space as you want to apply slightly more than enough glue to the wood to get a good coverage as grain is variable. There is no compromise to the neck join at all.
And the whole reason for the pickguard is to cover a join that you will never ever manage to avoid sinkage on - smart one Gibson.

OMG!! You are Sooo wrong on this one! The gap that it takes for wood glue to fill is about 1/10 that big. In fact, as you can see, even the glue DIDN'T and couldn't fill that grand canyon. Plus, after the glue has cured the gap can be filled and finished (just like every other guitar manufacturer in the world does). You sound like a Gibson devotee cork sniffer who refuses to see the truth about his lover. I have owned over a dozen Gibsons, including a double cut LP, and None of them look like that. I currently own nearly 4 dozen guitars from many different manufacturers, some very expensive and some VERY cheap, and nearly a dozen that I have built, and none of them...let me repeat that for you...NONE of them are left in such a crappy state of unfinish, even in the pup and control cavity routs and under the pickguards. Wake up and face the reality that Gibson QC has gone to pot recently. There is no shame in admitting that, even if you own as many Gibsons as I do.

Of course we see very quickly in this thread those with knowledge and those who are simply good at whinging.

And are you putting yourself in the latter category?

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: So I took the pickguard off my Les Paul Jr DC... look at this garbage

"Now with 50s accurate neck tenon expansion gap"


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That's nothing more than media hype rationalization in an attempt to justify their poor QC and skimping on labor costs. Do you believe every advertisement you see?

 

[VinceT]

Re: So I took the pickguard off my Les Paul Jr DC... look at this garbage

That's nothing more than media hype rationalization in an attempt to justify their poor QC and skimping on labor costs. Do you believe every advertisement you see?

Believe me, my tongue is firmly in my cheek!


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[ICTGoober]

Re: So I took the pickguard off my Les Paul Jr DC... look at this garbage

I bought this guitar brand new back in 2011 from a Gibson retailer. This is a Gibson USA made LP Jr Double Cut. I took the pickguard off tonight because I needed to trace it because I'm getting another guard made. Look at the surprise I found underneath. It's not a filled pickup route. It goes all the way to the edge of the finger board. I can't believe this garbage. I don't even know what to say.

Save your faux indignation. This is normal, that's WHY Gibson put a pickguard on it from the get-go. If you hate it THAT MUCH, send it to me for humane disposal.

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: So I took the pickguard off my Les Paul Jr DC... look at this garbage

Believe me, my tongue is firmly in my cheek!


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In that case, you are forgiven, my friend.

Sometimes the cheek is the only place you dare fit your tongue.

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: So I took the pickguard off my Les Paul Jr DC... look at this garbage

This is normal, (for Gibson) that's WHY Gibson put a pickguard on it from the get-go.

Yeah, Gibson tries to hide it's cheap quality shortcuts. They spend exorbitant amounts on overly exaggerated claims in their advertising and recoup that cost in out-of-this-world prices. Other manufactures correct their mistakes before they allow their guitars to hit the market.

 

[Silence Kid]

Re: So I took the pickguard off my Les Paul Jr DC... look at this garbage

I'm trying to remember any other time I've seen two pieces of a guitar glued together and noticed a gap, and it's never. Bodies are glued together in a few pieces, so are necks, I've never seen something like that in any of those scenarios; or maybe they were improperly made regarding "glue expansion?"

Then again, it is covered by a pickguard, then again there's usually a pickup there... Gibson has disappointed me in other ways so I'm biased.

(This makes me wonder how the quality is on those brand new M2s that were available for like $250 . I almost wish I'd bought one.)

 

[Johnny the Kid]

Re: So I took the pickguard off my Les Paul Jr DC... look at this garbage

Here's what I don't get.

You've had this guitar for almost 6 years (i'm assuming you didn't buy in the beginning of 2011). You finally take off the pickguard and see that it has poor build quality. Do you suddenly hate the instrument?

 

[Mincer]

Re: So I took the pickguard off my Les Paul Jr DC... look at this garbage

That doesn't look good.

But that explains what Gibson thinks is the difference between the cheaper and the more expensive models.

 

[Powdered Toast Man]

Re: So I took the pickguard off my Les Paul Jr DC... look at this garbage

It's amazing how many apologist fanboys Gibson has.

 

[Powdered Toast Man]

Re: So I took the pickguard off my Les Paul Jr DC... look at this garbage

That doesn't look good.

But that explains what Gibson thinks is the difference between the cheaper and the more expensive models.

This was a $1300 (2011 prices) guitar. At that time an American Standard Fender was about $1000. I don't consider $1000+ instruments to be "cheap".

 

[Powdered Toast Man]

Re: So I took the pickguard off my Les Paul Jr DC... look at this garbage

Here's what I don't get.

You've had this guitar for almost 6 years (i'm assuming you didn't buy in the beginning of 2011). You finally take off the pickguard and see that it has poor build quality. Do you suddenly hate the instrument?

Did I say I hated it anywhere in my post? It was just a shock to discover such a shoddy flaw in the core construction of the guitar.

This would be like finding out the contractor who built your home did a s*** job on the foundation but then just covered it up behind the drywall.

 

[Johnny the Kid]

Re: So I took the pickguard off my Les Paul Jr DC... look at this garbage

I never said that you did. My point is that if you hadn't taken off the pickguard you would have never known. Your guitar is not suffering from structural issues is it?

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: So I took the pickguard off my Les Paul Jr DC... look at this garbage

I never said that you did. My point is that if you hadn't taken off the pickguard you would have never known. Your guitar is not suffering from structural issues is it?

So you're saying that if you don't know about a problem, it doesn't exist?

Or, if you can get away with something then it's ok? like...if you burglarize a home and don't get caught then it's ok?

Come on! Certainly you have better ethics than that.

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: So I took the pickguard off my Les Paul Jr DC... look at this garbage

It's amazing how many apologist fanboys Gibson has.

You are so right!

 

[AlexR]

Re: So I took the pickguard off my Les Paul Jr DC... look at this garbage

OMG!! You are Sooo wrong on this one! The gap that it takes for wood glue to fill is about 1/10 that big. In fact, as you can see, even the glue DIDN'T and couldn't fill that grand canyon. Plus, after the glue has cured the gap can be filled and finished (just like every other guitar manufacturer in the world does). You sound like a Gibson devotee cork sniffer who refuses to see the truth about his lover. I have owned over a dozen Gibsons, including a double cut LP, and None of them look like that. I currently own nearly 4 dozen guitars from many different manufacturers, some very expensive and some VERY cheap, and nearly a dozen that I have built, and none of them...let me repeat that for you...NONE of them are left in such a crappy state of unfinish, even in the pup and control cavity routs and under the pickguards. Wake up and face the reality that Gibson QC has gone to pot recently. There is no shame in admitting that, even if you own as many Gibsons as I do.



And are you putting yourself in the latter category?

How many guitars have you built.......I'd guess NONE. Judging by your complete ignorance here.
There is ALWAYS a gap at the end of the mortice/tenon......period.

In this particular case it looks like there is a little chipping going onto the top side - I'd agree that is perhaps not as good as it should be. But the fact remains that you will never get perfect mating on the end for structural reasons. Which is the reason for the shape of the pickguard.
And filling will simply sink over time - another thing builders know.

In the joins covered by the neck pickup they never have finished buffed out clear anyhow, so there is no comparison
My own build of an archtop/335 combo. Note gap at end.......typical for mortice and tenon in neck pickup rout.

 

[kramersteen]

Re: So I took the pickguard off my Les Paul Jr DC... look at this garbage

No, stretchy underpants don't leave gaps, unless you mean stretched underpants, those i would never buy. utahere:

Jerry underpants?

 

[kramersteen]

Re: So I took the pickguard off my Les Paul Jr DC... look at this garbage

seriously that join would be super strong and chances are its never going to cause any problems.