Washburn USA neck cracked overnight

rspst14

Tone Cat
I've never seen something like this happen. I played the guitar last night and it was perfectly fine. Today I picked it up, and saw a crack that extends from the nut slot all the way around the back of the neck. I'm not sure if it's just the finish, or if it goes all the way through to the wood. The guitar wasn't dropped or mishandled in any way, and there is no one else here besides me, so it wasn't knocked over by a child or pet.

Other than venting, I guess the purpose of this thread is to get some advice on what I should do. I'm the second owner, which means that it's not covered by the lifetime warranty, even though it was in mint condition when I bought it from an authorized dealer. Normally, I would just chalk it up to bad luck if it weren't for the fact that this is the second Washburn USA Idol I've owned that cracked on its own. My WI70 did it a few years ago, and that one was repaired under warranty. In that case, the crack was only about a 1/4" long. Two of the same model, both made in the USA, and both cracking at the exact same spot tells me there has to be more than coincidence involved. I've also had issues with the neck being unstable and shifting, beyond the normal seasonal moves that can be fixed with a slight truss rod tweak. Twice now, it's shifted to the point that the frets had to be leveled again.

Do I put it on Ebay with all the issues disclosed and just take a loss, or do I try to get Washburn to replace it with something else under warranty on the grounds that the guitar was a lemon from the start? I don't want to sink more money into it, only to have more issues pop up. Has anyone seen something like this happen before? Thanks.
 

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Re: Washburn USA neck cracked overnight

wow thats cool. That has to be just the finish right? Seems very perfect and its an odd place to crack? Did that help haha

Get in nice and close and have a look you should be able to tell.
 
Re: Washburn USA neck cracked overnight

another possibility : maybe it was always there and you justs didn't notice? Can you tell any alteration to the headstock angle ?
 
Re: Washburn USA neck cracked overnight

This is a guitar I play on a daily basis, and the crack is way too big to overlook. I know it wasn't there last night when I played it. It doesn't look like there is any difference in the headstock angle.
 
Re: Washburn USA neck cracked overnight

IMO the neck would usually crack along with the grain, I would suspect it's just the finish. If you tug on the headstock does it shift?
 
Re: Washburn USA neck cracked overnight

This is a guitar I play on a daily basis, and the crack is way too big to overlook. I know it wasn't there last night when I played it. It doesn't look like there is any difference in the headstock angle.

has the climate changed suddenly? humidity or temperature? Maybe an expansion or shrink of the wood cause the finish/lacquer to crack? Did you have to retune the guitar before and after you noticed this?
 
Re: Washburn USA neck cracked overnight

has the climate changed suddenly? humidity or temperature? Maybe an expansion or shrink of the wood cause the finish/lacquer to crack? Did you have to retune the guitar before and after you noticed this?

Astrozombia had the same thing happen to a guitar of his i think?. I know my 1980 ibanez dt has paint cracks all over it. they look like its been cut with a knife but its from temp changes and age.
 
Re: Washburn USA neck cracked overnight

It's definitely just the finish, otherwise the whole head stock would be on the floor I'd think.

Is the crack large enough that you can feel it under your finger tip? If so, you could try super glue repair on the crack. You get super thin super glue, see if it will fill the crack, if so, get micro mesh pads and smooth the dried glue down, then make it shiny with a shop safe rubbing compound using a microfiber cloth.
 
Re: Washburn USA neck cracked overnight

That has to be a nitrocellulose lacquer finish crack. Wood would not break in that direction without extreme trauma to the neck and certainly not be that straight. I only have one nitro finished guitar that doen't have any cracks in it and it was just refinished a couple of months ago.

If you can feel it and it is bothersome, I would patch it with clear nitrocellulose lacquer. The thing about lacquer is one coat melts into the last.
 
Re: Washburn USA neck cracked overnight

Thanks for the help. There has been a somewhat sudden change in temperature and humidity, but that happens every year at this time. It went from 50's and dry to 80's and humid in the past week. I try to keep temperature and humidity as consistent as possible so that sudden changes don't cause problems. I just find it strange that two Washburn Idol guitars made in the same year cracked in the exact same spot. If I run my nail over it, I can just barely feel the crack. I don't notice it if I feel it with a fingertip, so I don't think the crack is very deep. I'm not really sure if the finish is nitro or poly, I'll have to check on that.
 
Re: Washburn USA neck cracked overnight

I couldn't determine if that model is nitro or polly, but the super glue trick is for poly since nitro can be touched up as another poster mentioned. Most guitars are done with poly these days, especially if it costs less than $1000. That crack seems discreet though, I'd just leave it.
 
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Re: Washburn USA neck cracked overnight

I guess this guitar is finished in poly, not nitro. Nitro remains flexible for YEARS and only cracks with huge changes of humidity and temperature. This looks like a stress related crack. Nothing to worry about. Superglue could touch it up if you really don't like the look but I doubt it will look nice.
 
Re: Washburn USA neck cracked overnight

There is nothing wrong with the neck. The headstock is a different piece that was joined with the neck during production. What happened there is just a crack on the finish. The damage is purely cosmetic and can be fixed. A friend of mine had the same thing happen to his Epiphone Les Paul, he took the guitar to a shop that specializes in guitar finishes and now it is as good as new.
 
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