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So there's a guy selling a les paul with mysterious discolouration on the back of the neck. Does this look like a neck repair to you?




If so, i think it's a bit immoral for him to be asking the price he's asking for it.

That looks like over-spray which could be the sign of a neck repair.

There's a Les Paul Custom that I have to sell, that I know had a neck repair and it's really hard to tell. If it didn't have the documentation I would have never noticed. You have to disclose that, super shady not to.

Maybe shine from overhead lighting.

Looks like some sort of repair, yeah. Seems more like sanding marks, a poor color match, sawdust filled cracks, or some combination of all of the above. Ask for some better pictures before buying?

Cloudy spot looks like filler to me.

There's a thin dark straight line closer to the headlock that looks like it might be the break. That light circular spot behind it may be filler from where the wood chipped at the break.

I'm no expert, so take that about the same as that time Courtney Love thought she found the missing plane.

Thanks you guys are lifesavers. This is some Guitar CSI stuff. He claims there may have been a repair in the past but wants $1500 for the guitar. Noooo thank you.

It's not a repair. Either wood color or finish.

I've seen that in mahogany where the grain disapears in patches like this. Not sure it's a repair?

I don't think those pictures prove anything, need more pics.

The year would have some bearing on value. If a repair, it's a pretty clean job.

I've read that repaired ones are better because they are stronger than the original neck/headstock merge

61fury wrote:I've read that repaired ones are better because they are stronger than the original neck/headstock merge

They're stronger, and just that. They can have less sustain/different resonant properties after a headstock break, whether that makes it better/same/worse depends entirely on the severity of the break, the quality of the repair and the personal taste of the player... but not to get too wishy-washy here, the main [inarguable] thing is they lose a decent chunk of their value (major wood repair + refinish) and unbroken higher-end Gibsons hold their value well, so it's important for a headstock break to be fully disclosed in a sale, it's hundreds of dollars worth a difference.

not sure I believe in sustain, not with an amp anyway

That just looks like mahogany grain differences that can appear naturally. You should also note that the finish on the neck is nitro, meaning it can react to hand sweat from playing which could result in that discoloration.