That looks deep in the photo, can you tell if it is in the finish crack only or if it goes beyond into the wood? The neck joint doesn't appear to be involved in the photo, but if I was inspecting it in person I would probably apply some gentle pressure to the neck and see if the joint was opening up at all. Finishes sometimes just crack due to temperature variations, wood expanding and contracting, flexing, or age. With any luck that is all it is and it would be cosmetic only.
I hope you are right, but looking closely, the neck joint from the crack downwards is also compromised, as is the very top of the joint on the flat front of the guitar. It does rather look as if there has been more than trivial movement involved.
Looking at the expanded photo closely, I think you may be right. I was hoping it was just a single finish crack, but it looks like there might be something else there in the joint. If the neck joint is broken, it will take an experienced hand to repair it, the sooner the better.
Was the finish in the neck / body seam open previously? The bit running top to back I agree with others, seems to be a concern worth having looked at if it is a problem it can easily be rectified now without it going further. Act fast loosen strings please
The only thing I can think of that might have caused it is I reached upwards and hit a door jam with the headstock hard enough to put a good chip in it. I'm just not sure if that may have done it or it is just the finish! I'll try putting some pressure on it and see if it visibly flexes open. Not sure what (if any) kind of repair could be done, specially since it isn't causing any issues
It shouldn't take very vigorous pressure to test, start gentle, watch closely, and stop immediately if you see any movement at all in the neck joint or cracked areas on the body. Still might not be a bad idea to take it to a shop and get a second opinion as well. Most places won't charge for a quick 2 minute once over to see if there is anything needs further investigation. Best of luck with it, hope it turns out to be nothing serious.
Put some pressure on it and nothing moved. It's just a hair line crack really. What's weird is that it seems to originate from the neck joint. I'm thinking it is just the finish since it is an unusial "colored" finish and not the typical laquer over wood. Also because the finish came off easilly where the neck rests against a guitar stand.
Good news! Yes, could easily by a simple finish crack as the finish is quite stressed in that area glad you were able to diagnose! beautiful colour!
Is there any chance this guitar was re-sprayed over a varnish? You mentioned some of the color coming off easily where it rested against the instrument stand, and that might explain why the finish is so fragile overall. This is just a possible explanation, not necessarily "my expert opinion". Without being able to inspect it in person I would not ask you to take my thoughts to be anything other than a possibility given the information I have here. Getting a quick look from an expert who can inspect the instrument in person may be the best thing at this point. The fact that you didn't get any movement in the neck joint area is encouraging at least. There should be none whatsoever with a healthy neck joint.
As soon as things settle a little out there I plan on taking to a luthier to have a look and I appreciate all the input from fellow SGrs. Another clue is upon closer inspection I noticed the same looking hairline crack originating from the neck strap button which makes me think that the Champagne colored finish is just a brittle last layer on top of a black coat. The one where the headstock rests on the guitar stand is from using a metal stand that was missing the rubber and by the time I noticed it, it was too late and had chipped off the color. Only including it because it shows that the champagne color is only a thin layer over the black underneath. The last pic is of #1 just to show that I don't expect any guitar to stay free of wear and tear. It is just the first time in all these years that I've noticed a crack of any kind on any guitars but also the first "colored" guitar.
This is looking more and more like a refinish that was not properly applied. It would be a bit of a shame since it is a nice color, but if the original surface was not properly prepared to accept the new finish, the new color will be fragile and easily damaged. The good news would be that the instrument should remain playable and functionally solid even if you don't fix the finish issues right away. I suppose the other good news would be that if the appearance degrades to the point that you do want to refinish it again, you should be able to just have the instrument stripped and redone with a custom finish of your choosing starting from a properly prepared surface.
That's true and Austin has a very good selection of shops. New, vintage, used and everything in between. There is a reason for the hesitation in going to one though. The thing is that I'm just not interested in anything other than SGs and have found that buying them new and modifying the frets is what works best for me. So basically buy it through Reverb and take it straight to a luthier. Before the mystery cracks started appearing on #2, I had my mind set on a new SG standard in Olive Drab. The good news is that this all dialed back the GAS for me
