Have you seen this weird "wood imperfection"?

[kingfish]

I came into this 1999 EPI Peerless MIK Casino and it has a weird thing happening to the wood.

I thought it was just some drunken factory worker's felt tip scribblings, but it looks like it is actually something 'in the wood'. With a magnifying glass it looks a little like the 'pecky' in Pecky Cedar - or insect boring damage - definitely not on just the surface (but not indented).

In any event, it makes the guitar a 'blem' - cosmetically and to some folks, just bu##-ugly.

I can't believe it got out of the factory - that it ever ended up out on the market at all. QC?

The thing plays and sound great. It was used for years in a Worship Band by an elderly gentleman, and taken good care of. It's not a well made as my 2005 EPI Unsong MIK Casino Natural, though.

I was just wondering if anyone had seen these types of marks on guitars or if this is mocho weirdo.

[OSFlank]

Hm, doesn't seem to be that bad to me. How does it affect the tone? :)

[RodeoTex]

I've seen marks similar to those in alder very often. I couldn't explain them but I doesn't seem to be a void or change the structure.
I'd just ignore them.

[Colt W. Knight]

Aren't those tops laminated? I wouldn't fuss over it.

[kingfish]

The marks don't diminish the value of the guitar to me. I just thought it was odd that this would pass QC visually.

The markings are odd, though. Not seemingly in synch with the rest of the grain, but random. Who knows.

The guitar plays fine. it has the usual idiosyncrasies of the Casino - neck pickup lower than the pick guard, etc., but I expect this one to become part of my permanent family.

[rainedave]

I've seen stuff like that before. Sometimes trees soak up weird minerals and other stuff through the roots when growing. It can show up in the grain.

But, speaking of weird wood. Look at this bookmatch. Creepy.

[PennyCentury]

Apes are descended from trees?

[BritishBluesBoy]

I'll have it if you don't want it any more...

[spauldingrules]

Ahhhh devil guitar devil guitar

[rainedave]

Originally Posted by PennyCentury

Apes are descended from trees?

Har! That's good!

It think it would have made a cool Mike Nesmith signature model.

[kingfish]

Are apes really descended from trees?

[otaypanky]

I've seen Les Pauls have that as well, guys call them mineral streaks. I wouldn't mind it a bit.
It's kind of like complaining about that little mole thing on Cindy Crawford, just a little beauty mark that adds to the uniqueness ~

[Jack S]

That does not look like a mineral streak to me, it looks more like damage that caused a physical dimpling that was not caught before finish was applied. I suspect the finish caused the wood to take on a darker hue where the damage was done to the surface. It is pretty hard to tell from the picture so I would not entirely rule out a mineral streak, but it just doesn't look like that to me.

[kingfish]

Mineral streak - schmineral streak.

The guitar is fine. A keeper. I'M KEEPING IT. Finis.

But let's face it, if you saw this guitar at a retail outlet - you wouldn't buy it. You'd want one that was 'perfect' and didn't have funny marks on it.

Anyone who strongly disagrees can shoot me five bills and it can be YOUR new guitar.

Cindy Crawford? In her case, I'd probably accept the mole, too.

Hee Hee

[Colt W. Knight]

Ive seen vintage Gibson with worse though. I remember looking at this one 12 string Gibby from the 60's. Its headstock was broken back in the sixties, and its been kept in a case ever since. The maple on the top of that burst was just god awful.

[Wally]

1) That bookmatached monkey face is intriguing. Too bad the joint is so crude....maybe they weren't through with the joining and were just mocking it up???
2)Apes are not descended from trees, but they did and still do descend out of the trees.
3) Colt, I have never seen a Gibson acoustic from the '60's with a maple top. IN fact, I can't recall having seen any Gibson acoustic with a maple top.....maple not being a very good tone wood for acoustic tops. Gibson has used maple for backs and sides for acoustics, for sure. Tops---spruce, mahogany and perhaps at times cedar.

[tonydj]

Originally Posted by kingfish

Are apes really descended from trees?

No, but sometimes they descend from them to get to the ground.
Couldn't help myself.
Dylan

[ThermionicScott]

"It's... looking... at me."

[kingfish]

As a final note - I looked at my other Casino - a 2005 MIK natural (gorgeous guitar btw) and it has the same thing happening, but not so noticeable and tiny. It's just that kind of wood and that's that.

I was up in Seattle this weekend and searched Archie McPhee's for cool decals to cover the marks, but in the final analysis, I don't think Zombie faces would be much of an improvement.

I already love this guitar anyway, and will play the dickens out of it. If someone inquires about the marks, I'll simply take a cue from Billy gates and explain, "That's not a bug - it's a feature!"

Heh.