MIM neck pocket crack- opinions please!

[czech-one-2]

well,i just received a mim standard strat body today from ebay.the finish is great and it 3.5 lbs light. HOWEVER, the seller claimed it had normal neck pocket wear and even sent additional photos,none of which showed this crack.
so my plan of assembling an all mim standard strat and possibly selling it seems shot already,and i have pickups,a neck and hardware coming from all over this week. so now i'm faced with -
A] do i return this body which cost $51.00 + $25.00 shipped to europe from the us and maybe get half of it back after re-shipping?
B] assemble a strat for my own personal use.
[i already have an outstanding strat that i wouldnt change a thing on]
it also has two tiny cracks which are very common along the neck pocket.i've just never seen one reach around the back of the guitar.

so my question is this,is this a structurally compromising crack? do any of you have similar hairline splits that dont effect the guitars structural integrity,stability or playability?

[czech-one-2]

upon examining the photos that the seller sent prior to me bidding,i can vaguely make out the crack on the back,only because i know where to look now.so it didnt occur in transit.
my first contact with the seller was met with an attitude.he said he has 'strong opinions on this deal',whatever that means. i've got 500+ rating and he has a previous negative from what? a cracked fender strat body.
i'm getting angry now,but would still just keep the damn thing if its not structurally screwed up.
any luthiers care to help me with advice on this one? its not alot of money,but it was the basis for a complete guitar that i fully intended to sell.
new mim maple neck,emg sa's are on the way.

[Dizi]

That would bother me. Maybe have it refinished?

[czech-one-2]

Originally Posted by Dizi

That would bother me. Maybe have it refinished?

would that just be 'polishing a turd' ?

or is this kind of crack more of a cosmetic eyesore than a structural problem?

honestly,if it was my personal player i wouldnt really be all that worried.but if i was buying a strat with this crack i would move on.

[Ivan]

I wouldn't settle on principle (especially since Im a heavy ebay user and I've come across many who are less than honest).

Don't get angry... it won't solve it.
Reply to the seller again, and politely explain that the item description did not make it clear there was a crack (otherwise you wouldn't have bought it). Tell the seller that you just hope to work something out (pass the ball back to him).

If he's still difficult to deal with (with no good reason), tell him you tried to work things out with him but since he isn't willing to, you're going to file a claim with ebay, and if you paid with paypal do a charge back.
ebay sucks for sellers these days, but lucky for you buyers have the power.

[czech-one-2]

i too am on ebay ALOT.
to me that is just dishonest not mentioning a crack like that,and going out of your way to not photograph it.
i'm still hoping to hear from somebody about these type of stress cracks.
it does appear to be through the wood,not just the poly.

[Dizi]

Nobody here will be able to tell you for certain if thats a crack in the guitar, or just the finish. Maybe you can bolt a neck on it and try pushing/pulling to see if it moves at all? I didn't mean to suggest refinishing a cracked guitar body.

[czech-one-2]

yeah,i plan on trying that but the neck is about a week away.

oh,you ment repairing when you said refinishing? yes,i'd like some ideas on that too.maybe a syringe with some crazy glue?

[Dizi]

No, I didn't mean repair. I'm saying if its a crack in the finish, refinish it. If the body is cracked, use it for firewood or build one of these.

[czech-one-2]

yeah, a bo diddley

[Retro Relic]

Originally Posted by czech-one-2

upon examining the photos that the seller sent prior to me bidding,i can vaguely make out the crack on the back,only because i know where to look now.so it didnt occur in transit.
my first contact with the seller was met with an attitude.he said he has 'strong opinions on this deal',whatever that means. i've got 500+ rating and he has a previous negative from what? a cracked fender strat body.
i'm getting angry now,but would still just keep the damn thing if its not structurally screwed up.
any luthiers care to help me with advice on this one? its not alot of money,but it was the basis for a complete guitar that i fully intended to sell.
new mim maple neck,emg sa's are on the way.

I am restoring, if you'd call it that, a 1966 mustang with a crack much like yous...I used some hide glue from www.stewmac.com Good as new... Im sorry for your experience with ebay...

[Cleeve]

I'd keep it, put in some glue- I think your idea for thin CA is good, it will go into the crack via capillary action. Then wet sand and respray black then clear..

Edit- I looked at the stewmac link then surfed to this page-
http://www.stewmac.com/tradesecrets/...s0034_hideglue

I'm with the hide glue now! I need to try that stuff on my busted-head bass!

State body was cracked, seller uncaring in feedback.

It's tough to be a seller now, since they can't leave 'revenge' feedback. I guess several thousand bad apples ruined the basket!

My brother in law has a MIJ strat with a crack like that, it's poly is so thick we can't figure out if it's just the clear or the wood.. Plays same as always.

That kinda thing is along the grain, so glue will make it stronger than wood there anyway, I'd think it would be fine to wick glue in there then paint, but I'm only armchair guessing..

[still_fiddlin]

The fact that it goes beyond just the corner of the neck pocket and follows a very straight line tells me there's probably an underlying seam that's opened up a bit. Unlikely it's completely unglued, will fall apart, or affect playability. But, only time will tell, and you probably can't refinish and keep that crack closed up if the wood underneath is moving and has been exposed to air. I'd ask for my money back, if this wasn't disclosed in the ad. Make a lamp out of it.

[czech-one-2]

neck arrived, and i discovered the neck mounting holes in the body were drilled so crookedly that no fender neck would bolt up to this thing without re-drilling the 4 holes through the body. its obviously a second or reject,and thats without the crack.
I also beleive its a squire,the writing was chisled off of the neck pocket and the tremolo cover plate screws are all even ,where as usa and non squire mim's have one offset screw. am i correct about this?