Witness Lines on Guitar. Has anyone experienced it?

[fair.child]

Recently, I just bought an used EBMM JP6 all rosewood neck limited run on Reverb. I have been dreaming for this guitar a while.  I just received the item and played through it. It's a fantastic and beautiful guitar at the same time. Another level of guitar per what I can say. FYI, this is my first EBMM.

Here comes the story. I bought this used on Reverb for quite sum of money. The 2nd most expensive I spent on Reverb after IIC+, but for guitar is the first. I notice there are two straight lines on the paint. I remember it happened with my Ibanez RG550 and RG570 while I lived in Florida. I asked local tech and he mentioned those are witness lines. Now, I am curious because the EBMM costs more than just regular Ibanez.

So, on the body there are no cracks, chips, or defective. All electronics work perfect, neck is perfectly straight. However, if I try to put the body under the light, I can see there are slight two straight lines on the top of control switches (3 way switches) and under upper 3 way Piezo switches.

Spoke with EBMM and they noticed the issue. It's a shrinking and humidity issue. The neck also suffers for sprout. Feels edgy and a bit sharp on the bottom. Two problems on the guitar but one main issue. The witness lines and fret sprouts are the problem because of the shrinking/ incorrect temperature change. FYI, this guitar came from Tucson, Arizona.

Right now, I am humidifying the guitar over two nights and see how it will go. Also, I ordered humidipack Planet Waves Restoration and will try that out. I really hate to dress the neck since it's all rosewood neck and EBMM doesn't make new run even won't make it in the future because John Petrucci (JP) doesn't quite feel the neck. It's very unique guitar and been really pain to see it ruined.

I'd rather to bring it back naturally rather than bring it to the tech and file the fret. Now for the witness lines, MBPers have you experienced something like this? How do you resolve it? Don't tell me, you just need to live with it. I want to ask y'all opinion, rants, thoughts, experiences within similar issues.

[Aentons]

hmm... witness line could mean a couple different things. Do you mean ghosting in the layers of the finish, or a ridge or indent like where the pieces of the body are joined?

[gordo]

I wouldn't worry about the frets, I'd have to think that once that wood takes on a bit of humidity (and being all rosewood it shouldn't take too long) I'd have to think the wood will grow back into the frets.

The witness line does sound weird though.  One of the best guitars I own (I mostly have a fleet of mutts) is a MM Silhouette Special that is just amazing.  MM's were never on my radar as I assumed they were strats that Leo had to make "different".  Totally different animal.  Anyway even if it's a wood joint I'm surprised it would show.  May have had to endure a bit of AZ heat?

[fair.child]

@Aentons, are you able to see the line on the picture above? It's like a ghosting line in the finish. Within certain light angle, you can see it. Plus if you touch it, you can feel like a very smooth dent/slope. I confirmed this with EBMM and they mentioned the wood shrunk.


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@gordo
I gave a shot with humidifier, still in progress I believe. Today, I didn't feel any changes yet. I am quite picky with the neck feel. I hope it'll come back once within the correct humidity.

I think it's the issue with AZ heat. I know it can go up 100F during summer, and indeed it's summer time now. Meanwhile, San Diego or southern Cali is always sunny and the highest I can tell was 98F. However, I mostly keep my guitar in case and have silica gel to try keep it humid. I guess this is another experience with the guitar and I'm paying the tuition now.

Rosewood neck is extremely preferable. I won't come back playing maple/rosewook. If I can get all rosewood neck, definitely that's my guitar. Rosewood neck with Piezo, humbucker, and whammy, oh God! I can play this all day long.

Compare with Majesty, I like JP6/JP15 style better. However, 15 I believe it's all Mahogany. If I can get a custom EBMM JP, I'll ask for Mahogany body fully loaded (Piezo) with all rosewood neck. Just like my Warmoth setup, full rosewood neck with mahogany body minus Piezo.

FYI, EBMM was trying to sell me a replacement body for JP6 at cost of $980 and I need to send the guitar back. Plus they will keep the defective body as part of their proprietary tech. I didn't know whether EBMM JP body patented or not. So say, if you're parting out the body, they can sue you, can't they? This is something just to think about.

[somnif]

I think it's the issue with AZ heat. I know it can go up 100F during summer, and indeed it's summer time now. Meanwhile, San Diego or southern Cali is always sunny and the highest I can tell was 98F. However, I mostly keep my guitar in case and have silica gel to try keep it humid. I guess this is another experience with the guitar and I'm paying the tuition now.

100F is low balling AZ summers, it was 110F when I drove out of Tucson today, and we haven't even hit monsoon season yet. Wheeee..... got those 120F days to look forward to.

Our single-digit humidity can also do odd things to wood bodies at times.

Out of curiosity did you get it through Rainbow Guitars? Their shop is damn near a museum in its preservation and handling of instruments, love that place. Their luthier is too damned expensive, but not many skilled techs in town.

[fair.child]

Dang, that's hot! I wonder how people work for Raytheon live there. They keep lure me to move Arizona and keep say No! Love San Diego, can't beat it!

So, about the guitar. I got it from a collector, just a regular guy and it seems he works for Raytheon and that's the reason I brought Raytheon up, lol!

I'll definitely check out Rainbow Guitar if I happen to visit Arizona. My family experience with cross country and passed Gila Bend was enough to conclude Arizona is boiling.

[somnif]

They were in the news a few years back when Jimi Hendrix's estate sued them for owning one of his guitars. https://tucson.com/news/jimi-hendrix-s-guitar-at-center-of-tucson-lawsuit/article_1080bc3d-fee7-562d-b6e6-1bd02bc5bb06.html

But yeah it was cool wandering in for some strings and seeing things like a '53 Goldtop Les Paul or first run Broadcasters hanging up for sale. So many digits on those price tags.... Nothing that outrageous on their Reverb or store page at the moment though, wonder if the nutter who owned the place has calmed down these days.

[fair.child]

That's a nice story. The question is does he still have that a million dollar guitar?

[lars]

...are you able to see the line on the picture above? It's like a ghosting line in the finish.

The witness line on the first picture definitely looks like a line from a multi-section body of glued-together pieces. I have a Strat with lines exactly like that, and the body is made of 5 different pieces of wood.

However, I mostly keep my guitar in case and have silica gel to try keep it humid.

Silica gel absorbs moisture...so...

[fair.child]

...are you able to see the line on the picture above? It's like a ghosting line in the finish.

The witness line on the first picture definitely looks like a line from a multi-section body of glued-together pieces. I have a Strat with lines exactly like that, and the body is made of 5 different pieces of wood.

However, I mostly keep my guitar in case and have silica gel to try keep it humid.

Silica gel absorbs moisture...so...

Oh really, what a dum dum I am,lol!, I didn't know that silica gel absorbs moisture. I guess it's time for me to invest for some humidipacks for guitar.

I guess it's all lesson learned. I spoke with EBMM again and they claimed mostly Basswood they used for production during that time for JP6 were 3 pieces Basswood. So being said that, it all starts make sense if I'm seeing those two lines because three pieces basswood glued together.

[thesmokingman]

there was a period of inactivity for me in Kansas where the lack of humidity really did a number on my tele ... it was one of those fsr guitar center squiers with the bigsby ... I knew from the second I picked it up it was a re-purposed factory second because of the clearly visible (back of guitar only) line in the finish from the multi-piece body. that line turned into a crack in the finish that winter and the neck had really bad fret sprout ... a few weeks after the move to Florida and the fret sprout was gone ... finish is still cracked, but this thing is a factory second ... I bought it to play, not to collect.

[EBK]

I guess it's time for me to invest for some humidipacks for guitar.

Just in case, I'll share this tip here (I did know a guitarist who spent a bunch of money continuously buying those packs and dutifully following the directions to discard the dried up ones and and buy more):  Buy two sets of humidipaks.  When the first one gets almost dried out, put the fresh set in with your guitar and "recharge" the dry one in a sealed plastic container that contains another smaller, open container holding a water-filled kitchen sponge.  That way, you'll always have a fresh set available.

[pickdropper]

...are you able to see the line on the picture above? It's like a ghosting line in the finish.

The witness line on the first picture definitely looks like a line from a multi-section body of glued-together pieces. I have a Strat with lines exactly like that, and the body is made of 5 different pieces of wood.

However, I mostly keep my guitar in case and have silica gel to try keep it humid.

Silica gel absorbs moisture...so...

Oh really, what a dum dum I am,lol!, I didn't know that silica gel absorbs moisture. I guess it's time for me to invest for some humidipacks for guitar.

I guess it's all lesson learned. I spoke with EBMM again and they claimed mostly Basswood they used for production during that time for JP6 were 3 pieces Basswood. So being said that, it all starts make sense if I'm seeing those two lines because three pieces basswood glued together.

It'll be cheaper in the long run to buy a room humidifer for all of your instruments.  Here in the midwest the humidity fluctuates a lot seasonally, so I keep an eye on it and humidify in the winder and dehumidify in the summer. 

[Muadzin]

Maybe this is a sign that Arizona is just too damn hot and dry for human habitation? At least of the kind that likes to play guitars?   

[somnif]

Maybe this is a sign that Arizona is just too damn hot and dry for human habitation? At least of the kind that likes to play guitars?   

Hey, it was only 107 here today, and it got up to a whole 4% humidity, we're doing just fine.