FUQ (eff -yu - cue) - FAQ's with an EDGE

Tagged As: Antique Gibson Guitar

Question:
Could you expand on this phenomenon a little? Because I have always felt that I have an allergic reaction whenever I play Gibsons - but I always thought it was in my head! My left palm gets red and irritated. Could this really be something OTHER than my imagination?

Answer:
I have a respiratory reaction. If you take a whiff of a recent Gibson, it has a very characteristic odor, that no other manufacturer's nitrocellulose has. The wine colors are in my experience , for some reason, much worse, and they also have a reputation for remaining sticky for years. I had a wine 2001 Wes that even in 2003 was unplayable because of the stickiness of the finish. I took it to several guitar tech/luthiers and they all commented on the strong odor and didn't know what was wrong. Some suggested that Gibson had a batch of bad nitro. I have an old friend in Lubbock who bought a 2003 wine Wes, and while he wasnt' bothered by the odor, he did say it smelled strongly, and it was very difficult to play because of the sticky finish. He got rid of it. I sent several inquiries to Gibson customer service and the custom shop on this issue before I sold the wine Wes (for a big loss thru Gruhn Guitars) and received no response. In the last few y ears when I have mentioned this, others have commented on the sticky nature of the wine color , and some other colors. My present Wes is a '94 and it is not sticky. However, I eventually found that even hanging on my archtop wall, when I walk anywhere near it, I could smell it. After a couple of recent bouts of having to seek medical help after playing it, I gave up on it. It's such a marvelous guitar in all other ways that I tried extra hard to give it a chance. I received one suggestion that the problem was the case glue. But the day I got the guitar the case went in the closet and the guitar went on the wall. That was 2 years ago. I have tried having several coats of carnuba wax applied to no avail. I have a couple of 70s/80s HRs that don't bother me. These may be the only gibsons that I can keep. I have noticed that the Heritages beginning with around 2001 -2002 have started to bother me, although they have a different odor than the gibsons. It could be that my malady is just getting worse.