Whoah……has this ever happened to you?

[EyesOfTheSouth!]

My R9 has had numerous pickup swaps and the cavity/pots were getting messy so I decided to just update everything before installing a set of new Duncan Custom Shops.

I have the guitar face down in its case and I’m working on it at my kitchen bar. Got the pots in, wired up a new switch, grounded everything……all good to this point.

Start installing the neck pickup and the base of my solder iron touched the side of the cavity and all of a sudden the entire back of the guitar ignited into a clear blue flame. Made a big “swoosh” noise when it happened. Flame shot up a foot or so and singed my eyebrows and burnt a headband I had on. Luckily I can’t see worth a shit and I had reading glasses on at the time.

It all happen in a split second and it went out on its own as quickly as it ignited. The back of the finish is now a hair darker.

Instant relic I guess!

 

[Beyond Black]

I hate it when my R9 spontaneously combusts!!!!

 

[romanianreaper]

Welp now your flametop marches your flamebottom.

 

[Ben Waylin]

Same thing happened to Richard Pryor once.

 

[EyesOfTheSouth!]

Same thing happened to Richard Pryor once.

I wasn’t having as much fun as he was….lol.

 

[gbsmusic]

Same thing happened to Richard Pryor once.

????

 

[stratjacket]

Wow, I’ve never heard of that. But I’ve also never worked on a Gibson.

 

[crwnedblasphemy]

So was it the lacquer that ignited?

 

[Kyrpajyra]

Same thing happened to Richard Pryor once.

Fucking lol

 

[psychodave]

Same thing happened to Richard Pryor once.

Michael Jackson too.... except his fire didnt go out as quickly.

 

[Ben Waylin]

Michael Jackson too.... except his fire didnt go out as quickly.

Jheri Curl is a helluva drug.

 

[Fiesta Red]

Maybe it was offgassing

 

[glpg80]

Obviously it was cleaned with some sort of flammable solvent and it wasn’t the paint itself otherwise it would have continued to burn.

I’ve never heard of this happening before on a guitar but I’m glad you’re not severely injured. That could have turned out much worse if it affected your eyesight.

 

[John4021]

Gawd dayum. Thats all kind of phucked up.


If I thought you were from the East side of Cleveland, I'd be thinking" meth Lab issue"

 

[Ben Waylin]

If I thought you were from the East side of Cleveland, I'd be thinking" meth Lab issue"

 

[OUTLAW1969]

I have never heard of that issue, and my first thought was that naphtha was used to clean it up, which had not dissipated yet.

Damn, I am glad that you are OK......that could have been really bad.......

 

[alund]

“Flame shot up a foot or so and singed my eyebrows and burnt a headband I had on.”

I’m liking the headband as protection … was it a Mark Knofler style? Mike Reno? Or Olivia Newton John? I have thought of wearing one myself at next 80s show.
Glad you weren’t hurt.

 

[DMartin356]

Yes, I don’t solder much so I generally leave it to someone else.