All these people saying it's no big deal... If they were going to buy an EJ and had a choice between one with a knot in the neck and one without the knot, I'd bet 99% of them would pick the one without the knot. Say what you want, but at the price the EJ goes for I don't think it's unreasonable to expect a piece of wood without a knot. I know it's not Custom Shop territory, but it's not Squireland, either. Here's mine:
Lotsa luck getting satisfaction out of GC. My friend ordered a custom order lefty ES 335 in blond finish through them back when the Titanic sank and when it eventually arrived it was red. No help from GC on that one.
That's a mineral streak in a neck with very nice straight grain!! If it were a knot the grain would be going around it. Very nice neck.
I would go by whichever one felt and played nicest. Honestly, I would probably not even notice that knot... in the store or at home, unless someone pointed it out. People pay big bucks for birdseye maple necks that are covered with knots.
It doesn't matter what I think of the spot. If you want to take it back you can make the decision on taking it back. You spent the money you are the one that has to be happy with it. A bunch of people on a forum can't make the decision for you.
If you or I were trying to sell it, it would be firewood. It is only worth what it's worth because of the legacy of the late owner.
My '57 Esquire has a small knot , maybe 1/16'' on the fretboard . Has it ever bothered me ? H*** NO !!
Don't worry about it. The wood is planned and any bark is stripped. It is just a mineral deposit that colored the actual wood, not a knot.
Here is my 1970 Stratocaster, with similar marks in the maple neck. And just imagine your guitar 51 years from now. It is truly a non-issue.
All maple necks have some kind of marking. Mine are really light but I bet I could pick it out of a lineup. more on the fretboard and not as dark, but whatever. I can see why you might not like it being how expensive it is but remember people pay a lot for guitars now that looked like a truck has run over them and dragged them down a highway for a few hours.
Seen a couple guys post comments on EJ's Facebook page complaining about the quality of the Virginia model. Crazy, poor EJ has been turned into a customer service rep for Fender.
I think the difference is 'covered with' vs 'one of'. If there's a guitar, or table, or anything wooden with lots of knots or streaks or whatever, then it looks fine. But if there's just one, often your eye is drawn to that one thing. Some people find that off-putting, and fair enough. We each have different preferences. For example, I have no idea why people pay big bucks for birdseye maple. It never really looks anything special to me!