(L)NGD- my 816ce is back- Like New Guitar Day

[Guitar Cowboy]

I couple months ago I made the decision to get my relatively new (2013) 816 repaired. I had put a stupid scratch in the top right behind the bridge by somehow allowing the case clasp to bang into the top of the guitar  ( Doh!!!)   A lot of people said that its all just part of owning a guitar and I should leave it be, but it was such a stupid scratch... so after going back and forth  and seeing ( and thinking about) the scratch every time I pulled the guitar out of the case, I decided to just do it.

I sent the guitar to Pat DiBurro and he refinished the top for me. He does excellent work!!! He installed my Gotohs too while he had it. So its like a new guitar day for me. Not going back to work this afternoon. The porch swing and my 816 are calling me.

[Christhee68]

Not going back to work this afternoon. The porch swing and my 816 are calling me.

Don't bump it on the swing!

Do you have any before and after pictures?

[Guitar Cowboy]

Not going back to work this afternoon. The porch swing and my 816 are calling me.

Don't bump it on the swing!

Do you have any before and after pictures?

I'm using the bubble wrap that came in the shipping box. 

I will post pictures when my fingers hurt so much I need to stop playing

[donlyn]

nothing wrong with a happy ending.  enjoy

[TaylorGirl]

I would have done the same thing! Happy to hear its all new again.

[fmbstrummer]

You did the right thing to repair it.  That would have annoyed me every time I opened the case. 

Enjoy your guitar!

FMB

[Sedated]

I've never had to avail myself of his services, but my understanding is that he's the best luthier not employed by Taylor. The work I've seen him do is unsurpassed.

[Frettingflyer]

While I haven't had to avail myself of Pats restoration services he does my setups and any warranty work. I live close enough that I could walk to the shop if I had to, and I have seen some wonderful guitars there in various states of repair. I have seen some before and after and I can attest to the quality of his work.
I actually got to see a 120+ year old guitar there last year that he was restoring because the owner wanted to play it. It still had the original case for stagecoach travel. Wish I had seen/heard it when he was done.
Anyway Cowboy, glad you got it fixed. It would bug me too and take away from my enjoyment of the instrument so I think I would do the same. Congrats on the (L)NGD!
Your fingers must be sore by now, where are the pics?

[Guitar Cowboy]

Here are the before and after pics. The scratch was more visible at certain angles. It was almost invisible from straight on. But I could see it plain as day as I looked over my right shoulder and  when I was at a Jam and someone said  "What the heck did you do to your guitar?" ...well,  that was one of the  deciding moments.

You'll see from the "after" picture that you cant see the scratch at all. Pat also gave me the option of a special, high performance grade coating to prevent future scratches, so I opted to pay a little extra for it.  You'll note that it is indistinguishable from a standard finish and it's also now more comfortable to play.  Who needs a 900 series beveled armrest for comfort when you have bubble wrap?

[Christhee68]

That seems like a lot of hassle. You could have just put a Justin Bieber sticker over the scratch and been done with it.

[Guitar Cowboy]

Here are the actual before and after pictures as well as a picture of the family back together

[Cindy]

It looks great, but how is the sound? Do you notice any tonal difference? I've heard when the entire top is refinished, there might be a change in timbre. Are YOU happy with the results? That's the most important thing.

[Earl]

I should wait to let Guitar Cowboy comment, but being a relatively new 2013 model refinishing the top should not make much difference.  Now if it were a 2003 model with several years of aging and "opening up" on the top finish, that might be different....   IMO.

[Guitar Cowboy]

I am very happy with the results. I don't think there is much difference in the tone, but its hard to say since I have been hearing the K26 exclusively for a while. What Earl says makes sense though as I replaced a relatively new finish with a new finish . The bottom line is that if I was playing this guitar in the store , I'd buy it again. So I'm happy!!!