Unofficial Taylor Guitar Forum - UTGF
Lessons, Recordings, How Tos, Repair, Accessories => Lessons, Recordings, How Tos, Repair, Accessories => Topic started by: Guitar Cowboy on February 24, 2015, 09:28:06 PM
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I know that if you use a guitar , inevitably you are going to scratch it or ding it or whatever. But I am so mad at myself , for being so careless that ... well I am just so mad at myself. There is no good story here. Nothing that I can look back on 10 years from now and tell someone the great story of how that scratch came to be. It wasn't during a jam or anything note worthy. It happened during a 5 minute practice session and I wish I could just turn the clock back.
This happened a while ago, and I just haven't been able to face it. It's too embarrassing... Somehow, I put a 3 inch gash in the face of my guitar, in the lower bout, behind the bridge, in the process of taking it out of the case. I don't even remember exactly how it happened . I think that I took the guitar out of the case , slung the strap over my neck and reached back into the case to put my humidified back in or grab a capo , or whatever and , somehow... somehow the top of case closed and the clasp hit the soundboard... bump, bump, ... scraaaatch .... OUCH.
I'll admit it, tears have been shed. I had almost gotten over it, but not quite. The good news is that its almost invisible when looking at the guitar straight on . But when I look over my right shoulder while I am playing ... there it is. And last week at my monthly open mic night, when someone said "what the h--- did you do to your guitar" , it set me back.
So I have decided that I will contact Taylor, send them some pictures and see what my options are. Maybe, I wont do anything but learn to live with it, but I need to see what the options and risks are. Certainly I don't want to trade a scratch for an obvious repair attempt , but we'll see.
Anyway, I wanted to share. Not for sympathy or anything, but just to remind you all to be extra careful. Don't do what I did.
I don't love any of my guitar children more than others , but thank god it wasn't the K26
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You may not be looking for sympathy but mine you'll get because I know the feeling. Cases closing on guitars is a horrible experience and I bet it's happened to more of us on here than one would think.
Did the scratch breach the guitar's glossy finish all the way to the wood? If it didn't, a good luthier my be able to buff the finish and make it so the scratch never happened. Hoping the best for your 816.
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It's not just guitar cases; you gotta watch that 9-volt battery too. DON'T handle it and its carrier over top of your guitar (ask me how I know)...! I carelessly turned the carrier over in my hand, and Mr. Newton took over; the battery fell out and landed on the lower bout of my 656ce, putting a few dings in the finish. It really wasn't bad; but it bothered me -- probably for most of the same reasons it's bothering you: it was a constant reminder of my carelessness...
On the recommendation of Joe at Empire Music, I sent my 656ce off to Pat DiBurro at DiBurro Guitars (http://www.diburro.com). The guitar came back as good as new. I'm sure Taylor can repair the damage, but if it's more feasible/convenient/cost-effective, I can recommend Mr. DiBurro's work. Apparently he's one of the few folks outside of the Taylor factory that can properly re-work their UV finishes.
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Such a bummer, like timfitz63 said, don't handle anything over your instrument....ask me how I know....ha.
I got my brand new custom Northfiled mandolin last month with a beautiful hand rubbed varnish finish....on day two I was sitting practicing and decided to reach for my hygrometer while the mando was on my lap. It slipped out of my hand and crashed onto the top just above the bottom f hole and left a small dent......you'd think I broke it in two.... >:(
I know I'm going to get scratches and bruises but not on the second day..... :'(
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I've heard that Taylor can repair finish damage like that to the point of it being imperceptible. A friend of mine had the top to one of his guitars cracked all along the upper bout, and it was repaired by DiBurro. Even knowing that it was broken, you can't see the repair.
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Injured my 614 one month after purchase when the case lid crashed down on my soundboard.
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Thanks for the post. It's a good reminder to us all. I feel bad for you, but have faith in Taylor. Let us know how it turns out.
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I feel for you. Done it myself. Yet they still send out tight cases and sharp, cheap brass clasps. Get it fixed, learn from it and move on with the music.
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I'm here to tell you firsthand that Taylor can work miracles with finish-damages. While they will not guarantee to make it invisible, they are able to work wonders with this photo-cured polymer finish. I've had scratches repaired on a few of my older guitars through Taylor with great results. So take heart- they can help.
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There are a handful of local repair shops that are qualified to do Taylor-apporoved UV repairs as well
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Well , the initial indications are not very promising after sending photos to taylor customer service. I didn't get into the details in my original (already too long ) post, but I had attempted a repair by a local Gold Level service provider ( who comes highly recommended by Taylor... he knows what he's doing) and he was able to seal up the finish, so you can't feel it, but you can still see it... more so from some angles than others and it is somewhat less noticeable than before. What I am not clear about is if my local guy did all that he could do or just went for a sealing repair rather than a full cosmetic repair. Taylor is now initially saying that since it has been attempted once, not sure there is anything more that can be done and maybe its not worth it to ship it and attempt again. I would agree with this if the expected outcome is just making it another degree " less noticeable" rather than making it go away.
Anyway , were still talking and I'll probably get Mr. Diburro's take on it as well. I'll post a picture and see what you all think. Maybe I'll get (and deserve ) a "just get over it buddy".
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Sympathies anyway. Hope it can be repaired to your satisfaction. It is always harder to make a second repair come out well. You usually only get one decent shot.
When I was 12 and begged for a new trumpet, it took all of three days before my little brother sat on it, bending a nice new instrument into an interesting bottom-shaped curve. THAT was hard to confess / explain, and we both had to work off the repair bill. So I get it..... and learned the hard way to NEVER leave it outside its case.
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Sympathies anyway. Hope it can be repaired to your satisfaction. It is always harder to make a second repair come out well. You usually only get one decent shot.
When I was 12 and begged for a new trumpet, it took all of three days before my little brother sat on it, bending a nice new instrument into an interesting bottom-shaped curve. THAT was hard to confess / explain, and we both had to work off the repair bill. So I get it..... and learned the hard way to NEVER leave it outside its case.
Earl,
Did your brother not understand that a trumpet is much easier to play when you use your mouth?
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Sympathies anyway. Hope it can be repaired to your satisfaction. It is always harder to make a second repair come out well. You usually only get one decent shot.
When I was 12 and begged for a new trumpet, it took all of three days before my little brother sat on it, bending a nice new instrument into an interesting bottom-shaped curve. THAT was hard to confess / explain, and we both had to work off the repair bill. So I get it..... and learned the hard way to NEVER leave it outside its case.
Earl,
Did your brother not understand that a trumpet is much easier to play when you use your mouth?
Maybe he was confused by certain bodily functions that are euphemistically called "tooting...?" ;)
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Naw, we were just messing around in my room as brothers do (probably making jet fighter noises and pretend dog fighting with some of my model airplanes) when he suddenly sat down on the bed, where the trumpet was laying down. My bad, and lesson learned. It sure hurt to see the disappointment on Dad's face upon seeing the damage.
The joke was eventually on my brother, though. Each of my three younger siblings got to (had to?) play that trumpet in turn, me being the oldest. I am the only one who came back to music as an adult, but to guitar and ukulele this time. I haven't played a trumpet since probably 1979.
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Naw, we were just messing around in my room as brothers do (probably making jet fighter noises and pretend dog fighting with some of my model airplanes) when he suddenly sat down on the bed, where the trumpet was laying down. My bad, and lesson learned. It sure hurt to see the disappointment on Dad's face upon seeing the damage.
The joke was eventually on my brother, though. Each of my three younger siblings got to (had to?) play that trumpet in turn, me being the oldest. I am the only one who came back to music as an adult, but to guitar and ukulele this time. I haven't played a trumpet since probably 1979.
Sounds similar to my story with the trumpet and guitar. Except it was only the younger of my two brothers who later played hand-me-down trumpet; and the older of my two brothers who took up guitar when I took it back up. And neither brother sat on my trumpet... And all this happened in a different place and time... And, sadly, there were no airplane noises involved...
But other than that, our stories are identical... ;)
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Ouch!
I figured out a way to get my guitars out of the case where it's impossible to scratch them. Got yer attention?
Stand the latched case upright. Hold the top of the case "closed" with one hand while you undo the latches with the other. Tilt the case back a bit, open the lid and hold it open with one hand (it will fall open by gravity and stay there anyway) and use the other hand to pull the guitar out, grasping around the neck and gently pulling out. This is particularly helpful with those snug Taylor cases and makes it super easy with the leverage you have to remove them from the case. Hold the guitar away from the case, close it with the one hand, and lay the case down or put it away. Try it!
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I took a chunk out of my 114CE 2 months ago when reaching to pickup the guitar and my finger nail just caught the edge of the top right next to the binding. One in a million change of this happening but my fingernail "picked" off a piece of the finish about 1/8" X 1" right down to the wood!
Very noticeable at first, but for some reason over the course of 2 months it has all but disappeared. Not sure why buy I'm not complaining. ???
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So here's a picture if anyone has any other thoughts/suggestions. Thanks
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I could be wrong, but I wondered looking at the picture if the top, as it ages, will add color to the scratch as the whole top turns and cause the scratch to diminish and become less noticeable?
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I like that thought ... thanks
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I had a similar mark on my GS8 when a mic stand fell and "kaboom," put about an inch long scratch on the upper bout toward the direction of the volume/treble/bass knobs. Over time it did seem to become less noticeable.
Your mark certainly won't effect the sound/tone at all and on the bright side you already got your first ding out of the way. :) Now you can just play it until your heart's content!
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So several years ago, I was enjoying bonding with my then new GA7e. Played for a bit, then plugged in since it was my first experience with the ES 9v (having then come off the ES w/AA batts). Just loving it, but then remembered I had to be somewhere and packed up in haste. Coiled the guit cord and the end flew around --yes, flew-- and landed squarely on the face of my glorious cedar top! Yeah, not more than 2 hours old and got a dent --a dent!-- past the finish into the wood ...um, yeah, nice! After the initial shock, I laughed. No joke, I laughed! How ridiculously asinine a move resulted in a bona fide dent in a brand-new guitar ...nice! How could I not laugh at such sheer carelessness. I suppose part of that laughter comes from having gone around the block with gear looking new to using gear for what it is: to play music. I always care for my stuff, but have stopped being persnickety about its aesthetics long ago. Some of my acoustics still look pretty new after years of lots of playing, but that's more from good fortune than obsession. But the electrics?...nah, those look good replete with scars of joy :)
You'll get over it :D
Edward
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Edward, do you still have that GA7 cedar top? I would love to hear one of those!
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Sorry to hear about your "ding" and thank you for the reminder.
I am fortunate enough to live within a 2 mile drive of Pat Diburro's shop. I can vouch for his work as I have seen some of the finished products firsthand. I even got to hold a 120 year old guitar he was reworking that still had the case designed for stagecoach travel.
Pat will tell you what he can do for you, and then do it. Stand up guy.
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I've just been looking at one of my cases on the carpet, the lid opens to just over vertical but if I rock it on the floor the lid comes crashing down.
The obvious solution is to cut the strap so it opens all the way up (assuming the hinges go that far) or at least until it rests on something, either way has got to be better than just over vertical.
My friend has an old Gibson and his case opens all the way up but I'm not sure if that's by design or wear.
Craig
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I feel your pain.
My "baby" is my 1959 Les Paul Reissue.
My dog (90# Lab) loves to lay next to me when I play.
Took it out one day, sat on the edge of the bed, and she hit it with her paw. Scratch!!!
I love my dog more than that guitar, so I got over it.
It'll be a constant reminder of her even after she's gone.
Your's will be a constant reminder to be more careful.
Can't keep them new forever unless you never play them.
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So here's a picture if anyone has any other thoughts/suggestions. Thanks
I have a similar scratch being repaired at Taylor as we speak. I'll let you know the results.
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The obvious solution is to cut the strap so it opens all the way up (assuming the hinges go that far)
I sorta have that by default. The molded plastic case on my 414 (it's that old now) lost the strap a few years ago, so the case now lays all the way open. This can be a bit inconvenient, as you have to reach pretty far to grab the lid and close it. Then anything will fall out of your shirt pocket onto the guitar. Apart from not having the lid fall on your guitar top, I'm not sure you are trading up. Just be careful out there.... Our wounds heal, but our guitars don't. :-[
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I took a chunk out of my 114CE 2 months ago when reaching to pickup the guitar and my finger nail just caught the edge of the top right next to the binding. One in a million change of this happening but my fingernail "picked" off a piece of the finish about 1/8" X 1" right down to the wood!
Very noticeable at first, but for some reason over the course of 2 months it has all but disappeared. Not sure why buy I'm not complaining. ???
Well I am seeing some damage there and was wondering... What kind of varnish should I lightly brush over it? Lacquer or Acrylic based?
How about it, anybody out there tell me which touchup varnish I should use? ;)
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Edward, do you still have that GA7 cedar top? I would love to hear one of those!
I wish I did! It was my #1 live guit, and it served me wonderfully well! I loved the rich midrange and its vocal "presence" as opposed to, say, a GA and GS spruce/rw I had; that scooped mids thing is not me. By contrast, this GA7 sounded fully and meaty, all the while maintaining the Taylor "sparkle." Oh, and I'm a 95% strummer/hybrid picker; precious little finger picking and no problem whatsoever with cedar doing the deal!
I sold it (and two other guits!) only because I ran into another guit I just had to have. No regrets, but I do miss that guit, and still maintain that Taylor does amazing things with cedar.
Edward
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... still maintain that Taylor does amazing things with cedar.
Edward
I have to agree with that because for me, my 514ce hog/cedar is one of the best Taylors I've heard, and I know it's the cedar that gets the credit. Like you said, warmth across the board, but still the sparkle. Hard not to love :)
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Well , I exchanged emails with Pat DiBurro and he indicated that he would be able to repair the guitar. Since it has already had a repair attempt, he said he may not be able to do a localized repair, so we are talking about a full strip and refinish of the top. The estimate was about twice what I had in my head ( not that what I had in my head means anything) and then of course there is two way shipping and I have no idea what that would cost.
Thank you for pointing me to Mr. DiBurro and for the other comments as well. I am definitely going to think about getting it done. I'm pretty sure its a forever guitar. I will forget about the cost in a few months and it sure will be nice not to think about the scratch every time I go to play.
Thanks everybody !
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Hang in there...
My beloved 1997 cedar top sustained similar scratches to your guitar's, and it's now on its way back to me from El Cajon. Some people have called cedar a more fragile wood, because it is a bit softer than spruce, but I have every confidence that Taylor was up to the job, especially after I had experienced firsthand the miraculous finish repair work they had done on some of my other babies... by the way, this cedar top is still one of my favorite Taylors!