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Hi. Would really appreciate some advice from those more knowledgeable. I have an opportunity to buy a guitar with some damage to the soundboard, at a good saving on a brand new version of the guitar. Would you buy a guitar with this sort of damage? Is it easily repairable (cosmetically), and is there any risk to the guitar in the long run? Thanks in advance.
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RE: Should I buy a guitar with this ... (in reply to Tom Blackshear)
Thanks for the reply. It is not just the lacquer. There is some wood damage. I have attached a higher quality photo hoping it will show better. I think the guitar is being sold for around 35-40% of the new price (I think it is £1500 new).
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RE: Should I buy a guitar with this ... (in reply to Bibab)
That can be worked over so it can’t be seen from a distance, it’s up close it’s always going to be there. If you like the guitar I always say the few dings in the top don’t matter. The only drawback is that you’ll have a much harder time reselling with that kind of damage history. With a soldering iron and a wet paper towel you could probably pop those compression dents up.
RE: Should I buy a guitar with this ... (in reply to Bibab)
quote:
I think the guitar is being sold for around 35-40% of the new price
It’s unfortunate for the store, but for them it’s pretty well a write-off, they should take better care of their stuff. I wouldn’t give them any more than 50% of retail, you’d never recover it at resale. They probably wouldn’t cut you any slack if you showed up trying to sell a guitar like that to them, so why should you underwrite their loss?
Personally, I’d walk away from this one, unless the store is willing to come down to something more reasonable.
*edit* Actually, hold on. Is it 35-40% OFF retail or 35-40% OF retail? If it’s 35% of retail (65% off) then grab it if it sounds and plays good, that’s a more than fair price. I thought you meant a 35-40% reduction from retail (reading too fast).
RE: Should I buy a guitar with this ... (in reply to Bibab)
That’s not so bad, although as second hand it would be nice if you could get it for closer to 35% of retail. It depends on how much you like the guitar and how much the damage bothers you. If you like pristine guitars then this might be one to avoid. Only you can answer that.
The damage appears to be more cosmetic than anything, and a minor cosmetic repair could be undertaken. I wouldn’t go nuts over it. If the wood fibres in the dents are broken you might not have much luck with steaming, and without experience in doing that kind of work I wouldn’t recommend it anyways, as the heat could damage the surrounding finish. But the jarring whiteness of that’s there now can be reduced by applying some amber shellac to the bare wood with a fine tipped brush, being careful to not get any on the surrounding finish. The idea is to just color in the dents to make them less obvious, not to fill or restore the area. Then it won’t look so bad from a small distance and you can feel comfortable playing the guitar without stressing over the odd nick and scratch that might occur. If you’re hard on your guitars then maybe none of this matters, anyways. If that’s the case, as long as it’s structurally fine, you’re good. And it looks like it is.
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Joined: Jun. 14 2014
From: Encinitas, CA USA
RE: Should I buy a guitar with this ... (in reply to Bibab)
It might help to tell us the maker and model of the guitar. If it is a well known and regarded maker then that could justify buying it with the damage. Of course I’d you have played the guitar and really like it that could also justify it.
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Joined: Dec. 14 2004
From: Washington DC
RE: Should I buy a guitar with this ... (in reply to Bibab)
Hmm, a lot of luthiers say this is easy fix...but that looks like poly eurothane which would be impossible to fix I thought. Not without a complete strip of the top, sanding and refinish.
RE: Should I buy a guitar with this ... (in reply to Bibab)
Looking closer, it appears the label may be signed. If it’s a signed luthier made guitar and it’s going for £600 (40% of the £1500 you suggested), then that’s pretty tempting. Matter of fact, that might be a great deal.
RE: Should I buy a guitar with this ... (in reply to Ricardo)
quote:
Hmm, a lot of luthiers say this is easy fix...
I didn’t suggest it’s an easy fix. It can be made a lot less cosmetically jarring without too much effort, however. A judicious touch-up would also seal the wood and keep it from getting dirty. That’s about all I would do here, if it were mine. For that matter, doing nothing at all is a valid option, too (which is actually probably what I would end up doing if it were mine)
RE: Should I buy a guitar with this ... (in reply to Bibab)
I never said easy to fix- I said you’ll always see it up close, but from an audience with proper social distance you’ll not see it as much.
Here’s what you do: drop a few drops of super glue in the divots to seal them. Then buy a sharpie magic marker and take the guitar to be signed by Antonio Reys- tell him to sign it right on top of the spot where the dying Maradona dug his cleats into the top and Antonio’s black scrawl can cover the damage.
RE: Should I buy a guitar with this ... (in reply to Bibab)
Don’t listen to estabanana, if I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a thousand times...he’s a bad influence.
The signature should be Ramón Montoya, even bigger increase in value. And dark amber shellac, not CA, trust me. Or seal it with hide glue or shellac, then CA to fill, power sand it even-ish with an angle grinder, then spray bomb something/anything on it, buff with automotive polisher and toothpaste, then finish it off with Ramón’s signature done with Sharpie pen. Then sell it, because it’ll look like a mess. But an expensive mess, don’t go giving the thing away...
Posts: 1708
Joined: Jan. 29 2012
From: Seattle, Washington, USA
RE: Should I buy a guitar with this ... (in reply to Bibab)
If you want the guitar for playing, rather than for show, buy it! That damage is nothing. It's just cosmetic. It can be touched up, but why bother? Just play it. Now you won't have to worry about getting the first scratch on it, because it's already there.
Posts: 1708
Joined: Jan. 29 2012
From: Seattle, Washington, USA
RE: Should I buy a guitar with this ... (in reply to Ricardo)
quote:
Hmm, a lot of luthiers say this is easy fix...but that looks like poly eurothane which would be impossible to fix I thought. Not without a complete strip of the top, sanding and refinish.
I would carefully steam up the dents first. Then I might use shellac to color them, Super Glue to fill, and shellac to touch up. Probably nearly invisible.
RE: Should I buy a guitar with this ... (in reply to RobF)
Thank you all for the views provided and sharing your knowledge. I went ahead and bought the guitar based on the general reassurances here. I know some said they wouldn't buy a guitar with that sort of damage, but I think given the saving and the fact that I am pretty much hitting what I would be willing to budget for a guitar with what I am paying for this, I think this is as good a guitar as I am likely to be able to ever get. Certainly the guy who is selling it to me is far more deserving of it than I am if we consider his and my playing skills, so I felt a bit bad taking it off his hands.
But here we are. I may see if I can find a good guitar repairer in London (any recommendations?) or if too expensive, try the repairs suggested here. Though will probably leave the tar and steamroller method as a last resort.
RE: Should I buy a guitar with this ... (in reply to Bibab)
Congratulations on your new guitar!
I‘d be inclined to just leave it as is and if I started to fall in love with it I would consider stabilizing and sealing the dents that have exposed wood with some tinted shellac (just the exposed wood, I wouldn’t even touch any spot that still had finish on it). If you’re not comfortable doing that kind of work, it’s something that someone with experience could address quite easily and affordably. I wouldn’t do any major restorative repairs to it, however, as those things can all too often make matters worse and then you’re looking at the kind of work Ricardo mentioned.
I think just play and enjoy it. As time passes the little blemishes will become part of the character of the guitar and, if you’re using it a lot, will undoubtably be joined by new dings and scrapes to keep them company.
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