luthier question

N

nattn

New member
This isn't really about recording, but I'd thought I would throw it out to the experts.

I have an old Taylor 510 (79) whos finish on the back of the neck is chipping away. My hands sweat when I play, & i'm worried that the moisture is going to comprimise the wood. I'm thinking of getting the guitar refinished.

Does anyone know the implications of putting a new finish on a acoustic guitar in regard to sound quality? I love the way the Taylor sounds now, perfectly balanced deep rich tones. Will this change with a new coat of varnish?

Thanks for any insight.
 
Yes, it will change. Don't fix something that isn't broken.

A luthier can help you with the neck finish problem, but you may be better off leaving that alone, too. The neck is a large enough chunk of wood to be self tempering as to changes in relative humidity. There are products available, as well, that could work as neck touch up finishes. Some are hand applied oils that oxidize and harden to an appropriate finish. There are consequences, though, to using oils in a finish. One tends to be that there is no turning back once you've done it.

All of which is to suggest that you go to a luthier to get an assessment of what could reasonably be done, and whether anything should be done.
 
As a guitar finish cracks along lines of vibration,the tone improves.Look at the checking on older guitars and notice how it runs with the grain.Refinishing will change the tone.
An old Dan Earlywine trick is to use cyanoacrilate (superglue) to transparently repair minor finish problems.
Consult a respected guitar repairman in your area and let him have a look at it.

Tom
 
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