Question for Muttley: archtop damage

Gear_Junky

Gear_Junky

New member
Hi. I have a question about a guitar with a tiny crack in the laquer finish (back of headstock), but more importantly a chip/dent in the top/side where they join (pics attached).

1. is this something that needs to be "sealed" to prevent it from potentially growing later? The chip in the top was filled by someone and even buffed, so even though the orange finish is gone, it feels smooth.

2. is there a way to neatly fix the chip - somehow stain it orange and re-laquer?

Thanks!

P.S. this is a really inexpensive, laminated guitar, which is otherwise really well made and plays/sounds well. (maybe i could've omitted this comment in view of the MIC sticker :D )
 

Attachments

  • WNO_chip.jpg
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  • WNO_headstock_crack.jpg
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I dropped my beloved 1968 Telestar hollowbody and it got a much nastier chip, very similar to yours. That was about 10 yers ago, and it has not gotten any worse. YMMV.
 
thanks, that helps! i don't really know if it was dropped or knocked on something. Bought this as b-stock.

what about repairing it cosmetically/visually, at least the discolored part.

i'd be open to just covering it with some sort of decoration (but not a sticker, maybe like a leather something), but haven't come up with anything yet.
 
I work at a hi-end{?} furniture warehouse that imports furniture from China....
The stuff is cracking and checking left, right and center.

I've been building and repairing guitars for about 17+ years....season the wood people. What do we expect from people that make $80 a month....
 
In a hurry as Its the last day of holiday and were off to the beach early.

The ding at the end. Leave it as is if there is no seperation of binding or top from the edge. If the finish as completely gone and your down to bare wood a little, and I mean little bit of shellac will seal it just fine. To repair those kinds of dings is expensive and as it's not structural, live with it If you can.

The crack in the headstock, if it's just in the finish thats not a problem. If it's in the timber then I need more details. That area is one that doesn't like spllts or cracks. It looks like it's just the finish to me but keep an eye on it.
 
"Crack in the headstock?" WHAT crack in the headstock? I don' see no crack in the headstock!
 
stevieb said:
"Crack in the headstock?" WHAT crack in the headstock? I don' see no crack in the headstock!
Click to expand...

Nor can I from a photo thats why I said "if it's just in the finish leave it. If its beyond that we ned more detail. You can't tell from the photo either way.
 
I've had repair priced for the type of ding on the end of your guitar. A touch up repair and color match by a good luthier will probably run you $100-150. As Muttley indicated,this assumes there is no structural damage - just finish repair. The repair will stil be visible on close inspection, but probably not from offstage. To really repair the damaged finish, you would need to strip the body which gets really expensive. The estimate I had to completely strip the body on a bound telecaster and refinish to match (neck was finished) was @$400-500 depending on the finish. I doubt this is what you had in mind given that it is an inexpensive guitar. Like cars, guitar repair can be more expensive than buying new in some cases.
 
yes, the crack on the headstock is definitely laquer only. no biggie.

since i paid VERY little for the guitar (and it feels/plays/sounds fine) i don't mind the cosmetics, but i also wouldn't spend a lot on repairs.

i meant, can i attempt the dent repair myself? i mostly just want to hide the discoloration so it's not as visible from a distance. i don't mind that i can see it. i'd be willing to try a crude repair, because the guitar is basically a "beater" (but still a looker).

or maybe some idea of mounting some sort of a decoration to hide it? i just couldn't come up with anything that would look good there.

i won't loose my sleep, though :D

thanks!
 
Corndog said:
That was a no brainer. The crack is not following any grain lines.
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It's not a no brainer. I have seen all manner of headstock damage in the last 30 years.

Corndog said:
...and it ain't laquer. It's poly. Please, in future, refer to it as "finish". Thanx.:D
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Poly? whats poly? If you mean polyurethane or polyester or some other hard durable finish they are lacquer's. A lacquer is a any finish that dries by solvent evaporation and/or chemical curing. The term comes from the word "lac", which is a resin derived from certain insects. Lac based varnishes such as oil based violin varnishes and french spirit polish use the term shellac. Modern polymer varnishes polyester, polyurethane, nitrocellulose et al. are referred to as lacquer. It's got a "c" in it by the way. Glad we cleared that up..;)
 
muttley600 said:
It's not a no brainer. I have seen all manner of headstock damage in the last 30 years.



Poly? whats poly? If you mean polyurethane or polyester or some other hard durable finish they are lacquer's. A lacquer is a any finish that dries by solvent evaporation and/or chemical curing. The term comes from the word "lac", which is a resin derived from certain insects. Lac based varnishes such as oil based violin varnishes and french spirit polish use the term shellac. Modern polymer varnishes polyester, polyurethane, nitrocellulose et al. are referred to as lacquer. It's got a "c" in it by the way. Glad we cleared that up..;)
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I assume that when people say "lacquer" they are referring to nitrocellulose.
As far as Polyurethane, polyester, poly wanna cracker...same difference.:D
 
Oh. I fergot to mention...it is, in fact, a no brainer because maple does NOT randomly crack across grain. Not without substantial damage anyway.:p
 
Corndog said:
Oh. I fergot to mention...it is, in fact, a no brainer because maple does NOT randomly crack across grain. Not without substantial damage anyway.:p
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It can and it does. Thunder shakes are common in maple and almost undetectable.

Once again you CANNOT tell from that photograph.

I said, and this time I'll quote myself

The crack in the headstock, if it's just in the finish thats not a problem. If it's in the timber then I need more details.
Click to expand...
 
Ok, guys, it's a 2008 MIC guitar, of course it's not a nitrocellulose finish - it's a polyurethane lacquer :rolleyes:

I'm pretty sure the crack is finish only - it looks that way and I can feel it with my fingernail.
 
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