1972 Guild Acoustic - Model #?

[Curlington]

I think your assessment of the situation is spot on and objective. Super sorry this happened. The older Guilds are wonderful and I salute those of who put money into them to make them all that they can be.

 

[wileypickett]

I wouldn't assume that a Taylor tech would necessarily know more about Guild neck resets than a luthier that works on all brands. It all comes down to the skill and experience of the luthier.

I have no idea how you'd come up with an exact dollar value for the damage -- which your luthier caused, but which he also repaired.

But an ethical luthier would work with their customer to find a satisfactory solution.

 

[plaidseason]

I think that may simply be a lacquer crack cause by the flexing when the neck is removed. It has to be gradually worked back and forth up out of the dovetail. And I've never seen an example of a heel break like that shape. Normally it would follow a grain fault.

Look at it very closely under a magnifying glass, try to see if really is in the wood.
Even if it is a genuine crack, it's well glued and still structurally sound which may be what he meant.
Maybe ask him if he might consider a courtesy or discounted touch-up for the cosmetic issue, given your inexperience and the lack of disclosure? (Yeah, I do feel there's some duty to disclose that potential issue during consultation).

Hope that helps.

That very much looks like a lacquer crack to me as well.

 

[GoatMan08]

That very much looks like a lacquer crack to me as well.

When I spoke to the tech he said it was a wood crack, not just lacquer.

 

[BradHK]

I agree that the luthier should have told you about the issue when you picked it up (or preferably before you picked it up so you didn’t walk in to a surprise). Unfortunately, any time you have work like this done on a vintage guitar there is a risk no matter how good the luthier. On the plus side, the repair lined up perfectly and with a minor drop fill, level and polish on that crack line it should be almost invisible. I would expect the luthier to perform the finish repair (if you feel comfortable with them performing this to your satisfaction) but if it was me I would not expect them to discount the neck reset.

I had a very reputable well known shop a couple years ago create a finish issue when they refretted one of my guitars. They performed the finish touch up to fix the issue created (after discussing with me first) and also discounted the repair even though I did not ask for a discount on the fret job. The finish looked perfect after they completed the cosmetic repair and they would definitely get my business again given how they handled the situation. But, as others have stated, I would disclose this non-original finish repair if I ever sold that guitar and it could impact the value by a small amount.

Hopefully the guitar plays and sounds great after the neck reset!