New member...1st post/question about Tacoma F50 binding

[andrew42]

Hello all!! I'm glad I found this forum.

I recently picked up this 2007 F50 w/ Dtar:the sound is amazing, but I had a small mishap with a capo which resulted in the chipping of some sort of "coating" on the neck binding. Can I fix it?? Did I just lose $300 by doing this??



I appreciate any and all input. Thanks!

http://www.myspace.com/rockandrollreggaehairstyle/photos/60802116

http://www.myspace.com/rockandrollreggaehairstyle/photos/60802117

l

 

[GardMan]

Wlecome to LTG!

It looks to me like you chipped a little of the nitrocellulose finish off the neck binding. If it bugs you too much, a good repair tech could probably touch it up for you. Personally... I probably would curse a little, and then just leave it be. 20 years from now, it probably won't have any appreciable effect on the value!
Dave

 

[killdeer43]

Welcome to our mostly-jolly Guilded band.
Others with much more expertise than I will be along shortly to answer any and all questions about matters Guild.
Your problem looks more cosmetic than anything, IMHO.

You'll enjoy it here so hang around, :wink:
Joe

*Good looking guitar, by the way!

 

[andrew42]

Thanks guys! So that's nitro, huh? Cool. I've been lurking around awaiting my activation, and yes, I do enjoy it here. The only trouble is that this forum is causing me more GAS :shock: I'll have to live with it I guess...

FEI, they had a 1996 JF30 at the shop as well. I wanted the Westerly for mojo, but this one just sounded and played so much better. That's where the real mojo is imo.

Take care!

Andrew

 

[chazmo]

Andrew, welcome aboard. Drop-filling the lacquer that you chipped off will be no problem for a tech/luthier, if you really care to do it. And, yes, that's nitrocellulose (assuming you didn't actually peel some of the plastic binding off). I believe all the Tacoma-built Guilds used nitro. They had some issues with the finish of some of the early guitars there (2005), but mostly they're really nice (and traditional). The latest products from New Hartford are also nitro-finished. They consider it an important component of the Traditional series.

 

[onewilyfool]

Tacoma had some problems with finish on their guitars over the years......This may be a continuation of that. You may want to see if it is covered by warranty......

 

[krysh]

Wlecome to LTG!

It looks to me like you chipped a little of the nitrocellulose finish off the neck binding. If it bugs you too much, a good repair tech could probably touch it up for you. Personally... I probably would curse a little, and then just leave it be. 20 years from now, it probably won't have any appreciable effect on the value!
Dave

+1

 

[evenkeel]

First welcome to LTG land.

I'll add my voice to the general "do nothing" sentiment. However if it bugs you a drop fill is a cheap and easy fix. I had a luthier do some similar work on the bound neck of my D-60. I did a drop fill on the edge of the upper bout of my D-35. Not at all a hard thing to do.

 

[bluesypicky]

What Dave (GardMan) said... and welcome home! Your F50 is beautiful, I want one one of those BTW....(It's been a while since I mentioned it. :lol: )

 

[Sefton419]

Regarding the Guild...

Just so you know, you are not the only one who is dealing with Tacoma Guild guitar lacquer flaking. My D55 (Tacoma 2005) has been sitting in the Nashville Custom Shop for three months now because of excessive neck binding flaking as well as body de-lamination. Take my word for it - get that guitar into the custom shop and demand a complete re-lacquer job because its not just the neck that will chip. The whole lacquer job is defected and far too brittle to last through the years. It really is unfortunate that it has to be this way with the Tacomas but I wouldn't accept anything but 100% craftsmanship which is what you paid for.

So with the Tacoma guilds we have to accept that, though they sound BEAUTIFUL, the defective lacquer will be the proverbial "thorn in our side"... for many coming years...

 

[cjd-player]

The lacquer chipped off parts of the neck binding on my 2007 Tacoma D-55 as well. I bumped it with a steel slide on occasion.

When we were on the factory tour in New Hartford they mentioned this lacquer adhesion issue on the white binding on the Tacoma guitars. I believe they do some different binder prepping at the New Hartford factory for better lacquer adhesion.

I think the options are to either leave it, or have the lacquer scrapped off of all of the binding and redone. You can get the current chips filled as Chazmo said, but the lacquer will likely continue to chip off the binding in other areas later.

 

[wontox]

First welcome to LTG land.

I'll add my voice to the general "do nothing" sentiment. However if it bugs you a drop fill is a cheap and easy fix. I had a luthier do some similar work on the bound neck of my D-60. I did a drop fill on the edge of the upper bout of my D-35. Not at all a hard thing to do.

What material did you use for the 'drop-fill'?

BTW, I have a newish mahogany back/sides heathen guitar with a nitro finish that is way too delicate...my well-padded Kyser capo sometimes leaves white stripes on the neck, each least bump against anything hard causes a chip, pushing with a fingernail will cause a white mark...the finish seems to adhere well to the spruce top but not the relatively soft, porous mahogany. I believe this is because the nitro finish is not applied over a sanded primer/sealer undercoat. I have two forty year-old mahogany guitars with nitro finishes that have a few buckle rash blisters but virtually no chips for comparison.

Wontox

 

[andrew42]

Regarding the Guild...

Just so you know, you are not the only one who is dealing with Tacoma Guild guitar lacquer flaking. My D55 (Tacoma 2005) has been sitting in the Nashville Custom Shop for three months now because of excessive neck binding flaking as well as body de-lamination. Take my word for it - get that guitar into the custom shop and demand a complete re-lacquer job because its not just the neck that will chip. The whole lacquer job is defected and far too brittle to last through the years. It really is unfortunate that it has to be this way with the Tacomas but I wouldn't accept anything but 100% craftsmanship which is what you paid for.

So with the Tacoma guilds we have to accept that, though they sound BEAUTIFUL, the defective lacquer will be the proverbial "thorn in our side"... for many coming years...

I'm not sure that I'm ready to

A) put up any more money (I paid top $$ for this one by my estimate), and as I didn't buy it brand new, no chance of them doing it on the house
B) go without my guitar for 3 months (maybe longer?)
C) accept a sub-par finishing job

So, I may sell it. I'm not altogether happy with the playability anyhow as I find it a bit chunky being an electric player exclusively for the last 6 yrs. I wish I had found this forum before my purchase as I would have likely just bought from the FS/FT section. Oh well, live and learn. Thanks for all the input. Keep it coming.

Andrew

 

[evenkeel]

First welcome to LTG land.

I'll add my voice to the general "do nothing" sentiment. However if it bugs you a drop fill is a cheap and easy fix. I had a luthier do some similar work on the bound neck of my D-60. I did a drop fill on the edge of the upper bout of my D-35. Not at all a hard thing to do.

What material did you use for the 'drop-fill'?
Wontox

Nitro lacquer. Purchased at a wood working supply house, Woodcraft. Nitro is fairly easy to drop fill as the existing finish will soften when the new lacquer hits it. Makes the blending in a lot easier than poly. The luthier who did my D-60 charged me about $50 to do the neck repair and a small ding on the top surface. Had the guitar back in less than a week.