Guitar top refinish taking over a year?

[posternutbag]

I don't want this post to take on an accusatory tone, but the truth is, your luthier/tech has already been paid. I am not saying he is a bad guy, or a crook, or dishonest or even lazy. All I am saying is that from a financial standpoint he has little motivation to work on your guitar. He might be prioritizing new jobs and therefore new revenue streams over a job that will be very time consuming and for which he has already been paid.

My advice is that it is time to get your guitar back and get a refund (if possible). I think an ultimatum is a bad idea. I would not want to put him in a position where he feels threatened and rushed. That would lead to sloppy work. I would just call and say that I am coming to get my guitar and I expect a refund waiting when I arrive.

[drive-south]

Is this guy close enough for a visit? If so I would visit him without notice. If not a phone call to clear the air is in order. Unless you get a clear commitment from him I would take the guitar back. You can haggle over a refund once the guitar is back in your possession.

[Gasworker]

Originally Posted by TBman

Get the guitar back. If he won't give it back, call the police because he took your money AND sold your guitar.

Watch that blood pressure Bear. We just got Kip back we don't need to lose you.
If the finish guy is known for quality work he's likely busy. We all know how obsessive guitars players can be about fit and finish. My guess is you need to speak with him.

[macmanmatty]

Originally Posted by Gasworker

If the finish guy is known for quality work he's likely busy.

or dead. If he just dropped off and is not responding at all and was know for his great work, he could have passed., especially if he was older.

[zombywoof]

My repair guy is in the middle of nowhere and works out of a shed behind his house. But the guy is a wizard. He has worked on a number of my guitars including a Banner Gibson J-50 and 1930s Regal jumbo 12 string. I learned two things about him. First, he does take care of warranty work first and then that of the music shops (which give him a lot of work). Second, his shop is not exactly climate controlled. So he sometimes waits for the weather to cooperate before he shoots a finish. Depending on where you are that can take a while.

[SecondCity]

I would call him. If he doesn't answer, leave a message requesting a call back by a date certain. If he blows the date, maybe call one more time.

Then send him a letter. By certified mail. In the letter, ask that he provide you with a refund and return the guitar, or give you a date certain by which the work will be completed (whichever you prefer). Again, give a deadline for a reply. (The certified mail thing doesn't really mean a lot, but it does get people's attention, which is the real goal here.). You could also at this point threaten to "out" him here and other online forums, where the bad press and word of mouth could really hurt his bottom line.

If he ignores that, you need to look into small claims court. Unfortunately, it will have to be the one where he is, rather than where you are. Fill out the paperwork and file a claim. Demand a refund and the replacement cost of the guitar. After you file the small claims suit, send him a letter offering to make the case go away if he gives you your money and your guitar. No finishing the work now.

And lastly, if you have to, actually fly out there and show up in small claims court. You'll have to represent yourself, but so will he, and frankly you're in the right here so you should have a relatively easy go of it.

Hopefully though, the phone call does it, and you avoid all the rest, which is admittedly a lot of aggravation.

[guitar george]

Originally Posted by Todd Yates

Paying in advance seems odd. Not having clear expectations up front compounds problems, as does unfulfilled promises of completion.

That said, it's a fair bit of work, and it's expensive. If it wasn't expensive, that's another problem. To do this correctly, he'll have to remove the neck and bridge, and reset them after the top is refinished. That's made more complicated by the original finish over heel/body joint, which is how I assume it is on your Guild.

Have you tried calling, or setting up a time to phone? Sometimes a conversation (calm, polite, kind, etc.) is the best way to resolve misunderstandings.

I think if you were to see the guitar, it would be in some stage of the repairs as mentioned in Todd's post. It wouldn't be pretty.

I think the guy has taken on more than he can handle and probably can't do the job. You should contact him and ask him if this is the case and if he can't give you a satisfactory date for completion of the work, you should offer to take the guitar back, in whatever state it is in, and ask for all or at least most of your money back and then take it to a different luthier to finish the job.

[TBman]

Originally Posted by Gasworker

Watch that blood pressure Bear. We just got Kip back we don't need to lose you.
If the finish guy is known for quality work he's likely busy. We all know how obsessive guitars players can be about fit and finish. My guess is you need to speak with him.

LOL, thanks GW

Originally Posted by macmanmatty

or dead. If he just dropped off and is not responding at all and was know for his great work, he could have passed., especially if he was older.

Watch the use of that "D" word, times running out for most of us

[topographic]

For some reason, "Car Wheels on a Gravel Road" by Lucinda Williams comes to mind.

Retrieve your guitar. It's not the length of time involved; it's the lack of courteous communication.

[flaggerphil]

If you haven't already, call him. That usually works better than texts or emails. If THAT doesn't work, it might be time for a road trip.

[lgehrig4]

I hate to make this my first post but this stuff drives me nuts, both the techs and the people who try to make excuses for them.

He's not a good guy. Good guys care about their customers. Good guys dont just think about themselves. Good guys are up front and communicate honestly. Good guys don't take money up front when there are no up front costs (like a guitar or amp builder).

A year is a long time and there's no reason to have your guitar sitting in his shop collecting dust. It should be sitting in your house collecting dust until he's ready to pay it some attention.

Best care scenerio = he cannot run his business and Has no respect for his clients

Worst case scenerio = you're being ripped off

Either way it's time to take action IMO. Sorry it's happening to you but unfortunately this is not too uncommon in this industry mainly because we give too many free passes.

Great forum btw, discovered it while doing some acoustic research. I'm an active member over at the gear page

[Mr Fingers]

Those of us who have done this kind of work know that it doesn't take a year. 2 months, max -- if the guy is allowing generous curing time for a nitro top -- and of that, most of the time is waiting and dry time, not work time. A year is absurd. It's possible to spread the work over a whole year, but it's simply bade, rude, and inconsiderate to do so. If you did indeed pay in advance, that was a bad decision, plain and simple. A deposit, maybe. As for other jobs bumping yours, that's not OK. Again, it's really rude. Maybe it's because I never had a ton of money, but nevertheless, when I'm paying for something, I'm a customer and expect fair treatment. For my part, I always pay my bills, thank anyone working on my stuff, etc. This guy is not delivering fair value for money, and is taking advantage of you in a way that good people do not do.

[JayBee1404]

I had the back and sides of my D-18 re-finished (don't ask!) by the very busy UK CFM Authorised Service/Repair guy. He did a fantastic job, and it took six weeks. There's a very fishy smell here. Drive over and get your guitar back (if he's still there).

[Steadfastly]

Originally Posted by lgehrig4

I hate to make this my first post but this stuff drives me nuts, both the techs and the people who try to make excuses for them.

He's not a good guy. Good guys care about their customers. Good guys dont just think about themselves. Good guys are up front and communicate honestly. Good guys don't take money up front when there are no up front costs (like a guitar or amp builder).

A year is a long time and there's no reason to have your guitar sitting in his shop collecting dust. It should be sitting in your house collecting dust until he's ready to pay it some attention.

Best care scenario = he cannot run his business and Has no respect for his clients

Worst case scenario = you're being ripped off

Either way it's time to take action IMO. Sorry it's happening to you but unfortunately this is not too uncommon in this industry mainly because we give too many free passes.

Great forum btw, discovered it while doing some acoustic research. I'm an active member over at the gear page

It may be your first post but it is bang on.

[KennD]

I've been there.

I put my guitar in for a refinish, was quoted 3 months and given a firm price. 12 months later nothing had been done - the list of excuses would have been comical to an outsider, but as it was my guitar, I didn't necessarily see the funny side.

At the 12 month mark, he took the paint off the top and then said it was going to cost approximately 3x what he originally quoted (but he couldn't be sure) and estimated it would take another 6 months as he could only spray outside and in certain weather, and in between other commitments, holidays, etc. etc.. At that point I made a point of recovering my guitar - 14 months after I handed it in.

I chose the next guy very carefully...he got it done perfectly in 6 weeks. He was on my original list for the job but was a little bit further away.....learned a lesson there.