Taylor Guitar Finish Delamination

[jonfields45]

My duo partner's relatively recent Taylor GC8E is developing a finish crack that runs along the backside purfling for about 25% of the perimeter. In half a dozen places the finish is delaminating from the rosewood (worst one pictured below with some effort made to maximize visibility).



Should he look to see if this will be covered under the warranty? Is there a minimally invasive fix short of refinishing the entire back? Should he learn to live with it?

Thanks!

[Ned Milburn]

Originally Posted by jonfields45

My duo partner's relatively recent Taylor GC8E is developing a finish crack that runs along the backside purfling for about 25% of the perimeter. In half a dozen places the finish is delaminating from the rosewood (worst one pictured below with some effort made to maximize visibility).



Should he look to see if this will be covered under the warranty? Is there a minimally invasive fix short of refinishing the entire back? Should he learn to live with it?

Thanks!

A touch of shellac will wick into the space and should seal it and render it mostly invisible. Just find a luthier or repairman who has done this before and who uses their own mix of shellac. It really shouldn't cost more than 20 bucks or so. You'd pay nearly the same for a bottle of pre-mixed shellac and then you'd have tonnes left over if you tried it yourself.

[joe white]

Jon, if your friend bought this guitar new, he should contact Taylor for possible warranty repair. If he bought it used and has no warranty then there are many options including wicking CA glue into the delaminating spots. The correct repair is obviously to strip and refinish the back of the guitar.

[jonfields45]

Originally Posted by joe white

Jon, if your friend bought this guitar new, he should contact Taylor for possible warranty repair. If he bought it used and has no warranty then there are many options including wicking CA glue into the delaminating spots. The correct repair is obviously to strip and refinish the back of the guitar.

He bought it new and the local Taylor Gold repair center, Brothers Music Shop, is excellent. It will no doubt find its way there soon.

[mirwa]

Taylor are exceptional with there warranties.

That is a really weird crack running through the binding, or is that the UV lacquer cracking over the binding, it looks like there is some damage to the back, where it may have taken a hit, a semi circle imprint into the lacquer on the right hand side above the cracked binding.

Steve

[B. Howard]

contact Taylor before you do anything.

[jonfields45]

Brothers Music contacted Taylor and Taylor asked that the guitar be shipped to them. It will be on its way next week.

[jonfields45]

Hi Guys,

$90 to ship to Taylor. They want to refinish the guitar, and for $325 replace the first 10 frets and install a bone nut, and $75 to ship it back. My suspicion living near Martin and having more than a few friends bring them guitars for warranty repair, was Martin covered the actual cost of the total work by upselling maintenance. This Taylor had its frets leveled and polished in the last year and it is four years old. I don't think the price is bad, but I am leary of my friend getting the work done remotely with expensive shipping in case he is not happy.

When Brothers Music, the local Taylor Gold repair center, checked out the guitar they found delamination on the top too. Relative to the cost of shipping, spot repair was probably cheaper. To my point of view, this is a VERY obvious manufacturing defect either in surface prep or finish composition and I think they have balls charging for the return shipping and upselling maintenance service. It all might be their stated policy but I consider this failure egregiously their fault.

I am also concerned about how a polymerized finish is removed without creating thin spots in the wood. As far as I know the removal is mechanical.

What do you guys think?

[mirwa]

Well, if there going to refinish the whole guitar then thats pretty good, but they are also going to do some maintenance on it, partial refret / new nut.

I would not be offended by the return shipping price.

Steve

[M19]

My Custom Taylor developed "pimples" all over the finish (mahogany) and I paid shipping there, but not back.

It was so new they didn't try to upsell me anything.