My repaired Larrivee guitar

[Carolina Blues]

I think it's fine for $85 and probably better than it should be for $85.

Of course it could be done better to where you couldn't even tell it was done, but it will cost you 3-4 times as much.

[rmp]

I think at this point, I'd be going with it as is.

Matching that would have definitely more complicated

[czgunner]

If the repair is level with the side surface, you could have it paint matched. My buddy is an artist and he is so good you cannot tell what is real wood and what is paint.

[Dwight]

I think the repair was not worth $85 or even $15. I would be very disappointed with that repair.

[MBee]

Given the emotional importance of your guitar I would not be satisfied with that repair. If it were me I would seek out a known expert in guitar restoration, get on a waitlist, no matter the length, and pay whatever they ask.

[guitar12]

Well, I wouldn't call it repaired, I'd call it patched. So, it just depends on your expectations of the guitar. I remember from your original post that the guitar had tremendous sentimental value from your departed brother. As a result I'm guessing that you are going to be holding onto it and resale value is not an issue so i guess, in my mind, is there a need to make it perfect?

If it were me I'd look at it as 'Hey, accidents happen, I stabilized the crack so it doesn't spread and now I'm going to use the guitar to make beautiful music to honor my brother's memory'.

It's ok that it's not perfect, nothing really is and even if something starts out that way, it doesn't stay that way forever.

Rob

[D-utim]

Doesn’t look much different. I’d find some one to refinish that gouge.

[Wellington]

That's dirt cheap for a structural repair, as mentioned if you want it cosmetically matched you'll pay far more.

[egordon99]

I'd say you got your money's worth for an $85 structural repair to keep it from getting more damaged.

Now go and make some beautiful music in honor of your brother.

A full cosmetic repair would be way more expensive.

[webdesigner]

Originally Posted by ljguitar

Hi wd
I have a few questions.

• Is it rare? (and worth more than the average handbuilt Larivee)
  
  I'm not sure if it's rare.
• How old is it?
  
  It was made in 2000.
• Did Larivee do the repair back at the factory?
  
  No I had someone else do it.
• Is the instrument in mint condition, except the blemish?
  
  Yes
• Did the repair reinforce the area?
  
  I hope he did. He said he put a cleat in.
• Does it feel smooth when you run your hand over it?
  
  I'm happy to say it does feel smooth.

I missed if you told us how it happened.

For $85, if the work is good and not in danger of deteriorating further, I'd probably be happy. It's primarily a protective and functional repair first. Not every tech or luthier is capable of duplicating/matching the surface of wood.

Would loved to have seen it in average room light from 5 feet away, and holding it in my lap and playing it.

It's always a shame to ding beautiful finish.

An update. Today I brought the repaired guitar to be looked at a local guitar shop that Larivee suggested I go to.

The two guys both looked at the repair and said that's all about you can do, unless I want to pay $300 to $400 for repair. It's going to be very very difficult to match the grain of the wood. And no one will see the repair now anyway, since it's where I sit the guitar on my lap while playing.

The finish is smooth. The photo does not show that. But it is smooth.

So, it's either take my chances and pay another $400 or leave it be.

[D-utim]

If this custom Larrivee was given to you free of charge, several hundred dollars for refinishing is worth the price.

[PatrickMadsen]

I'm a third generation picker with a couple guitars passed to me from friends and family. Most have shown the dents and scrapes from those who played it before me. If any crack or, in one case wiring upgrade on an '62 ES 330, was needed, I had it repaired. As far as scars or crack repairs done and still shows, I consider it just another badge of honor of the guitars life and a reminder of how loved the guitar was and still is.

[Mycroft]

It looks like a perfectly serviceable and functional repair. It looks like a piece of wood was cut to fit inside the gouge. (ow did that happen anyway? Your other thread doesn't say.) Then it was glued into place, probably with a couple cleats to prevent any crack from running. (You can use an inspection mirror, available at any auto parts store, to look at the repair from the inside through the sound hole.) Matching the flame pattern of the Koa closer would be very difficult, but doable if you wanted to cough up the dough. The finish would be hard to do better without completely refinishing the guitar. One of the drawbacks of poly over lacquer is that you can't drop-fill with poly in the same way you can with lacquer. Could you have gotten a more cosmetically pleasing repair done? Probably, if you wanted to pay for it. And you would have still been left with a guitar with a repaired gouge in the side.

As is, you have a serviceable instrument with a repair that you don't even have to look at, given it is on the leg side. And ten years from now you will have hundred of hours of playing it, and in addition, a guitar with a story.

Kintsugi is the Japanese art of putting broken pottery pieces back together with gold — built on the idea that in embracing flaws and imperfections, you can create an even stronger, more beautiful piece of art. Every break is unique and instead of repairing an item like new, the 400-year-old technique actually highlights the "scars" as a part of the design.

[Glob]

Originally Posted by webdesigner

An update. Today I brought the repaired guitar to be looked at a local guitar shop that Larivee suggested I go to.

The two guys both looked at the repair and said that's all about you can do, unless I want to pay $300 to $400 for repair. It's going to be very very difficult to match the grain of the wood. And no one will see the repair now anyway, since it's where I sit the guitar on my lap while playing.

The finish is smooth. The photo does not show that. But it is smooth.

So, it's either take my chances and pay another $400 or leave it be.

I think that's it. Either you're ready to spend a lot of money or it's as good as it gets. An 'invisible' repair would take hours me guess to be able to match the grain, redo the finish in the area, etc.

[Jamolay]

Originally Posted by Glob

I think that's it. Either you're ready to spend a lot of money or it's as good as it gets. An 'invisible' repair would take hours me guess to be able to match the grain, redo the finish in the area, etc.

And this doesn’t look like a straight grain to match.

Sometimes an obvious flaw is less bothersome than the “just not quite perfect” one.

This will never be perfect, so you may as well be satisfied where it is.