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Binding Peeling Off Guitar?!
I've noticed that the binding on my guitar is peeling away from the top (?) I'm not too knowledgeable about guitar repair but is this a major problem?
The varnish is cracked and there is a clear gap between the white binding and the herringbone inlay. The guitar has been dropped once when a strap came undone and it dropped while performing. The guitar landed on the instrument jack. I've only had it for a year now and I've been pretty careful about maintaining humidity / temperature / etc. Breedlove C25/CRE-H (Purchased January 2013) (Approx $1800 USD) Images: http://imgur.com/a/e5J6Q 1. http://i.imgur.com/1wakWhA.jpg 2. http://i.imgur.com/H4Eo2EQ.jpg How much will this cost to fix? (I am willing to pay as much as it takes) Should I contact Breedlove about it? (Or is it entirely my fault, and they can't really do much about it) Can you guys make any recommendations for shops in the Medford / Boston, MA area? Last edited by dk3919; 12-30-2013 at 05:25 PM. |
#2
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OK its difficult to tell without actual examination but I do a lot of "forensic" type failure analyses for industrial/manufacturing purposes. Here is what I see immediately
If you look at the second picture, the profile of the wood changes along its edge. It appears (from the very limited "evidence") that the guitar dropped and took an impact on the top edge of the binding which, in turn, pushed down the wood on the side. This impact probably fractured/sheared the binding glue causing it to separate. You can very easily glue it back in place with crazy glue and holding it down with masking tape, but I suspect there will be a gap and some edge wrinkle where the wood appears slightly deformed. I would apply some steam from a home iron to help the side's edge relax back up, then I would glue it in and then add some filler glue to the gap. Stewmac has lots of info on binding gluing.
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Fazool "The wand chooses the wizard, Mr. Potter" 000-15 / GC7 / GA3-12 / SB2-C / SB2-Cp / AVC-11MHx / AC-240 |
#3
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Is this damage merely cosmetic or is it something that will affect the guitar's longevity? I really purchased this guitar as an instrument I was hoping to keep for a long time (past a decade at least) and although I can't do anything about the defect now that it's there I'm curious as to whether it is fatal. Also, in the second picture I'm not sure if it came out well, but if I run my finger down the bottom of the guitar it feels like the "crack" bulges out. (Not sure if relevant) Last edited by dk3919; 12-30-2013 at 12:15 PM. Reason: Extra information |
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Yes it does bulge out. What I think happened was the guitar dropped and smacked the top surface of the binding. This slightly crushed the wood on the side, making it smoosh down and bulge out on the side. So, your feeling of a bulge supports that suspicion. Heating it up gently with a steam iron will relax the wood a little it will swell it a little but you can gently do it and maybe work the bulge back a little. Then glue the binding back in. Do some searching for using a clothes iron to steam out dings and dents. Then do some searching at Stewart McDonald on gluing binding back in place. There should be no structural damage. The only unknown is if that level of shock could have broken any glue joints underneath, like braces or kerfing. Its unlikely but if you will rest easier get an android/iphone app called smartcam and you can look inside your guitar to inspect it for free. It looks to be purely cosmetic. How well you can hide the evidence will be a result of 1) searching online for tips and techniques listed above and 2) patience in fixing it right. Don't rush it.....take your time and you can do it right and make it look good. It will probably leave a little leftover evidence of its injury but it could be very minor by the time you are done. Whatever you do.....do not use any sanding or scraping or anything to try and smooth things out. It will trash the finish and make things SOOOOOOO much worse.
__________________
Fazool "The wand chooses the wizard, Mr. Potter" 000-15 / GC7 / GA3-12 / SB2-C / SB2-Cp / AVC-11MHx / AC-240 |
#5
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Do you think I should ask someone more experienced in guitar repair to attempt this fix or is this beginner friendly (your language seems to point to it being easier)? To clarify I merely play guitars, have never done more in repair other than changing strings hahaha. |
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It can be a rather friendly repair. Basically what you can do....or, rather, what *I* would do is this:
Be very careful with the runny crazy glue it *WILL* run all over your guitar. Watch some videos first to decide if you want to do it. The problem you have is that you didn't break the wood. You dented it. So you will never get it back into perfect position 100%. Steam and heat will swell the wood and get it partway back, but not all the way. And making it trick, you dented it on a sharp edge so a soft smooshy dent will not line up nicely with the sharp binding edge. And, finally, the dented wood had to go somewhere so it bulged out the side. Now, if you are extremely patient and careful you can coax the bulge in with a flat bar while steaming it. Its not a bad problem. Just cosmetically tricky.
__________________
Fazool "The wand chooses the wizard, Mr. Potter" 000-15 / GC7 / GA3-12 / SB2-C / SB2-Cp / AVC-11MHx / AC-240 |
#7
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Generally speaking, finish work is not something to be undertaken by those with no experience. If performed by someone with no experience, Chances are that the repaired area will look worse than it does unrepaired. More often than not, a novice with a bottle of crazy glue in their hands is a recipe for disaster. Likely, the damage is cosmetic. However, to be sure I would recommend that you take it to someone who is an experienced repair person. |
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Thank you!
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#9
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I should also have stated that if the damage is not a DIRECT result of dropping the guitar - that is it didn't appear immediately upon dropping the guitar or soon thereafter - it may have nothing to do with being dropped. In that case, it may be a warranty repair on a one-year old guitar. An authorized/skilled repair person will be able to determine that.
Unless you know for certain that the damage coincides with being dropped, it may be to your advantage to NOT tell the repair person that the instrument was dropped on the end pin and allow the repair person to come to his own independent conclusion what is the cause of the damage. If he concludes the damage is due to being dropped or struck, you can certainly state, "Yes, that's what happened". |
#10
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imo, take it to an experienced shop and get an estimate. make sure they check out the tail block. they can get whacked loose from the guitar landing "on the instrument jack" |
#11
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I'll keep that in mind when I take it to whomever I can find in Boston / Medford area. |
#12
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Yup precisely what I hope to be able to do soon!
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#13
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If it is just the binding, no big deal, but it should be fixed.
I'd want to look at the linings and the tail block to make sure that there is no structural damage. The glue joint of the linings/top/sides and the tail-block/top/sides are the key for structural integrity. I do not recommend CA for a repair like this unless you know what you are doing, and what type of finish has been used, since it can either be really easy to clean up afterwards with acetone or it can be a real mess to clean up afterwards based upon finish type.
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---- Ned Milburn NSDCC Master Artisan Dartmouth, Nova Scotia |
#14
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What he said. |
#15
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Last edited by arie; 12-31-2013 at 10:51 AM. |
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Tags |
binding, breedlove, crack, inlay, repair |
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