Decided To Contact The Manufacturer

3notes · #1 07-16-2018, 08:03 PM

Back in October I purchased a great sounding guitar. A Larrivee OM-40 with mahogany B/S.

A few months ago I was admiring the back and I noticed in a small area there were white pin holes that I could see if I angled it just so. A couple weeks ago I could see more tiny white pin holes. Now, as I angle it just so, there are a thousand tiny white pin holes. And some of the pin holes are no longer tiny. Some stretch out maybe by a 32nd of an inch. There everywhere on the back. The sides are perfect. No issue there. It's the back. Loaded down with them.

I contacted Larrivee via email and a reply came soon there after. It said.... "There's not much I can say or do unless I see it for myself." It said... "It looks like maybe Naturally Occurring Silica." "You can ship it in and we can do an assessment."

So I got educated on Naturally Occurring Silica. It's a mineral that creeps into the tree and causes a reaction when that tree turns into a guitar, for example. Mind you, don't take my words as being scientifically accurate. I'm here to listen to what others know about this issue, on a guitar.

Does the manufacturer bare any responsibility with what I am calling a defect.?? Jean Larrivee knows wood better than most. It seems to me there would be test samples that a luthier could rely on to avoid this issue.

If I decide to ship it across the country, I would like to have an idea of how Larrivee would handle it if indeed it is Naturally Occurring Silica. Larrivee didn't reply to my 2nd email.

Thoughts please and I would ask too, explain this issue better than I can in regards to the Silica thing. And second, what would you expect in terms of customer satisfaction. It happens naturally, yes. My question to Larrivee is ... Is this how my guitar is suppose to look.??

I can tell you this, no one would buy it in this condition. I'm the original buyer and the guitar was built in 2016. I bought it October 2017.

v32 finish · #2 07-16-2018, 08:31 PM

I don't know too much about it, but I have had a similar thing happen with my otherwise gorgeous Taylor 710-LTD (Cocobolo). It doesn't come all the way thru the finish, but there are what appear to be small 'bubbles' or white 'streaks' for lack of a better word.. after posting photos here, and a bit of debate whether it was finish imperfection from the factory, the general consensus came back that it was minerals in the wood. Which is exactly what you're describing.

I wish I could be more help.. I don't know a lot about it; however, I think you have a fighting chance, being that you're dealing with a very, very reputable company. I didn't send mine in to Taylor since I'm not the original owner; I would've had to foot the bill myself and it's not that severe. It gives some mojo to a gorgeous guitar. Yours sounds a bit more severe, but impossible to judge without pics. I would recommend doing whatever Larrivee says and leave it with them in good faith to make it right. I suspect they may be able to lightly sand down the back, re-treat and re-finish.. or, as Taylor sometimes does, the more extreme option would be to replace the body 'box' entirely. This may or may not appeal to you. Again, with my very limited knowledge and experience (I know larrivee by reputation only and have never dealt with them) -- I would assume you're in good hands. It would definitely suck to be without a guitar whilst they're fixing yours, but especially if you can have it covered under warranty, I definitely would pull the trigger. I think they'll make you right.

please keep us updated and let us know what happens!! I'm curious how this turns out having been thru a similar issue.. and would love to see some pics! I'll try to post a link to the thread I made about mine.

Cheers & good night

SC

v32 finish · #3 07-16-2018, 08:34 PM

here's the thread I was talking about, w/ pics and in regards to the finish issue with my Taylor. You may or may not be interested in it, but it may be similar to the situation you're in, although it sounds like yours is worse! good luck, at any rate.. hope it turns out well for ya.

https://www.acousticguitarforum.com/...d.php?t=511953

ManyMartinMan · #4 07-16-2018, 08:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 3notes

It said.... "There's not much I can say or do unless I see it for myself." It said... "It looks like maybe Naturally Occurring Silica." "You can ship it in and we can do an assessment."......

This is probably all that can be said until you send it in for evaluation. Is it a factory defect? Not to me. Is it something they can/will help you with? Probably. Again, nothing more to say until they see it in person.

FLRon · #5 07-16-2018, 08:52 PM

Send it to Larrivée and have the experts look at it. My experience with Larrivée customer service has been top notch, and in my opinion if it’s something that is defective due to workmanship they will treat you right. If it’s not covered under warranty I’d be shocked if they still didn’t go out of their way to resolve the issue.

3notes · #6 07-16-2018, 08:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FLRon

Send it to Larrivée and have the experts look at it. My experience with Larrivée customer service has been top notch, and in my opinion if it’s something that is defective due to workmanship they will treat you right. If it’s not covered under warranty I’d be shocked if they still didn’t go out of their way to resolve the issue.

That's the sticking point for me. It's not workmanship. It's a natural process of the mahogany, the nutrients that the tree absorbed.

It's a great guitar otherwise.

Song · #7 07-16-2018, 09:15 PM

We not only want to hear of your problems,
but see them as well.

Zissou Intern · #8 07-16-2018, 09:30 PM

I believe that Larrivee will shoot you straight. I am also curious to see a picture.

tadol · #9 07-16-2018, 09:48 PM

There is nothing anyone can say - the OM-40 has a satin finish, and its possible the finish is sinking into the pores of the wood. It could be wax or cleaner buildup (if any was ever used). It could be a problem with the filler. It could be a separation of the finish from the wood. It could be a humidification issue. It could be silica. Without detailed pics, or a very close physical examination, you might get another half dozen possible reasons.

But Larrivee has always provided really great customer service, and until they have a chance to look at it and respond to you, no one responding to this thread can offer anything more than sympathy and an uninformed guess. It sounds like it bothers you, so either take it back to your dealer and have them contact Larrivee for you, or send it back yourself and give them a chance to evaluate it. Until then, its gonna be like looking up a health symptom on the internet - undoubtedly, you have cancer -

3notes · #10 07-16-2018, 09:53 PM

I have pictures. If anyone would send me their private email I'd be happy to send them to your inbox so they get posted up here.

Halcyon/Tinker · #11 07-16-2018, 10:10 PM

Use the app, or Tapatalk.

tadol · #12 07-16-2018, 10:11 PM

That I do sympathize with - I have only been able to post from my ipad - given up trying to use a computer to do it -

RussL30 · #13 07-16-2018, 10:14 PM

Try postimages.org. You don’t even have to have an account. Very easy.

JayBee1404 · #14 07-16-2018, 10:15 PM

You could become a Charter Member by contributing $25 per annum to help finance the forum and keep it up and running. That would also give you, as well as other goodies, the facility to post pics very easily, direct from your PC/tablet/phone, without having to mess around with separate apps or third-party hosting sites.

Just a suggestion....

https://www.acousticguitarforum.com/forums/faq.php

Song · #15 07-16-2018, 11:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 3notes

I have pictures. If anyone would send me their private email I'd be happy to send them to your inbox so they get posted up here.

I PMed you my email...