Discolored pins and saddle?

[davismanLV]

The thing is how ebony is harvested has now changed due to Bob Taylor, and that's a good thing. The ebony business was so wasteful and ridiculous but he revolutionized the way it was harvested. Now high end Taylors have variegated and striped ebony as fretboards, bridges, and also used as back and side woods. The world is changing and that's a good thing.

 

[dwasifar]

Well, the plot thickens.

I talked to the same guy at Guild today, and he passed along the answer he got from the techs: "Sometimes rosewood will transfer its color in reaction to skin oils or sunlight." I said, "Well, that's the other thing I wanted to talk to you about. This bridge is supposed to be ebony." This threw a monkey wrench into everything and sent him off on a quest to find out why my guitar appears to have a rosewood bridge. He asked for pictures of the guitar, front and back, inside and out, and I sent him those, plus pictures of the labels on the shipping box it came to Sweetwater in.

I am very curious now to see how this plays out. What will they do if they are obliged to admit the bridge is made of the wrong wood?

 

[davismanLV]

Honestly, it may be a mistake or a boo boo, but even so, rosewood is an excellent wood for a bridge. And if the guitar sounds great and you love it, then everything is okay, yes? And if the bridge is the "wrong wood" what will you do? I think it'll be curious to see what they do, and then what you do with what they do.

 

[dwasifar]

Honestly, it may be a mistake or a boo boo, but even so, rosewood is an excellent wood for a bridge. And if the guitar sounds great and you love it, then everything is okay, yes? And if the bridge is the "wrong wood" what will you do? I think it'll be curious to see what they do, and then what you do with what they do.

If I've unraveled that sentence correctly, I agree. I'm curious what they will offer to do.

 

[Guildedagain]

It's a good thing.

Legions of guitarist out there in search of "Brown Tone", looks like you got some for free.

 

[chazmo]

Well, the plot thickens.

I talked to the same guy at Guild today, and he passed along the answer he got from the techs: "Sometimes rosewood will transfer its color in reaction to skin oils or sunlight." I said, "Well, that's the other thing I wanted to talk to you about. This bridge is supposed to be ebony." This threw a monkey wrench into everything and sent him off on a quest to find out why my guitar appears to have a rosewood bridge. He asked for pictures of the guitar, front and back, inside and out, and I sent him those, plus pictures of the labels on the shipping box it came to Sweetwater in.

I am very curious now to see how this plays out. What will they do if they are obliged to admit the bridge is made of the wrong wood?

Hey, dwasifar, I hope I didn't throw a "monkey wrench" into your investigation. For the record, I'm quite fond of rosewood for bridges, and I don't know for certain that's rosewood. In the past, Guild has used ebony on its F-50R models, but they've used rosewood for the F-512 bridge so the mixing of woods on similar models is not a new thing. So, I guess I'm saying that even if they made a mistake on your D-55, I'm not sure that it matters at all or that Guild will be bound by the specs to do anything about it. More to the point, maybe you don't want them to do anything about it if you love the guitar. I wouldn't. The leeching of color on the saddle and the pins does not necessarily mean that they dyed the bridge or anything unnatural.

Anyway, good luck in the discussions. We'll be interested to see what you find out.

 

[Nuuska]

It's a good thing.

Legions of guitarist out there in search of "Brown Tone", looks like you got some for free.

As in South Park - all kids in the world playing in unison - with well-known consequenses

The Brown Note

The Brown Note is featured in the Season Three episode, "World Wide Recorder Concert". While participating in the The 4 Million Child Blow 2000 recorder concert, Eric Cartman and Kenny McCormick try to find the elusive brown note. The Brown Note is a certain pitch or frequency that makes people...

southpark.fandom.com

 

[fronobulax]

I am very curious now to see how this plays out. What will they do if they are obliged to admit the bridge is made of the wrong wood?

Well if there is a written spec that says you were supposed to be buying a guitar with an ebony bridge then that is something that should be addressed. But at some point the fix may be to ask you to live with it or return the instrument for one with the "proper" wood.

Catalog specs for guitars can be fluid. The goal is to have the instrument match the published specs well enough that the company cannot be sued for misrepresentation. But specs do change and the factory floor is the first to know. This could be a case of Guild marketing or Sweetwater just not being on top of things when specs change.

The least likely (IMO) and most interesting explanation is that someone actually used the wrong bridge when building that guitar. That can be fixed or prevented.

 

[dwasifar]

Hey, dwasifar, I hope I didn't throw a "monkey wrench" into your investigation. For the record, I'm quite fond of rosewood for bridges, and I don't know for certain that's rosewood. In the past, Guild has used ebony on its F-50R models, but they've used rosewood for the F-512 bridge so the mixing of woods on similar models is not a new thing. So, I guess I'm saying that even if they made a mistake on your D-55, I'm not sure that it matters at all or that Guild will be bound by the specs to do anything about it. More to the point, maybe you don't want them to do anything about it if you love the guitar. I wouldn't. The leeching of color on the saddle and the pins does not necessarily mean that they dyed the bridge or anything unnatural.

Anyway, good luck in the discussions. We'll be interested to see what you find out.

Yes, I'm inclined to keep it that way even if it isn't "right." But, independent of what anyone on this thread said, the Guild techs identified it as rosewood from the picture. Only then did I point out that it should have been ebony, and that's what stirred up the bees at Guild.

 

[chazmo]

^ Well, good luck.

 

[dwasifar]

Guild called me today. They acknowledge they mistakenly installed a rosewood bridge on this guitar. They don't know how it happened, precisely, but they admit the fault is theirs.

They offered to take the guitar back and install the correct ebony bridge. I told them I'd think about that, and they said to take all the time I want.

On the one hand, as has been pointed out here, the guitar sounds really good the way it is, and my experience says if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

On the other hand, let's say someday I decide to sell it, and I wind up in this conversation:
"Well, this guitar isn't original. The bridge has been replaced."
"Oh, no, that was how it was built. Guild mistakenly put a rosewood bridge on this one."
"Yeah, sure, buddy."

In the meantime they're replacing the bridge pins and saddle. I asked if they could also document in writing that this guitar was built this way. That could turn the issue from a liability into an asset; it's unique, a one-off from the factory.

So I have options.

Now I wonder if they didn't realize the mistake before the guitar left the factory, and stained the rosewood darker instead of replacing the bridge. That would account for the pins and saddle turning colors.

 

[davismanLV]

Damn, I'm good!! LMAO!! In the final reckoning it's your guitar, so do as you see fit. I like this thought: "I asked if they could also document in writing that this guitar was built this way. That could turn the issue from a liability into an asset; it's unique, a one-off from the factory." Seems like a really good option if they'd do it. Glad to hear Guild is stepping up to the plate on this one. I think it's great the way it is, if they'd document it for you. Keep us posted on what you decide and how it all plays out, okay?

 

[Heath]

Damn, I'm good!! LMAO!!

Hey! A bunch of us thought the same thing, you just got here first!

 

[Nuuska]

If Guild sends a written document saying it is their fault - I'd keep it as is and in case ever selling it, that document would add to the value of the guitar - for some - not all - by how much? Questions. . . .

 

[Heath]

I don’t know that it would add or subtract value, but it would keep from people thinking dwasifar was lying!

 

[Nuuska]

I don’t know that it would add or subtract value, but it would keep from people thinking dwasifar was lying!

Some folks are known to pay outrageous prices for postage stamps, that are no correct . . . so maybe that could go w guitars, too . . . these days, when things are sold and bought for their imagenary values instead of their meant purposes.

 

[dwasifar]

Guild responded again, and there is some sort of breakdown in communication going on. Instead of mailing me something in writing, they sent an editable document file with no signature as an attachment to the email, and for some reason believe that will suffice.

I wrote back pointing out that a document I could have written myself will not convince anyone, and asked again for a signed document by postal mail. We'll see what happens next.

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

The important thing: The audience can't se it.

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

Oh, no, no problem at all, I'm German, so obviously sometimes I misunderstand such differences.
Ralf

Not to worry! Your written Engish is better than most native speakers'.

In this context, newish and newer mean the same thing: not very old.

(If you were comparing two guitars from different years, you'd use newer because it's newer than the older one.)

 

[dwasifar]

Not to worry! Your written Engish is better than most native speakers'.

In this context, newish and newer mean the same thing: not very old.

(If you were comparing two guitars from different years, you'd use newer because it's newer than the older one.)

There is a subtle shade of meaning separating newer and newish, which is what I was getting at when I chose that word, but it didn't occur to me that people for whom English is a second language would miss it. That's a failure on my part. Entschuldigen Sie bitte.

(and no, I did not have to look that up. )