Guitar maker scratched my Guild GAD-50E

[ParadiseSeeker]

I have a Guild GAD-50E that I bought a few months ago, without any scratches, completely new, although it was gathering dust in a warehouse of an Italian guitar store for 14 years. I am very proud of it. Only the action was way too high and the fretboard was not completely flat. I took it to a local guitar maker.

When I picked it up, the action was well adjusted and the fretboard straightened, but the coating on the back had numerous scratches, some deep, and a lot micro-scratches, which makes the gloss varnish dull and foggy in places (looks a bit like reflections on my video).

I have nothing against wear and tear, if they come from me. But from a professional who is to adjust my guitar, I actually expected more care and love for the product. However, I am a complete newcomer to the guitar world and just take great care of my possessions. Am I exaggerating here? Is this possibly completely normal?

 

[Default]

No, that's not professional at all. Have you said something to the guitar repairman?

 

[ParadiseSeeker]

No, that's not professional at all. Have you said something to the guitar repairman?

No. I was in a hurry, my kids were in the car, and when I got home and saw what the back looked like, I was pretty horrified.

The back looks like it was dragged over sandpaper in places. I guess he just worked the guitar on an unclean table. I thought it was just something like fingerprints at first, until I realized that the whole varnish layer has countless scratches.

This guy has one of the biggest stores in Upper Austria and has been making guitars himself for many years.

 

[Default]

I understand that completely! Why don't you contact the repairman, and send him some pics of the scratches? Poly finishes can be touched up and he should do that for free. I would be very upset too!

 

[jedzep]

That sucks, but if he is incapable of repairing it you can try Stew-Mac's or other scratch remover products.

ColorTone Scratch Remover - StewMac

ColorTone Scratch Remover safe and easy way to remove fine finish scratches from new or old finishes.

www.stewmac.com

That's a poly finish?

 

[Westerly Wood]

Looks like it was laid on an abrasive surface during repair. He might not have even realized it so bringing it to his attention is worthwhile.

 

[ParadiseSeeker]

I understand that completely! Why don't you contact the repairman, and send him some pics of the scratches? Poly finishes can be touched up and he should do that for free. I would be very upset too!

My fear is that it then gets worse, so the guitar gets even more scratches, if I give it to him again. It is apparently difficult in Austria to find a guitar workshop that takes good care of the guitars.

 

[ParadiseSeeker]

That's a poly finish?

Yes, it is.

 

[Westerly Wood]

I appreciate that you really like pristine condition. The GAD50 is a great model. Probably my favorite of the GAD line. Huge sounding. The poly is made for scrapes. It can handle it. And the scratches are on the back. No one but you sees those. I am not talking you out of calling him. That wound be worthwhile. But this model is not super common anymore. Still a great Guild acoustic.

Let me qualify my perspective. I probably would not even have noticed. If the guy did great work on the playability work, I would let it ride. But I just am more into playability and sound over looks or scuffs. Not saying you don’t have a reason to have him rectify it.

 

[adorshki]

I appreciate that you really like pristine condition. The GAD50 is a great model. Probably my favorite of the GAD line. Huge sounding. The poly is made for scrapes. It can handle it. And the scratches are on the back. No one but you sees those. I am not talking you out of calling him. That wound be worthwhile. But this model is not super common anymore. Still a great Guild acoustic.

Let me qualify my perspective. I probably would not even have noticed. If the guy did great work on the playability work, I would let it ride. But I just am more into playability and sound over looks or scuffs. Not saying you don’t have a reason to have him rectify it.

Hi @ParadiseSeeker, welcome aboard!

Agree 100% with Westerly and also the comments that it is a poly finish are correct. I was a little surprised at Default's comment that it can be touched up, though. My understanding of poly is that it's at least difficult compared to NCL and in some cases not actually possible, but I've seen reports here that newer poly finishes (ca 2010's) are more easily touched up.

You're not being too fussy about having your pristine beauty suffer a couple of dings while in the care of a pro. A true pro would make good although to be fair if he doesn't have experience with poly that may also be a factor in how he offers to compensate you.

BTW, is there any chance at all that those were present before you took it in and you hadn't noticed until it came back, and you gave it a close once-over? Just something to ask yourself sincerely before proceeding to talk to the luthier. Also, I always assume a guy isn't out to screw me unless I see evidence otherwise, or reason to be wary.

Always had better success with honey than vinegar when laying out a grievance to its source, if you get my drift.

 

[Default]

Yes, it can be touched up, but it's a bit more work than lacquer.

 

[Default]

I appreciate that you really like pristine condition. The GAD50 is a great model. Probably my favorite of the GAD line. Huge sounding. The poly is made for scrapes. It can handle it. And the scratches are on the back. No one but you sees those. I am not talking you out of calling him. That wound be worthwhile. But this model is not super common anymore. Still a great Guild acoustic.

Let me qualify my perspective. I probably would not even have noticed. If the guy did great work on the playability work, I would let it ride. But I just am more into playability and sound over looks or scuffs. Not saying you don’t have a reason to have him rectify it.

Disagree, respectfully.
If you took your car to the dealership, you wouldn't want scratches across the instrument cluster. Dude has every expectation of getting the guitar back better than he dropped it off, otherwise, why are you paying the luthier?

 

[Boneman]

Agree with Al’s sentiment there, and I’m like you where I try to keep everything I own to be pristine. But golly that one set of deep scratches, I don’t know that you’d completely fix that such that you wouldn’t realize the guitar was ever scratched, so I feel your pain. Reminds me of when I used my personal pickup truck to move company furniture from one location to another, and this was back in 1998 mind you. As my boss was loading in a chair, he jammed it in where one of the legs/feet of the chair dented the roof of the cab. That was the only blemish on the truck and to this day when I see the little ding it takes me back to that day it happened. So just think, if you hang onto this guitar long enough, it’ll always transport you back in time to 2021. Just like recounting it again now I’m back in 98 going wtf!! You just dented my truck!! @&#$!!!! Lol

 

[adorshki]

Agree with Al’s sentiment there, and I’m like you where I try to keep everything I own to be pristine. But golly that one set of deep scratches, I don’t know that you’d completely fix that such that you wouldn’t realize the guitar was ever scratched, so I feel your pain.

Hey, note I bought all mine new, so I'm right there with ya. Nothing like that "Honeymoon Moment" taking your baby out of its case for the first time. In fact, even for years with my F65ce and D40 which have only ever been out of the house a couple of times each.

All of mine are always cased when not in use.

The D25, though, that one got heavy use, and I still remember the pain of the first ding, caused by my own mistake.
From another perspective, though, when you're the original owner you know exactly where every ding came from and when, which is all part of watching 'em grow over the years.

I can take some consolation in that.

@ParadiseSeeker, if that's all that happens in 25 years, that'll still be an almost pristine piece. Maybe that'll help with the frustration. There's always going to be a first scratch, no matter how much you try, it seems.

 

[ParadiseSeeker]

BTW, is there any chance at all that those were present before you took it in and you hadn't noticed until it came back, and you gave it a close once-over? Just something to ask yourself sincerely before proceeding to talk to the luthier. Also, I always assume a guy isn't out to screw me unless I see evidence otherwise, or reason to be wary.

I had a lot luck buying this guitar online from an music store in Anapulia, Italy. Nobody knows how it got there, but the guitar case was standing there for about 14 years in their store without ever being opened.

So yes, even though the guitar has been out of production for ages, it was factory new. Being unplayable due to the too high action, except for a couple of times when I took it out and admired it, it always stayed well packed and without any single scratch.

The fact that it looked so perfect surprised me, since my D20, which I also purchased new from a guitar store, did show some signs of use, probably from test playing by interested customers in the showroom.

 

[dreadnut]

I would just try buffing those scratches out with some Virtuoso cleaner and polish.

Amazon.com

 

[Cougar]

.....the coating on the back had numerous scratches, some deep, and a lot micro-scratches....

That is really lousy! But I don't know what a good resolution would be. I guess at least let the luthier know and see if he suggests anything.

Luthiers who I've taken my guitars to generally take good care, but it's not unheard of to have a problem. When I went to pick up my F50R after a setup, I was told one of the emeralds on the bridge pins had been lost, and they couldn't find it anywhere. They were super apologetic, but that was about it - no discount or anything. I later found a same-size emerald on ebay (only cost a few bucks) and glued it on. Good as new!

 

[Guildedagain]

This is why I don't let guitars out of my sight.

Typical scenario for me is buying a 50 year old guitar that's had crazy stuff done to it not pictured or described because seller didn't know any better supposedly, and then giving it intense TLC myself until things get back to normal, this sometimes takes two days out of my life, it's all I do, but sometimes lasting into weeks.

So, grab some wax, I like Megiuars Cleaner Wax that has just the right amount of abrasive to clean stuff up like a miracle worker and also has no silicones to foul further refinish work.

Just buff it out, use nice circular motions, use real cotton and not weird microfiber cloths, go heavy, go light, I have to mention elbow grease, use it. Wax on, wax off.

You'll get a buffer's high, nothing like it ;]


Super sweet guitar btw, love the tomatosoupburst, and the intense camouflage skirt. Gorgeous fingerboard and inlays.

 

[geoguy]

If the scratches are quite shallow, then they might buff out.

If they easily catch your fingernail, then I would expect they need to be touched up. In that case I would try to find someone else who has a good reputation for repairing guitar finishes, and ask them if they can fix the scratches.

And I would also ask the person who made those scratches to contribute toward the repair cost.

But I would not ask him to repair the damage that he caused.

 

[adorshki]

I would just try buffing those scratches out with some Virtuoso cleaner and polish.

Amazon.com

I doubt that will have any effect on poly at all. It's much harder than NCL, it's permanently catalyzed, so "when it's done it's done", whereas NCL can be finely buffed and the polish restored cause it is in fact never completely "cured".