soundbaord wear

[solenoid lopez]

My 5 month old Tacoma DV6 is developing some nice ridges above the bass strings where my pick is digging in. I've not owned a satin topped guitar for a while and I had forgotten how easily they mark and wear, not quite at the rate of cedar but not far off. Does anyone have any examples of excessive top wear due to heavy strumming?

 

[chazmo]

Hmm, it's probably becauseTacoma was still using a nitrocellulose finish (I think!). I wonder if the new Mexican-made DV6 uses the same finish. Some other vendors are using UV-cured polyurethane-based finishes, which would probably hold up better to your pounding, SL.

I don't know if a satin application is any weaker than gloss.

 

[wright1]

I can't say I suffer from wear to the soundboard but if you want to see serious soundboard wear take a look at Willie Nelson's Martin classical. He won't have it repaired. There are holes through the soundboard and I can't for the life of me work out how the thing holds together with so much wood missing :?
On a more serious note,if your style has this effect then you either have it covered(clear pickguard material) or have it repaired every now and then and live with it. I would rather see a guitar worn out from playing than pristine in it's case gathering dust.

 

[Jeff]

I can't say I suffer from wear to the soundboard but if you want to see serious soundboard wear take a look at Willie Nelson's Martin classical. He won't have it repaired. There are holes through the soundboard and I can't for the life of me work out how the thing holds together with so much wood missing :?
On a more serious note,if your style has this effect then you either have it covered(clear pickguard material) or have it repaired every now and then and live with it. I would rather see a guitar worn out from playing than pristine in it's case gathering dust.

Willie's guitar is a Martin N20, named Trigger. When Willie travels Trigger gets her own ticket & seat on airplanes.

Whenever I see a guitar with heavy playwear I figure the git has something special. DV6 is a Guild, made to be played.

 

[solenoid lopez]

Trigger

http://photo.net/photodb/photo?photo_id=6980590

Alastair Foleys Takamine in the film 'Once'

http://www.imdb.com/media/rm88578304/tt0907657

My DV6 certainly gets played and hard to boot and I really don't mind the wear.

 

[chazmo]

I can't say I suffer from wear to the soundboard but if you want to see serious soundboard wear take a look at Willie Nelson's Martin classical. He won't have it repaired. There are holes through the soundboard and I can't for the life of me work out how the thing holds together with so much wood missing :?
On a more serious note,if your style has this effect then you either have it covered(clear pickguard material) or have it repaired every now and then and live with it. I would rather see a guitar worn out from playing than pristine in it's case gathering dust.

Willie's guitar is a Martin N20, named Trigger. When Willie travels Trigger gets her own ticket & seat on airplanes.

Whenever I see a guitar with heavy playwear I figure the git has something special. DV6 is a Guild, made to be played.

I wonder if Martin has ever thought about doing a "relic"d version of Trigger. I haven't seen much of that in the acoustic guitar space, but Trigger is a good example of something people might pay good money to have a copy of.

 

[jcwu]

Here's the soundboard wear on my DV-52 (with the nitro satin finish):

The rosette (is that what it's called?) is still there, now raised a little bit, because the wood around it has been worn away.

 

[taabru45]

What size, kind of pick do you use....My guitars don't have that wear, but I do a lot of fingerpicking, and some flat picking/strumming. Perhaps a slight change of technique might avoid actual contact with the guitar?! Five months seems like a short time for that amount of wear. I might consider getting it repaired, and covered with a clear pickguard material....Steffan ( love the herringbone, is it around the binding too?)

 

[wright1]

I agree Jeff. Made to be played. Chazmo,it probably has been through Martin's mind to release a Trigger and there seems to be a real demand for guitars that have been artificially aged,although I personally think that a lot of 'relicing' looks poorly done despite copying a guitar that has real age,but although Martin have made aged instruments I can't see them issuing a guitar like Willie's because of the warranty issue. If the guitar develops a fault because of the missing wood how are you going to fix it?
jcwu, you must know that that sort of wear will result in the soundhole eventually missing a piece. Not too difficult a repair and you will surely keep your luthier in business

 

[jcwu]

jcwu, you must know that that sort of wear will result in the soundhole eventually missing a piece. Not too difficult a repair and you will surely keep your luthier in business

Most of the wear occurred when I was in college, back when I only played the guitar unplugged (and REALLY pounded the guitar when I strummed). Nowadays I've mellowed out some, so the wear hasn't really advanced in the last five years or so.

I had figured I'd just douse the area with some super glue. :lol:

 

[chazmo]

[ ... ] but although Martin have made aged instruments I can't see them issuing a guitar like Willie's because of the warranty issue. If the guitar develops a fault because of the missing wood how are you going to fix it?[ ... ]

wright,

1. Has Martin done relics before? I wasn't aware of that.

2. I agree, and I hadn't thought of that before. If they really relic'd a guitar to be like Trigger, it would be potentially risky because of poor stability. That said, they could reinforce the interior without having too much risk. Plus it's a nylon string guitar, and I don't know how much risk is introduced.

I also agree about the relic'ing thing (I have no interest in it), but there are gazillions of Willie fans out there who would pay for a piece like that.

 

[Dr. Spivey]

Plus it's a nylon string guitar, and I don't know how much risk is introduced.

To be authentic, a fair bit. Willie plays with the 3 bass strings steel the other 3 nylon. Trigger is one tough old guitar.

 

[dapmdave]

[ ... ] but although Martin have made aged instruments I can't see them issuing a guitar like Willie's because of the warranty issue. If the guitar develops a fault because of the missing wood how are you going to fix it?[ ... ]

wright,

1. Has Martin done relics before? I wasn't aware of that.

2. I agree, and I hadn't thought of that before. If they really relic'd a guitar to be like Trigger, it would be potentially risky because of poor stability. That said, they could reinforce the interior without having too much risk. Plus it's a nylon string guitar, and I don't know how much risk is introduced.

I also agree about the relic'ing thing (I have no interest in it), but there are gazillions of Willie fans out there who would pay for a piece like that.

re: relic'ed Martins. Maybe the reference was to the "aged" and "authentic" guitars (read expensive!) with the old-time construction and materials that Martin is making.

Dave

 

[wright1]

Yes, I was refering to Martin using old specs and aged toners to make guitars in the old style rather than the forced damage of a 'reliced' instrument. If I pay good money for a new instrument then if it wears I want it to reflect my use. All old guitars started out new. Of course I am not taking that to repairs of old intruments that should be repaired so that it is hardly noticeable that any work has been done.
I am sure that properly tested,a replica Trigger would be no problem but would they end up on the wall or in a case for a century before they became particularly valuable? I don't know of too many people that play with a guitar set up like Willie's and I thnk that is a good thing because Willie is such a special guy. I remember seeing him at Wembley more that 25 years ago and what a fantastic evening that was! As a classical player I would want a Martin made before Willie turned it to his style.

 

[dapmdave]

The thing about Willie and his guitar is that they reflect each other's lives, right? Both are looking old and beat up, but still sounding great!

But... I look old and beat up. Wish I sounded half as good. Does that count?

Dave

 

[jp]

My 5 month old Tacoma DV6 is developing some nice ridges above the bass strings where my pick is digging in. I've not owned a satin topped guitar for a while and I had forgotten how easily they mark and wear, not quite at the rate of cedar but not far off. Does anyone have any examples of excessive top wear due to heavy strumming?

My cedar-topped Seagull is gashed and scarred, but I don't pay it any mind. At one point it even had blood stains in the finish for a while, evidence of over-enthusiasm and complete loss of strumming technique and sensitivity from one too many shots of George Dickel.