When a guitar tech ‘relics’ your guitar…

Philly_Q

nonesuch said:

Really at this stage, I think I'd be happy if I could get the clear coat repair to be flatter and smoother.

I've given up with the idea of an 'invisible' repair. The tech has offered to get the whole body resprayed with clear coat, but I'm not keen to go down that route for obvious reasons. That seems to be way over the top, for what started off as a very small area of damage.

The fact that it's a metallic colour probably doesn't help.  Many years ago I spraycan-painted a guitar in blue metallic and found you can't really sand between coats because it removes the colour and exposes the silvery metallic particles.  So in levelling the clear coats, he'd have to be very careful not to sand down to the colour.

It also looks like he's somehow got some black stuff mixed in with the paint.  What happened there?

nonesuch

Philly_Q said:

It also looks like he's somehow got some black stuff mixed in with the paint.  What happened there?

Well yes, he initially had trouble trying to match the metallic blue ('mystic blue' is the actual colour) and instead of just stopping, he continued to try different colours making it worse. And It's one of things that looks different depending on what angle you're looking at it from.

ICBM

nonesuch said:

Well yes, he initially had trouble trying to match the metallic blue ('mystic blue' is the actual colour) and instead of just stopping, he continued to try different colours making it worse.

That sounds familiar...
                                                 

Kittyfrisk

Should have taken it in to a great master

skullfunkerry

nonesuch said:

Philly_Q said:

It also looks like he's somehow got some black stuff mixed in with the paint.  What happened there?

Well yes, he initially had trouble trying to match the metallic blue ('mystic blue' is the actual colour) and instead of just stopping, he continued to try different colours making it worse. And It's one of things that looks different depending on what angle you're looking at it from.

I kind of mentally grimaced and facepalmed reading that... it's like, the more you tell us about him the more clueless he sounds O_o

Paul_C

The thought of damaging a customer's guitar is painful.
 
When I was starting out I got in over my head with the finish on an acoustic and paid Rob Williams around £150 to refinish the top for me rather than give the customer a guitar back in worse condition than when it was given to me.

Barnezy

He should have paid for it to be corrected by someone who knew how to work with finishes. It’s horrible when you pay someone to do something they claim to be able to do, and it ends up worse than before. I had it with plasters doing my ceilings. I refused to pay them and used the money to have it corrected 

nonesuch

After getting this guitar back I haven't really wanted to play it.

Anyway I decided to put some new strings on today, and start afresh. I wasn't sure if some of the marks on the neck were greasy fingerprints or glue, but after cleaning and oiling the fretboard it turns out that they are glue. I've tried to take some photos, but it's quite tricky because it depends on how it catches the light. It's basically either side of the frets that have been worked on.

Anyway, my question is - has anyone got any idea how to try and get the glue marks off? Or do I have to wait 20 years for it to wear off naturally?!!

Could I sand the areas with very find sandpaper? Is that safe to do?

(I really don't want to go back to the 'guitar tech'.)

bloomer

ouch, what a guy this chap is not even bothering to mask off your fretboard. I would guess he used superglue. I'd tackle it with some 0000 steel wool which will be a bit less aggressive than even fine sandpaper.

stephen.wood125

maybe careful use of de-bonder (essentially Isopropyl alcohol and some other gubbins) being careful to not let it get under the fret and re-debond (or should that be re-un-bond) his "handywork" other than that I would try 0000 steel wool with the grain. Guy is an absolute disgrace. Shouldn't be allowed anywhere near guitars.

mbe

Scrape it off with a fresh Stanley blade 90 degrees to the plane surface of the fingerboard. 

LastMantra

Has he not offered a refund or any kind of compensation? 
Sounds like he's not even admitting to f**king up?

I'd want at least my money back and take it to someone who knows what they are doing. 

earwighoney

ICBM said:

nonesuch said:

Well yes, he initially had trouble trying to match the metallic blue ('mystic blue' is the actual colour) and instead of just stopping, he continued to try different colours making it worse.

That sounds familiar...
                                                 

ALL HAIL MONKEY JESUS. 

robgilmo

Jesus, I feel your pain, took my old Tele to a ''tech'' to have the nut filed lower, he went at it with a hand saw! I ended up fitting a new nut to it myself shorty afterwards.

I ended up fitting a Tusq nut to it, now I do all my own work, I wouldn't let anyone touch any of my guitars unless they were a well established, well known shop with a permanent on site tech working for them, at least a big shop will take more responsibility and have more to lose so they wont employ a butcher. No offence intended towards our FB community techs, Im sure there are more decent techs out there than bad ones,  but with things like this if you give your guitar to a bad tech by the time you find out their form its already too late.  

nonesuch

LastMantra said:

Has he not offered a refund or any kind of compensation? 
Sounds like he's not even admitting to f**king up?

I'd want at least my money back and take it to someone who knows what they are doing. 

He has admitted that he f**ked up, and I haven't paid for the 'work' he did.

ICBM

robgilmo said:

Jesus, I feel your pain, took my old Tele to a ''tech'' to have the nut filed lower, he went at it with a hand saw! I ended up fitting a new nut to it myself shorty afterwards.

Looks a bit like a certain sausage-fingered Ebay seller's work...

nonesuch

robgilmo said:

with things like this if you give your guitar to a bad tech by the time you find out their form its already too late.  

Yes very true. It's sometimes hard to make that judgement isn't it?! 

LastMantra

nonesuch said:

LastMantra said:

Has he not offered a refund or any kind of compensation? 
Sounds like he's not even admitting to f**king up?

I'd want at least my money back and take it to someone who knows what they are doing. 

He has admitted that he f**ked up, and I haven't paid for the 'work' he did.

That's something at least.


What would the good techs on here do? Is it fixable?
Not an easy paint to match I would imagine. 

robgilmo

ICBM said:

robgilmo said:

Jesus, I feel your pain, took my old Tele to a ''tech'' to have the nut filed lower, he went at it with a hand saw! I ended up fitting a new nut to it myself shorty afterwards.

Looks a bit like a certain sausage-fingered Ebay seller's work...

He only charged me a tenner, said it was a quick and easy job, I should have walked away there and then, I guess with things like this a reputation means everything, I reckon if I ever do need a tech to do work my first stop will be here asking for recommendations, a web site with a few pictures of guitars not even being worked on wont cut it for me anymore..

ICBM

LastMantra said:

What would the good techs on here do? Is it fixable?

Not an easy paint to match I would imagine. 

No, and polyurethane is difficult to blend new finish into - that is the real advantage of nitro. If it was mine, honestly I would put it down to experience and live with it - it might polish up a bit smoother with some T-Cut, but I would be wary about doing anything more drastic. But I'm not a finisher, and if I was unlucky/stupid enough to damage a customer's guitar like that I would consult one instead of trying to fix it myself...

The fingerboard is quite easy, a little solvent and some careful scraping along the direction of the wood grain followed by a polish will take care of it.