So what happened here?

[smurph1]

Ya know, guitars like that sound better!!

[bolero]

it does look like something scraped it off, but there are no scratch marks around either spot that I can see

 

plus as Mark says, the color AND the clear coat came off...so either air got under there & loosened the bond to the wood, or something scraped against it ( check the buttons on your shirt? )

 

Ren or someone at Heritage would prolly have a better idea of what would cause this

[MartyGrass]

There are two ways to apply the stain on "white wood". The first is to rub the dye in, let it dry, and apply the clear coat by spray. That's what we did with this guitar. It gives me a chance to show off this H157. Here are many pix: http://s796.photobucket.com/user/mgoetting/library/H157%20CNSB?sort=6&page=1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The second way is to mix the dye with the nitro and spray the wood. This is followed by spraying with clear nitro. That's what usually happens and is obvious the case with your guitar.

 

 

Both processes produce beautiful finishes. Chipping the nitro off will leave white wood only with the second process though.

 

I don't know why that happened but I have three guesses. First, the wood was moist when sprayed. Second, the nitro lacquer was a bad batch and too thin and brittle. This has been known to occur. Third, there is a small separation in the plywood that created a bubble and separated the nitro.

[peterbright]

If repaired without stripping the entire guitsr eill it hsppen in another location?

[Guest HRB853370]

 

I believe you are at an important juncture. If it is important to you to have your guitar look as pristine as possible, keep the nail polish away. If you don't mind the worn look, go ahead.

 

If the problem is simply a few areas of bad paint, it's not hard to strip the back and match the cherry. I'll bet that would cost $100.

 

What concerns me is that the front needed some touch up, too. That makes me wonder if the guitar was sprayed with crappy NCL or perhaps the humidity was too high. I saw that the top damage was attributed to some f hole work. While a good finish can suffer noticeable damage mucking around with a harness change, it is pretty fricking uncommon. Even a klutz like me hasn't had that happen.

 

If you want Ren's opinion you can contact him via email. But you'll need high resolution photos, a tactile description of the area, and details of the circumstances around the time of "the occurrence". Otherwise there's a good chance he'll just email you back asking for that info. He still may say he needs to see the guitar.

Hold on here. Again, while I never gigged that guitar, there was nothing that would lead me to believe the finish had any problems. It looks like it got scraped off somehow. How else?? The problems with the F hole finish was entirely from the person that accidentally damaged it while modifying the wiring. That had nothing to do with what happened to CJ.

[yoslate]

 

I believe you are at an important juncture. If it is important to you to have your guitar look as pristine as possible, keep the nail polish away. If you don't mind the worn look, go ahead.

 

If the problem is simply a few areas of bad paint, it's not hard to strip the back and match the cherry. I'll bet that would cost $100.

 

 

 

 

I don't know why that happened but I have three guesses. First, the wood was moist when sprayed. Second, the nitro lacquer was a bad batch and too thin and brittle. This has been known to occur. Third, there is a small separation in the plywood that created a bubble and separated the nitro.

 

I think Mark's probably hitting it in here. The wood doesn't seem dinged nor damaged at all. And the shape of the blemish doesn't suggest anything so much as the nitro flaking. What you do to remedy the situation, if anything, is, obviously, up to you. I wouldn't go anywhere near it with nail polish...red or clear. That won't look any better, only different. A good luthier could touch it up, and shoot it with clear nitro...but, again, that's only a patch. I'd live with it. If the finish issue is limited to that little (and I know it doesn't seem "little" to you!) spot, then, there it is. Gigging instruments get boinked (leave it alone, Will); it's a fact of life, no matter how careful we are. That's honest wear. If the finish is flawed on the entire guitar (and I'll bet it's not) then a few more instances such as this, and you may want to refinish the entire instrument, perhaps letting the good folks at Heritage help you out there, assuming they're willing.

[TalismanRich]

 

What concerns me is that the front needed some touch up, too. That makes me wonder if the guitar was sprayed with crappy NCL or perhaps the humidity was too high. I saw that the top damage was attributed to some f hole work. While a good finish can suffer noticeable damage mucking around with a harness change, it is pretty fricking uncommon. Even a klutz like me hasn't had that happen.

 

 

MG, Don't look too closely at my 535. When I was doing the capacitor/Treble bleed I got a small chip in the F hole trying to work one of the pots into the hole. That taught me to use a little masking tape on the edges to keep that from happening. It also taught me to have a little more patience when working on a semi.

 

I have a small chip on the upper back of my Melancon. I don't recall how it happened, I must have bumped it on something without even realizing it. Its there. I haven't tried to fix it, although I may contact Gerard to see what I would need to do the job. It still plays like a dream. Still sounds great to me.

 

I figure I've got a few battle scars, my guitars can have them too.

[CJTopes]

I'm not going to worry about it. I figure the guitar will be worth more now because it has some Mojo......... Right?

[MichYank]

Dude! You got 10 cents more from the gig - good for you!

[MartyGrass]

 

MG, Don't look too closely at my 535. When I was doing the capacitor/Treble bleed I got a small chip in the F hole trying to work one of the pots into the hole. That taught me to use a little masking tape on the edges to keep that from happening. It also taught me to have a little more patience when working on a semi.

 

I have a small chip on the upper back of my Melancon. I don't recall how it happened, I must have bumped it on something without even realizing it. Its there. I haven't tried to fix it, although I may contact Gerard to see what I would need to do the job. It still plays like a dream. Still sounds great to me.

 

I figure I've got a few battle scars, my guitars can have them too.

 

Small chips at the edge of the f hole can occur if no masking is done.

 

I wouldn't worry about the finish if you are planning on keeping the thing. The finish issues won't affect the longevity of the instrument or its function.

 

This kind of problem happened to a batch of Benedettos and recently, according to my source, to Heritage due to a dilute batch of nitrocellulose lacquer (NCL). The troubles may not manifest for quite some time. If it was a NCL problem, there was no way Slammer could have seen it. If the lamination is separating, he couldn't have seen or predicted it.

 

Poop happens.

 

Oops. I mean shit.

[Vanschoyck]

Perhaps everyone who has come in contact with the guitar should get a blood test?

[bolero]

I blame Wil's chili....that stuff can peel paint

 

 

[Guest HRB853370]

I'm not going to worry about it. I figure the guitar will be worth more now because it has some Mojo......... Right?

That is what I was thinking. You got a great sounding guitar and that is what matters!

[Guest HRB853370]

I blame Wil's chili....that stuff can peel paint

 

 

Well now, that is debatable.