The Horse takes it to the edge once more. $2500 on the line.
By The Horse
@TheHorse (205609)
Walnut Creek, California
December 9, 2017 7:23pm CST
As many of you know, I bought a $2500 Martin D-18 about 14 months ago. I love the guitar, but the binding started separating from one of the edges a month or so ago, and that left me trying to figure out where to get the warranty work done.
The Guitar Center where I bought the guitar (Concord CA) deferred to the Guitar Center in Emeryville CA. The tech in Emeryville deferred to Gryphon Strings, down in Palo Alto, where Stanford University lives.
But the Emeryville fella also "set up" my guitar (for slightly lower action, and for free) and told me how I could fix it myself. He was a cool dude.
So today, I ordered most of the stuff I need, and picked up from "painters tape" from Walmart (for masking AND for holding the repair down) while on an outing with a kid client. I'm going to fix the blasted thing myself.
Wish me luck! If I screw up, I'm going to be traumatized. This is a special guitar. The quilted mahogany you see on the back is a rare thing. And the sound is great.
8 people like this
10 responses
@toniganzon (72285)
• Philippines
10 Dec 17
@TheHorse I would be too if I were in your situation. Let’s hope everything turns out ok.
1 person likes this
@TheHorse (205609)
• Walnut Creek, California
10 Dec 17
@toniganzon I have ordered the glue on-line. I bought some painters tape today. I will do my best.
1 person likes this
@FourWalls (62085)
• United States
10 Dec 17
Good luck. I have a friend who has her father’s Martin that’s coming apart at the neck, and even the CF Martin folks have told her there’s nothing that can be done for it. 
2 people like this
@TheHorse (205609)
• Walnut Creek, California
10 Dec 17
Thanks, Valerie. I should actually test the tape I bought on my guitar to make sure it doesn't hurt the finish. It's painters tape, and it's not supposed to, but I want to be sure. My glue and the tiny applicators will arrive next week.
1 person likes this
@TheHorse (205609)
• Walnut Creek, California
10 Dec 17
@just4him I will move forward cautiously. The key will be getting the glue into the gap without excess. The second key will be clamping it down in painters tape and having it aligned right, so the binding is flush with the wood next to it. I'm usually good at this kind of thing, but I'll have only one chance to get it right, as the glue sets quickly. Kind of like landing an airplane that's out of fuel: one chance.
1 person likes this
@andriaperry (116860)
• Anniston, Alabama
10 Dec 17
You are good at this stuff, you got it!
2 people like this
@TheHorse (205609)
• Walnut Creek, California
18 Dec 17
@LadyDuck In a sense, they have. They don't want a lesser tech to screw it up. The guitar is under Warranty for life. I could drive (70 km) to Gryphon Strings, send the guitar to Martin (at my expense, I'm sure), or just "go for it." You know I enjoy woodworking anyway. Why not give myself a (dangerous) learning experience?
1 person likes this
@TheHorse (205609)
• Walnut Creek, California
10 Dec 17
I got a bit of a run-around. The Guitar Center in Concord, where I bought the guitar, sent me to Guitar Center in Emeryville. The tech at Guitar Center in Emeryville (while adjusting my truss rod to spec for free, something he didn't have to do) said that for fine cosmetic work like this, I'd have to go to Gryphon Strings in Palo Alto. Finally, after some conversation about woodworking, he told me he thought I could do it myself, and gave me a detailed explanation about what to do.
1 person likes this
@teamfreak16 (43421)
• Denver, Colorado
11 Dec 17
I'm about a day late. Any updates yet?
1 person likes this
@BearArtistLady (5382)
• United States
10 Dec 17
One word of advice, well several words. First, when you get everything to fix the Martin, don't rush in. Make sure you're having a good day. When you're going to start the job, put a sign on your door stating "do not disturb". Finally, if you have a phone turn it off if it's a cell phone or unplug it if it's a land line. That way you're not startled at the worst possible time. I speak from experience and learning how to separate my fingers after I managed to glue the right fingers together with super glue. I had fun using my left hand to get the " claw" my right hand had formed apart after the phone ringing startled me.
I hope you'll let us know how the operation goes.
1 person likes this
