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In the same vein as Steve Saville's Q. about dents on commissioned pieces, comes my comment re. scratches on Festival guitars. (I'm in need of venting here...)
So we're stringing up our fanciest guitar for the Healdsburg festival, ready to ship these things off, when that pesky b string decides to twist on the tuner shaft, and gouge the lacquer of the peghead.
Not to worry, I tell myself, a small drop of CA, a little buffing, and *presto* it'll be as good as new.

Well....

The CA glue softened the lacquer just enough, so that when leveling, a small blister came up. The finish delaminated from the head, and now in place of a scratch is a hole.

Not to worry, I try to tell myself again, more CA to the rescue, just a larger fill this time. Lather, rinse, repeat.
Only, the outline of a hole is now emerging, with lots of funky little pits where a smooth finish once resided.
More sanding I tell myself. Don't panic was advised yet again.
Back to the repair bench...

To no avail.

The more I worked it, the worse it looked. This morning, I threw in the towel, and admitted defeat. This guitar just ain't going to H'burg. Too bad, too...it uses some of Tim Spittle's lovely Blackheart Sassafras. Oh, the head/finish problem is totally fixable. Only it will now take something like sanding the entire headstock, and probably re-spraying a couple of coats. I'm just out of time.

To get soooo close on a 7 month project just to stuff it at the last minute is deflating. But I rallied over this problem, and still hope to sell this guitar someday.

I sincerely hope no one else has had this sort of experience going into next week's festival, or any other festival for that matter.
But guitars being what they are, and gravity, entropy and Murphy's Law being what they are, I'm fairly certain I'm not alone.

Vent over, and thanks.

Steve

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From Nacogdoches...the oldest town in Texas.

http://www.stephenkinnaird.com

I hate it when that happens. Maybe you should just put a bandaid over it and bring it anyway..... no, no... just kidding.

I thought you were going to talk about all those clumsy strangers fondling your best work. I'd worry about scratches and dings at their hand... if I was ever to show at a festival.

So CA burned right into the nitro? That can't be good.

Joe

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Joe Beaver
Maker of Sawdust

Ahrhrhrhrhrhrhhrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

OK, now that we've got that out of the way...

If this is nitro lacquer, you can still make it. You have about 9 days, including transit time for the guitar, which means you probably have 2 days to lay lacquer down, dry it as best you can with a gentle hair dryer, cover it with a couple of sheets of waxed paper, flat thin cardboard, and 1/4" MDF all taped on with blue tape, ship it to your hotel on the 7th, and it should arrive by the 12th. When it arrives, you'll have your handy-dandy flat sanding blocks for leveling, and all the grits of micromesh to get it close enough to lightly hand buff.

If it is still not up to your standards, don't take it to the show. But, if it is, then you'll have it with you.

Not sure if that's the pep talk you wanted, but I really believe you can make it (if it is nitro.)

Best of luck at the show, to go along with the boatload of skill you take with you!

Dennis

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Dennis Leahy
Duluth, MN, USA
7th Sense Multimedia

Steve,

Let me give you a potential solution, so you can bring/show it still if you have the inclination:

Sand it back and re-spray it right now, tonight....then pack it carefully and ship it.....like Dennis says.
It will have just long enough to cure on it's way to the show. Bring your fave sandpapers with you.
It's no hassle for me to bring along a buffing machine and polishing compounds so you can finish it there, right before the show on Thursday evening, which is when I'll be arriving.

Let me know if you want to do this. Really, it's no big deal for me to bring a machine up with me.

Cheers,
Dave F.

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Cambrian Guitars

"There goes Mister Tic-Tac out the back with some bric-brac from the knick-knack rack"

Holy cow, Dave, what a nice gesture! Thank you so much.
I dunno... I'm already bringing enough guitars to make a showing.
I'm sort of enjoying the "release" from pressure.
But I'll let you know, and again, thank you!

Steve

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From Nacogdoches...the oldest town in Texas.

http://www.stephenkinnaird.com

Hey Steve, as you know, I got messed up with that quick CA fix also. It works sometimes.
Best of luck to you at the big show. I was going, but then decided not to.
It would be so great to meet some of you nice people up there someday.

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"An adventure is only an inconvenience rightly considered. An inconvenience is an adventure wrongly considered." G. K. Chesterton.

Steve,
sorry to hear about that. I have my share pf mishaps so I know how you feel.....

At least you kept your cool and still have a few guitars to show.

I'll see you there.

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Peter M.
Cornerstone Guitars
http://www.cornerstoneukes.com

Thanks Peter...looking forward to meeting you.

It's amazing how much relief/release I now feel...sort of like having a final exam behind you.
I took Dennis and Dave's advice, well sort of, and sprayed more lacquer on this dude. Today, not last night.
But I feel no pressure to finish this by tomorrow.
Who knows? If done by next Wednesday, I might try to sneak it onto the plane with us.

See you in about a week.

Steve

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From Nacogdoches...the oldest town in Texas.

http://www.stephenkinnaird.com

Plane it for sure, or had check it at the gate. Doing the same thing here with pourfills that have sunk. Just drop filling with more Nitro and waiting to resand and rebuff, taking everything on the plane with me. Should be cool.

It's my biggest pet pieve, keeping a new guitar new. Frankly I don't think it's possible.

All the best,

Todd

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Todd Lunneborg
http://www.tlguitars.com/
http://www.fretboardjournal.com/

Filippo, neither am I.
In fact, I'm not a fan of any drop fill technique.
But yours has enough merit to try it next time.
Like a wise man said, "Experience is something you get after you need it."

SK

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From Nacogdoches...the oldest town in Texas.

http://www.stephenkinnaird.com

Murphy is my next door neighbor and he likes nothing if not visiting my shop.
In fact, I'm still trying to hide some of his help on a couple of my entries.

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Tickle your guitar daily, and it'll tickle you back.

Well, I had a post in the Steve Saville's thread about the small ding in the top where I argued about the wisdom in leaving it instead of sanding down the the top for refinishing. Maybe I am making a fool of myself by once again propose leaving the damage. Go to Healdsburg with the guitar as it is instead of putting stress on both you and the refinishing of the head. Being so hard on yourself you will end up with a heart attack. Festival Trauma is bad. It takes away the fun being there and it puts focus on other things than music and sound quality. But I have to add that I am suffering from the same trauma and what I say here is only my own mantra trying to get by. Showing commissioned instruments at a festival is always dangerous and very stressful. Unfortunately it not seldom prove to be disastrous. You come home with dings and scratches (which always make me wonder what kind of uncivilized creatures guitarplayers are) so the risk is obvious that you will have to refinish a third time before delivery.

I am living in Europe and have never been to America. Is the festival "culture" in Healdsburg, Montreal and similar festivals much different from festivals in Europe demanding unrealistic perfection in the cosmetics?

I HATE FESTIVAL TRAUMA!!!

In fact, I hate trauma, period.

But you handle it well Steve!

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Bill Hodge


One does not simply, own enough guitars!

Nice try, John, but in fact I know where Mr. Murphy lives, and it isn't California. (Not saying he doesn't get around for frequent visits, but permanent residence status--check the census bureau--is another dubious honor of Texas...)
Anyway, I look forward to seeing what he has done to your fine guitars, and how you have outsmarted him!

Hi Per (sorry, couldn't help that--grant us more of a name?) and welcome to the Forum. Your points are well taken. I agree, these things are tools, and only get more beautiful as the patina of much use begins to grace them. Unfortunately, though, customers often approach them like they are centerfold objects.
So my effort is to put the best effort out there.
Especially on the peghead: from the neck down, the guitar could be almost anyone else's. From the nut up, it's yours, and makes its testimony to your skill and artistic eye. I can live with a ding almost anywhere else--sort of like a scuff on one's shoe--but a scar on the "face" is really distracting.
And boy howdy, I can identify with Todd's statement: keeping these things "new" seems nearly impossible. *sigh*

Bill, you wouldn't have wanted to be here a couple of days ago....

Thanks for the encouragement, guys. It means a lot.

Steve

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From Nacogdoches...the oldest town in Texas.

http://www.stephenkinnaird.com

Per asked:
"I am living in Europe and have never been to America. Is the festival "culture" in Healdsburg, Montreal and similar festivals much different from festivals in Europe demanding unrealistic perfection in the cosmetics?"

Yes, sadly, the whole guitar culture is that way these days.

I, too, was thinking this was going to be about the dings you pick up at the festival. From what I've seen the customers expectation is that all finishes are as tough as UV cure polyester. They never seem to realize that what they can do with impunity on their Taylor will put a big dig in a French polished cedar top. I've never had anybody at a show apologize, either.

You might as well just bring the guitar: it will look like that within a couple of hours anyway.....

Steve, it can never be wrong to be perfect! I was just trying to give some comfort in an stressfull situation. I hope you get all the success your effort deserves!

" How to handle Festival Trauma "
Well thats easy!

DRINK!!!!!!!!

Looking forward to see you there Steve!

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Lance@LuthiersForum.com

Lance, mercy, I'm clumsy enough without following your advice. It will be great to finally meet you and Brock.
You guys have done so much for us.

Per, indeed, thank you--comfort received!

Alan, probably will do. What I'm thinking is taking it on the plane (as we shipped out today, and this guitar missed the bus). That way, the baggage boys can really mess it up, and no one will be thinking of, or looking at a peghead scratch any more.

It's a plan, eh?

Steve

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From Nacogdoches...the oldest town in Texas.

http://www.stephenkinnaird.com