Maton Guitar cosmatic touch-up *Pictures Uploaded*

[symym]

Hey guys,
I'm wondering where can I get cosmatic touch up on my Maton's neck? I lent it to my friend in perfect condition and it came back with very severe dings and dents on the neck. Think it'll prob need to be sand down and refinished.

Any idea how much will it cost?

Very sad about it.

Not very clear pics. Taken from my camara phone.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/11339962@N05/1104202194/
Nothing From far.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/11339962@N05/1103352885/in/photostream/
Zoom in, Here's 1
http://www.flickr.com/photos/11339962@N05/1104203556/in/photostream/
Here's another 2.

If you can look closer, its like finger nail dug in marks around the dings.

 

[ChanMin]

for acoustic instruments , id recomend

Malcom - empty71

Raymond - Luthermusic

Kay C - Maestro.

 

[Everdying]

some 'friend' you got, if it was mine i'll whack him on the spot.

anyway, firstly dont sand it down since that will obviously completely mess up the whole feel.
try the tried-and-tested method of heating the dampened wood to raise the wood.
a good guitar tech will know the technique.

 

[guitarsan]

I lent it to my friend in perfect condition and it came back with very severe dings and dents on the neck.

With friends like that you don't need enemies. :lol:

There are always inconsiderate people out there. Or cheapskate people who never buy but always want to borrow your stuff. Anyway, always keep a beat-up cheapo guitar with you. When someone wants to borrow one of your guitars, you know which one to reach out for. :wink:

 

[cherns]

Malcolm gets my vote.
Where are the dings/dents located? If it sounds as bad as you put it, you might want to check the rest of your guitar for any other kind of structural damage.



You should also get your "friend" to foot the bill.

 

[almondx]

Everdying you can't just heat and dampen the wood like that. You have to remove the finish first to introduce moisture into the neck, which is still unfavourable because if you overdo it the neck will be warped. Lol later the OP did that and his guitar ggxx he come find you sia.

Symym - Are the dings into the wood exposing it or are they surface dings to the finish?

 

[symym]

Some of the dings are exposing the wood already, the finish is sort of 'Scraped' off. Don't know where my friend place the guit man. I don't know to be sad for my guit or angry with my friend.

How do you post pics here? I think i'll take some pics and let you guys see the extent of the damage...

 

[JamesChia]

forget about it.. get your good friend to pay for a new one.

 

[Everdying]

almondx, i obviously didnt bother to write the whole technique down which is why i said send to a good guitar tech.
and its still a much better option to try that first, rather than sanding it down.

 

[almondx]

Everdying - Ah I see what you mean. You're taking sanding down as shaving the neck. I'm taking sanding down as leveling the finish until it reaches the pits of the dents and then refinishing it again to make up for the lost finish. Of course your heating method and my leveling method depend on the extent of the dents which we do not know at the time of writing our posts. Let's leave it as that then since it's a misunderstanding of definitions.

symym - you will have to use a photo hosting site such as photobucket and then hot link your pics from there. There's a very easy way to settle this. Don't be angry with your friend, just make sure he takes full reponsibility of payment for the damage and then settle for the best luthier of your choice. I highly recommend Malcolm though, since I've seen how he works with guitars and it is stellar. An absolute perfectionist in a good sense.

 

[symym]

just make sure he takes full reponsibility of payment for the damage and then settle for the best luthier of your choice

Well, I did confronted him about the damages and he did asked if it could be fixed. He offered to pay HALF of the cost of repair. In my mind, I was thinking, WHY HALF? I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING TO JUSTIFY MYSELF PAYING FOR THE DAMAGES!

But then, I had to understand that my friend doesn't earn much, and his financial situation is not very good.

Well, even if I send it for repairs, I think my Maton will never be the same again. The feel of the neck will definately change.

Apporox how much will be the extent of damage to the wallet?

 

[almondx]

I guess a very very rough estimate of perhaps $500 for a professional job. Personally, I wouldn't feel too worried about the feel of the neck if the luthier servicing it is Malcolm. Put it this way, even if the feel of the neck does change, it will be a change for the better. Expect factory condition at the very very least.

Btw, is your Maton an electric or an acoustic?

And in regards to your friend, I see no reason why he shouldn't pay in full, though the choice lies with how compassionate you are towards his financial situation. Perhaps you can get him to pay by installments so the burden wouldn't be too great?

 

[symym]

Mine's an acoustic.

I'm thinking would the exposed wood cause my guit to deform in anyway as the wood is now exposed to the moisture in the air. But thinking about it, Tommy Emmanual's Maton is very beat up and he's still using it...

 

[almondx]

Don't worry too much about it. Modern guitars are built to withstand minor abuses.

 

[Everdying]

almondx, yea we dont know how bad his dents are.
but he does describe it as of 'very severe dings and dents on the neck'.
maybe its time for a nice slim taper wizard neck on a maton

and how the heck your 'friend' did those really have no idea.
the only thing that comes to mind is he just left it lying around on the floor as a kick-around kind of thing.

 

[symym]

His story was:

"I put the guitar on the floor, leaning against the wall. Went about to do my business. Next moment, *BANG*. And my other friend was there telling him, you're so dead."

Thing was, he didn't even tell me about it. He just returned my guit to me to let me find out for myself what happened to my precious guit.
And Heck, MY GUIT NEVER TOUCHED THE FLOOR BEFORE!

 

[almondx]

It's not that bad. The finish is gone case but the wood seems intact, it's definitely not a gourge or anything to that severity. The hardest part of the repair will be matching the colour of the finish of the dings to its surrounding area, though since it's only in one colour the repair should at the very least be near-invisible.

It's amazing how a simple knock onto the floor can do such damage to an acoustic. I snapped the headstock clean right off my epiphone acoustic that way too so I feel your pain.

 

[rikki]

did you give him a punch after taking it back?

 

[gsonique]

For the fact that its a Maton :smt011 i would just leave it !

You can *push back* a wood ding via spot *hot steam treatment* but there will still be visible marks of the laquer!

The best i would recommend Malcolm or just send it back to Maton for some tlc 8)

 

[keithC]

finger-nail marks!?

listen, if its REALLY finger-nail marks, you really odd to give him a piece of all of us softies!!
:evil:

and its definitely not just a drop i think, unless he was leaning on a wall, NEXT to the edge of a staircase.. multiple ding-in-one...