gotomsdos Posted November 25, 2011 Posted November 25, 2011 Hi, buddies ! I'm encountered with a new issue. In my country, in Asia. A guitar pal said that he has a retailer friend who has ever sold Gibson coustic (recently a few years, I guess), But he found that the paint of Gibson acoustic came off in 2 months, so he gave up selling it. I have no any experience with Gibson acoustic. Have you Gibson acoustic owners ever been encounted with such issue ? Thank you !
gotomsdos Posted November 25, 2011 Author Posted November 25, 2011 Hi.. whats it like for Humidity over there? He didn't say. But my martin HD-28 (natural finish), through a whole winter with below 20%, had no problem with paint, just a bit concave. I wonder if he said about sunburst.
Aster1 Posted November 25, 2011 Posted November 25, 2011 He didn't say. But my martin HD-28 (natural finish), through a whole winter with below 20%, had no problem with paint, just a bit concave. I wonder if he said about sunburst. Man, I'd be getting me a humidifier & case hygrometer (humidiguide) for AT LEAST the guitar at once! 20% and Concave is a really dry guitar and won't take much to see some good cracks soon from everything I've ever read. Haven't heard about finishes falling off on Gibson's, or any other quality guitar yet. Are you sure they are really Gibson's and not knock off's? But for sure, 20% is bad news for a piece of wood music instrument. Check out the YouTube's from Taylor on Humidity or Wet/Dry guitars. Rather informative. Taylor on Humidity BTW, I personally love the dry air for me when I'm outside (love New Mexico or Wyoming USA climate when it's hot or cold), but in my home have to keep things at least 40-50% in the winter for sure. Above can grow molds, below allows for you to catch germs/viruses easier. I don't subject my guitars to high or low humidity however. Our local Gibson,Epiphone, Fender, Martin, Guild warranty repair luthier's told me the way they recommend for a cheap & effective humidifier for a case. Buy a plastic travel soap bar case and a cellulose sponge at the store. Drill a few 1/8" holes in the TOP of the plastic soap travel case and cut the sponge to fit the case. Wet sponge and ring out. Place in travel case and place in the guitar case with the guitar. Monitor the guitar case humidity with the Hygrometer to keep it about 40%-50% humidity. Will take about a week or more to bring back a dry guitar to proper humidity. A guitar should be CONVEX on the body some. You can tell with a straight edge down below the bridge. Aster
gotomsdos Posted November 25, 2011 Author Posted November 25, 2011 Man, I'd be getting me a humidifier & case hygrometer (humidiguide) for AT LEAST the guitar at once! 20% and Concave is a really dry guitar and won't take much to see some good cracks soon Thank you Aster1 That was last winter when I had no knowledge about guitar maintenance. Now I keep a humidifier to my HD-28, keep it at least 40-50%, but when i go to bed, i switch it off. maybe keeping it on is better, but I'm afraid of influence sleeping with it on, because of a bit of noise. I'll try it on through all night.
Aster1 Posted November 25, 2011 Posted November 25, 2011 I would suggest keeping your guitar in it's case if it's that dry there with a case humidifier still. It's good to have the room humidifier running too for sure. Did the concave come back out of your Martin and it start sounding better with the humidity? Best of luck!! Where in Asia do you live? With that low of humidity it must be what we call "High Desert" here in the States. Or is it just that low in your home and higher outdoors? Aster
gotomsdos Posted November 25, 2011 Author Posted November 25, 2011 I would suggest keeping your guitar in it's case if it's that dry there with a case humidifier still. It's good to have the room humidifier running too for sure. Did the concave come back out of your Martin and it start sounding better with the humidity? Best of luck!! Where in Asia do you live? With that low of humidity it must be what we call "High Desert" here in the States. Or is it just that low in your home and higher outdoors? Aster The top part around bridge has turned back much, but the top part at the two sides beside neck is almost unchanged, my hand can feel the slight concave, slightly slope down toward neck. But its sound is almost not influenced. At least my ears can not hear it. hehe I'm in Beijing China, and you ?
fortyearspickn Posted November 25, 2011 Posted November 25, 2011 Now that we've discussed humidity, and before we move on to strings... to answer your original question, I'd suggest you search through this forum. I can't remember ever seeing anything posted here regarding paint loss. As you know, the paint/stain is sealed with nitrocelulose. That reacts unfavorably to lemon oil, bug spray and other things. So, without additional information from your friend, I'm not sure how else to help. Reminds me of a 'review' I read for an Epiphone Hummingbird. The buyer was pleased with his purchase of course. But he went off to state how much better the Epi was compared to the Gibson H'bird, and that the Gibson had a cheap, puffy vinyl pickguard that wasn't even glued on straight. Of course - I find that impossible to believe. So too, the paint peeling off just sounds fishy. In the US in the recent past, dealers who weren't able to get approval to sell Gibsons sometimes took to trashing them - is it possible your friend the guitar retailer had a similar experience?
SoonerBuckeye Posted November 25, 2011 Posted November 25, 2011 Are you certain that the guitars in question were made in Bozeman, MT, U.S.A. Gibsons and not the Chinese made "fake" Gibsons? I've see one of the Chinese fake Les Pauls that the finish could be rubbed off as soon as you got it. Bob
j45nick Posted November 25, 2011 Posted November 25, 2011 I'm pretty suspicious about this "problem". My experience with Gibsons is all with translucent stained or natural nitrocellulose finishes, not with "paint" in the ordinary sense. I'm not sure what the "failure" mode of a real Gibson finish might be. The only finish failure I have seen on a Gibson was on an old L-7 I looked at last week, where a small chunk of nitro (about 6mm by 40mm) had fallen off on one side next to the binding due to crazing. I think that can be forgiven on a 65-year-old guitar. If the finish is coming off a new guitar branded "Gibson", I would be suspicious about whether it's a real Gibson or a knock-off. If it's a new guitar not sold by an authorized Gibson dealer, it might well be fake. Not to insult Chinese guitar builders and buyers, but there are a ridiculous number of fake Gibsons for sale on the internet that are made in China. It would be a full-time job to try to keep track of them.
gotomsdos Posted November 26, 2011 Author Posted November 26, 2011 So too, the paint peeling off just sounds fishy. In the US in the recent past, dealers who weren't able to get approval to sell Gibsons sometimes took to trashing them - is it possible your friend the guitar retailer had a similar experience? Oh, I think what you said is probable. I didn't believe what he said that much. Later that guy suggested me to try Taylor, said his friend sells Taylor.
Aster1 Posted November 26, 2011 Posted November 26, 2011 I'm in Beijing China, and you ? Smack in the middle of the USA in Iowa. 2 million + people. About a neighborhood or so to you guys I betcha!! All I can think of is getting out into the wide open areas out west or Southwest & riding the bike during the day & playing guitars on the porch of the ranch house when I get home from riding. Maybe a town with about 4,000-10,000 max, great views, and NO TRAFFIC or LINES at the store. HHH (Health, Happiness, Harley's) Aster
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