Strange Marks

[Harty_88]

Hi Guys,

I've recently (6 months ago) got my dream guitar, a 330. Always wanted one and finally got it. Tonight I've noticed a black mark on the back I don't remember seeing before, although it's possible it was always there. It's on the back on the top cutaway near the strap button. Next to it is what appears to be a really fine finish crack. I've included a photo below, although it's really hard to see.



You can almost see the finish mark(crack?) at the top where the flash hit the finish and it follows the curve of the point. Is this something I should be worried about? Should I assume the black mark is part of the grain and always there and i'm only just noticing?

I do have one small similar finish crack on the point of the bottom cutaway and the finish feels somewhat bumpy along some of the edges, possibly orange peel? Is this just the finish settling down and shrinking?

Sorry for all the questions, I just want to be sure my new guitar isn't in danger of any damage. Thanks for any replies.

[jps]

...Should I assume the black mark is part of the grain and always there and i'm only just noticing?...

That is possible but we can't say if it has always been there as this is the first time we see this guitar. My old '67 330 had some black marks in the grain; I will post a photo (if I remember later) showing them.

[Harty_88]

Thanks for your reply.

I'm almost positive the mark wasn't there before. I do have darker grain on the top though and it seems different. I've no idea what could have caused that. My only thought is that the finish somehow reacted with the black felt inside the case.

Any idea about the bumpy finish along some edges and the possible finish cracking here?

[jps]

Here is that photo of my old 330:

Photograph Copyright © Jeffrey P. Scott 2009 All rights reserved.

I can't comment on any other aspects as I can't see them in your photograph; lots of times small things are not really visible or photograph well enough to make out.

[bdawson7]

Does it look like it could possibly be a touch up from felt tip marker? That is only just showing up at this time?

I have a marker touch up on my 2010 660/12 FG. Its at the very base of the neck heel, where the neck meets the body at the thickest part of the neck, on the upper-back corner of the neck wood (behind the low E string). There's a 1/2 inch section where the red finish must have been rubbed off while polishing the corner, so it was touched up with a narrow-tip felt marker. I never noticed it until I was looking REALLY closely, about 6 inches or so, and then it was obvious. Now that I know its there I can see it from about 1 or 2 feet away, but not any more than 2 feet.

Its definitely a marker though, because its lighter over where there was bare wood, where it would have been absorbed, and darker over the finished section, where the pigment would have stayed on the surface as the solvent evaporated. I was definitely annoyed when I first saw it. Thought my RIC was somehow subpar. Then after a while I realized it sounded fantastic and still looked phenomenally gorgeous from all angles. It probably happened when buffing one of the many clear coats, so you try to save the whole thing at that point, its almost done.


I can understand doing this from a manufacturer's point of view. When you're shipping only 25 units a day, every one is important to the bottom line, and to loose one unit and dozens of person-hours to a minor blemish on the back isn't rational. You need to have standards, and it seems to me RIC has extremely high standards. Its the way they fixed that minor blemish that seems cheap, but I try to remember it is a handmade instrument, and the spot doesn't affect the sound, playability, or rest of the looks. You can't re-spray or brush-up a tiny spot on a burst finish, it won't match, especially days into the clear-coat and long after the color was mixed. And to strip and redo is too time consuming.

[Ontario_RIC_fan]

You need to have standards, and it seems to me RIC has extremely high standards. Its the way they fixed that minor blemish that seems cheap, but I try to remember it is a handmade instrument, and the spot doesn't affect the sound, playability, or rest of the looks..

Sounds odd indeed.

Why would you assume RIC did this at the factory? Could it not have been the retailer or a previous owner trying to make the guitar look mint again?

[bdawson7]

That's a possibility, but my guitar was sold to me as new, along with intact warranty cards, which I completed and returned.
Also, there is no change in feel across the area. More clear coat and polishing occurred after the marker was applied.