NGD: 660/12

[lazerdriver]

I've been looking for a new one of these for many months. They seem to be very hard to find.

I am impressed with how much easier it is to play compared to a stock 360/12 (which I own and recently had modified with a 12-saddle bridge and wider spaced nut). I have arthritis, so the fingers really appreciate the wider neck and string spacing of the 660/12. I do have one concern with this one though...

All around the sides of the body where the binding and wood meet, I can feel the transition between the binding to the wood. I don't know if this is the correct term or not, but is this what people call binding shrinkage? It was manufactured in week 37 (mid-September) of 2023. The dealer just got this in last week, so it's not like it was sitting on display for a year in varying temperature and humidity conditions.

Would anyone be concerned, or complain, about something like this? I have two other Ricks. A 360/12, which I purchased new 20+ years ago. And a 38/12v69, which I purchased used about a year ago. Both have the same thing with the binding, but not quite to this degree. I don't remember if the 360/12 was like that when I bought it (new) or not. The 381 was like that when I bought it (used).

So is this binding shrinkage? Or is Rick just not real good at getting a smooth transition between the binding and body when finishing their guitars?

[lazerdriver]

Some additional info…It is worse on the right side. There is about a six inch stretch where I can fit my finger nail in the depression between the body and the binding. No cracking of the finish or anything like that. It’s like either the binding has shrunk, or it is set too deep into the body route.

I have many guitars and several newer ones with binding. None of the newer ones have anything like this where you can feel the binding to wood transition all the ways around, and even see it in some areas. The dealer said it something to do with how they scrape the binding during finishing and it is not an issue, but I’ve never heard of that.