000-42 Binding Concerns

The_Singing_Scotsman

Hello,

Looking for some advice.  Considering purchasing this 000-42 but as you can see, there is some binding shrinking around the neck.  Is this an expensive repair and does it point to more binding issues?  Would appreciate any advice.  

Dan

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/oed04dbh6j8u4i2cqcw76/IMG_8345.jpg?rlkey=xtq5x1n28ix15vpawgktpbch7&raw=1 

kmajor

The waist binding shrinking is a common problem on Martin but never seen this before. Having said that there are a couple 000-42 advertised on ebay that have the same issue. 
This one in particular
.https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/395937728467?_skw=Martin+000-42+Acoustic+Guitar+-+Natural&itmmeta=01JDVPEJN7B39ARWMSYDDTS4N2&hash=item5c2fba47d3:g:keUAAOSwK01nRIV0

I would get in touch with a guitar repair guy and ask their opinion

danishbacon

I passed on a d-42 with this very issue. Early 2000s. There’s some evidence online that post 2013 or thereabouts are affected by body binding issues, 40+ series included which is a bit questionable at the price points. 

Tannin

WTF? How is it possible that Martin, of all companies, cannot get the basics right? They have been making guitars for almost 200 years, you'd think that they would have figured it out by now.

Ricjo

As Kmajor mentioned, waist binding issues are common and I too have never seen one of this nature.
A waist repair is straight forward: I got one done a couple of years ago for around £40. Will, no doubt, be higher than that now. I would dig into the UMGF and read up on all posts on this specific binding issue or ask the question, should there not be anything there about it (highly unlikely).

The_Singing_Scotsman

Thanks everyone for the contribution.  It blows my mind that Martin have these issues and all the major players don't. 

danishbacon

Present on this D-42 https://richtonemusic.co.uk/martin-d-42-acoustic-guitar-natural-hard-case-2nd-hand/

BillDL

There's something odd about that guitar in the original post, but it may just be to do with the angle the photo has been taken from.  If you look at where the frets end on top of the binding on the bass side there is a gap between them and the edges of the binding whereby it almost looks as though there are remnants of fret nibs.  On the treble side, however, the ends of the frets look as though they finish at the edge of the binding, or at least much closer to it than on the bass side.

How old is the guitar and has it been refretted?

PhilKing

Maybe the fret tangs have pushed the binding out on the bass side?  I would expect them to cut the tangs back, but perhaps it wasn't enough.

BillDL

That was my thought too @PhilKing.  The problem with my thoughts was that the frets don't get longer (well apart from a tiny bit of expansion in heat), it's generally that the wood shrinks and the fretwire can't.  Had the fretboard wood shrunk I would have expected to see a gap between it and the binding.  Maybe there is and it's just not evident in the photo.  It would also be harder for the wood to shrink on the fretboard extension where it is glued to the soundboard.  My suspicion is that the length of plastic binding along the end of the fretboard has shrunk and pulled away from the weakest glued mitre joint.  Maybe a combination of both?

Tannin

I'm thinking that this instrument may have been subjected to some pretty serious extremes of humidity. Much too wet: fretboard expands and cracks the binding off, and much to dry to do that weird stuff to the frets. If this is true, what is the bracing like? I think I'd avoid.

BillDL

Neck reset where too much steam and heat have been applied to the fretboard extension and swelled the wood of the fretboard permanently?

ICBM

BillDL said:

There's something odd about that guitar in the original post, but it may just be to do with the angle the photo has been taken from.  If you look at where the frets end on top of the binding on the bass side there is a gap between them and the edges of the binding whereby it almost looks as though there are remnants of fret nibs.  On the treble side, however, the ends of the frets look as though they finish at the edge of the binding, or at least much closer to it than on the bass side.

Tannin said:

I'm thinking that this instrument may have been subjected to some pretty serious extremes of humidity.

This - I don't think the binding has shrunk, I think the fingerboard has expanded. There's really no other explanation for why the frets are now shorter than the width of the board - Martin don't do them like that (see the treble side).

The question is whether it's now stabilised. If it has, really all you need to do is cut a tiny piece of ivoroid/black/white binding and glue it into the gap. If...

I'm also surprised that if this is the cause, the top hasn't cracked roughly under the low E string - the expansion of the fingerboard will have put a lot of stress on the top under it which it's glued to - even though it's not as much as you might expect, the gap in the binding is at 45º so it will be roughly half that amount. My '71 D-35-12 has the typical top crack under the B strings due to the old pickguard having shrunk. (They're notorious for it - it's been replaced now.)