L-10 bone nut & saddle?

[Rockysdad]

Hi folks, sorry if this has been asked before but, doing a search , I couldn't find a definitive answer. I recently took delivery of a new L-10, and was somewhat dismayed by a couple of things with this new guitar.
First I had found some kind of sticky residue on the top edge, above the strap pin area on the wood / abalone trim area, was able to remove it with no negative results, second I noticed excess glue inside at some braces & purfling? (outer edge that has the notches in it) and third the saddle had what I thought was excess plastic burr at the low "E" string, as well as the high "E" string seemed to be sitting off towards the bottom edge. I wrote to Larrivee and the only thing the  replied about was that they didn't use composite materials for saddles.
I have a Recording King RD-310 which I know for sure has bone nut & saddle, the two of these nuts & saddles couldn't look more different, the Larrivee looks like plastic, the RD-310 doesn't, it is a whiteish gray compared to the Larrivee's  very white look. How can I tell what material it is?  Possibly Nubone/Tusq ?

[webberink]

I would be very surprised if it is a new guitar if the nut and saddle were not bone.  As far as I know, Larrivee has not used tusq for a number of years.  I forget when it was they changed all their nuts and saddles to bone but there is a thread about this somewhere here.  All my bone nuts and saddle on 3 different makes of guitars are pure white.  That being said, you can always test for a plastic or composite saddle like tusq.  Just touch it with a vey hot needle.  They will melt and bone will not.
David

[JOYCEfromNS]

Just touch it with a vey hot needle.  They will melt and bone will not.
David

[Rockysdad]

Thanks folks, I had read that , somewhere, so', I'll try.  Kinda surprised with the other issues though. Larrivee's response to the serial number date , was that it is from the "start date" of the build and the bodies can sit for a year. Showed as Aug 24th of 2015. was shipped to the dealer from Larrivee last week, then directly to me.

[George]

Tusq "clinks" like metal when you drop it on a table top.  The others "clunk"...  Plastic melts.  I have had both unbleached bone (yellow tinge) and bleached bone (white) nuts and saddles.  If you do not like the saddle it came with, Bob Colossi sells some nice ones made for Larrivee....  Not unusual for a Larrivee build to remain unsold and/or unfinished in the plant for years.  I recently purchased one that had been there since 2008...  I am surprised at the numerous detailing issues you have noted on yours though, that seems unusual to me.  I have found some leftover masking tape left underneath the top, but never sloppy finishing touches or excess glue.  Remember these guitars are built by people and sometimes people make mistakes in the process...

[tuffythepug]

Tusq "clinks" like metal when you drop it on a table top.  The others "clunk"...  

That's what I've always done.  It's pretty easy to I.D tusq (plastic) and bone this way.   

Larrivee does occasionally ship a guitar with the wrong saddle.   My 000-50 which is supposed to be equipped with bone nut and saddle had a tusq saddle when it arrived.  One phone call to my dealer who contacted his rep. and within a week I had a bone saddle in my mailbox.  Mistakes are made sometimes.  It's how those mistakes are remedied that distinguishes a good company or dealer from a not-so-good one.     You can contact your dealer and list the things you believe to be either oversights or defects.

I noticed you did not mention how the guitar plays or feels.    Is it ok other than the issues you mentioned ?

[Rockysdad]

That's what I've always done.  It's pretty easy to I.D tusq (plastic) and bone this way.   

Larrivee does occasionally ship a guitar with the wrong saddle.   My 000-50 which is supposed to be equipped with bone nut and saddle had a tusq saddle when it arrived.  One phone call to my dealer who contacted his rep. and within a week I had a bone saddle in my mailbox.  Mistakes are made sometimes.  It's how those mistakes are remedied that distinguishes a good company or dealer from a not-so-good one.     You can contact your dealer and list the things you believe to be either oversights or defects.

I noticed you did not mention how the guitar plays or feels.    Is it ok other than the issues you mentioned ?

Once I took all kinds of relief out of the neck, it played great, I just (I guess) expected "better" quality control. I don't think anyone looked it over after production.

[mike in lytle]

Once I took all kinds of relief out of the neck, it played great, I just (I guess) expected "better" quality control. I don't think anyone looked it over after production.

Before jumping to conclusions, can you tell us what "all kinds of relief" means and what you did to take "all kinds of relief" out?
Just really curious.
Mike

[L07 Shooting Star]

Before jumping to conclusions, can you tell us what "all kinds of relief" means and what you did to take "all kinds of relief" out?
Just really curious.
Mike

Me too.

[Rockysdad]

Before jumping to conclusions, can you tell us what "all kinds of relief" means and what you did to take "all kinds of relief" out?
Just really curious.
Mike
[/quote
Think "hockey stick", shouldn't be any confusion now.

[George]

Before jumping to conclusions, can you tell us what "all kinds of relief" means and what you did to take "all kinds of relief" out?
Just really curious.
Mike
[/quote
Think "hockey stick", shouldn't be any confusion now.

Remember that a new neck has not had truss rod or string tension for very long and will remain quite "bendable" until temp/humidity is stable and you put the gauge/tension of strings you like the most on it and let it settle for a few days.  We usually measure neck relief in the thousandths of an inch or 32nds of an inch.  Not too uncommon for a new neck relief to measure maybe .028 inch in the middle (worst one I have ever seen).  I usually shoot for around .004 inch after it all settles in...  What measure is a "hockey stick"?  

[Rockysdad]

Remember that a new neck has not had truss rod or string tension for very long and will remain quite "bendable" until temp/humidity is stable and you put the gauge/tension of strings you like the most on it and let it settle for a few days.  We usually measure neck relief in the thousandths of an inch or 32nds of an inch.  Not too uncommon for a new neck relief to measure maybe .028 inch in the middle (worst one I have ever seen).  I usually shoot for around .004 inch after it all settles in...  What measure is a "hockey stick"?  

Yeah, a bit of  or whatever, but it had time to settle, and I took off the med gauge strings on it and am trying some D'Addario Nickel Bronze 12-53 right now, the amount of relief is fine now. I also have been playing since about '73 so, I've had a few guitars over that course of time, just this one was cost more than any previous and from all I read,  I expected a bit better quality control, I did not mention "all" the things I found surprising, just a few "key" items.

[mike in lytle]

I also have been playing since about '73 so, I've had a few guitars over that course of time, just this one was cost more than any previous and from all I read,  I expected a bit better quality control, I did not mention "all" the things I found surprising, just a few "key" items.

I really have no idea what your hockey stick reference meant, we still don't know how much relief you had or what you did to fix it.
None of us doubt your experience playing guitar. And I think most of us share your dismay about the problems you have.
I personally would be extremely interested in "all" the things you found surprising about your new guitar,aside from what you have mentioned so far. In simple descriptive terms.
Mike

[Rockysdad]

I really have no idea what your hockey stick reference meant, we still don't know how much relief you had or what you did to fix it.
None of us doubt your experience playing guitar. And I think most of us share your dismay about the problems you have.
I personally would be extremely interested in "all" the things you found surprising about your new guitar,aside from what you have mentioned so far. In simple descriptive terms.
Mike

The hockey stick reference: ( I know the Canadians understood  ) the neck bowed like the curve on the blade of a hockey stick, okay, maybe not that bad, but a lot more than "any" other guitar I've owned. Have purchased several and, had them shipped upon receiving and letting them acclimate, none were like the L-10.
I did not take out calipers or gauges to measure, wasn't necessary, sighting down the neck was all I needed to do, it was obvious.
With regards to "other" things, suffice it to say, this guitar was not cleaned or whatever after production it appeared. Sticky residue on the top, towards the endpin area, excess glue on the neck binding at the top, some sort of white/gray dust like substance on the head, tuners, fret board. Plus the excess glue oozing out of the bracing in the body, as well as the strings not sitting on the saddle properly with some kind of burr or excess on the saddle by the low "E" string. Sorry, I just didn't expect any of this, at least not for the cost level of the L-10.

[webberink]

Hey Rockysdad
I don't blame you for being disappointed with the cleanup and setup on your L10.  There is no justification for sloppy cleanup and set up on an otherwise great guitar, and from your description it is a great guitar.  I guess sometimes on a non boutique guitar a few things slip through the cracks.  So now, onward and upward.  Clean her up and set her up and play on my friend, which it sounds like you are doing.  And yes, a Canuck gets your hockey stick reference/humour.
Dave

[mike in lytle]

The hockey stick reference: ( I know the Canadians understood  ) the neck bowed like the curve on the blade of a hockey stick

Oh well. I didn't play hockey after grade school, and back then our sticks were wood with straight blades. Chicago suburbs, mid-sixties.
Making Canadian references from over in El Paso..... Would you prefer to be thought of as a Canadian Larrivee owner? There are certainly more Canadian forum members than Texas members 
Mike

[Rockysdad]

Oh well. I didn't play hockey after grade school, and back then our sticks were wood with straight blades. Chicago suburbs, mid-sixties.
Making Canadian references from over in El Paso..... Would you prefer to be thought of as a Canadian Larrivee owner? There are certainly more Canadian forum members than Texas members  
Mike

I happen to be a Canadian, living (unfortunately) in El Paso, Texas and, I too grew up in the sixties (Toronto suburbs) with straight blade sticks, but we played hockey all the way through college and then some.