Martin OM28 binding problem

mags · March 2023

I have a Martin OM28 which is 9 years old and I’ve had from new. The plastic binding on the back has come away now in several places and luthier says he’s seen this a few times with this model and it seems to be a problem with the plastic. It doesn’t sound as though this is going to be a cheap fix. I’ve had no response from Martin customer services and I don’t think warranty will cover this as it’s outwith USA. Anyone had a similar experience ? Thanks in advance. Mags - clear

Mellish · March 2023

I've the same model, though mine is a youngster (2022).

If I had an issue with mine, I'd have the UK Official Service Centre sort it (Dave King).
Saying that, you won't get it repaired under warranty. You get one year in the UK, and a store may throw in another two years, but that's still way short of the nine since new. But...well, see what they say when they respond.

wrinkleygit · March 2023

Nothing new, had the same problem on my 000-28ec, seems to be quite a common occurrence.

ditchboy · March 2023

Assuming it hasn’t messed up the structure of the guitar that should be a fairly straightforward repair. Has the binding cracked or just come away from the body?

Brize · March 2023

I had mine repaired by Dave King and he made a complete mess of it.

Mellish · March 2023

@Brize ; really? Wow, thanks for that.

Where did you go from there?

jellyroll · March 2023

I’ve had same issue on a c.2017 OM21, around the waist on the top and back. Haven’t had it repaired - I’m too lazy and not particularly bothered by it.

Brize · March 2023

Mellish said:

@Brize ; really? Wow, thanks for that.

Where did you go from there?

Dave King glued down the binding but it was a rough repair with jagged edges and squeeze out. I was speechless when I collected the guitar but assumed that it was just a job that's difficult to execute cleanly so paid and left. I remained disappointed so later took the guitar to Jon Press in Bristol who re-did the repair and achieved an almost perfect result.

Martin should be thoroughly ashamed of this issue. I've read that they used some sort of eco glue that wasn't up to the job, which they've now addressed. Personally I believe that they should pay for every affected guitar to be shipped back to the US to be repaired in the factory.

Mellish · March 2023

@Brize ; ahh, JP Guitars.

Cheers mate, appreciated.

Choivert · March 2023

I had Jim Fleeting fix my D18 that had this issue. The repair is flawless and not as expensive as I thought it would be. I believe he took the whole binding off, reglued it and then patched a small amount of binding in the gap left. This means that the binding no longer is trying to pull away from the body, which is the case if you just glue it back.

stylesforfree · March 2023

Choivert said:

I had Jim Fleeting fix my D18 that had this issue. The repair is flawless and not as expensive as I thought it would be. I believe he took the whole binding off, reglued it and then patched a small amount of binding in the gap left. This means that the binding no longer is trying to pull away from the body, which is the case if you just glue it back.

how old was your D18 when it happened?

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Martin OM28 binding problem

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