Dupont MD50 Guitar Finish Is MELTING!

guit-box

I bought this guitar used, but the owner said it was all original--bought from Djangobooks. It's been rather humid and wet in Minnesota the last few months since I've had it, and the finish has gotten very tacky and the shine gets completely rubbed of in a matter of seconds. (the worst was a rainy wedding where we played under a tent) It's kind of like the consistency of rubber cement in places. It's weird because it enters this fragile state all of the sudden and gets really sticky in places I've touched. After it dries and sets back from leaving it alone and in a dry environment the finish is hard again, but the shine is gone and it's no longer smooth. I'm wondering if anyone else has had problems with the finish on Dupont guitars? I have a Dell Arte that is finished with Nitro and it's rock solid and I've never had a problem with it in similar climate for over 3 years. I have a friend who owns the same model Dupont and his guitar finish looks horrible after 10 years or so, but I haven't asked him if his finish melts or if it's just wear.

MichaelHorowitz

@guit-box I've had nearly a hundred Duponts come through the shop over the years and have never come across this issue. In fact, Dupont's finishes are generally more resilient than most. I wonder if the guitar was exposed to some extreme conditions before you bought it. Otherwise, I can't say what would cause this problem.

guit-box

The guitar looked like it was in perfect condition when I got it. I don't see any signs of repaired cracks or open seams--which could imply it was left in the sun or a hot trunk. I would think Washington state would be even more humid than MN, so that's interesting that you haven't had problems with the finish. I'll ask my friend here who owns the same guitar about his finish since it looks much worse than mine, but it's also older and been to a lot of gigs. Has anyone else had a problem with the finish on their Dupont?

Al Watsky

Humidity should have no effect on that Dupont finish.
Chemical exposure could explain softening of the finish.
Have you had a plastic guitar strap touching the guitar, or possibly the glue in the lining of your case ?
The Duponts I've examined were finished in some sort of urethane , the reserve models have a more traditional finish .
The urethane finishes are inert , the traditional finishes can be effected by extreme heat or chemical exposure.

Bohemian

Has someone "French polished" it over the original finish.

Do you have any "fumes" in the air from and unknown source?

Joli Gadjo

French polish has cheese in it...

Al Watsky

Yeah if its FP'd or other wise over finished all bets are off !

Al Watsky

I think in Canada French Polish has cheese curd in it , just for precisions sake. Its a Poutine finish.

MarkA

Any chance someone was playing it shortly after applying Insect repellant?

MichaelHorowitz

guit-box wrote: »

I would think Washington state would be even more humid than MN, so that's interesting that you haven't had problems with the finish.

Actually, quite the contrary. We have consistent humidity at 50% nearly all year round as well as mild temperatures which makes this region a paradise for guitars. Minnesota on the other hand has a pretty extreme climate with very hot humid summers and dry, very cold winters which is pretty tough on instruments.

guit-box

MarkA--I think you may be onto something. Both times the finish melted were in wet and buggy outdoor conditions and I'm sure I applied lots of insect repellent.

The finish is susceptible to alcohol, I know this because I needed to add some stick-on dots on the side of the fretboard. (After 40 years of guitar playing I just can't get used to a dot on the 10th fret) The instructions for the dot said to wipe the area with alcohol. I did this in just the area of the dots and it melted the finish.

IMO it's very unlikely that someone French Polished over the finish. I've FP over 40 classical guitars and I know what it looks like. This was a thick, commercial finish that's clearly buffed out on a wheel. It's probably the original finish, but it could be a refinish. At any rate, it dissolves if wiped with rubbing alcohol and I suspect MarkA is onto something, insect repellent causes the finish to get soft too.. My DellArte has been exposed to many gigs w/bug spray and it still looks as shiny and smooth as ever.

Can you guys all go spray your guitars with bug spray and get back to me with the results? :-)