Do stickers bother you?

[golem]

I'm thinking of buying a Taylor SBX locally. I'm not really in love with the stickers the previous owner put on. They've been on long enough where I'd assume, given the color of the finish, that there would be discoloration if I took them off.

So... I'm thinking of leaving them on.

[mickey]

Yes, they bother me. I'd pass on a guitar like you describe because of them.

[UrenragK]

Yes, they bother me. I'd pass on a guitar like you describe because of them.

+1, unless they are original stickers put there by the manufacturer . . .

[nomadh]

It would bother me on a wood grain. Most painted guitars it might be ok. If black white or red stickers may be a requirement. I would expect a discount. Similar to it being black white or red.

Unless it was something SJW. Unless I was being ironic. I do suspect if you removed the stickers the finish would eventually even out. Anyone tried this?

[toomanycats]

I've bought guitars with stickers before. You can look at them as a protective covering. Goo Gone is your friend.

Before:

After:

[Forecaster]

I'd think there'd be no problem if the guitar is otherwise okay--as above Goo Gone or carefully used nail polish remover work magic. Is your concern with fade of the uncovered areas?

[golem]

I'd think there'd be no problem if the guitar is otherwise okay--as above Goo Gone or carefully used nail polish remover work magic. Is your concern with fade of the uncovered areas?

You're right. The stickers aren't horrible. Just not my cup of tea. The big one was put there in 2012. The stamp was 2015. So I'd expect that if this got sun exposure, there might be fading.



This one is currently 23% cheaper than any I've seen sold on Reverb.

[glasshand]

Goo Gone is your friend.

And it doesn't attack the finish? I once had Goo Gone destroy the handles of a Swiss Army Knife!

[mickey]

Goo Gone is your friend.

And it doesn't attack the finish? I once had Goo Gone destroy the handles of a Swiss Army Knife!

I'm thinking that probably depends on what the guitar is finished with.......

[toomanycats]

Goo Gone is your friend.

And it doesn't attack the finish? I once had Goo Gone destroy the handles of a Swiss Army Knife!

I've never had an issue with it on a guitar, though I've only used it on instruments with poly. I definitely wouldn't risk it on a nitro instrument. I believe that Goo Gone is a citrus based product, so it's natural. But then again, so is turpentine.

[Rollin Hand]

WD40 is supposed to work, though I have no practical experience. Not sure I would want to gain that experience on nitro either.

[rrobbone]

.
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"Do stickers bother you?"

Not really.

[toomanycats]

.
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"Do stickers bother you?"


IMG_2379.jpg


Not really.

Ha ha! Back in the late 80s I had a load of Garbage Pail Kids stickers on my Charvel guitar case. Funny stickers, but Gawd was that movie terrible and creepy!

[slowhand84]

I'm thinking of buying a Taylor SBX locally. I'm not really in love with the stickers the previous owner put on. They've been on long enough where I'd assume, given the color of the finish, that there would be discoloration if I took them off.

So... I'm thinking of leaving them on.

Yeah, big time. I would never buy a guitar with a sticker on it unless it had been put on super recently and I could guarantee it would be removable and you'd never know it was ever on there. To me putting stickers on stuff is for children, and I'm always surprised to see them sometimes applied to not-so-cheap instruments. To each his/her own of course, but it's a hard nope from me.

[RockYoWorld]

In general, I'm not a fan of stickers. On the right guitar, it might have a cool effect. Would I want a Taylor acoustic with stickers on it? NO... unless it drives the price super low.

[deeaa]

No they don't...if they're somehow fitting. I have a couple on mine, both custom guitars. One is a big crest of arms of my home town, and on the other there's a Dead Kitty sticker just because it looked great to me. I've had some stickers on some junker axes before, and for instance I once finished a Jaegermeister bottle on a gig and it was so wet the label came off the bottle and I stuck it on my guitar, and it dried and stayed there for years.

[deeaa]

[deeaa]

Forgot about the racing themed Nuno...

[mikesr1963]

Kids and tattoos these days; what are you going to do with them?

[zisme]

i don't mind them on someone else's guitar. sometimes they can be a cool feature

but on mine...no i don't think so

i feel similarly about tattoos. nothing against them - sometimes they can be amazing works of art

do i want one? no i don't think so

[andrewsrea]

Normally not my style. I've seem some pretty cool themes over the years, so I am not opposed.

I am pretty confident that it negatively affects resale. I agree with Mickey and Mr. Cats, that depending on the product which was used for the finish and the conditions the guitar endured with stickers on it (UV light, heat, cold, tobacco, etc.).

An dark opaque urethane or nylon finish on a guitar which was in someone's closet 99% of the time would be the ultimate candidate for a little heat gun and Goo-Gone.

On the other end of the spectrum would be a guitar finished with a transparent VOC finish (like nitro-cellulose lacquer), organic dyes or some Aniline dyes (especially transparent blue or red). Couple that with sunlight, toxic bar room gases , etc. and you probably have fading and perhaps some of the sticker will become absorbed in the finish.

The Yamaha EG 112C that my former neighbors gave me, is opaque black and I believe a urethane. It was made in Japan 1990 and almost immediately had stickers on it. I took them off last year and you would not be able to tell where they were, with the except on that they are areas which were protected from damage.

When encountering these, one can pass on it. Or, go see it, ask a ton of questions, low ball it and take a risk.

[golem]

Normally not my style. I've seem some pretty cool themes over the years, so I am not opposed.

I am pretty confident that it negatively affects resale. I agree with Mickey and Mr. Cats, that depending on the product which was used for the finish and the conditions the guitar endured with stickers on it (UV light, heat, cold, tobacco, etc.).

An dark opaque urethane or nylon finish on a guitar which was in someone's closet 99% of the time would be the ultimate candidate for a little heat gun and Goo-Gone.

On the other end of the spectrum would be a guitar finished with a transparent VOC finish (like nitro-cellulose lacquer), organic dyes or some Aniline dyes (especially transparent blue or red). Couple that with sunlight, toxic bar room gases , etc. and you probably have fading and perhaps some of the sticker will become absorbed in the finish.

The Yamaha EG 112C that my former neighbors gave me, is opaque black and I believe a urethane. It was made in Japan 1990 and almost immediately had stickers on it. I took them off last year and you would not be able to tell where they were, with the except on that they are areas which were protected from damage.

When encountering these, one can pass on it. Or, go see it, ask a ton of questions, low ball it and take a risk.

I picked up the Taylor Solidbody (SBX?) this morning. One of the stickers came off easily and the only had residue. The postage stamp has been harder to get off, but the parts I've had off don't seem to leave a mark either. So I think I lucked out. These guitars are definitely underrated. I guess they remind me of my Ovation VXTs in that regard. Maybe not my favorite guitar ever, but it's a quality guitar that should be going for more than it does go for.

[slowhand84]

Normally not my style. I've seem some pretty cool themes over the years, so I am not opposed.

I am pretty confident that it negatively affects resale. I agree with Mickey and Mr. Cats, that depending on the product which was used for the finish and the conditions the guitar endured with stickers on it (UV light, heat, cold, tobacco, etc.).

An dark opaque urethane or nylon finish on a guitar which was in someone's closet 99% of the time would be the ultimate candidate for a little heat gun and Goo-Gone.

On the other end of the spectrum would be a guitar finished with a transparent VOC finish (like nitro-cellulose lacquer), organic dyes or some Aniline dyes (especially transparent blue or red). Couple that with sunlight, toxic bar room gases , etc. and you probably have fading and perhaps some of the sticker will become absorbed in the finish.

The Yamaha EG 112C that my former neighbors gave me, is opaque black and I believe a urethane. It was made in Japan 1990 and almost immediately had stickers on it. I took them off last year and you would not be able to tell where they were, with the except on that they are areas which were protected from damage.

When encountering these, one can pass on it. Or, go see it, ask a ton of questions, low ball it and take a risk.

I picked up the Taylor Solidbody (SBX?) this morning. One of the stickers came off easily and the only had residue. The postage stamp has been harder to get off, but the parts I've had off don't seem to leave a mark either. So I think I lucked out. These guitars are definitely underrated. I guess they remind me of my Ovation VXTs in that regard. Maybe not my favorite guitar ever, but it's a quality guitar that should be going for more than it does go for.

Yep, I've played a couple of these and they are well built guitars. The reason they don't sell for much (I've seen them go for as low as $450-$500ish) has nothing to do with the quality, more just that they're kind of an oddball guitar and folks buying Taylor just flat out don't want an electric from a brand known entirely for acoustic guitars. But hey anything that allows you to get a guitar you like at a killer price isn't something I'll complain about .

[rrobbone]

If I came across a used guitar I wanted that had stickers on it, that wouldn't deter me. I'd probably leave 'em on, unless they projected an idea I don't agree with. Like dents and scratches, they're a part of that guitar's story.

Or have I romanticized it too much?

[fullonshred]

If someone else wants them and enjoys them that is fine and can even be interesting. But I do not want to buy something someone has relic'd or stickered or anything else that can't be easily put back to normal as new cosmetic condition. Ordinary wear on a guitar is fine if price is right.