Got my D-18 back yesterday and the luthier did a pretty good job fixing it. But he said it's just going to to it again at some point in time, and when that happens it would be best to just remove the binding and replace it with a gap at the top to let it expand and contract. That would mean it's always moving? There must be a way to glue it back permanently or replace it with a binding that won't expand and contract like this one. 

He also claimed that there were two guitar repair places in the valley here that were Martin repair authorized, and they wouldn't even touch binding repairs. Hmmm . . . I'm not sure I believe that though. 

After I got the guitar back I noticed that all along the binding the lacquer was pitted or broken like the whole binding had been moved. I don't remember it being like that before. Sigh. Why does my favorite guitar have problems like this?  

@shysue Watching with interest. I thought I might like one of those.

Did you contact Martin Guitars? I bet they would have options. 

@jerseychicadee  Martin Guitars is well aware of this issue, but being a 2014 and bought used there's no warranty that covers this D-18. Now I wish I would have bought the warranty that Guitar Centers offered when I bought it there last spring. At least it would have been covered for the first year that I had it. 

Wouldn't it be nice if Martin would just give me a new D-18? LOL, LOL, LOL. 🤣 🤣 🤣 

@jrick92  The D-18 is a great guitar, and it's just certain years that have this issue. Take a look at the UMGF (Unofficial Martin Guitar Forum) and you'll read lots of interesting info about Martin and this problem. 

The luthier said it was the cellulose binding that was the problem, but the UMGF folks claimed that it was the glue. The luthier also said that if I played it more it probably wouldn't happen, which I think is nonsense. I mean, I play it pretty much every single day! How much more do I need to play it, and why would that stop the binding glue from deteriorating? LOL. 

@shysue I would probably contact another Luthier just to get a second opinion. 

I agree with @rickmcdaniel. It seems that there a some that has had this repaired and have not had it happen again. As far as the chipped edge a would think that a good repair person could drop fill some lacquer and smooth it out.

I wonder if they were to completely remove the binding and put a rough sand on the underside so the glue has some grip to hold the glue on the plastic. Also using a thin glue product like Gluboost or Stew Mack’s thin would give it the grip the binding needs. The acrocyanmide (so?)glues work to melt the plastic a little and make a better weld. 

Didn’t mean to do it twice

@jerseychicadee  I hope they can do something like that, and I don't see why they couldn't, really. Probably will take this to a second luthier as suggested above to see what can be done for a permanent fix. 

@shysue  I watched a video of a guy repairing the binding on a D-28 just to see how it was done. I can't imagine why playing it more or less would have anything to do with the binding separating from the body. The one in this video was definitely a glue problem. 

@jrick92 I'm not a Luthier, but I don't see how playing it could cause that either. Maybe, just the yearly seasonal changes, but not playing.