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In this Discussion
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Dings
JDRooke
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Hey all,
I just picked up a beautiful Alain Mazoud guitar which he made for me over the last year which I'm loving. I'm a guy on crutches and end up dinging my guitar more than I like at home and at gigs. I tried so hard over the last couple weeks to keep it ding free. Yet, I knew that first ding was coming. It came. I had it in the stand last night and somehow flung my keys and attached wallet at it as they slipped out of my hand. Now, I have several small dings on the top. Nothing deep. Pretty standard mini-dings. I have a cedar top that is a darker than my previous spruce tops and the dings seem to stick out more.
This drives me nuts. So, I thought I'd query all y'all about any possible things I can do to minimize or buff those? Is it possible to get a luthier to do anything about it at some point? I don't imagine I can get them complete removed. But, I'm wondering if there is anything I can do?
Thanks, in advance, for your input.
Jonathan
Comments
I say "meh."
If you are playing any instrument (or really using ANYTHING), it will develop wear. Better that it was you that put it there and not your kid, your spouse, your friend, or someone else you would resent unnecessarily everytime you see the damage. Now that you've got one, you can relax. The alternative would be to leave it in its case and never play it, assuring it never gets a ding.
I know you know that and my intent is not to be preachy. I still get annoyed when I look at the dent in my basement wall where I hit the headstock, taking a tiny bit of the clear lacquer with it. But, what is done can't be undone and life goes on for me. If it doesn't effect the sonics, it just becomes a part of the story.
I am going to 2nd Billy's sentiments. Now when I order a new instrument I ask for it to be antiqued, that way I won't care or know when I ding it unless I crack it. I had a Holo which I bought 2nd hand which was beat pretty good and realized I didn't care if it got another ding. I have a beautiful Dupont Villette Reserve which "Richter428" here on the forum witnessed taking a fall on a Skype call. That ding still bugs me but the ones on my antiqued Cach guitar which I guess are numerous by now don't. Enjoy your new guitar!
www.scoredog.tv
This is true. I have been waiting for it and now it's here. Better get it out of the way. But, it was a doozy. Several very small dings at once. I'm still going through the stages of grief. ;)
Thanks, I love thing to pieces. To borrow a metaphor from another life area... it's not what it looks like, but what you do with it. That said, it's dern pretty and I hate putting a mark on it. I think the cedar top is a factor here. I hear they are softer woods and catch dings easier. A price I have to pay, I guess.
Yes, cedar is softer than spruce and compresses more easily. Also, if the finish is French polish, rather than lacquer, it offers less protection from dings. (However, a French polish finish itself can easily be retouched.)
I don't know which polish and would be curious to know. This is going to be an issue for me, being a one-legged guy on crutches who struggles not to ding my guitars at gigs.
If the ding has broken the grain fibre, there isn't a great deal you can do. If, on the other hand it's a bruised indentation with the grain still intact, you can steam it out. You need to place a damp cloth on the damaged area and place the pointed end a hot iron on the cloth covering the bruise. This should only take a few seconds. Check the result, if it needs a second go, don't be afraid to go for it. It sounds drastic, but it really isn't. Three points to remember, don't have the cloth too wet, don't leave the iron in contact with top for too long and concentrate your efforts solely on the area of damage. I lecture in furniture making here in the UK, and this is a technique common to most students, particularly when they are working "soft" hardwoods, like cherry. Take the bull by the horns and give it a go. Let me know how you get on.
Great, I might pop a pic in her to show the damage and see which one it is. They are more nicks on the surface than dents.
I’ve also heard about filling the ding with thin superglue. It’s what I’ve done on my guitar. Mask the area around it, put in a drop or two. Then you can sand it out and blend with the rest. Worked pretty well for me.
I've watched a luthier use super glue as Buco suggests, but rather than sanding, he uses a single-edge razor blade with scotch tape on each end (as a thickness gauge) to scrape it level. Or placing some scotch tape on either side of the ding and scraping along (not across) the tape.