Mickthemiller Posted October 20, 2015 Share Posted October 20, 2015 Seeing the new stock of 2016 Gibson Acoustics made me think - how does it feel when you first get that sickening sound of a knock to the guitar and you look and find a ding? I've been there a few times and it really makes you feel quite sick until you realize it's just the first of many! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capmaster Posted October 20, 2015 Share Posted October 20, 2015 Happened to me three times the latest three years. I had them dings repaired, in two cases without any visible ot palpable trace left. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pesh Posted October 20, 2015 Share Posted October 20, 2015 I hate it; I like to keep them pristine for as long as possible. I'm the same with new tech and gadgets. And then hate it when it's just got the one ding. When it gets the second and third is when I start to relinquish the OCD, must-always-be-shiny-and-perfect craziness; I think it feels like it's a brand new model with a blemish when it's got just 1 ding, to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sbpark Posted October 20, 2015 Share Posted October 20, 2015 I could care less. It's a guitar, not a priceless work of art. Guitars are tolls, and like tools they are meant, designed and built with the purpose of being used to get a job done, and as a result dings, scratches, scuffs will happen. It's all part of it. I thinks it's a bit comical, and somewhat lame when a guy is that cautious that he freaks with every dent, ding or dust particle that falls on his guitar that it's a big deal. I think it detracts from actually being able to playtime instrument to the players fullest potential since in the back of his/her mind they're probably worrying more about it getting scuffed instead of concentrating on playing. All of my guitars are players. All of them. Now, I don't own any real 'collectible' guitars, all mine are workhorses. My 2006 Fender 52AVRI was pristine when I bought it used several years ago. Not its loaded with scratches, a few dings, chips, scuffs, etc and now needs some fret work because Ive played it so much. It doesn't bother me one bit. My late-2014 J45 Standard is the same way. Its got a few scuffs already, some really, really small dings here and there...who cares! When I buy a guitar I buy it because I plan on keeping it, not messing with it for a bit, then flipping it for something different. There are plenty of guys who jump from guitar to guitar to guitar, so I can see how that affects how they treat theirs, since stuff like that detracts from value. And actually, Ive been able to score great deals on used guitars that had some big paint chips, scratches. I got a 1985 MIJ Strat for $230 all original, that had a big paint chip on the body. Nobody wanted it on Craigslist. Thing is amazing with some Fender 56/62 pickups in it now! I plan on keeping my guitars forever and want to enjoy them now, in the present, not handle them with kid gloves because I 'might' sell it in the future. I don't abuse my guitars by any means, but I don't keep them behind glass either, and they actually get played! My car is different though...I have a binder with with clear plastic sleeve pages that I have kept, in chronological order, every thing that's ever been done to the car, from oil changes, warranty service, glass damage repair, tire rotations, etc. That is something the next owner will most likely be impressed with and it shows I've taken great care of the vehicle. Guess were all different and have different priorities! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike_L Posted October 20, 2015 Share Posted October 20, 2015 The first ding is painful, after that... it's just adding personality to the guitar. Same with hardware tarnish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MorrisrownSal Posted October 20, 2015 Share Posted October 20, 2015 The first ding or two sucks. I play all my guitars, but I try my darndest to care for and respect them. My worst ding came from recording, and turning around holding the guitar to reach for a capo behind me for a song I was trying to lay down, and BANG. Lower front bout meet Oak desk. ARGHHHH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blindboygrunt Posted October 20, 2015 Share Posted October 20, 2015 Its very hard to get a Guinness to your mouth without a dribble . As long as I don't effect the playability of the guitar I'm same as above. Wouldn't lose sleep. I do have a weird scrape on the face of mine that I don't know how happened though. That annoys me . Its like the end of a string has caught it perhaps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fortyearspickn Posted October 20, 2015 Share Posted October 20, 2015 I guess I neither treat my Gibsons as 'Tools' or as "Collectors For Investors". I I look in the mirror for a reality check every so often - and see a lot more than a ding or two! So, I don't really get upset when one appears on my guitar. I have only a few on each guitar that are noticeable, and those I remember how they got there - so they are like benchmarks. The most 'glaring' for example - on my pristine SJ200 on the bottom of the lower bout. A scrape from the headstock of the electric guitar seated to my right after the jazz class teacher told him to move away and be careful. So - I was really miffed. But got over it. Like the time my college room mate lowered his desk top onto the face of my also pristine LG1. Or the time my son accidentally tipped the case lid on that same guitar decades later and the pointy latch dinged the face really good. So, these things are unavoidable. And if you are careful - you only get a few, and the years remove the pain and angst and just leave the happy feeling that you were playing and enjoying life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aliasphobias Posted October 20, 2015 Share Posted October 20, 2015 I'm not too worried about scuffs and dings either. I prefer to ding them myself rather than someone else do it. I am, for some reason, not fond of aggressive strum marks above the pickguard from someone playing over the fretboard extension. I'm not sure why that is..pet peeve I guess. Nothing worse than letting someone "check" my guitar out and the next thing you know sawdust is flying. I prefer they play it like it is mine not there own. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L5Larry Posted October 20, 2015 Share Posted October 20, 2015 In 1975 I'd just bought my tobacco sunburst Les Paul Standard, one of the first 25 Gibson made with the reintroduction of the full size humbucker "Standard" that year. On my FIRST string change, as I snipped the last string, the stopbar went bouncing across the beautiful sunburst top. Of course it landed points down, and bounced twice before sliding off the back of the guitar. I still look at that "trail" and think what an idiot I was, even 40 years later. Normal dings and play wear doesn't bother me (too much), but doing something stupid and damaging your own guitar........ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
splake Posted October 20, 2015 Share Posted October 20, 2015 Think of Willie Nelsons -Trigger For that is how a guitar is suppossed to look. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrairieSchooner Posted October 20, 2015 Share Posted October 20, 2015 I don't ever ding them on purpose, of course; by the same token, after the "Damn!" that involuntarily pops out when I hear the clunk that means I banged it against something, I just mark it down to stuff happens and move on. The worst to date is when a deer antler shed fell off a shelf and put a nice dent (almost a hole) in the underside lower bout of my F212XL that was sitting on a stand nearby. Wasn't happy about it, but the dent's still there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidblast Posted October 20, 2015 Share Posted October 20, 2015 well there's dings, then there are dings. Last March, this happened to my (once pristene) 2005 Taylor GS when an SM58 on a stand tipped and hit the guitar on the top. So far the estimates I've had for a factory Taylor repair is $500 to $900 depending on which option I choose, the 500 dollar option merely seals it. so, I've come to the realization, I have to live with it. yea it sucks, but,, the guitar still plays great and (for me) sounds terrific. (I like taylors.. what can I say?) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hogeye Posted October 20, 2015 Share Posted October 20, 2015 well there's dings, then there are dings. Last March, this happened to my (once pristene) 2005 Taylor GS when an SM58 on a stand tipped and hit the guitar on the top. So far the estimates I've had for a factory Taylor repair is $500 to $900 depending on which option I choose, the 500 dollar option merely seals it. so, I've come to the realization, I have to live with it. yea it sucks, but,, the guitar still plays great and (for me) sounds terrific. (I like taylors.. what can I say?) Yup,Taylor Guitars are nice. To bad they don't finish them with Nitro. If that were a Gibson with Nitro it could be repaired in about 15 minutes at basically no charge. I'm not sure where you folks live but there are any number of great repair shops that can fix nitro finishes. Nitro can be filled and buffed or it can be sanded and over shot and none of the repairs can be detected and the repair will not effect the sound or value of your guitar. That's why you spend the big bucks folks. Don't fret(pun intended) guys just get the finish repaired. The finish can be dinged, dented, or scratched and it is an easy fix. I've seen cracked tops and backs repaired at minimal expense and no one could tell the guitar was damaged. Nitro is very easy to repair and very forgiving. So if you have a ding don't sell the guitar just get it fixed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aerohead Posted October 20, 2015 Share Posted October 20, 2015 1445344448[/url]' post='1704207']My car is different though...I have a binder with with clear plastic sleeve pages that I have kept, in chronological order, every thing that's ever been done to the car, from oil changes, warranty service, glass damage repair, tire rotations, etc. That is something the next owner will most likely be impressed with and it shows I've taken great care of the vehicle. Guess were all different and have different priorities! Now that funny! I never wash mine or change the oil! When the motor seizes on my 2015 HellCat I'll buy an old blue car! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blindboygrunt Posted October 20, 2015 Share Posted October 20, 2015 How would a fella approach fixing this ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MissouriPicker Posted October 20, 2015 Share Posted October 20, 2015 Life happens. Can't let a ding on your guitar or a lost football game ruin your life. Too many really important things to worry about....That said, I take care of my guitars, but couldn't care less if The Kansas City Chiefs never win another game. I don't leave my guitars on a guitar stand on stage, don't use my Gibsons in bars or venues where there are likely to be drunks in very close proximity to where I am. I use my Gibsons all the time at folk festivals, art fairs, coffeehouses, Harley dealerships, restaurants, birthday parties, libraries and most situations that one would consider "family friendly." I don't take them to jams where people are all on top of each other or where there's lots of drinking. Won't take them on a camping trip. Won't sit with them in the direct sun on a very hot day. Won't leave them in a hot or cold car for longer than it takes me to carry something into a gig and come back. I think every single one of my Gibsons could easily pass for being used primarily in a studio. Dings do happen. Got a little one my J15 from banging it on a mic stand. A little bit of a belt rash on my Dove, so I gave my Mark Twain belt buckle to my nephew. You can't avoid accidents all the time, but I try to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluesKing777 Posted October 20, 2015 Share Posted October 20, 2015 Where do I put the ding? :mellow: BluesKing777. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
62burst Posted October 20, 2015 Share Posted October 20, 2015 How would a fella approach fixing this ? ? Just a thought. Otherwise, as Hogeye said, lacquer's repairability is one of it's better features. A pro would make short work of that repair; a medium brown lacquer or a touch darker with the drop fill technique demonstrated by StewMac's Dan Erlewine (video on YouTube). Even more repairable when the damage is in the darker area of the 'burst (a plus for those with small, '30's-style sunbursts). StewMac also has a couple of options to do this touch up, but their lacquer content makes their shipment across the pond unavailable. A local recommendation would work, but if you're comfortable with wet sanding or compounding/polishing nitro, it's a nice little Saturday project. Finishing with Virtuoso cleaner and polish, or maybe (before the Virtuoso) in combo with some micro fine (+~2500) grit wet sanding paper on a small rubber pad. You could definitely make it "good enough'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the dog Posted October 20, 2015 Share Posted October 20, 2015 it's like a new car.....for me the same thing......you don't want any dings but once you get the first one the next is easier....you still don't like it but it is not as bad.....for me any way.....rationalization ..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smurfbird Posted October 20, 2015 Share Posted October 20, 2015 That's another reason why older guitars are cool. They come pre-dinged and should you bump it, it just adds even more 'MOJO.' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fullmental Alpinist Posted October 20, 2015 Share Posted October 20, 2015 Saw this at my local Lowes. While I don't know that I'd use it on a collector's guitar it looks like it'd work great for a lot of fixes on lesser guitars. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GG-F05Y5e5w FMA (I have no connection to the product and haven't used it.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MissouriPicker Posted October 20, 2015 Share Posted October 20, 2015 Thanks for posting this info. I've got a 42-43 Regal parlor that has about a 4-inch crack on the top. This product supposedly works with wood also, so I may give it a try. Looks like it's easy-to-work with too. I had a guitar tech tell me to just use Gorilla Glue on it and save some money, but I think it's too thick to actually get into the crack without it getting messy. This product may be cleaner to work with and the price is reasonable. Not looking to do a perfect job on an old birch guitar, but I don't want it to look like one of my little grandkids repaired it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fullmental Alpinist Posted October 21, 2015 Share Posted October 21, 2015 Thanks for posting this info. My pleasure. I can see a lot of uses for this stuff. I bet it could be used not only to fill cracks but also to rebuild things like those vintage plastic tuner knobs that come off in one's hand. And, since it's non-toxic, how about DIY dental work? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blindboygrunt Posted October 21, 2015 Share Posted October 21, 2015 If I bought some nitrocellulose lacquer , what would I use to tint it black / brown ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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