TheMarco Posted August 12, 2020 Share Posted August 12, 2020 Hi all, My 1974 SG is in great shape except for some kind of lacquer damage on the headstock. I've attached a pic. How hard would this be to restore to look nice again? My guess is all it needs is lacquer and then sanding / polishing? Or is this something I should just leave alone? Thoughts welcome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdgm Posted August 12, 2020 Share Posted August 12, 2020 Looks nasty. Heat damage surely? Think you have to clean/scrape the yellow (melted varnish?) off the inlay too. Only worth doing if it is done well and an 'invisible' repair IMO. Can be done but I wouldn't try it unless you have some experience. Most repair people would probably say it's easier to refin the whole headstock as there is also cracking by the machine head collar . A partial headstock refin might be possible and maybe not that much - depending on how valuable and important to you the guitar is. Worth finding out about anyway. The wood beneath looks ok. The little holes at the bottom of the damaged section....what would have made those marks? Best wishes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheMarco Posted August 12, 2020 Author Share Posted August 12, 2020 Thank you! Now that you mention heat damage that makes sense. Maybe it has leaned against a hot radiator or something like that? I go back and forth between fixing it or just leaving it as is because you could argue it adds character as well. I don't think I'm going to try anything myself. Probably likely to make things worse rather than better eh? 🙂 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdgm Posted August 13, 2020 Share Posted August 13, 2020 Wise decision. The enlarged pic you posted shows it at its worst. It's not pretty but probably less noticeable to others than you think. The trouble is, if you get it sorted out then the guitar becomes a '1974 SG with headstock refin' and that will affect the value. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbonesullivan Posted September 22, 2020 Share Posted September 22, 2020 Is that heat damage, or did something spill on it? Nitro can react to things like Insect Spray and other things. Is the finish in that area hard, or is it 'gooey'? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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