Medford Guitar Posted May 6 Share Posted May 6 I recently purchased a J-45 and I love it! The sound, the feel and playability. I used it for the first time at a gig this past weekend. It sounded great (more the guitar than me). Anyway, after the show, I noticed quite a few fine scratches on the finish a tab below the pickguard. I couldn’t rub them out with the enclosed Gibson cloth. Any suggestions? I don’t think I’ve ever owned a nitrocellulose lacquer guitar before. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buc McMaster Posted May 6 Share Posted May 6 A sign of vigorous strumming. Likely you could rub them out with a polishing compound (Meguiers, Virtuoso, etc.) but if long-stroke strumming is your style you'll be doing this quite frequently. Adjust your style, learn to live with it or keep a good supply of compound on hand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
egoidealmusic Posted May 6 Share Posted May 6 That's what they're supposed to end up looking like. Unless you plan to sell it soon, play the snot out of it and let it become what it is. 🙂 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gearbasher Posted May 6 Share Posted May 6 If is a new guitar, the nitro is probably still "curing". I wouldn't try polishing it out for a while. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ceptorman Posted May 7 Share Posted May 7 Those are battle scars.....chicks dig them! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E-minor7 Posted May 7 Share Posted May 7 I too think you are over-sensitive here. Okay, it's a new Gibson and there might some awe involved. But all in all the previous responders sum it up : Play your 45 like an instrument, not an investment object. Welcome & stay tuned 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MountainPlayer Posted May 7 Share Posted May 7 Play it hard but take care of it as well. If you don't like the scratches you can buff them out. Macguier's ScratchX is about the best, easiest polish I've used. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fortyearspickn Posted May 7 Share Posted May 7 Polishing with a compound, of course, removes some of the surface layer. Not enough to miss in your lifetime probably! Pure polish on the other hand temporarily fills in the scratches. Assuming it is brand spanking new out of the box, and not off a Guitar Center showroom floor and the scratches are yours - you need to decide if they are too small to bother with. Gibson guitar polish has, for me, seemed to permanently smooth out 'fine' blemishes without 'compounding' the nitrocellulose. Someone once opined it contained a small amount of nitrocellulose. As noted - that finish takes awhile to stabilize into a hardened surface. I'd guess a year, but others on here know for sure. Ask yourself if your previous gigger looked better or worse or wear and therein you will find a likely answer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Medford Guitar Posted May 7 Author Share Posted May 7 My last had a poly finish on it. First time owning a nitro finish guitar. However, I appreciate all the advice here offered. 2 hours ago, fortyearspickn said: Polishing with a compound, of course, removes some of the surface layer. Not enough to miss in your lifetime probably! Pure polish on the other hand temporarily fills in the scratches. Assuming it is brand spanking new out of the box, and not off a Guitar Center showroom floor and the scratches are yours - you need to decide if they are too small to bother with. Gibson guitar polish has, for me, seemed to permanently smooth out 'fine' blemishes without 'compounding' the nitrocellulose. Someone once opined it contained a small amount of nitrocellulose. As noted - that finish takes awhile to stabilize into a hardened surface. I'd guess a year, but others on here know for sure. Ask yourself if your previous gigger looked better or worse or wear and therein you will find a likely answer. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MorristownSal Posted May 8 Share Posted May 8 I often am surprised how soon from date of manufacture a new guitar is sold. I bet it settles down once the finish cures. Three months? anyways, nitro vs poly. Nitro every day. With a nitro guitar, it will sound better as time goes on. “Open up” is one word. With Poly… how it sounds the day you buy it will be how it sounds the day you sell it. maybe that’s a bad example. For me that time is measured too soon anyways. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larsongs Posted May 8 Share Posted May 8 I can’t anything that hasn’t already been mentioned except Congratulations on that new J-45! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
egoidealmusic Posted May 8 Share Posted May 8 9 hours ago, MorristownSal said: I often am surprised how soon from date of manufacture a new guitar is sold. I bet it settles down once the finish cures. Three months? anyways, nitro vs poly. Nitro every day. With a nitro guitar, it will sound better as time goes on. “Open up” is one word. With Poly… how it sounds the day you buy it will be how it sounds the day you sell it. maybe that’s a bad example. For me that time is measured too soon anyways. I'm not sure I'd agree with this. I got an Inspired by Gibson Humminbird (made in Indonesia before they started building them in China) and it opened up considerably after doing the old speaer vibrations trick for a couple of weeks--a totally different, and far better, sounding guitar. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E-minor7 Posted May 8 Share Posted May 8 On 5/7/2024 at 12:28 AM, gearbasher said: If is a new guitar, the nitro is probably still "curing". I wouldn't try polishing it out for a while. Or then again, , , remember how my 2010 45 Std. got some severe big circle-marks on the back in the early beginning - made by own mistake. It freaked me out, , , and a frantic buff-offensive was launched (no experience at all). This guitar had particularly thick/much lacquer (black slime, not nectar, dripped from the neck all summer) and the scratches remarkably fast got under control. Afterwards continuous cloth-work now & then erased the prob to invisibility. Thinking about it, the logic is pretty straight : Easier to affect soft than hardened material. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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