sigil Posted March 23, 2008 Share Posted March 23, 2008 HI! I'm new in this forum and I would like to ask if someone knows answer to my question: I have ebony LP Studio, which I aqguired about 10 months ago. I like to keep my guitars in good condition, and with normal playing the color of my LP has worn off! The guitar is under a year old! I have had about ten guitars before, differend, cheaper brands and I have never had this kind of problem. The color has worn through (to the wood!!!) from the upper edge of body where my hand rubs it during the play. I would like to know will the Gibson warranty cover this? I have to say, that I'm a bit dissapointed with the paint's quality, even though I like the guitar very much. Answers appreciated, thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Plains Posted March 23, 2008 Share Posted March 23, 2008 Your best bet is to contact Gibson directly. In Europe 00+8004GIBSON1 (00+800-444-2766-1) service.europe@gibson.com Care to post some pictures? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
retrosurfer1959 Posted March 24, 2008 Share Posted March 24, 2008 I have one Ive worn through also but mine took over 20 years to get that way!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheLiveSoundGuy Posted March 24, 2008 Share Posted March 24, 2008 I would agree with Tim A. Contact Gibson to be sure, but I would guess not, since the wear is caused by your playing style (hand.) It doesn't seem to me the problem is with material or workmanship. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raptor Posted March 24, 2008 Share Posted March 24, 2008 Chances are no. It clearly states in the warranty information that the finish is not covered. 1 day old or 1 year old, doesn't matter. In your case the problem is normal wear and tear from playing. It might be different if the finish were bubbling up all over the body, but you yourself are already aware of what is causing it. It is not necessarily flawed finishing, what kind of clothing do you normally wear when you play? What Ph is your sweat? How about your playing style? What other guitars do you own? These are all factors that will help explain some things. If you own guitars with polyurethane finishes, then that explains some. Poly finishes can be more durable and thicker than nitrocellulose. Poly finishes can also rob tone from the guitar. Nitro finish guitars need different care than poly finishes, and it is up to you as the owner to know this. You say that you have owned cheaper guitars previous to this. That explains your surprise, because lower end guitars almost always use poly for the finish. They do this because it is cheaper and easier for them to work with. Your sweat can eat away the guitar's finish and the finish on the metal. Some people sweat battery acid. I am one of them and have to clean my guitars thoroughly after each playing. Even so, I will wear through mine a lot faster than most people. If you play while wearing heavy denim shirts, then the material can act like sandpaper and wear the finish away faster. Also some synthetic materials can react with and eat into the finish, this is why I tell people to use only pure cotton cloths when cleaning their guitars. So if you have corrosive sweat, or wear clothing that is hard on the finish, you will wear through it faster. If it really bothers you a lot, then avoid guitars with nitro finishes. For starters that would include Gibsons, Martins and a bunch of higher end custom shop Fenders. Sadly it sounds like you were not informed on how to care for your guitar. Did you read the material and booklets that came with it? At the end of the day, that wear shows that you love the guitar and play it a lot. It doesn't hurt the tone, or anything about the guitar. You just may not like the look of it. But every mark and scratch on your guitar is a memory and a badge of it's life. Be proud of it. Some people pay thousands of dollars to get people to artificially do to their guitars what you have done naturally. So keep playing the guitar, building up that well used guitar mojo. Enjoy and show the wear with pride. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gutch220 Posted March 24, 2008 Share Posted March 24, 2008 also, are you sure it's a really Gibson? Maybe some chinese boy just spray painted it in some back alley shop Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sigil Posted March 24, 2008 Author Share Posted March 24, 2008 Nice one, Gutch220 Normally I am wearing t-shirt so the only thing against the guitars body is my skin. I just asked about this because I was surprised, that the paint comes off after so short time. I emailed the Gibson Europe (thanks Tim), so I just wait and see what they have to say about this. Scratches doesn't bother me in general and I also think that they just give personality to the instrument, but I was surprised how fast the paint wore off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.