Brand new J45

[Rockanrolla]

Hi all, Ive been the proud owner of my dream guitar a J45 for a couple of weeks now and every day im blown away by her.

I tried 3 different J45's and a hummingbird at the shop before deciding on mine (she chose me really) and I really cant put it down, I'm too scared to take her out, I'm not going to gig with her, well not for a while yet. I really cant beleive the quality of this instrument.

 

I have been knoticing a sheen from where my arm rests on the top, sort of a sticky cloudy mark, its barely two months out of the factory so I know it'll probably take few months to fully harden, but I was wondering is this normal ?

Its almost a sticky milky sheen left from my skin, Almost like if you touch some varnish before it dries.

I wipe down after every play, however to remove these marks I have to slightly dampen my cotton cloth to get her back to shine.

 

Should I leave it a few months to allow for curing ?

Should I wear shirt sleeves while playing?

Should I treat the finish ?

 

Any advice would be most welcome.

 

I'll try and attach some pics too.

Fatmo.

 

 

[Rockanrolla]

Sorry, having trouble with pictures

 

 

 

[EuroAussie]

Its normal, I get that on all my acoustics. Its just the sweat and grime from you arm resting on top of the guitar. Give it a wipe or just dont worry about it. I give it a wipe when i change strings, otherwise i leave it there.

 

Its less noticable on natural finished tops, but on the sunburst everything comes up.

[RASHARU]

I've had my J45 for a couple of years now & I still have that exact same issue. Yes, it is unique to Gibson's finish (I suppose) because it never happens with any of my other guitars.

[Rockanrolla]

Its normal, I get that on all my acoustics. Its just the sweat and grime from you arm resting on top of the guitar. Give it a wipe or just dont worry about it. I give it a wipe when i change strings, otherwise i leave it there.

 

Its less noticable on natural finished tops, but on the sunburst everything comes up.

 

Thanks for that EuroAussie, you've put my mind at rest, I wasn't worried that much about it but also was wondering if it was normal.

[Rockanrolla]

I've had my J45 for a couple of years now & I still have that exact same issue. Yes, it is unique to Gibson's finish (I suppose) because it never happens with any of my other guitars.

 

 

I was hoping it was the type of finish and not a one off problem with mine, I can handle it if its the norm, I just wasn't sure.

Thanks Rasharu

[Jerry K]

Gibson acoustics sport a nitro-cellulose finish. It's an expensive, old-fashioned type of finish which is very, very thin and continues to get thinner as the guitar gets older. For the first few months the nitro finish may tend to soften under higher temps and humidity. Gradually it will fully cure and harden up.

 

Depending on the ph and so forth of your perspiration and how much you perspire, a nitro finish will tend to get cloudy at the spot where your picking arm rests on the side and top. I usually wear long sleeve shirts when playing nitro finish guitars. Some ignore it and allow cloudiness and wear at that spot. Others clean fastidiously after playing.

 

For a new guitar, it is best to not use any polishes or preparations for several months while the nitro hardens up. I recommend you use a microfiber cotton cloth like Googlies and perhaps wear long sleeve shirts if that works for you.

[g-sport]

The micro fibre planet waves cloth that lives with my Gibby, i use to wipe down strings after use. I also lay it where my arm rests when wearing short sleeves and making noise.

 

Sad, but true!

[Danner]

You aren't damaging the finish, you are leaving a layer of body oils on top of it. Wearing a long sleeve shirt solves the issue. Also, huffing on it and wiping with a microfiber cloth right after playing works well. Also, Virtuoso Cleaner and Polish make it look like new again.

 

Enjoy your J45.

[G McBride]

Virtuoso Cleaner and Polish will make that clean right off.

 

I have also dampened a rag with Naptha to wipe them down from time to time. Works well for sticky necks too.

[Rockanrolla]

Gibson acoustics sport a nitro-cellulose finish. It's an expensive, old-fashioned type of finish which is very, very thin and continues to get thinner as the guitar gets older. For the first few months the nitro finish may tend to soften under higher temps and humidity. Gradually it will fully cure and harden up.

 

Depending on the ph and so forth of your perspiration and how much you perspire, a nitro finish will tend to get cloudy at the spot where your picking arm rests on the side and top. I usually wear long sleeve shirts when playing nitro finish guitars. Some ignore it and allow cloudiness and wear at that spot. Others clean fastidiously after playing.

 

For a new guitar, it is best to not use any polishes or preparations for several months while the nitro hardens up. I recommend you use a microfiber cotton cloth like Googlies and perhaps wear long sleeve shirts if that works for you.

 

Thanks Jerry, great advise, long sleeves it is. I'm in the UK and were having warm weather at the moment so perhaps that is a factor too.

[MissouriPicker]

At one timne or another I've had sweat stains/marks on all of my guitars. Several years ago I thought I had a stain on my HD28 because I had used it so much during the summer when I was sweating over it. It kind of "yellowed" where my arm rested on it. I figured what the heck, it goes with the territory. Anyone, one evening my wife came up to me as I was doing some light strumming on the Martin. She had a damp rag in her hand and reached for the HD. I said "whoa, hon, wait a sec!" But I wasn't quick enough. In less than five seconds, she wiped-off 3-4 years of mojo...lol.....I've still got both her and the HD.

[Rockanrolla]

Thanks guys for all the great advise, I'll take it all on board

 

[Pickax]

You can cut off the toe of a white athletic sock and wear it on your arm. This will prevent the buildup. It may look dorky but it does the job.

[wineredrich]

I absolutely hate that honeymoon period with a new guitar. I'm almost relieved when it gets it's first ding or dent or sweat stain or whatever. Gives it character. Makes it your own. And let's you stop babying it. Enjoy. Rich

[drathbun]

+1 on the Virtuoso Cleaner and Polish. They are specially formulated to be used on nitrocellulose finishes. The nitro finish is unlike every other finish you find on guitars. Mostly, the other guitars are finished in polyester or catalyzed resin finishes. The nitro finish is how guitars have been finished for a long long time. The finish is very thin and allows the guitar to move, vibrate and breathe. I think this is one of the reasons Gibsons sound so good. Just be very careful what you put on your nitro finished guitar. A microfibre cloth and a little moist breath on it will do wonders. For arm haze and body oils and sweat, the Virtuoso cleans it up in seconds and leaves a great shine.

 

Taylor has developed a UV finish that requires no solvents and cures instantly. It is also very thin. It doesn't require as much maintenance as a nitro finish but I think my SWD still sounds better than every Taylor I've played.

 

Interesting reading on the Taylor finish here though.

[SoonerBuckeye]

I have experienced this with all of my acoustics which have nitrocellulose lacquer finishes----new or old. My remedy for the summer months is to cut the toe out of a long tube sock and wear the now toe-less sock on my strumming arm from the arm pit to middle of the lower arm. Works great and beats wearing a long sleeved shirt in the summer.

[Dotneck]

I have experienced this with all of my acoustics which have nitrocellulose lacquer finishes----new or old. My remedy for the summer months is to cut the toe out of a long tube sock and wear the now toe-less sock on my strumming arm from the arm pit to middle of the lower arm. Works great and beats wearing a long sleeved shirt in the summer.

 

Does that get warm at all during the summer? I would think I would sweat so much it would soak the sock. Then I'd really have a mess!

 

I've wondered about this issue for years...and what works best for me is I got a cheapie little spray bottle and keep it full of distilled water. Every so often I give her a spritz of the water and rub off the grime with a soft cloth.

 

Jerry mentioned "Googalies" and I love them. I think they are one of the best microfiber cloths out there. A while back I seemed to have lost my last one and I liked them so much I bought a few dozen to keep in my shop to sell. They are great for cleaning guitars, cameras, optical equipment...all kinds of stuff. And now I have some in stock I don't have to buy another when I loose one....

[JuanCarlosVejar]

My Sj 200 has the cloudy spot and a dent on the top and I like it that way. As others have said it gives it mojo and character

[SoonerBuckeye]

Does that get warm at all during the summer? I would think I would sweat so much it would soak the sock. Then I'd really have a mess!

 

I've wondered about this issue for years...and what works best for me is I got a cheapie little spray bottle and keep it full of distilled water. Every so often I give her a spritz of the water and rub off the grime with a soft cloth.

 

Jerry mentioned "Googalies" and I love them. I think they are one of the best microfiber cloths out there. A while back I seemed to have lost my last one and I liked them so much I bought a few dozen to keep in my shop to sell. They are great for cleaning guitars, cameras, optical equipment...all kinds of stuff. And now I have some in stock I don't have to buy another when I loose one....

 

I've never had a problem with soaking the sock. I suppose that if you're concerned with sweating that much, then a long sleeved shirt is not going to help you either. I can only attest to how well the sock has worked for me.

Bob

[j45nick]

I've never had a problem with soaking the sock. I suppose that if you're concerned with sweating that much, then a long sleeved shirt is not going to help you either. I can only attest to how well the sock has worked for me.

Bob

 

When I play at home, I just drape a piece of cotton t-shirt material about the size of a wash rag over the top of the lower bout where my arm rests. Doesn't do anything to help the sound, but it protects the finish. If you are gigging, you could just wipe the guitar down between sets.

 

I'm convinced it is primarily the stuff in anti-perspirants that does this. We've talked about it here before, but washing your arms and hands before playing is always a good idea, since you might have body lotions, deodorant, insect sparys, and/or sunblock on your hands and arms. I live in Florida, where you could have all these things on your body at the same time.

[Aster1]

It may be just me, but I'd play it safe and call Gibson Tech Support and get their word on that. I don't sweat that much when I play, but my new J-160E Reissue and new Dove are both Nitro, and don't do that at all. I have let them sit out for a few days at a time to cure up cuz when I open the case lid it just about lifts my hair off my head with the sweet lacquer fumes. Glad I don't play next to a canary!! When my sinuses were acting up I thought I'd need to wear my paint respirator while I played a few song.

 

I agree with the washing up really well prior to playing. I like my stuff to LOOK like new forever. My 1975 Guild D-47 still does and it's seen many a song.

 

Aster