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Mysterious scratch on guitar. Seething with rage. Anyone else relate?

D

dumdums

Member
Messages
59
Was about to play my new guitar. Noticed a scratch on the edge of it that I have not seen before and I was so angry I could not bring myself to play it. I'm incredibly fussy with my guitars now that I am sober. So much so that I have vowed to not buy new guitars anymore, because the first scratch literally makes me so mad I almost want to smash the things. How do you guys deal with getting dings/scratches in your guitars? I realize I am overreacting here, but I'm just so bloody angry at myself for scratching it. Keep in mind that I don't even wear belts or clothing with zippers or metal buttons. I put on pajamas or soft clothing and sit on a chair in the middle of the room and make sure not to bump anything. Getting the guitar ready to play is even difficult for me. I have a new Les Paul and a Gretsch Duo Jet and I won't even play either of them because I don't want to scratch them, so I play guitars that already have scratches.

Seriously, am I totally nuts about this? Does anyone relate?

Maybe I should start drinking again....I never cared about stuff like this when I was drinking. I used to actually have fun when playing. Maybe being sober is hazardous to a musician's health. Lol.

Thanks for reading that.
 
gunslinger

gunslinger

Member
Messages
3,066
I put polish on the scratches. It's a musical instrument. Even if you're careful it's going to get a scratch or a ding eventually. Just keep playing it.

Just look at Willie Nelson's guitar. He has probably made millions of dollars with it. So relax. And make some music.

 
D

dumdums

Member
Messages
59
I look at the state of some guitars of famous players, and I wonder how they ever got so beaten up. Stevie Ray's guitars were so worn out, I don't even know what he did to them. I guess when it gets to that point, it doesn't matter. It's that FIRST scratch. In this case, I don't even know if I did it, or I just missed it, and it came from the store like that. I'll have to inspect every guitar from now on, and take pictures of them in good light from all angles before I play them. Oddly enough, if the guitar has scratches when I buy it, I don't care at all...it's only if I scratch it.

Anyone have any situations where you've dinged your guitar and been really mad?
 
C

Capstan Philips

Silver Supporting Member
Messages
142
What level of scratch are we talking about here? Can you see it from 6 feet away? Scratches and blemishes are definitely annoying, however light marks are to some extent inevitable even with the greatest care - even an errant fingernail can mark a guitar's top coat. Many guitars look great in pictures, but are an absolute mess close-up!

I think when you've got to the stage where you're not even willing to play some of your guitars then IMO you do have a psychological issue that is preventing you from enjoying them as you should. I've probably suffered this myself in the past to some extent, with guitars and even cars, but have more or less gotten over it. A form of OCD I guess.

Do you have any friends with guitars that were bought new and are now a little used? Would it help to take a close look at those and appreciate that it's not only your guitars that pick up blemishes?

The other option is in future to buy used guitars. If you don't mind taking them a little ready-worn then any scratches you put on them will be much less obvious!
 
D

dumdums

Member
Messages
59
Lt Dak said:
Dings don't make me happy, but guitars are just things. I'm not trying to be flippant, but it sounds like you a have other things going on. Maybe talk to somebody?
Click to expand...
Alas, I am not the social type. Introvert musician with little to no social skills. Forums like this are actually the best place I've found for life advice. I know that may sound sad, but there really are a lot of smart people on forums such as these, with lots of great advice. At least, I've found that to be true. Without turning this into an AA meeting, I'd say that I always used alcohol as a way of connecting with my musicality, and now that I don't have it, I have a hard time getting into the music, and now the aesthetic stuff, such as the cosmetic state of a guitar, can overwhelm my interest in the music itself. This never happened when I drank. My guitars from my drinking days are all scratched and dented...I could not care less about that stuff when I drank. Now, I care a great deal. I guess it's just a long adjustment period for some people. A few beers can really work wonders for the music, unfortunately. I just miss being able to solely focus on the music, with my left-brain idiocy taking over.

I guess I posted this to see if anyone has felt this way about stuff like this. I don't have any musician friends to talk to. Thanks for replying, guys.

Now I'm researching if it's possible to fix nitrocellulose finishes. Haha.
 
R

R. B.

Member
Messages
60
dumdums said:
Was about to play my new guitar. Noticed a scratch on the edge of it that I have not seen before and I was so angry I could not bring myself to play it. I'm incredibly fussy with my guitars now that I am sober. So much so that I have vowed to not buy new guitars anymore, because the first scratch literally makes me so mad I almost want to smash the things. How do you guys deal with getting dings/scratches in your guitars? I realize I am overreacting here, but I'm just so bloody angry at myself for scratching it. Keep in mind that I don't even wear belts or clothing with zippers or metal buttons. I put on pajamas or soft clothing and sit on a chair in the middle of the room and make sure not to bump anything. Getting the guitar ready to play is even difficult for me. I have a new Les Paul and a Gretsch Duo Jet and I won't even play either of them because I don't want to scratch them, so I play guitars that already have scratches.

Seriously, am I totally nuts about this? Does anyone relate?

Maybe I should start drinking again....I never cared about stuff like this when I was drinking. I used to actually have fun when playing. Maybe being sober is hazardous to a musician's health. Lol.

Thanks for reading that.
Click to expand...
It is frustrating when you take care of your gear... But scratches / dents are a byproduct of playing, even when you're super careful.

I've noticed the Les Paul tributes have very thin nitro finishes that scratch really easily. I had one last year that seemed to scratch and dent all the time. So I can totally relate if you're talking about one of those.

You might be able to repair the scratch? Just don't do anything to it without reading about the professional way to deal with it or you're likely to make it worse.

If stuff like this makes you really angry, it's probably a good idea to talk to someone about it. Take care and here's hoping you can enjoy playing all your guitars.
 
D

dumdums

Member
Messages
59
Capstan Philips said:
What level of scratch are we talking about here? Can you see it from 6 feet away? Scratches and blemishes are definitely annoying, however light marks are to some extent inevitable even with the greatest care - even an errant fingernail can mark a guitar's top coat. Many guitars look great in pictures, but are an absolute mess close-up!

I think when you've got to the stage where you're not even willing to play some of your guitars then IMO you do have a psychological issue that is preventing you from enjoying them as you should. I've probably suffered this myself in the past to some extent, with guitars and even cars, but have more or less gotten over it. A form of OCD I guess.

Do you have any friends with guitars that were bought new and are now a little used? Would it help to take a close look at those and appreciate that it's not only your guitars that pick up blemishes?

The other option is in future to buy used guitars. If you don't mind taking them a little ready-worn then any scratches you put on them will be much less obvious!
Click to expand...

I actually do have OCD. It's pretty bad right now. When I could still go out and socialize, or go to the gym, I was much better. These days, most of my outlets are not possible, so I am stuck inside, like many people, and the anxiety can get the better of me some days. The focus on the cosmetic state of my guitars is probably a reflection of having less other things to do and care about.

The scratch/dent is not that big. Looks like it got smacked into something, and the edge of that thing dented it. Almost as if someone took a blade and lightly smacked it on the finish. Not very deep. Enough to feel if you run your fingernail over it. About the length of a fingernail and straight and very thin. A bit of the undercoat showing. Don't think it dented the wood at all. The paint is black as well, so colour matching will be simple.
 
C

cys

Silver Supporting Member
Messages
9
I would flip it here or on Reverb and get something to replace it with that has lots of wear. Seriously.

I never buy new guitars. Two of my favorites are a heavy relic strat and a real pawn shop early 80's Gibson SG that someone had glued reinforcing wood blocks on at the base of the neck ostensibly to prevent breakage. When I got it most but not all of the reinforcing wood and glue had been removed along with paint chips. I got the last bits of this "mod" out, blended it a bit with some sandpaper, and now it's not remarkable given the state of wear of the rest of the guitar. It's a great player, and is verging on being a fretless wonder.
 
Blix

Blix

Norwegian
Silver Supporting Member
Messages
25,368
dumdums said:
Keep in mind that I don't even wear belts or clothing with zippers or metal buttons. I put on pajamas or soft clothing and sit on a chair in the middle of the room and make sure not to bump anything. Getting the guitar ready to play is even difficult for me. I have a new Les Paul and a Gretsch Duo Jet and I won't even play either of them because I don't want to scratch them, so I play guitars that already have scratches.

Seriously, am I totally nuts about this? Does anyone relate?
Click to expand...
Yes, that's well into loco territory to me. Like wtf? They're just guitars...
So no I don't relate at all :)
 
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