Help: Protect from Wear to Guitar Finish

Subject: Help: Protect from Wear to Guitar Finish
From: JedMarum
Date: 27 Jul 01 - 10:02 AM

I've begun to actually wear away the finish on my Larrivee, just above the pick guard. I'm down to bare wood in one small spot, which I think will now grow quickly. I know wear is inevitable - but I'd like to find a low cost way of slowing it down. Any thoughts?

The wear is caused by my flat pick, and it affects the area just above the pick guard, very close to the sound hole.

Subject: RE: Help: Protect from Wear to Guitar Finish
From: Midchuck
Date: 27 Jul 01 - 12:59 PM

The flatpick is for hitting the strings, not the wood.

Peter.

(No, seriously, are you sure the music you're trying to make really requires that you pound so hard that your pick hits the wood? Maybe you want to amplify the guitar so you won't have to hammer it....)

Subject: RE: Help: Protect from Wear to Guitar Finish
From: Wesley S
Date: 27 Jul 01 - 01:51 PM

So duct tape is out of the question ??

Really I would think that someone would have come up with a little plastic dohicky that would slip onto the lip of the soundhole and protect it. I've seen you play and I know you're not abusive to your guitar { It's not like you're John Hammond Jr or Rory Block } so I would think you only need protection during gigs when you're trying to drown out the fiddle player in your group. Good Luck.

PS - I'll have to show you my new Davy Stewart octave mandolin someday.

Subject: RE: Help: Protect from Wear to Guitar Finish
From: Clinton Hammond
Date: 27 Jul 01 - 02:42 PM

get a stick on, classical guitar pick guard... trim it to the shape you wanna cover and smooth it on... But be warned...

anything that you stick to the face of your guitar is goning to effect the sound...

Subject: RE: Help: Protect from Wear to Guitar Finish
From: catspaw49
Date: 27 Jul 01 - 03:03 PM

Jed, you can repair the area first if you loke and then add a small piece of clear pickguard like Larrivee uses in the spot. I'm sure you have local guy you use for repairs and setups. If you want to do it yourself, you can do it with lacquer as a liquid or better yet with stick shellac....Depends on the size and finish. See HERE at Frets.Com if you want to do it yourself. Stick takes some practice, but does a beautiful job.

Spaw

Subject: RE: Help: Protect from Wear to Guitar Finish
From: JedMarum
Date: 27 Jul 01 - 04:37 PM

great article on frets.com - but I think I'll find a local guy to fix it, and expand/replace the pick guard.

Subject: RE: Help: Protect from Wear to Guitar Finish
From: Cappuccino
Date: 27 Jul 01 - 04:43 PM

Remember also a thin pad of something on the back of the guitar - 'belt-buckling' can do some awful damage.

- Ian B

Subject: RE: Help: Protect from Wear to Guitar Finish
From: Oversoul
Date: 28 Jul 01 - 12:00 AM

This kind of wear reaches a point where it ceases to progress. Easy for me to say, but just ignore it and enjoy your guitar. Any changes in the sound will be minimal, at best. Fretwear? Now THAT is a problem! But anxiety about things, albeit understandable, is fruitless. Bust down!