Recently I got the guitar I've been dreaming about for years - a Martin HD-28 Vintage model. It's got great tone and plays easily.

Last night I noticed I'm starting to "pit out" the wood under the strings just to the rear of the sound hole - though the use of the flatpick.

I play in this area, not over the hole, because that's where the "sweet spot" is - the best tone and volume. There's quite a bit of space between the strings and the wood there, but I apparently really dig in when I play and it's starting to show.

The picks I'm using are what I've settled on after a long period of trial and error, so I don't want to change them.

The one solution I envision is sticking down some sort of clear protective contact sheet in that area. But I don't know what's available, and I worry about the look and the possiblity of diminishing tone. I guess this would be like extending the pick guard up to the area of the low E string.

Anyone else have this problem, or any ideas of a solution ??