finish problem on Nashville Classic?

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finish problem on Nashville Classic?

Postby J Ewan » Wed May 22, 2013 6:50 pm

Anyone have a similar issue or help me understand what is going on with my guitar? Thanks
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J Ewan
 
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Re: finish problem on Nashville Classic?

Postby Steve Sanders » Wed May 22, 2013 7:50 pm

Looks to me like the the ol' proverbial "forearm sweat issue"!! It is common to all guitars and players. About the only way to prevent it is wear a long sleeve shirt when pickin' your guitar or lay your fuzzy yellow GRETSCH LOGO polishing cloth over that area to prevent skin-to-wood contact. But, now that it is already on there you might wanna try MEGUIARS PlastX clear plastic cleaner and polish. It is made specifically for polishing headlight plastic lenses but I've found it to be a great polish on guitar finishes and other delicate surfaces. Try it on a tiny inconspicuous area first. I think you will be surprised at how good it will shine and restore the finish. I use it on my guitars. But like Norm says, "your mileage may vary". It has been mentioned here on the ChetBoard before awhile back. Good stuff! Available at the big box store. Let me say something else. Meguiars makes in my opinion the best car care products out there. Their ol' #7 finish restorer is fantastic. So if you want your car or truck to last a long time and look it's very best, check into their line of polishes and waxes. And that "clay stuff" is amazing for really cleaning your paint before laying down a good protective coat of wax. Sorry for the long rant, but I like old cars too! Hope this helps! Steve
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Re: finish problem on Nashville Classic?

Postby J Ewan » Thu May 23, 2013 6:39 am

Thanks for responding. I don't think it is from my arm because it has similar finish issues on the back and areas on the top where my arm does not come in contact with. I just didn't photograph them all.
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Re: finish problem on Nashville Classic?

Postby LMark » Thu May 23, 2013 9:51 am

What's the climate like where you live, and do you store the instrument in its case when not in use? LMark
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Re: finish problem on Nashville Classic?

Postby Norm » Thu May 23, 2013 10:27 am

Could be a chemical reaction to something in your sweat. Some people have corrosive sweat. I knew one guy who could corrode a set of new strings in twenty minutes of play. He didn't sweat a lot but he was just a chemical disaster in some aspects.

They use some kind of polymer finish nowadays rather than laquer, I think. There has to be a common name for that kind of event but I don't know what it is. Knowing the proper term makes research a lot easier...
...that's how it looks to me...The opinion expressed above is my own and does not necessarily reflect the views of this station. Your mileage may vary...

Audio samples: http://www.youtube.com/user/acountrygent/videos
That should do it.
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Re: finish problem on Nashville Classic?

Postby Norm » Thu May 23, 2013 12:07 pm

So I did a search and found a Martin guitar forum...
Martin uses laquer but still the suggestions bear looking at... do careful experimentation before going ahead with these...
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If it's dulled bad enough, you would have to use a fine grit lacquer buffing compound to remove them. Most of my instruments are not pristine so I don't worry, and leave it like it is.
Sweat will penetrate the lacquer somewhat, and make the finish whitish looking but once it dries out the whitishness will disappear, but then it can look cloudy and dull.

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I've had success wiping the clouded area of polished lacquer finished Martins with a soft rag moistened with just a dab of naphtha. Don't know how that approach might work on satin finishes.

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Sweat stains will come off. Wipe with a soft, damp cloth that has been run under hot water & rung completely out, a few times to lift the grungy stuff. Then use a polish to further remove any remaining residue. Once clean, reapeat the warm cloth wipe-down after each use to preserve the finish. Hope this helps.
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I had a used 28 that had some arm sweat and whatever on it that wouldn't come off. I didn't like the looks of it and finally got it off by using a bit of toothpaste on a soft damp wash cloth. After several tries I could see that it was working and so I kept it up and over a few days it looked nearly new. Ordinary toothpaste is a very very mild abrasive.

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Thanks for the input, Hank. One of the reasons I occasionally use the Virtuoso is it's chemical rather than abrasive polishing properties, but on my old beat up D-18 I don't have this concern, and it sounds as though the toothpaste is mild enough not to leave minute swirl marks, which was my only concern. But again, on my old workhorse it wouldn't matter anyway regarding appearance, and I am eager to try this out.

I will give it try and let you know!

Update: just had the beast in for a cleaning, picked an area on the lap-side and targeted several obstinate hazy white stains that had been there forever, and ** Presto** the toothpaste did remove them and the Virtuoso removed the toothpaste film and I could see no discernible swirl marks of any kind under the glass eye of a magnifier. Cheers!

However, I have a very funky finish that suffers from chronic hydrostaticitis that leaves a hazy white film on/under the nitro when most substances are applied. So while the stains are gone, the area is now filmy white and will take time to "dry out," or whatever it does to come back to normal. But this is my bad, not a condition of the toothpaste. Some other time I plan to ask a question in a new thread about the irregularities of the finish cracking, but that's a different story.

So thanks again for the toothpaste push on the finish, and I will now use it as required in addition to making my nuts and saddles look their shiny best.

_______________
...that's how it looks to me...The opinion expressed above is my own and does not necessarily reflect the views of this station. Your mileage may vary...

Audio samples: http://www.youtube.com/user/acountrygent/videos
That should do it.
Norm
 
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Location: redwood city ca

Re: finish problem on Nashville Classic?

Postby J Ewan » Thu May 23, 2013 5:58 pm

I live in Ohio. I keep the room humidified around 40% and I leave it out on a stand all the time.
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Re: finish problem on Nashville Classic?

Postby LMark » Thu May 23, 2013 6:49 pm

J Ewan wrote:I live in Ohio. I keep the room humidified around 40% and I leave it out on a stand all the time.


Well, that's mysterious. Is your humidity meter accurate? Does anyone else have access the instrument when unattended, or is it kept near any kind of HVAC port? Could some "helpful" person have decided to "clean" the instrument for you? Could it have been exposed to undesirable environmental conditions by a previous owner, and only now these are showing up? Have you checked the inside of the case to see if something in there could be the cause, when you do choose to put the instrument in it? This is wild, but could some fabric softener, etc., in your clothing be reacting with the finish? If it's not perspiration, then the cause must lie elsewhere. Keep asking questions.

The foam/rubber parts of some guitar stands can harm lacquer finishes. That could explain why the condition appears in various places on the instrument, but I'm guessing that the NC has a poly finish.

Wish I could help more. LMark
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Re: finish problem on Nashville Classic?

Postby Brian Ingram » Thu May 23, 2013 7:53 pm

Maybe I'm slow... I don't understand what the problem is with the finish.

I do see some dried residue sitting on top of the finish towards the edge of the top, but the head-on view in the center doesn't seem to show up anything.

I ask because I once worked at the Gibson Nashville factory. I wasn't one of the buffers, but I can assure you every guitar leaves them with a flawlessly buffed clear coat. I was actually surprised how fast they can get a great surface when there is a fine line between removing all orange peel and burning through the lacquer.

Maybe a photo of the top picking up reflected light (looking at the surface at a 5-10 degree angle) instead of head-on will show what you're concerned about.

If the residue on top is the issue, it looks mostly like skin oil (and any polish if you've put it on the guitar; I never do). The fastest way I've found to clean sweat/nicotine/gunk off a finish is lighter fluid on a clean soft cotton cloth. Bunch up the cloth into a quarter- to half-dollar-sized round surface, squeeze on the naphtha/lighter fluid generously, scrub a small section of the surface with circular movement. You'll know instantly when you've cut through all the gunk to the finish surface, and you'll see the dirt buildup on the cloth. Keep moving to a different section of the cloth as dirt builds up and continue till the whole guitar is clean.

LMark wrote:... I'm guessing that the NC has a poly finish.


Unless Gibson started using poly in the last decade or so, the finish is nitro. I never saw any U.S.-made Gibson with a poly finish. The Epiphones are an entirely different matter, and 10 years ago nearly all of them had poly finishes only.
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Re: finish problem on Nashville Classic?

Postby J Ewan » Thu May 23, 2013 9:07 pm

THe photo is not giving a good idea of the problem, I guess. T is hazy except for the small round areas. I have tried to polish it out etc. without success.
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