scratched and scuffed up guitar

[samus]

i've had this electric bass guitar for years. today i decided to take off all of the stickers and everything and clean off the thing.

it turns out, when i was younger i tried to scratch something off of the body with a scratch pad and a huge part of it is scuffed up while the rest is shiny.

since i'm pretty anal, i really want this whole thing to shine. are there any tips or tricks that anyone has that could help me restore my bass?

edit: here's some pics of the damage.

[benol]

Scuff up the whole guitar and coat it with polyurethane.

[bicostp]

You could try some of that scratch removal compound they make for cars. (It got some pretty heavy swirl marks out of my car's trunk lid, rescued a few CDs, and fixed my watch. Just test it in an inconspicuous place first to make sure it doesn't do something like eat away at the paint.)

[samus]

thanks guys, i'll try the compound before the polyurethane. can't have heavy fumes in the dorms, i could get written up.

[Kurt_]

I'd have to agree with Benol. If you're anal about it, scratch remover won't do. I see your strings are already off, so removing all the components shouldn't take more than half an hour, being gentle.

Then, sand it down with progressively finer sandpaper. (If it's really deep, I dunno what to do. Sand more?) Then glop some of your favourite finish on it. Then repeat a few times. Should be good as new.

As for fumes, does your dorm have a window? Make a little outside box in your inside, and tape it up to keep the cold air out (If it's cold where you are). If that made sense.

[Triton]

I for one agree with bic on this, polishing compound should work ok the scratches dont look too deep

[bicostp]

Yeah, my car had a couple spots like that when I bought it, but a couple passes with polishing compound fixed them. (Start with Turtle Wax polishing compound, then follow up with the Meuigar's ScratchX. Use something like an old T-shirt for application.) If you hit it with Nu-Finish afterwards it should shine like new and water will bead up and roll right off!

Sandpaper just makes lots of little scratches, and the compound should level them off and fill them in enough to not be noticeable.

Of course test these products on an inconspicuous spot before you do anything with them so you know they won't screw anything up. (They shouldn't as long as you're not too aggressive.)

The wax may need to be re-done every so often depending on how often you play, but you get more instant results than applying new polyurethane and you don't have to worry about toxic fumes filling the dorm.

[Electric Rain]

Wow, you play Bass too? You just keep getting more awesome.

By the way, bic, your sig is friggin' hilarious every time I see it... is that from something?

Edit: Never mind... found it.

Hey... I've got an on-topic question, though. I actually have a small chip in the finish of my Fender Squier Strat where the wood is showing through... any clue how I could fix that...?

[Triton]

XKCD webcomic, it ROX

[benol]

Hey... I've got an on-topic question, though. I actually have a small chip in the finish of my Fender Squier Strat where the wood is showing through... any clue how I could fix that...?

Re-finish it?

[Edutainment]

Hey... I've got an on-topic question, though. I actually have a small chip in the finish of my Fender Squier Strat where the wood is showing through... any clue how I could fix that...?

Relic it.

[samus]

Wow, you play Bass too? You just keep getting more awesome.

good to know i impress the boys. don't get your hopes too high, i'm fat.

anyway, me and my art major friend who happens to dabble in guitar decided to try to coat a little polyurethane on lopez (my bass. ever watch red vs. blue?) and then buff it a little, it looks mucho better with just one coat. but still not as good as we'd hoped. BUT, we're thinking about sanding it down all around and refinishing it.

I see your strings are already off, so removing all the components shouldn't take more than half an hour, being gentle.

i know how to take apart an electric guitar.

[ChrisS]

Hey... I've got an on-topic question, though. I actually have a small chip in the finish of my Fender Squier Strat where the wood is showing through... any clue how I could fix that...?

Just leave it alone. Most guitars look great looking worn, especially Fenders.

Finish it off..............

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSQ3oLKBxhc

[ChrisS]

i've had this electric bass guitar for years. today i decided to take off all of the stickers and everything and clean off the thing.

it turns out, when i was younger i tried to scratch something off of the body with a scratch pad and a huge part of it is scuffed up while the rest is shiny.

since i'm pretty anal, i really want this whole thing to shine. are there any tips or tricks that anyone has that could help me restore my bass?

I'd try to get the paint off and get to the woodgrain and then clear coat it, swap out the hardware for black.

I had a Hohner that I loved but had to sell, it was all one piece though, no bolts in the neck.

Looked just like this, only a 4 string.

[Kurt_]

I'd have to agree. The Number One looks sweet, (I think they restored it a while back) and it has worn right through nearly everywhere.

http://www.jcdisciples.org/musicians/sr ... r_one.html


I look at that bass again, and for some reason I thought some were big gouges in the wood. However, I still stand by another coat of polyurethane, or maybe even gloss.

If you look, you can find low fume wood gloss, and fast-drying (3-5 hours) polyurethane.

Look:

http://www.minwax.com/products/protecti ... r-poly.cfm
http://www.minwax.com/products/protecti ... r-fast.cfm
http://www.minwax.com/products/protective/wipe-on.cfm

You might even want to try a satin coat, it's not as shiny, but it will hide scratches better.