Removing dents in new guitar-any ideas

[Pat Kearney]

In an act of desparation I am posting this here tonight. My wife bought a new guitar two days ago and we just arrived home with it today. No sooner than she took it out of the case looking at it did our dog, who was very excited to see us, jumped on the couch beside us. In his mouth was his favourite throwing toy which he foolishly dropped out of his mouth for one of us to play with. Of course the toy landed on the face of the new guitar and made a couple of very small dents the size of a pin top.:eek: Needles to say we were not pleased considering it's brand new. Anyone have any ideas as to how to "raise" those dents without involving any major woodwork? The top of the guitar is solid cedar.

Thanks.

PAT

[nic obie]

patina?

;)

[Bob Stegemann]

A damp cloth and the heat from an iron is supposed to remove dents. I've done it on wood without finish but never a finished piece. I'd be concerned depending on the kind of finish. Hopefully someone will have move knowledge than I do on this subject.

Good luck!
Bob

[Doug Shepard]

http://www.frets.com/FRETSPages/Luthier/Technique/Finish/SteamOut/steamout1.html

[Vaughn McMillan]

Great link Doug, and it underscores what I was going to mention. The dent can possibly be steamed out, but with the caveat that you may have to do some work on the finish afterwards. It's a matter of weighing the importance of removing the dents vs. the potential of messing up the finish. Personally, I'd probably wince and just leave the dents there, with the knowledge that there will likely be other ones to follow over time. But then again, it's not my brand-new gutar, so I can understand the other side of the argument as well.

Good luck Pat, and congrat to your wife on the new guitar, dented or not.

- Vaughn

[Dev Emch]

I thought guitar tops should be made spruce? At any rate, take a cloth like an old T shirt and wet it a bit. Place the wet spot ovr the dent and then iron it with a regular iron and the iron steam the water. Add a drop or two of water and repeat. This often has the effect of popping out dents in wood. Not sure it will help here but I have used it before on minor surface dents.

[markus shaffer]

Pat,

Forget the dents and just play it.. I know how painful it is to look at an instrument and see blemishes, but unless it's some antique Martin blah blah blah then just call it character. I have a Guild that I love. Sounds better than any other guitar I've had the opportunity to play. Just sold a Martin yesterday because I never could reconcile that it didn't sound as good as the Guild. But I digress.. One evening a couple years ago, I noticed that the soundboard had two cracks running from the bridge all the way to the binding on the bottom of the guitar.. I was really really upset at first. But then I realized, It doesn't matter. The thing still sounds amazing; especially in someone's hands who can actually play it (ie. not mine). Sure, you could iron out the dents, but a few bumps and bruises in life are what makes our character.. Same with guitars..

Okay, nevermind.. Don't listen to me.. It's okay to iron out the dents. Good luck and let us know how it turns out..

-Markus

[John Bailey]

Dave,

Yup, most will tell you good guitars have spruce tops, but I love the sound of a good cedar top. That's what I play and, like Markus, mine has a lot of "character."

Pat,

Enjoy the guitar the way it is. The few times I've tried to mess with guitar finish has been a nightmare.

John

[Randy Meijer]

I don't know the first thing about guitars; but I do know a little about "new" stuff. If you plan to hang that guitar on the wall and keep it new, forever, then by all means try to fix it. If, on the other hand, you plan to play and enjoy the instrument, those little historical artifacts will only be the first of many......ever see Willie Nelsons's guitar?? If it didn't happen this week, then it would have happened next week. Sorry for your mishap....buy just enjoy that puppy(the guitar and the dog) and let the chips fall where they may.

P.S. I would check with the manufacturer before trying to steam out those dimples. As someone mentioned earlier, you could end up making a mountain out of a mole hill if you screw up the finish>

[Gregg Mason]

As both a WW and guitar player, I'd say leave it as is. I think the risk of doing more damage to the finish is pretty high, compared to the dents you've discribed. And as others have said, unless this is going to be used as a peice of art, more then it will be played, there are pleanty more dents to follow. Looks like we have quite a few guitar players here too.

BTW: What kind of guitar is it ?

[Dan Forman]

The finish should be the least of your worries. If you apply heat and moisture, you risk melting the glue! Heat up the top enough to steam out a dent and you might loosen the bracing or whatever else is near the spot. . Having a cedar top, I am guessing that this is a fine handmade guitar, and almost certainly held together with hide glue, which softens with heat and moisture. They do that so that the guitar can be easily disassembled for repair.

My advice is to leave it as is, and enjoy the fine tone and feel of it in your hands. As others have pointed out, it is sure to collect other dings in time, but the first one causes the most anxiety. Now that you already have the first one, you can relax. I had a friend back in the 70's who was waiting for a handmade Gallgher guitar ( the brand that Doc Watson played at the time), who claimed that as soon as he got it, he would put a nice scratch in it so he wouldn't worry about that first one. Of course when it finally arrived, he had a change of heart.

Dan

[Pat Kearney]

Hi guys
Thanks everyone. Leaving the dent the way it is was my first thought but since it is my wife that owns it she was the one wanting to have the dent removed - however after reading what you guys had to say (of course she would not take my word for it:mad:..... ) she has decided to leave as is. Tks again everyone.

By the way the guitar is a Norman and is manufactured by a company called "Godwin" in Quebec here in Canada. It does have a solid cedar top and is beautiful to look at. Not real expensive at approx $500 CAN$ but she makes certainly makes it sound as if it were a $2000 unit. As for myself I just sit back and listen to her play because I couldn't carry a note in a bucket let alone on a guitar:cool:.

PAT

[Andy Henriksen]

Yep, I agree that leaving it is probably best. guitar playing is one of a few things i am more passionate about than woodworking, and, while it always sucks (at first), getting that first nick in the new guitar just helps to make it 'yours' sooner. As long as it is structurally sound still, the dings and dents are like scars that remind you of certain times in your life - certain events and eras. Embrace it.

[Vaughn McMillan]

To echo what Andy said, some of my finest (or at least funnest) moments over the years are reflected in the faces of several of my guitars. The battle scars hurt at the time, but I look back now and the memories of how the guitar got them bring a smile.

- Vaughn

[Bruce Volden]

Of course everyone knows how meticulous Willie Nelson is when it comes to dents, scratches, holes, etc. in his ax!! :)Bruce

[Steven Wilson]

If you choose to do anything then take it slow and make minor changes. Is this a high gloss finish or oil? If gloss then the dents can be filled with super glue, sanded with 2000 (or higher grit) and then rebuffed. A little bit of heat should pull a dent out without damaging the top, just be judicious in applying the heat.