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Repairing A Chip


GregP

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Apologies, apologies... I just wanted to get this out there quickly, so I haven't done a search. This came to me via a PM on a forum where I've talked about Project Guitar. The person questioning me overestimates my knowledge of guitars a bit, but I defer to you guys:

last night i swapped out the stock nut on my G&L for a GraphTech Tremnut.

This is EXACTLY what the guitar needed. no more squeaking and binding when i do bends with the tremolo bridge....and the strings stay in tune. HUGE difference from this nut!

BUT... i screwed something up I know it's not fatal, but this is my baby, my first new guitar, and it was SO PERFECT before i did this... you see, the neck had a bit 'too much' lacquer in a few places.

When I removed the old nut, a little bit of lacquer pulled up and cracked away from the wood, just above the nut. so, i have this small lacquer chip - about a third of the neck wide, and only about an 1/8 of an inch (or less) tall - just behind the nut, towards the tuning machines

1) is it OK to have the bare, unlacquered wood exposed? It's just a tiny bit. will the wood rot or anything?

It won't "rot," no, but it WILL discolor over time. Dust will get into the pores and eventually become noticeable.

2) will the chip spread? will the lacquer keep peeling up?

3) can i repair it easily? i'm hoping there's a little touch-up lacquer kit available, or even better some easy 'homebrew' fix that i can use to touch this up

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If he is POSITIVE that it is a lacquer finish. Then I would lightly sand the area around the chip and drop fill with more lacquer. Allow to cure a day or two and sand again, until level with 600 grit ( this process may take a few applications of this). Then wait about 2 to 3 weeks and finish sand with starting at 1000 grit and progress up to at least 2000 grit and then polish.

But that's just my opinion.

MK

Edited by MiKro
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Thanks Mikro-- he's not a guitar boffin, so when he says "lacquer" he probably means "plasticky guitar clearcoat".

It's on a G&L guitar, if that means anything.

Greg

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Thanks Mikro-- he's not a guitar boffin, so when he says "lacquer" he probably means "plasticky guitar clearcoat".

It's on a G&L guitar, if that means anything.

Greg

No Problem,

That's why I said," If he is POSITIVE" LOL:)) since lacquer will not adhere to poly coats. Poly is harder to get a good chip repair fixed and look right.

MK

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