Scratches and Scuffs

[Tone2TheBone]

Do these things bother you? On guitars...windshields...mirrors...iPods...eye glasses...new vehicles...guitar/bass cases...appliances...fly rods...furniture......

Do they?

[Tim]

New vehicles most defiantly a YES. Guitars no. I call them seasoned guitars. Look at SRV’s guitar. Seasoned, broken in to meet the players specification with his own nuance. The wear & tear made his sound even harder to copy because of the resonance of the scratched and marred wood. Everything else will pass away. It will not last forever.

[Spudman***]

Tone
Are you off your meds again? Scratches? Bothered? (kidding about the meds)
Do you get bothered by scratches on your stuff? You ask us but don't spill the beans yourself. I'll tell if you tell. :-)

[Tim]

I think T2TB started a survey without the voting!

[Nelskie]

Tone - Ask me why when I saw this post, that I knew it was you that had posted it? Go ahead . . . ask me.

[Robert****]

Yes, those things do bother me, but not so much if the item was really cheap to start with. Like my Squiers - no big deal, but my glasses - hell yes this scratch is bothering me, not because the glasses were expensive but because I can tell all the time there is a scratch in front my eyeball!

[Spudman***]

I got scratches once but they healed. Very pleasurable experience but having them was a pain. I'm with Robert.

[Tone2TheBone]

AHA! See Robert knows!!!!!! He SEES scratches!!!! btw Robert my eye glasses are really scratched....

Ok Nelskie...how did you know?

LOL@Tim - Yeah I sure did start a poll didn't I. heh

Spud - I ran out of meds gimmie some.

Ok so like a stoopit I put my new iPod inside my soft little "medicine" bag (a soft felt material fly reel bag I got with one of my fly reels) and put it carefully inside my pocket right? You can sure bet I've read all over the internet that EVERYONE puts their iPods in their pockets...thus scuffing and scratching them. So even with my clever little bag I still managed to scuff the video window. *winces*

So yeah I'm pretty bugged that it happened. However I did further research and found ways to shine up scuffs and so I came home this evening and did the ole shinenola as soon as I got home. Now my unit is not "as bad, pretty good in fact" and has a sweet little overlay of temporary security (a screen "condom" if you will - transparent static cling screen cover) but HEY...at least it won't get further scratched right! The body of the unit does have a thick silicon shell. It just didn't have any protection on the delicate screen.

[r_a_smith3530]

Well, let's see, my glasses, DEFINITELY, after all, I've got to see through the darned things. How would you like to have scratches on your eye balls?

My car, I mean truck? It's a truck, ya know? It's supposed to get scratched. My second car was a '57 Chevy Nomad, and the head tech where I worked at the time, was an old Caddie combination man. He filled everything in lead, the old fashioned way, and then put 21 coats of paint on that sucker, all hand rubbed by moi! I ended up selling the car six months later, because I was so paranoid about driving it, and worse yet, parking it. I've never built a "pretty" car since.

My guitars. Well, that depends. Frankenbass? Yeah, it's got bumps and bruises, just don't knock it against anything too hard. Mr. Reactor? While it has no real battle scars, I probably (hmm?) wouldn't flip out if it got a small nick, although I do keep one of those protector pads (they're called a "Scratch Pad") on the back of it. My Epi? It's a 35 year old acoustic, so be gentle. My custom painted Mulsanne Blue Les Paul Studio and the new G&L bass. DO NOT come near them wearing a buckle or any metal jewelry! In fact, look, but don't touch. They both live in their case when not being played.

Cases, etcetera? While I try my best to avoid scars, it's a tough world out there, and a case's job is to protect its contents, kind of like what the Secret Service does for the President. You don't want something to happen, but eventually it will!

Well, that is my take. Now, back to cuttin' wood!

[SuperSwede]

I am allergic to fingerprints on the computer monitor. Does that count?
Maybe I should get a monitor condom. T2TB, do you prefer lubricated?

[Nelskie]

Let's just say that your reputation preceded you. Actually, it reminded me of the set-up quandry you experienced with your now-defnuct Epiphone LP.

[tot_Ou_tard]

Cars? Jeez, I have a blue Accord EX (leather seats) with a spoiler. My first nice car. It was 1 year old when my son scraped it against another car. Big old dent & scratch down the passenger side door.

Bother me?....hmmmmm...yup. Do I live with it...hmmmmmmm...yup.

...kinda. I pretend it isn't there. Now if it was on the driver's side....

[Tone2TheBone]

Nelski - You should have seen me with the Epi when I HAD IT still. Talk about babying that sucker. Even the pickups when I took them out! They were put back still in pristine condition though when I traded it for the PRS.

I'm REAL careful with my stuff. My shiny expensive fly rods and cameras and new guitars. My old Les Paul Studio is already battle worn so I am not so careful. My Strat is still in great shape but I'm not that paranoid about it. My new PRS...I'm still babying. My truck....paranoid at first when I got it in 1999 but now it sits outside in the parking lot needing a washing REALLY BAD...so that doesn't count either.

But yeah little things that I can't control bother me. Of course I could have prevented the iPod scratching in my pocket though. I figured I'd get some interesting responses with this question and I have.

[Spudman***]

It's funny to see such attachment to things, things that we can't take with us to the next life. Why is that? The only scratches I am worried about are the ones in relationships, the ones that aren't fixable or replaceable.
I take care of my stuff so that it functions properly. That is the most important to me and why I have no problems buying used guitars. Like RA says it's more about playability and tone, two qualities that you can't see. Now if you scratch my new Specialized Roubaix road bicycle I'm gonna have to break your fingers.

[Tone2TheBone]

Spud - can we look at it? Remember that scene with Nigel Tufnel and his guitar collection and him and Martin DiBergi walk over to the Les Paul with the price tag still on it? Boy does that ring true today what with all the hoopla over Gibsons and vintage Gibsons! It would be interesting to see how all of us would react if we really did own a vintage LP. I mean....seriously. *wry smile*

[Spudman***]

Ssshhhhh! I was listening to the sustain.