Dings on a Gibby SG

Wolfshead

New member
I recently bought a used 2016 SG Standard in black and LOVED it. It never came with a hard case though, so, when I saw a 1999 Standard in cherry - with Gibson hard case - for £70 less than the 2016 I had to get it.
It's a great guitar, but there's a couple of little dings on it that are kinda irritating me. I can live with them, and normally I don't mind a bit of wear on a guitar but these are pretty unsightly.
Anyone got any tips on how I can get rid of them? It's like something rubbed up against the finish and dug into it, leaving trails. They are noticeable because the finish there has turned brown.

I'd think wet and dry paper won't be enough for this...?

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Re: Dings on a Gibby SG

If you really want to fix it, you'll need to color match the lacquer, fill the dings, sand it smooth, and buff the finished product. Honestly you should get used to it, and prepare yourself for your 2016 SG eventually looking similar. Gibsons are lacquer-finished and lacquer is soft; the only way to prevent dings like that is to put the guitar in some sort of case and leave it there.

I've owned a 1996 Explorer since early 2000, and it was my #1 until 2010. There are a bunch of scratches, and a few dings on the top horn down to bare wood. As far as I'm concerned they're just the outward marks of a well-loved guitar. Ditto my 2001 LP Standard Plus. About 2 weeks after I bought it I dropped the stop bar during a string change and left a good sized dent in the top next to the bass side bridge post. I was really upset for about 5 minutes until I realized that I bought the guitar to play it. It was going to get dinged; it was only a matter of where, when, and how.
 
Re: Dings on a Gibby SG

There is no way to make a player look like a museum piece. Embrace it and love it.
 
Re: Dings on a Gibby SG

If found the best way to deal with Gibson finish marks is to set the guitar on fire and buy a different brand 😁

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Re: Dings on a Gibby SG

Wow, that's pretty damn cool MM! I think it's probably best if I just do as the others say though, and get used to the dings.
 
Re: Dings on a Gibby SG

Just to be clear, almost all of my guitars have dings on them and it doesn't bother me at all. The ones on this SG with that brownish hue DO annoy me though.

Anyone that owns Jacksons knows all about the chipped off headstocks and fins and so on and accepts such wear as part of the mojo - but the dings on this SG are thankfully small, cos they're pretty damn ugly!
 
Re: Dings on a Gibby SG

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That's another little fault it had. That was cool though, I just glued a matchstick in there and used some of the wife's nail polish to cover it. Can't see it from a distance at all now, job done!
What kind of idiot drills a hole in an SG for a strap button there? At least do it on the back FFS!
 
Re: Dings on a Gibby SG

Looks like maybe something got dragged across the front, like another body with protruding screws of the backplates.

And yeah, Jackson pointies like Kellys, Vs, and Warriors are notorious for chipped tips. Some of the older USA models from the 90s even had huge chunks of clearcoat flaking off the headstocks, and that's a sight to see.
 
Re: Dings on a Gibby SG

Take a moist wash cloth and lay it over the dings, heat up a clothes iron and gently use the iron on the dingers. Don't over heat it or it will jack up your finish.... But if you do it in short presses it can pull a lot of that out. Ive done it on gun stocks many times.
 
Re: Dings on a Gibby SG

Take a moist wash cloth and lay it over the dings, heat up a clothes iron and gently use the iron on the dingers. Don't over heat it or it will jack up your finish.... But if you do it in short presses it can pull a lot of that out. Ive done it on gun stocks many times.

I saw a few posts about that on the internet, not sure if I want to try it. I'm not much good at stuff like that and would likely make it worse :bigeyes:
 
Re: Dings on a Gibby SG

I think a soldering iron might be more precise.

I was going to say don't get used to it because I have a 1998 and a 2012 both mint.

I also have a 1963 SG special that had all the lacquer worn off the back and Dan Erlewine made it like new again. The new lacquer melts into the old. So you could get it re-sprayed and like new again.

But when I read that your other guitars have nicks and dings, I changed my mind and now say save your money.
 
Re: Dings on a Gibby SG

Since you don't seem too perfectionist about it: You could try that quick repair paint for scratches in a car paint available almost everywhere. You can get it almost any color; biggest problem is to find exact one for that SG. It's cheap too.
 
Re: Dings on a Gibby SG

I would throw that guitar away. There is no way it will ever play right again with a scratch like that on it. Even if you have it professionally repaired, you will know that it is fatally flawed in the back of your mind and you will never be a good guitar player.
 
Re: Dings on a Gibby SG

I would throw that guitar away. There is no way it will ever play right again with a scratch like that on it. Even if you have it professionally repaired, you will know that it is fatally flawed in the back of your mind and you will never be a good guitar player.

I second this. In fact I am more than willing to sacrifice the space and take it off your hands.
 
Re: Dings on a Gibby SG

I would throw that guitar away. There is no way it will ever play right again with a scratch like that on it. Even if you have it professionally repaired, you will know that it is fatally flawed in the back of your mind and you will never be a good guitar player.

:scratchch
 
Re: Dings on a Gibby SG

Live with it, or try to sell it at a profit and wait for a better one to come along. Something is always on the horizon.

Bill
 
Re: Dings on a Gibby SG

My 9-year-old daughter just walked in the room when I was playing this, pointed at the ding and said, "There's something on that."
First time ANYONE has ever pointed out a ding on any of my guitars. :lmao:
 
Re: Dings on a Gibby SG

Something to keep in mind: some people pay big bucks to buy "reliced" instruments. Doesn't make sense to me when one can age one's own instruments naturally. I suppose it's like spending big bucks to buy a pair of jeans that look like they've been worn for 30 years.

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