Orange Amps Forum

Hi all,
I am sure you all know this can happen, but the cloth that I wrapped around the rubber support on one of my guitar stands had come off and my Traditional Les Paul which would have been on it for only about 3 days, now has a semi-circular black mark from the rubber. I’m normally so strict on checking it . I have searched the net and this forum but there does not seem to be any way to get it off and I have tried soap and water and Gibson polish to no avail. I wondered if any of you have a magic cure? It has really annoyed me as it is on an “Antique Burst” finish which is very light, almost a lemon drop colour. It is on the back and can’t be seen from the front of course, but I know it is there. It's my own stupid fault. Any help appreciated.
Thanks
Phil

There is really no fixing it. It discolors the nitro further than just the surface so you would need to sand it down or something crazy to get rid of it.

Hard to swallow initially but at the end of the day, it’s a guitar that should be played and when it’s played it gets scratched, chipped, discolored. Think of it as character.

Just keep playing it until it wears off

Probably not a nitro safe stand which has melted the finish. Believe me I'm beyond dramatic when it comes to guitar damage. I only played my most recent Martin 000-15M a handful of times in the two years I owned it before selling (worried I was going to damage it). If you ask my dramatic side? Take it to a builder to spray nitro and blend it back in. If that doesn't work sell it and get a new one.

But if you ask my more recently developed reasonable brain. Play it, it's goona get beat up anyway. I just bought a very well beatup custom guitar. It bothered me at first and I almost passed on the deal. Now it's become my #1 and I don't notice the dings anymore.

It's 100% a mental game, hope you can get over it. Good luck.

P.S. if the guitar is that important to you, either invest in some proper nitro safe stands (not even sure they exist after my recent hunt), or put it back in the case after playing it.

These things happen.

I've been lucky that my stands and Hercules wall hangers haven't marked my 2 Gibsons. They still got dings and marks along the way though.

I'm ok with it as i plan on keeping them a long time (for life).

You can try a mild abrasive designed for automative finishes. Something like a "fine cut polish" or even a "scratch-X" type product. Apply by hand and buff the area vigorously with a microfiber cloth. The goal is to remove a small amount of nitro from the damaged area. If the finish damage isn't deep, you may be able to remove enough finish that you're down to undamaged nitro.

It's tough to say the feasibility of this without seeing the damage. But when you say a "black mark", it sounds to me like superficial top finish discoloration. If left longer a stand like that will eat right through the nitro. In that case, there's nothing to do but live with it or re-spray it.

A good luthier can do a spot repair on the area and blend it if it's on an area with solid color. It may not be 100% invisible, but you wouldn't notice the repair much if done right. Though, they will use nitro out of a can, which isn't really ever the same as a factory finish that's cured in the drying booth. So if it's on the neck or an area where you have skin contact, I'd consider leaving it.

FWIW, I bought a Les Paul on Reverb a few years ago that arrived with undisclosed "hanger rash" right under the headstock ears. It clearly ate right through to the primer and someone tried to repair it poorly. I was pretty pissed when I got the guitar, and wasn't happy with the seller's resolution (he even accused *me* of inflicting the damage, insisting it wasn't there when he had the guitar). But at this point, it's a tool for making music and I don't even think about it.

-Nick

Well, don't worry too much, after 40 years of use the wear will look authentic

Thanks all for the replies and advice.
I am going to leave it and try and ignore it. I don't plan on selling it and there are other battle scars on it anyway that don't bother me at all, so I suppose it's a bit irrational of me to stress over this. As afjungemann said, I will try and think of it as adding character.
Cheers
Phil

For sure look Into some nitro safe stands. I've never had issues with the Hercules hanging stands, but the floor ones that touch the back or the neck always make me nervous.

Boy_Narf wrote: ↑

Fri Sep 21, 2018 3:19 pm

For sure look Into some nitro safe stands. I've never had issues with the Hercules hanging stands, but the floor ones that touch the back or the neck always make me nervous.

I’ve had no issues with Hercules stands either. I keep my ‘92 LP Standard on a Hercules GS414B at home. It’s been sitting in the stand for about 4 years at this point. No issues.