Cloudy finish
 

I just bought a Yamaha FG411 from shop Goodwill.com. It’s a beautiful guitar and in almost perfect condition except the finish on some of the sides and back have a slightly cloudy look in the lacquer. It’s not terrible just something I didn’t notice in the pictures when I bid on it.Is there something I can do to clear it up? I only paid $109 for it so if it is what it is so be it. Anyone have any suggestions? Thanks in advance.

It's an older guitar, I presume? A lot of makers used to use a polyester finish that would get cloudy/hazy with time. Alvarez guitars from the '70s clouded up frequently, including mine.

Nothing you can do about it, as far as I know.

Thanks for the info KenL. I believe it was made in 1994, so 30 years old you’re probably correct 👍🏼.

Try some compound like Meguiar’s Ultimate Compound applied by hand. Since it’s a poly finish, don’t be afraid to put a little elbow grease into it and rub pretty hard. May require more than one application.

The first thing I'd try is to rub Vasoline on the cloudy area. It can sometimes remove trapped moisture. Keep an eye on it, though. If it works it can actually darken the area and you want to wipe it all off before that happens.

Clean it up with mineral spirits.

YOU need to compound / polish it. Any swirl remover from any reputable brand will work on a cheaper poly finish. IN fact, you might try Meg's Plastix for clear plastic corrections, since it is basically a plastic (poly) coating. Just follow directions. try on a small area first.