Fix satin finish scratch

[edwardanthony]

Hello,

I had a depressing experience when I brought my guitar to a guitar shop to get the strings replaced.
The worker didn't treat the instrument with care. And used screwdriver to untangle the string. The screwdriver hit the headstock veneer twice.

I'm not sure if the damage is deep enough to damage the wood itself, or it's just the satin finish.
I included the picture below where you can see the damage.



I was depressed because this is a $10,000 custom made guitar, and the worker didn't even apologize saying that it's a small mark and it's normal, and got angry at me (yes he was angry) insisting that it was not his fault.

Do you guys know if this can be fixed? And how?

[JayBee1404]

I can’t advise how to fix it, but I can advise how to prevent it happening again - do your own string changes. It’s cheaper, and it’s something any owner should be perfectly capable of doing - it really isn’t Rocket Surgery!

And, should the worst happen and you scratch it yourself, at least there won’t be anyone else to blame!

The usual disclaimers apply......IMHO, YMMV etc.

[edwardanthony]

Originally Posted by JayBee1404

I can’t advise how to fix it, but I can advise how to prevent it happening again - do your own string changes. It’s cheaper, and it’s something any owner should be perfectly capable of doing - it really isn’t Rocket Surgery!

And, should the worst happen and you scratch it yourself, at least there won’t be anyone else to blame!

The usual disclaimers apply......IMHO, YMMV etc.

Yeah, usually I changed the string myself. Just because my house was renovated so I didn't have my bridge pin puller. I should've just waited.

[phavriluk]

And when is this guitar shop going to pay for the finish repair on the headstock? They damaged it, they can fix it. All that had to be done was apply masking tape to the headstock to avoid damage.

[edwardanthony]

Originally Posted by phavriluk

And when is this guitar shop going to pay for the finish repair on the headstock? They damaged it, they can fix it. All that had to be done was apply masking tape to the headstock to avoid damage.

Actually just avoid using screwdriver when replacing the string would be enough.
They are not going to pay / fix it for sure. The guy told me it was because my guitar made it hard for him to restring, so he had to use screwdriver and damaged it in the process. A reason that's out of this world.

[phavriluk]

For damage to my $10K guitar, I think my lawyer would be writing the shop owner a nice letter.

[mirwa]

Originally Posted by phavriluk

For damage to my $10K guitar, I think my lawyer would be writing the shop owner a nice letter.

Unfortunatley it would achieve nothing, its a he said we said situation, It was not scratched before it went to the shop, yes it was etc.

That being said, there is also a legal clause that gets shops out of trouble, so long as the shop did not willfully damage your product then any marks of damage that occured during the repair of the product are just part of life. It is totally not fair but that is the way the world is

Steve

[tadol]

What did you pay to get the strings changed? What a lawyer would charge to write a letter is absurd, and the shop owner could counter-claim the strings were improperly installed, and you would have a hard time proving the damage would seriously cause any de-valuation of the guitar as an instrument, as there would be no change in its ability to function for the purpose for which it was intended. You might get your labor charge back, but if the court thought it a waste of their time and resources, you might only get 1/6 of your labor cost as an award -

I’d find a good luthier, and find out what they’d charge to minimize its appearance, and figure it’s one in a lengthy series of lifes lessons - then go play your guitar -

[YamahaDave]

Wow that’s awful. There’s no need to use a screw driver. The “luthier” is an idiot and talking total rubbish.

As others have said. Change your own strings. It’s not difficult and you can take the care.

[Fathand]

Originally Posted by edwardanthony

The guy told me it was because my guitar made it hard for him to restring, so he had to use screwdriver and damaged it in the process. A reason that's out of this world.

If someone brought me a job that I was incapable of doing for whatever reason, I would decline the job. I wouldn't keep hacking at it, causing damage until done.

[egordon99]

Couldn't you have just ordered a string winder from Amazon? Or picked one up at the music shop instead of leaving your $10,000 guitar there to have them change the strings???

All my instruments are well under $10k each but I can't fathom leaving any of them at a repair place to just change the strings. Takes me 15 minutes so the drive to any repair place would take longer.

[maxtheaxe]

Originally Posted by edwardanthony

Hello,

I had a depressing experience when I brought my guitar to a guitar shop to get the strings replaced.
The worker didn't treat the instrument with care. And used screwdriver to untangle the string. The screwdriver hit the headstock veneer twice.

I'm not sure if the damage is deep enough to damage the wood itself, or it's just the satin finish.
I included the picture below where you can see the damage.



I was depressed because this is a $10,000 custom made guitar, and the worker didn't even apologize saying that it's a small mark and it's normal, and got angry at me (yes he was angry) insisting that it was not his fault.

Do you guys know if this can be fixed? And how?

Yeah, that might make me POed as well...but...do you KNOW he "used a screwdriver" to remove strings? I can't think of any reason to use one for removing strings. More likely that he was just careless, could have gouged it with the string itself, or pliars which happens to headstocks all the time if one is careless.

Up to you, but there's no fixing that apart from refinishing the whole thing, especially on a satin finish. Might polish the scratch out on a gloss finish...hard to say without the guitar in hand.

One question...why would you allow, or PAY, someone to change your strings for you? You paid $10K for a custom guitar and you can't do it yourself?

[Neil K Walk]

I’m sorry for your frustration, but even though this is what I would call negligence if certainly isn’t worth much more than ceasing doing any further business with that shop and leaving them a bad review to warn others. Despite the cost of the guitar, the actual “damage” is more akin to wear and tear.

PS: I’d be just as concerned about using a bridge pin pulled. It’s much less risky to just loosen the strings and reach inside to push them out from underneath with a coin.

[PaulVA]

It appears from the photo that the scratches are only on the surface, not through the finish. If that is the case, and you would not mind the look of a glossy finish on the headstock face, you could consider polishing it to a gloss after removing the tuning machines. That should make the scratches disappear. It seems this may be more practical or acceptable if the body of the guitar is finished in gloss, if the body is satin then maybe a glossy face on the headstock will look out of place.

[rmp]

Just try a little scratch remover, there are plenty out there. just go at it slowly and try to reduce it a bit

this is really quite minor, but I for sure understand the emotions.

moving forward you should do your OWN string changes.

a very routine task, and about 15 minutes of your time.