Dropped my phone right on the top of my (previously) MINT '96 Guild X-170 Manhattan! FUUU...

It made a small but noticeable 1 or 2mm ding in what looks to be just in the gloss (nitro) finish

Any one here have any experience lacquer filling? How does it look?

My initial thoughts on repairing it would be to mask around just the ding and start filling it up with small amounts of lacquer over time.... right???
It doesn't appear (appearances can be deceiving though) to be deep enough in the wood so I don't think steam raising it would not be necessary  

Want it repaired as it's going to be handed down

Thanks

Man... I go through this every time I put my first ding in a guitar... But eventually (if you play it enough) you are going to put wear and tear on it. I've come to the conclusion that a guitar that dad loved to play and brought joy during family singing times will mean more to my kiddos than a mint guitar that they are scared to touch.

That said, stewmac would be a great resource to not only find what you need but learn how to do it.

I bought the guitar specifically because it was mint and intended it to be a safe queen and handed down
I got it out after a few months under the bed, then dummy me made the mistake of wrestling a phone away from a 4 yr old while the guitar was in my lap

I forgot about stew mac, I'll check it out. Thanks

People pay big bucks to have a new guitar beat up ...your saving money .

That's the craziest thing.
I've distressed brand new high end furniture and floors for customers. Used hammers, chains and nails/punches along with some 50 grit paper
It wasn't right then and it ain't right now

A safe queen, heirloom instrument is a contradiction in terms.  Unless it's a Stradivarius, and being kept solely for investment purposes, it isn't something you should worry about.

Years of experience makes it look easy so I'm doubting I'll try this on my own now
*I was trying to link the Stewmac ding repair but the link didn't come up*
Might eventually inquire on this service but it would have to be the right guy for the job

When I read your post, I smiled, immediately reminded of a wedding reception I played a couple of years ago on a large ranch in west Texas. We were set up on a flat bed trailer and the wind was blowing I'd guess around 30 mph. I watched in mild horror as my buddies 1959 Gibson 400, stand and all, blew over face-first on to the bed of the trailer. My buddy just nonchalantly set it back up and went about his business of stringing cords.
Get over it. Character marks tell stories. My "business" fiddle, when I found it at a garage sale, was in a plastic bag in 5 pieces.

I don't own a guitar that doesn't at least have one ding on it.

Try as I might I can't seem to own a guitar that I don't put a ding in it someplace.

 
I take very good care of my equipment but it is unrealistic to think you can use something

all the time and it not get a few dings. I am the worst at smashing head stocks into microphones  

If it makes you feel any better:




I bought this pre-reliced from the Hoshino distributor back in '92. It was the only way I could afford a nice Jem-4gery back then.


One day, I was playing my unblemished Les Paul and looked up just in time you see my 2 year old fling a toy through the air at it.


As a side note, if anyone remembers my planned refurbish on an old basket case Ibanez, I did a silver burst and let the clear coat and wood cure for a couple months. Today was clear coat  wet sanding day. Those glassy smooth repairs had stayed gorgeous for months. The guitar came inside and experienced a 15 degree temperature change, whereupon multiple old cracks and broken areas reappeared. That marked the transition from educational hobby to excessive time and money suck.

I'm sticking a fork in this project. A couple more coats of clear to fix the worst finish gaps, hardware installation with either the original p/u or extra EMGs, and it will be my new beater.

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Instruments are meant to be loved. And love occasionally gets too rowdy

My favorite bass has seen a lot of love since being made in 1973.



Previous owner was a big fan of belt buckles.



And songs in the key of G

Get some sherwin williams Lovoc nitro.  Put some in a small jar with the lid off until its twice as thick as it went in (to gas off the solvents so it doesnt effect the surrounding finish).

Clean divot and surrounding area with naptha.

Tape around divot

Put one drop at a time in the divot two hours apart until its just above the surface.

Let cure fore a week in a dry, warm place.

Keep area taped off, and use razor blade to carefully shave off most of the meniscus.

Wetsand with 800grit trizac automotive to gently flatten the rest. follow with 1000, 2000, 3000grit.

Polish with fine compound and a cotton cloth

Thanks all

Unless I find a competent repair guy, I'll probably just leave it alone as I said

I tell ya, next time I buy something nice I think I'll just go ahead and intentionally put a scratch or a ding in it just to get it over with

Edit; double tap.

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My preschooler has extensive experience in adding patina to objects including guitars. His first project was ambitious at age 2, but he came out of the gate swinging and successfully dented a Les Paul. I can send you a copy of his fee schedule for damage if you're interested.


The drop-fill/taped razor blade/strip sand technique worked pretty well on a couple blemishes on my project guitar. It's fairly easy to get it smooth if you're patient and give the lacquer a good amount of time to dry. If the damage goes deep enough to disrupt a metallic color coat, it's likely not going to be invisible to the eye without a more involved refinish. The repair over silver flake is smooth but visible where the flakes got disrupted. On a black area, it's invisible.

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