OMG - PLEASE HELP - shipping nightmare on the finish

[acousticologist]

I just bought a '57 J45, and the shipper wrapped the guitar in bubblewrap, and it looks like it's eaten into the finish...

Has anyone ever had this happen?? is there a way to fix this??

what do i do???

[terryj47]

Wow. That's awful. I would seek help from a professional. Plastic (bubble wrap) and certain finish products are really incompatible. If the spots have "recurred", maybe the can be rubbed out with a fine abrasive compound. This guitar is obviously worth some bread. I would get help. Good luck.

[RP]

Have you contacted the seller? Have you tried using a solvent that would not ruin the finish, perhaps in a very small area? Are there good luthiers in your neck of the woods who could suggest a suitable solvent? Did the bubble wrap melt into the finish? Is the finish original or has it been refinished?

[drplayer]

OMG! I've never seen this on a guitar, but I have seen it on other painted/varnished items and I doubt it can be corrected by just wiping it with a polishing rag. Likely it's an interaction between the plastic and the varnish.

My guess would be that the best case will be that it needs buffed out; hopefully it doesn't need re-finished. In either case, the dealer made an aweful mistake and needs to be informed and held accountable...just horrible. Let us know how it turns out for you.

[HHP]

I would strongly advise that YOU do nothing to try and fix it prior to having a discussion with the seller. IF they agree to you acting to get it fixed, get it in writing from them EXACTLY what they are willing to let you do. Short of them agreeing to absorb the cost and the risk of a fix on themselves, I would just pursue sending it back to them for a refund.

[mjz]

yep. stop. This is an issue for the seller. He inappropriately packaged the guitar and the plastic ate into the nitro. Literally it has broken down the chemical structure of the nitro. Fortunately not for that long. It can probably be buffed out with compound. However, that means finish is going to be removed. And the checks and crazing is going to change and have to have finish dust removed. It's going to take some TLC and will be a bit of a different guitar then when purchased.

I would contact the seller and ask him how he would like you to proceed. I'd even make him pay the return shipping. It's a really rookie mistake on such a wonderful old guitar.

max

Who the heck ships ANY guitar of quality in bubble wrap and not in a hardhsell case? Unbelievable lack of common sense on the shipper's part!

[jdinco]

Originally Posted by GraceGuitars

Who the heck ships ANY guitar of quality in bubble wrap and not in a hardhsell case? Unbelievable lack of common sense on the shipper's part!

I was thinking the same...

[Ken Olmstead]

Yeah, refund time. Let the seller sort it out and you search for another treasure sold by someone who has more sense. What a shame.

[ukejon]

The chemical off-gassing from plastic products such as bubble wrap can devastate finishes on guitars, furniture, and the like. It basically remelts the finish and leaves marks such as this. You need to contact a good instrument finish person/luthier for advice. If you are lucky, this can be lightly buffed out--sort of the way white water marks on shellac finishes can be removed. I often do this on historic furniture with pumice/rottenstone and one has to be very careful. But MJZ is very correct to point out that if you have to cut more deeply into the surface, the crazing and even the levelness of the surface can change. Good luck.

[PTC Bernie]

Yes, contact the seller, this was a very poor choice on his part.

I would also contact Gibson and get their input on what options might be open to you. It'll put you in a better position with the seller if you have the manufacturers input.

Keep us posted on how it turns out.

[The Old Anglo]

Originally Posted by Ken Olmstead

Yeah, refund time. Let the seller sort it out and you search for another treasure sold by someone who has more sense. What a shame.

I Agree!!!.

[verstft]

Sorry for not having anything constructive to add to this thread..but that's unbelievable...one would think that even if bubble wrap was a poor choice for shipping, that it would take way more than just a few days to chew through the finish.

[XYRN]

Originally Posted by verstft

Sorry for not having anything constructive to add to this thread..but that's unbelievable...one would think that even if bubble wrap was a "poor" choice for shipping, that it would take at least a year before it a guitar finish.

I've seen damage done to nitro finishes in just a couple days from one of those Leg-Up thingies that attaches with suction cups.

A rule of thumb, the softer a piece of plastic is, the more volatile compounds it contains (to maintain the suppleness) and the more likely it is to damage nitro.
Rubbery clear suction cups are vinyl, and I'd wager that there is a good proportion of similar stuff in bubble wrap.

Such a shame, had they even wrapped the guitar in a single layer of newspaper and then the bubblewrap, this would have been avoided.

[texasdw]

No case? What the H? It's not like it'd be heard to find a case for a J45...?