Say what you want about poly finishes...

[GordonRules24]

Had a little scare tonight. I pulled my Deluxe out of its case for some practice time, and was shocked to see four scratches in the guitar's face. Three were between the output jack "football" and the edge of the pickguard, and one long one ran along the bottom edge. What's worse, all of the scratches were brick red as if my Strat had rubbed or scuffed against something painted (what I have no idea.) On top of the light Daphne Blue finish, the scratches stuck out like neon. They didn't add any additional relic mojo either. It just looked like I'd left it leaning somewhere it shouldn't have been.

Thinking I'd somehow ruined my favorite guitar, I decided to at least see it I could get the paint out so the damage would be less visible. So I put some toothpaste on a wet washcloth, and with a little elbow grease, the paint and the scratches buffed right out! I was so amazed that I examined the surface under a naked light bulb. Sure enough, the surface was perfectly smooth and flat with no evidence of any damage at all. Say what you want about poly finishes being plasticky and not resonant, but the finish on my Deluxe is bulletproof and the guitar sounds great!

[Squirr]

Good to hear it was such an easy fix! (BTW..what's "the football"?)

[nomadh]

oh yea they are tough. too tough if you want it to age. If fender could just keep me from aging.

[tribbles]

It's the shape of the output jack plate - it's shaped like an American-style football.

[Squirr]

Originally Posted by tribbles

It's the shape of the output jack plate - it's shaped like an American-style football.

oh, I see...well I guess my ignorance may be excused then, since I'm more into sccer...

[wwwagstaffe]

So now you have a great sounding guitar with good smelling breath! Bonus!

Thanks for the tip mate, I'm sure I'll be using it I'm prone to knocking and scratching my guitars!

[Stratatattat]

wow...great idea!

[Sparkfire]

Should I use Crest Whitening toothpaste sense my Deluxe is Pearl White?

[GordonRules24]

Originally Posted by Sparkfire

Should I use Crest Whitening toothpaste sense my Deluxe is Pearl White?

LOL! I never thought of that! Didn't one brand of toothpaste say their product "helps keep your Pearl Whites their whitest?"

Take it for what it's worth, but I used plain Colgate. For some reason, I remembered reading about jewelers using toothpaste because it's abrasive, but it's gentler than buffing compounds. Out of desperation, I tried it and it worked great!