Help! Does anyone have suggestions on how to protect sigs?

[universe777]

I had initially posted this under the BFR JP heading, but I wanted to re-up it in it's own thread to increase it's visibility and hopefully get some more input from forum users. (Btw, Thanks so much to EB for providing this forum, I've been perusing it for a day now and it's so informative and entertaining!)

QUOTE=universe777;514551]thanks! Another thing I wanted to see is if anyone had any suggestions on how to protect the signatures. Because the top is so beautiful and it's such an amazing sounding guitar I don't want to have it sprayed (thats such a scary thought to me, because i figure having it sprayed perfect is like black magic, only the best of the best would be able to do it properly and have it look perfect, and even then it might be a crap shoot)

I put a few coats of gerlitz #1 carnuba wax on it..good idea? I figured while not permanant it will provide a good measure of protection and i'll just have to make a mental note to wax it everytime i change strings.

anyone have anyother suggestions or products to look into?[/QUOTE]

 

[73h Nils]

That's quite the bunch of signatures indeed! A mighty fine colour, too! Looks like Myung's is already rubbing off....

In this situation, I really wouldn't know what to use... Clear nail polish is what people I know use for single signatures and the like, but this....yeesh.

More input, please!

 

[universe777]

HaHa...Actually none of them have any wear on them, Mr. Myung just doesn't press very hard I suppose.

My main area of concern is the JP and JR sigs, this guitar is a daily player, and my forearm rest right in that area, between oil/sweat from my skin and the movement of strumming and picking motion I can imagine these starting to wear off eventually.

 

[73h Nils]

Yeah, I'd need more people to jump in on this thread because I honestly have almost zero ideas!

Myung does sign rather "weakly" I guess...The pen was dying on Rudess when he signed this!

 

[universe777]

Thanks so much for the consideration, this board really is amazing!

Yeah, I was at a total loss too, I've been using that #1 caranuba forever (it's marketed as the worlds hardest wax) and it's always been good for keeping the finishes nice on my other guitars, I just have no idea if it would offer any protection after applying multiple coats over marker ink. I don't see why it wouldn't...but i'd love to hear other ideas or products that have worked for other people.

 

[azazael]

My axis has been signed by Paul Gilbert (back of headstock) and also by Vinnie Moore (on the body, he also noodled about playin it for a few mins) but in the end sadly I had to let Vinmans signature go as I had no way to preserve it and cleaning and looking after my instrument was more important.

 

[Pittman75]

Call customer service...maybe you can pay to have it clear coated? Otherwise- go to an auto body shop. They do a great job on cars- just need a quick clearcoat and its on forever.

 

[colinboy]

nice quilt top my friend!

 

[universe777]

Call customer service...maybe you can pay to have it clear coated? Otherwise- go to an auto body shop. They do a great job on cars- just need a quick clearcoat and its on forever.

Any insights from Ball employees on the board? If i'm willing to incur the cost would you be able to spray it again for me? ... or would that adversly affect the resonance of the body?

 

[MikeVt]

This topic has been discussed a lot here, and unfortunately, I've never seen a good solution. The consensus seems to be that the sigs need to be put on a roughed up area prior to the clearcoat. From what I understand, putting a clearcoat on it now is likely to result in peeling or chipping.

Given that you have ALL of their signatures, the best thing to do would be to buy another ball as a daily player, and store this one.

My 2 cents...
Mike

 

[Bungo]

Any insights from Ball employees on the board?

They're probably all off quietly sobbing in a corner somewhere.......

 

[TheStiffness]

I had initially posted this under the BFR JP heading, but I wanted to re-up it in it's own thread to increase it's visibility and hopefully get some more input from forum users. (Btw, Thanks so much to EB for providing this forum, I've been perusing it for a day now and it's so informative and entertaining!)

QUOTE=universe777;514551]thanks! Another thing I wanted to see is if anyone had any suggestions on how to protect the signatures. Because the top is so beautiful and it's such an amazing sounding guitar I don't want to have it sprayed (thats such a scary thought to me, because i figure having it sprayed perfect is like black magic, only the best of the best would be able to do it properly and have it look perfect, and even then it might be a crap shoot)

I put a few coats of gerlitz #1 carnuba wax on it..good idea? I figured while not permanant it will provide a good measure of protection and i'll just have to make a mental note to wax it everytime i change strings.

anyone have anyother suggestions or products to look into?

[/QUOTE]



Have the sigs engraved.

Just kidding.

This is a tough one to answer. That top's gorgeous and you wouldn't want to mute the quilt's definition with any extra coating...

hmm....

Any woodsmiths in the house?

 

[paranoid70]

I am a big big big Dream Theater fan......... but I wouldn't even let Petrucci sign a guitar that nice. I did have Portnoy sign one of my CDs several years ago.

I am no help either sorry. Best of luck.

 

[Volt]

To have it clear-coated I would speculate that the finish would have to be prepped first and the prep would probably ruin the sigs.
Personally, retiring the guitar from service would be what I would do.

 

[tommydude]

Solution........Clear Contact Paper.

I have used it before on another guitar I own. Signatures are still around 20 years and counting!

 

[andynpeters]

I am a big big big Dream Theater fan......... but I wouldn't even let Petrucci sign a guitar that nice. I did have Portnoy sign one of my CDs several years ago.

I am no help either sorry. Best of luck.

I'm with you paranoid....if Elvis & Buddy Holly rose from the dead I still wouldn't let them write their names on my guitar.....but then everyone has different tastes, so hope you find a solution Universe.....wonder if the EBMM makers really are sobbing to see their work signed??
The suggestion of storing the guitar & getting another one to play was interesting. Does anyone know whether autographs add to or detract from the value?

 

[Volt]

I'm fairly confident that if I had even a lowly POS guitar that was signed by Elvis or Buddy it would be worth a bundle.

 

[universe777]

Solution........Clear Contact Paper.

I have used it before on another guitar I own. Signatures are still around 20 years and counting!

That is a brilliant idea! I'm going to start doing some research asap! What kind of c. paper did you use 20 years ago? Was it the kind where you have to spray it to make it wet before applied it, or was the static cling kind around way back then?

I'm going to go with the static cling kind, but I was just curious as to what was available back then.

That really is a great idea, Thanks so much!

 

[universe777]

I'm with you paranoid....if Elvis & Buddy Holly rose from the dead I still wouldn't let them write their names on my guitar.....but then everyone has different tastes, so hope you find a solution Universe.....wonder if the EBMM makers really are sobbing to see their work signed??
The suggestion of storing the guitar & getting another one to play was interesting. Does anyone know whether autographs add to or detract from the value?

I guess if someones a big enough DT fan it might increase the value a little bit...it doesn't really matter to me a whole lot though, it doesn't change how brilliantly the guitar plays and i'm never going to part with it. So right now it's just a fun added bonus, plus it makes me smile a little more every time i look at it and see mr. rudess' signature.

And if one day they wear off, so be it...i'll still have a beautiful top to gaze at. lol...and by a beautiful top i mean, it puts the cover of a carvin catalog to shame

 

[beachjammer]

I have an OLP guitar signed by all the members of DT. I just wrote in to Guitar World last month in the tech column asking Marr how I should clear coat the sigs. He said to use Deft brand lacquor and spray a very thin coat to strat with. He said too much at once will cause the clear coat and sigs to peel away. Once the first initial clear coat is dry then I could spray another coat as thick as I wanted. Granted though this is a BFR guitar you have and mine is just an OLP. I don't know if I'd do that to a BFR but it's what I'm doing to my OLP.