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November 2002
Posts: 1300
Location: Madison, Wisconsin | This post is an offshoot of the "Black Guitar Pick Scratch" thread. It's really hard to start such a post with such a really dumb ass thing but here goes.
When I was young and stupid,(no not yesterday) I bought myself a beautiful Martin D12-20 that I still have. I brainlessly decided to put a bumper sticker on the top confessing my faith in God. After a year or two, I thouught it might be affecting the sound as well as my chances to meet girls so I peeled it off only to find that nasty residue left by bumber stickers. I tried soap and water, alcohol, terpintine, paint thinner and finally fingernail polish remover. The fingernail polish remover did athe trick of not only removeing the gunk but the finish as well, right down to the bare wood. The guitar still has a small bare spot below the bridge to remind me of my faith and my teenage hormones . If you think you can see pick scratches when the light hits them just right, try a finishless spot. |
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June 2002
Posts: 6191
Location: Phoenix AZ | Yes Bill, that was kind of dumb. But dumbness loves company. In the game of "one-ups-man-ship", here is something I did in about 1974 that was REALLY dumb. On a 71 balladeer I wanted to polish it and really make it shine. So I bought one of those lambs wool buffing covers that goes over the flat rubber sanding disk of a power drill. It ties on. So I start buffing and BAM, the lambs wool cover comes flying off. Did I forget to mention that I never removed the sand paper from the rubber disk? I gouged a crescent moon shape about 2 inches long deep (VERY DEEP) into the wood top. I was absolutely furious. I was so pissed off that I became obcessed with getting rid of that guitar and sold it for a rediculously low price in the Asbury Park Evening Press. You can bet that the only polishing I do these days is good old manual powered. Dave |
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October 2002
Posts: 178
Location: New York, NY | Bill,
I may be a day late and a dollar short, but the best thing I've found to remove gluey residue is WD-40 spray lubricant. I used it to remove those annoying silver "dog bone" stickers that used to be on CD cases and would never come off cleanly. I never tried it on a guitar top, but I've never had a problem with it attacking any finish (at least not yet), and it probably would've worked better than nail polish remover.
Oh well, maybe next time. |
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December 2001
Posts: 10581
Location: NJ | When Sue and I moved into our first home we did major reconstruction. It took several months before the kitchen was done. She prepared a meal one night and asked "how do you like it?"
I replied "Promise never to feed shit like this to me again."
dumbest thing I ever did... |
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March 2002
Posts: 1380
Location: Central Oregon | For future reference try "GOOF OFF".
Stupid name, I know, but it is almost magical stuff. Comes in a small bottle at the hardware/lumber stores. We buy fixer-upper houses & fixer-em-up & rent or sell 'em. Most have had kids & drunks put bumper stickers, purple dinosaur stickers & things I never imagined exited all over everything in the houses. GOOF OFF has taken off every damned one of 'em, along with the gooey crap, from wooden doors, window frames, counter tops, finished wood, metal doors, you name it. It has also removed magic marker, bubble gum, crayon, lipstick & a lot of crap I hope I never know what it was. To get off paper stickers you wet the paper sticker with GOOF OFF, dampen a rag with it & lay it over the sticker for a minute or so to soak. They usually come right off. It will even remove old, dried latex paint. I would "Test in an inconspicuous spot" before pouring it on my guitar but I would be willing to bet it won't harm it.
/\/\/ |
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May 2002
Posts: 3005
Location: Las Cruces, NM | I've sure done a lot of stupid things, some of which I have confessed to on this board and I will not repeat, if you want to know you'll have to dig it up. Good tip from Nils, and good hearing from any of you that you are human. I assume that Al has been cooking his own meals for some years, I NEVER would have said anything like that. Or maybe I did, I seem to have to go out every day and buy lunch.
Bailey |
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December 2001
Posts: 7210
Location: The Great Pacific Northwest | I was going to jump on this thread, but then realized I could devote an entire website to stupid things I've done. |
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March 2002
Posts: 15652
Location: SoCal | The closer I get to 50, the more dumb stuff I do and the less I worry about it. I could tell you about the dings in my 1537 Elite, or the gash I put in the face of my 1914 0018 Martin, but I don't think I will.
By the way Miles, you were right. The picks are tan (or off white). Dumb of me not to notice.... |
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December 2003
Posts: 420
Location: On the beach in Southwest Florida | Al I did the opposite of you & still have to eat that crap I hate & pretend I love it. I'm not certain which is stupider. |
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December 2001
Posts: 10581
Location: NJ | peter
I paid for that comment 100 fold. BUT there alwasy is take out!!! |
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December 2003
Posts: 420
Location: On the beach in Southwest Florida | Tactful criticism ought to be a required course for husbands to be. |
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March 2002
Posts: 14842
Location: NJ | DUMBfucking Move:
Got up late one morning after a gig and was rushing around to meet my daughter for brunch.
Pulled a wad of wet cash from the night before's rain-soaked jeans.
Did I mention that I was in a real HURRY??
Put aforementioned cash in the microwave for LESS than 15 seconds.
DON'T DO THAT!!!!!!!!! :rolleyes: |
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March 2002
Posts: 15652
Location: SoCal | Caught on fire? |
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May 2003
Posts: 4389
Location: Capital District, NY, USA Minor Outlying Islands | You can put me in the camp of doing too many stupid things to mention. They make life interesting, but oh boy! Did the money melt? |
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March 2002
Posts: 14842
Location: NJ | Fortunately, only a couple small bills "burned".
The majority were 20's.
Those got nicely "toasted" (but only on one end and about a third of the way across the bills).
I ended up going to a dark, dimly-lit go-go bar, ordered a beer, paid with a 20, scooped up the change, and moved on to another bar. Lather/Rinse/Repeat until the twenties were gone.
THAT whole aspect of the ordeal made it a bit "fun", but I'll never be that stupid again.
(. . . yeah, right!) |
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December 2003
Posts: 420
Location: On the beach in Southwest Florida | Hair dryer definately works better than a microwave for that task. |
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March 2002
Posts: 14842
Location: NJ | So does a clothes dryer, an iron, and probably my windshield defroster. But it was just a combination of lack-of-sleep, hurriedness, and that inevitable "seemed like a good idea at the time" syndrome. |
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December 2002
Posts: 939
Location: Fort Worth, Texas | I'd be happy with several $20s to have the problem with :rolleyes: |
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October 2003
Posts: 148
Location: Munich | looks like everyone is a little bit wacky in the end.
once after a gig i put all my equipment in the back of my ol' renault r21 just to realize that it was the r21 of one of the other bands members. this geek took me 5 years of my life and 200 miles to drive to get my guitars back.
for removing stickers I just use the good 'ol dunlop #65 pump spray. but don't remove stickers if you got a vintage blonde or white instrument, that really looks like a pain in the ass. |
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January 2002
Posts: 14127
Location: 6 String Ranch | How many of us have one of these stories and in it are the words "really nice guitar" and "Kahler"? |
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December 2001
Posts: 7210
Location: The Great Pacific Northwest | So true CWK2... LOL... |
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September 2003
Posts: 9301
Location: south east Michigan | 1. Remember, I'm kinda new here. When taking pictures for of OFC gallery, I went to great lengths to make sure that something showed in the refection of the serial number plate on my Breadwinner. I thought you guys really looked for these things.
2. Passed on a 3/4 size Gibson Melody Maker in my youth.
3. I was working on the boat when a neighbor (an experienced boater)came by. I asked him to lower the ship to shore antenna for me. It had an obvious 5" long release/lower lever. He asked how to do it & I thought he was joking. So I joked back, "Just yank on it real hard". Well, he did.
Brad |
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March 2002
Posts: 14842
Location: NJ | ". . 2. Passed on a 3/4 size Gibson Melody Maker in my youth. . "
I can (unfortunately) TOP that.
I had a neighbor who FOUND one of those very guitars stashed behind the seat of a '53 Chevy pickup truck he had just bought. He GAVE me the guitar! At the time I fancied myself as a bass player and didn't have a "need" for a guitar. I sold it to guitar-playing friend of mine for $50!!
He in turn sold it to "Highway Robbie's" (local music store) for $250. I don't wanna TELL you what the price tag was when I later saw it hanging in their show room.
. . . AT LEAST I didn't put the $50 in the friggin' MICROWAVE!!!! |
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September 2003
Posts: 9301
Location: south east Michigan | Ref: above post......A few years ago the same neighbor had a frozen fuel line problem on his Jeep. He took a "torpedo" type kerosene heater, fired it up & placed it under the rear bumper to blow under it. The jeep was parked right next to the house, the gas tank was full, and the wind was blowing. KABOOM. Car, house, everything went. Nobody was hurt.
Brad |
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September 2003
Posts: 9301
Location: south east Michigan | Cliff,
Yikes...Now I don't feel so bad. But of course I think that is the purpose of a thread like this. At least I didn't put $50 in the microwave.
Brad |
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Stupid Things I've Done
