Official Luthiers Forum!

OK, so i have this acoustic of my sisters and it sounds pretty nice but the top is getting very soft.....I can easily make a huge scratch with my finger nail or pick. Is there anything I could put on it that would act as a protective coating but not hurt the sound? The guitar is an art luither made by godin guitars in Quebec. it says that the wood is 95% canadian but im not sure what the wood is

_________________
" Blues is a low down achin chill, if you ain't never had it, I hope you never will."

Robert Johnson

Short answer is no. An appropriate solution for some may be to add clear golpeadores (adhesive or static Kling-On) to the potential wear areas. You'll have a hard time getting them to go on looking clean with those finishes though.

My solution - let it wear. Seriously, I personally would just play it and let it wear as it may. It's not an heirloom instrument, and while I know many like to keep their instruments looking somewhat presentable, it wouldn't bother me a bit to let it wear if it were mine. That's just my personal opinion, of course.

_________________
Eschew obfuscation, espouse elucidation.

I agree with David,leave it as is.Maby just keep your fingernails trimmed a little more to avoid damage.

If the top seems exceptionally soft, it may be Engelmann Spruce. The beauty of Engelmann is its ability to
provide great response to a very light attack and to perform well in a wide variety of playing situations, but it
is considerably softer than Sitka or Adirondack Spruce.

With Both Cedar and Engelmann Spruce, it is very easy to press an indentation into the finished surface with
a pick or your nails. Eventually, the wear can break through and begin to remove finish and dig into the wood,
but will likely not affect the integrity of the guitar.

I've always loved the deep wear that I've seen on many guitars with these softer wood tops, but have also
seen it on guitars with Sitka and ADirondack Spruce tops as well. If a player uses an aggressive attack and just
plain plays a lot of hours, the guitar can show the effects of it.

Regards,
Kevin Gallagher/Omega Guitars