Wearing down to the wood on my MT

[FrDNicholas]

I just noticed that where I anchor my pinkie, I have worn down to the wood. Now I realize the obvious answer is to stop anchoring my pinkie,but I have been doing this for upteen years and fall into the old dog and new tricks category. I played my old Gibson for 20+ years and never did this. Is it peculiar to the satin finish, or the different climate I'm now in?(The Southwest)Am I endangering the instrument? Can I actually wear a hole in the instrument ala Willie Nelson? Is there another way to fix this problem other than the obvious answer? I've only had this instrument for a little over 2 years. What can I do?

[dcoventry]

Mainly, good job for playing that much!!

Next, get a pickguard to plant on. It was originally called a "pinky elevation and planting device" or something silly like that. Honest.

[allenhopkins]

Had a similar problem with my Eastman 615 mandola; thin finish, and playing it outdoors on a sunny day. Here's what I did:

1. Got the finish touched up professionally, so that the wear, while still visible, was less egregious;

2. Had a small "pickguard" cut out of a transparent, self-adhesive sheet plastic, and attached over the wear spot. Most instrument repair shops have and use this material, to stop finger and pick wear on instrument tops.

The plastic pickguard will stop the finger wear, and it won't be obvious to the average onlooker. You'll need to get used to the slicker feel of the top, but that posed no problem in my case.

[mandroid]

Dont you want a holy mandolin Friar?

[Ivan Kelsall]

It must be due to your finger nail digging into the wood.I can't see that the fleshy pad of your finger would wear through the finish as you describe. Sam Bush's mandolin has a very worn patch,& if you watch him play,his right hand pinky brushes the top & again,it must be his finger nail that's causing the damage.It might not look so elegant,but you could always place one of those transparent Band-Aid type dressing over the end of your pinky finger nail - after getting the area refinished of course !.The world famous concert Pianist,Alfred Brendel,wears plasters on the ends of his fingers when playing,to stop his nails breaking - so you'd be in very famous company,
Ivan

[FrDNicholas]

Thanks, Allen. I'll research someone in my area to check that out. If there's anyone on the forum from Albuquerque that knows a reputable repair person, I would be most grateful for contact information.

[rockies]

Daniel, the mylar material (self adhesive) is available from Stewart MacDonald and can easily be applied yourself. Just cut a piece to cover the area (larger and shaped). Flood the area with a small amount of water to sueeze out bubbles. Place paper towel any where the water may be unwanted (inside f hole). Remove the adhesive cover film, place one edge down press down kind of rolling it on to the surface to push the water away. Work any air bubbles out to the edge and it's done. Way harder to describe than do. To remove in the future (if wanted) warm waith a hair dryer and slowly pull up from surface.
Dave

[mfeuerst]

I looked at a used satin finish MT recently that was only 1-2 years old and that finger spot was already shiny, although not down to bare wood yet. Its owner was an active player, but still....

[pjlama]

Thanks, Allen. I'll research someone in my area to check that out. If there's anyone on the forum from Albuquerque that knows a reputable repair person, I would be most grateful for contact information.

ABQ guitar works, Ian Bannerman 881-4401, Quincy and Menaul.

[Pete Summers]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/ws/eBayISAPI...#ht_3276wt_932

Six bucks, works great, much easier than trying to change your picking method. Easy to apply, easy to remove.

[sunburst]

As pointed out, the thinness of the finish (not the "satin") is the reason you wore through so much faster than the Gibson, many of which have very thick finishes. I'll point out that a very active player can wear through a finish by planting the fleshy part of a finger (or fingers) with no fingernail contact. A thin finish is a good thing for sound, but it must be handled carefully if it is not to wear through.

[FrDNicholas]

Just a quick update:I took the MT to a repair shop in town and he put the piece of plastic on it, cut it away from the sound hole and charged me nothing! I am so grateful for the help and expertise here on the cafe and for the generous repair work done locally. It took all of 5 minutes and he gave me a Dunlap 1.5 flatpick. All in all a very positive experience. Allen, have you had any problem with the plastic piece coming unglued?

[Mandobart]

I had the same problem, check this thread for how I applied a thin clear pickguard. It wasn't planting for me, it was just sweeping contact with my free-hanging pinkie. I learned from someone here on the cafe to lightly hold a spare pick in my right hand, between the palm and ring finger/pinkie combo. This keeps me from dragging the pinkie.

However, in the year or so between applying my "micro pickguard" and learning how to keep my right hand closed, the Deft application held up great.

[allenhopkins]

...Allen, have you had any problem with the plastic piece coming unglued?

Not as yet.

I, on the other hand, have come unglued several times, but that's neither here nor there...

[wag1943]

Daniel, the mylar material (self adhesive) is available from Stewart MacDonald and can easily be applied yourself. Just cut a piece to cover the area (larger and shaped). Flood the area with a small amount of water to sueeze out bubbles. Place paper towel any where the water may be unwanted (inside f hole). Remove the adhesive cover film, place one edge down press down kind of rolling it on to the surface to push the water away. Work any air bubbles out to the edge and it's done. Way harder to describe than do. To remove in the future (if wanted) warm waith a hair dryer and slowly pull up from surface.
Dave

Intresting sence i just got a new 615 eastman No pick guard .. How big Can i make the mylar guard ?? Wiill it effect the sound Any ?? And why the water??