how to remove these scuff marks ??

[bazza99]

If you look at the photo you can see that my bass has got worn looking scuff marks in a couple of places. It looks like the top poly finish has been worn down and is duller than the rest of body. Does anyone know what might restore the finish?? I tried rubbing oil, no good. Tried guitar polish but not any good. Any ideas, anyone???

 

[Hopkins]

The scuffs will need to be removed with 2000 grit wet paper and the finish buffed back out.

 

[Imperfectly Spliced]

I've used Novus 3 step plastic polish before and that worked pretty well for me.

What ever you decide to try just make sure you test it out on a very small spot first just to be 100% sure that it's going to work.

 

[bazza99]

Forgive my naivety but if I rub it out with wet and dry, how do I get back the shine? You say "buff it out" but using what? I have not done this sorta thing before and I am frightened that wet-papering it wil make it even duller. Advice??

 

[hdracer]

Forgive my naivety but if I rub it out with wet and dry, how do I get back the shine? You say "buff it out" but using what? I have not done this sorta thing before and I am frightened that wet-papering it wil make it even duller. Advice??

these work well.
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[ReneB]

I just worked on getting some scuffs out of a bass as well as blending in a spot I repaired where the finish was worn through to the wood.

• I used 2000 grit wet paper first
• then moved to Novus headlight scratch remover - applied by hand then by an electric buffer
• then I moved to car Rubbing compound - again applied by hand then by electric buffer
• finally I used regular Turtle Wax - again applied by hand then by electric buffer

I was really surprised by how nicely it all turned out. Others can give you more tips I'm sure but I found that keeping the 2000 grit paper moist and allowing the 'slurry' the wet paper creates to do the buffing work was key. If you keep wiping the slurry off it doesn't go as quickly.

 

[Dadagoboi]

Forget the sandpaper, either wet or dry or micromesh. Meguiar's Ultimate Compound will take out those scratches and polish the entire bass to a high gloss. By hand in no time. Around $10 at Walmart in the auto department among other places. Also works on plastic, chrome or nickel...not to mention your car.

Avoid anything with 'guitar' or 'instrument' in the title or description. It's just hype to get your money.

 

[ErikP.Bass]

Does anyone know around how deep of a scratch in finish can be buffed out with this compound? I’m having a hard time gauging if it will work on what I’ve got as these look to be extremely light finish swirls. Curious if others have used on something more substantial. I’ll try and snap a couple of photos of why I’m asking.

 

[ErikP.Bass]

Here are a few photos. The first - scratches, second - small indentations and the third -something that seems to have appeared during acclimatization. It’s is more of a finish chip/crack that almost looks to have come up from in the body wood….so maybe drop fill to prevent from further damage…or just ignore it…LOL. Bass is an 80s Ibanez RB850 so I’m not sure of the finish.

 

[Zooberwerx]

10 y.o. thread but still relevant. I would wet-sand w/ a series of progressively finer micro-mesh pads although I'm hesitant to suggest the starting grit....2k grit has been suggested more than once and it's what I use when addressing polycarb headlight lenses. If skittish around abrasives, you can hit it with 3M Finesse-It II. It will add a high-gloss shine (...they call it the "wet look") but under-serve the deeper blems / scratches.

Riis