Scratch Pad Guitar Protector
Click here to buy the Scratch Pad Velvet Guitar Finish Protector
Guitar protection is an important consideration that many people tend not to consider beyond perhaps buying a guitar case for keeping your prized axe safe during transportation.
This is of course all well and good, but what about protecting your guitar from wear caused by actually playing it?
One of the things that damages guitars whilst they are being played is what is known amongst guitarists as “buckle rash”. This is caused by the abrasive effect that hard items such as belts, jean rivets, zippers, buttons and keys can have on the finish on the back of a guitar. Buckle rash often results in deep gauges, dings, divots, dents and chips which not only look unsightly and siginificantly reduce the resale value of your guitar, but will also might leave the resulting exposed and untreated wood susceotible to things such as damp other elements which, over time, might just end up damaging your instrument.
The worse cases of buckle rash are usually exhibited on older guitars and those with thin lacquer or nitrocellulose finishes, see image below.
Newer guitars are often finished with polyurethane which is a lot more resistant and durable but will still scratch, removing the lustrous shine of the finish and leaving a dull surface.
Of course, there is always the option of having your guitar refinished, but this is a special skill that requires specialist equipment, specialist paints, involves many processes, is time consuming and is therefore prohibitively expensive for most us.
Luckily for us guitarists there is a product on the market that was designed to eliminate the problem of buckle rash. Behold the Scratch Pad Velvet Guitar Finish Protector
For such a simple product the Scratch Pad has a lot going for it.
It is lightweight and therefore almost completely unnoticeable as you play.
It is non-adhesive and so therefore will not leave any sticky residue or marks on your guitar. It requires no clips or straps, instead it makes use of some very clever Micro-Pore technology to keep it firmly in place.
It can be applied and removed in seconds, meaning that if you are changing guitars for different songs in your set you can use it on those guitars too.
The size and shape of the Scratch Pad has been designed to protect the most vulnerable areas on most, if not all, models of guitar such as Strat and Les Pauls and even irregular shapes such as Flying V.
It can be used on acoustic guitars also
It looks great and is incredibly effective.
With a modest price, the highly practical Scratch Pad should definitely be considered if you have a high value guitar, a guitar that you may one day wish to sell, or even just a guitar that you care about and want to keep in good condition.
Another great, innovative guitar product that might in long run help save you money.
