My first ding

portlandjosh

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:(
Well, it was bound to happen. My new uke got its first ding tonight. It was such a little tap into the counter, but it smacked a little notch in the edge of the top, fraying the finish. Any recommendations, like clear nail polish or the like on the ding to protect the wood?

I know I need to loosen up, but it still bummed me out...

Cheers,
Josh
 
Probably you could cover the naughty ding with a sticker of Emily Shortcake?:D

Strawberry-Shortcake-Happily-Ever-After.jpg
 
The dings kind of personalize things, you could go for years and then there's that india pale ale that somehow intersects with your ukulele and the corner of a table or chair arm. . . It's nice to keep 'em pretty but they were made to be used and anything that gets used gets 'beauty marks'.
 
Do like I do, buy them pre-dinged. Over time you'll see them as "honorable scars".

Jude
 
Google till you find an image of Stevie Ray Vaughn's Strat. Get back to us after that.

I'm probably worse than you when it comes to dings...

We ourselves are dinged.
 
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As a custom cabinet maker, I deal with dings and dents all the time. If the fibers of the wood are not broken, a small drop of warm water on the spot will cause the wood to swell and raise the grain back up to its original state. You may need to put a couple of VERY small pinholes on the ding if the surface of the finish has not been broken, to allow the water to penetrate.

But don't fret to much about it, now your uke has character.
 
Rory Gallagher's Strat:

B00000G6NG.02.LZZZZZZZ.jpg


Willie Nelson's guitar:

Willie+Nelson+Guitar+Trigger.jpg


Bill Monroe's Gibson F5 mandolin

gibson_mandolin.jpg


It's mojo. Don't worry about it: embrace it.

Now you don't have to worry about geting your first ding!

.
 
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Quit yer bellyaching! Take a small chain and bang the thing up a bit. Then you won't notice your little ding.
 
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Quit yer belkyaching! Take a small chain and bang the thing up a bit. Then you won't notice your little ding.
:D:D

that's the second time today someone's made me really laugh on here!!!!
 
I feel your pain. I took my weeks old Uke, York, whom I love, out of his case in the van in order to bug my husband by playing to him in the car and... dink... in my haste a barely tapped it against something. The mark is small, and in a pretty good place for a ding... but it bothers me... but I keep telling myself the same thing everyone else is saying, "It shows I play it! It gives it character! It is proof I like to annoy my husband!"

But then again... it is so new... I mean... taking your 7 year old to the ER for stitches still sucks... but it would be far worse if it was a 3 week old. Ok... bad analogy I know, but anyways, it hurts a little more when you ding a "baby". haha! And I know something about stitches, My son is 7 and has had 3 sets already. He has a big head and a skinny body... he is top heavy and falls over easily ;)!
 
I sympathize. I know when my Kanile'a and Kamaka got their first marks it broke my heart. Every time I picked them up, all I could see was the glaring scratches. But you know what, over time, that pain faded, and now I just see them as the beautiful ukuleles they are. It is just like a car, when you get that first scratch it kills, but then you can relax. :)
 
it's the mark of a player's instrument. Unless the damage is major structural or interferes with playing, it's not an issue for me. That's not to say that the first ding in a new instrument isn't a little painful at first. Reasonable cosmetic damage is going to happen if you play your instrument a lot. I think it's cool... and so do a lot of people. Why else would a company like Fender come out with a "road-worn" guitar? :)
 
I wouldn't sweat it too much. I got the first major ding in my spruce top tenor a few months ago. My heart skipped a beat when it happened and I felt just sick inside. I felt much better the next day. It is what it is.....a well played instrument.
 
Heh, all good advice. Except for the Strawberry Shortcake sticker, that is! Yep, it's a battle wound and one that will be joined by others before long. ;)
 
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