A couple years back I had my Strat strung across my back as I was talking to a friend who stopped by. The strap then slipped off and fell to the ground, my driveway. The result was a nice inch and a-half scar along the bottom of my orange Strat. So, my question is: What's the best way to go about get this repaired and, though I'm not planning to sell it any time soon (I want to give it to my older daughter, who is taking up guitar playing my 60th anniversary Tele), what kind of impact will that have on its value?

That scar just makes her a road warrior. If you refinish, chances are you will diminish the value. Best to just leave it as is.

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You're only as strong as
the drinks you pour,
the tables you dance on,
and the friends you roll with.

Lower it.

I guitar with damage has MOJO !

Yo, BlackStrat, thanks for the comment. I actually got that from another friend, and wondered if that was truly the case. The comment was, since it had been dropped and scarred, I'd never have to worry again about it happening and because it did happen, that's part of the history of my guitar. I'm leaning toward your view, and thanks a million, Bro!

Repairing the ding depends on what kind of finish your Strat has. So tell us what kind of finish is your Strat. Nitro or polyurethane or polyester? Only nitro is easily spot repairable.

As far as impact on future value...well it depends on what model or year Strat you have. If it's a vintage Strat, well yes than a gouge taken out or repair will detract from the value. But then again, you said you say your Strat is orange so that rules out vintage. But I've never known Fender to make an orange Strat. You shouldn't worry about "future value" of modern Strats, they will never command the current prices of vintage pre-CBS Strats unless you have a rare Custom Shop model. Rock on with your Strat's battle scar and use straplocks!

p.s. Can you post a pic of your orange Strat? You've got my curiosity now.

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Obligatory gear list: Fender, Rickenbacker, Gibson, Gretsch, Vox, Martin, and more Fender.

Exactly!

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A painter paints pictures on canvas. But musicians paint their pictures on silence. ~Leopold Stokowski~

There are some people that pay top dollar for road worn guitars...

Just joking. You need to do whatever makes you feel better about your guitar.

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RK

2007 Fender Highway 1
2012 American Deluxe
2015 MIM Dave Murray HHH
2010 Fender Blacktop
1987 Fender Avalon Acoustic
2012 Marshall DSL 15 watt head

I would not worry about resale value on any modern factory issued guitar. If it looks that bad you will probably need a whole refin which is going to cost you. Sometimes you find really cool decals that work magic.

worn spots are great accomplishments for those old school vintage lookers... Body damage is always a good idea to fix. Many kids don't like the used look, they'd rather have something new.... I'd fix it if I was planning on giving to my son or daughter....

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"Epitaph on a blues musician’s tombstone: “I didn’t wake up this morning”" Davy Knowles


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One easy fix is to mask around the scrape,remove any loose wood or paint chips,fill in the gouge with layers of Super Glue ,allowing sufficient time to dry between coats.When the level is just barely above the level of the original finish sand with fine sand paper and finish with a very fine wet sandpaper.Apply a matching Fender touch-up paint and polish to blend the damaged area with the original.

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'65 Strat,65 Mustang,65 Jaguar,4 more Strats,3 vintage Vox guitars,5 Vox amps,'69 Bassman with a '68 2-15 Bassman cab,36 guitars total-15asst'd amps total,2 vintage '60s Hammond organs & a myriad of effects-with a few rare vintage ones.

It's value is diminished anyway due to the scar. I'd just leave it. Unless it's a special edition, custom Strat, it won't gain much value anyway, probably just inflation. If it bother you which it obviously does, get it fixed. I'll bet you'll still be able to see it though no matter who does the work.

But for myself, I'd just leave it. Mt 72 has quite a few battle scars. Mostly because I was only 17 when I bought it and didn't really care about scratches, dents and such. I've had it 38 years and still never touched up the scars. It's Mojo.

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Life...... It's sexually transmitted and always fatal

Some luthiers do amazing things. There's a guy in my neighborhood in southern california who runs a shop. I've seen guitars go from irreparable to immaculate.

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-Kc
"Payin' dues."