Ding on the fretboard

[J.C. Spradley]

Hi Guys,

Last night after practicing for a bit I rested my bass against the amp (securely, I thought) and stood up to walk away. Almost immediately the bass fell sideways and hit the nightstand next to it. After taking a look I saw a nice little ding on the top edge of the fretboard just below the 4th fret- about the size of a bb. Take a look at the attached pic.

Is there anything I can do about this? I found a method of repairing dents in wood where you place a damp paper towel (or similar material) over the ding and then briefly press a soldering iron on top of it- in essence steaming out the dent. Does this method work or is it a really bad idea? Is there something else I should try?

I know that dings and dents give an instrument character, my P bass has tons of them, but this one is in a weird spot where I can feel it and see it quite easily. If I have to live with then so be it. However, if there's anything I can do to fix it then I'd like to at least try.

Thanks!

[Gerard Burick]

is it drastically changing the feel of the bass?  I see you said it's noticable, but how bad is it?

If it was me, I'd leave it alone for now and see what the guys from Sadowsky say.  I'm always sad when I get a new ding, but then I adapt and enjoy the new character that comes along with it.

[Sadowsky]

Try steaming it out.  Take a small piece of paper towel and fold it a few times and moisten.  Then press the tip of a soldering iron right over the ding (with the paper towel between the iron and the neck).  If 2 or 3 attempts do not produce results, prop the bass sideways so the ding is vertical and place a very small but damp piece of paper towel directly on the ding.  Leave it there for a few hours and see if there is any improvement.

If not, have a competent tech fill the ding with superglue or thickened lacquer.

roger

[leroyd]

Hi, I recently used the soldering Iron Technique on a used musicman (Maple Board) that I purchased and the results were good, though the dent stll remains it is not nearly as noticable. So give it a go.

[IntenseJim]

Try steaming it out.  Take a small piece of paper towel and fold it a few times and moisten.  Then press the tip of a soldering iron right over the ding (with the paper towel between the iron and the neck).  If 2 or 3 attempts do not produce results, prop the bass sideways so the ding is vertical and place a very small but damp piece of paper towel directly on the ding.  Leave it there for a few hours and see if there is any improvement.

If not, have a competent tech fill the ding with superglue or thickened lacquer.

roger

I remember this technique.  It really works; my ding was the result of my oaf-like tendencies       

[J.C. Spradley]

Roger,

I tried steaming the dent out last night and it worked beautifully. It isn't completely gone but it's been greatly reduced to where it's barely noticeable. I couldn't be happier! If you ever need any help with your graphic or web design, please let me know.

Thank you!

J.C.

[Gerard Burick]

Nice!  I might try this on a couple of my basses, since they all have maple boards and definitely a few dings.