Chipped my bass, How much to repair

NOT · #1 08-16-2011, 06:45 AM

I am a proud owner of a cream white Gibson Thunderbird. About two months ago I chipped it, and it is really starting to annoy me.

The chip is about a quarter of an inch.

I do not plan on fixing this myself.

How much should it cost to get repaired?

Can it damage my bass?

JLS · #2 08-16-2011, 08:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NOT

I am a proud owner of a cream white Gibson Thunderbird. About two months ago I chipped it, and it is really starting to annoy me.

The chip is about a quarter of an inch.

I do not plan on fixing this myself.

How much should it cost to get repaired?

Can it damage my bass?

It won't damage your bass, will cost an inordinate amount, suggest you just get over it. It's a musical instrument, a tool for making music, not a painting of a bass.

SurferJoe46 · #3 08-16-2011, 08:51 AM

I know the feeling and I won't let a chip stay that way for long.

All my gear is as good ---- if not better --- than the day I bought it and that might be part of the reason why I don't buy used gear.

The repair is going to be somewhat expensive, but in the very least you are at the mercy of another specialist who wants to make his next yacht payment off you - so there's always a certain amount of gouging in the price to consider.

Since you don't want to or cannot make the repair yourself, then you may have no real choices, especially if you don't know anybody who does this sort of repair, nor their track record and if they really know what they are doing.

I guess I have no real solution - as I do all my repairs myself and don't need a specialist with them holding my guitar as hostage, This may be the time to expand your own horizons and learn a new hobbyist activity that may possible turn into a trade for you alter on.

And --- it's not JUST an instrument - it's an extension of you and your lifestyle, so don't pay any attention to someone who minimizes the dent for you - they aren't you. Their gear can look bad, but that's no reason why yours has to.

steamthief · #4 08-16-2011, 09:22 AM

My bass took a tumble a few months ago onto a tile floor, scarring what was a pristine finish with a 2" x 1/2" chunk removal. I just got some 0000 grit steel wool and sanded down the rough edges of the detached paint.

I think I like it better now.

stflbn · #5 08-16-2011, 09:27 AM

Put a little superglue on it, or dab some poly etc on it, and move on. In all likelyhood it will NOT be the last. Use the tool.

fhm555 · #6 08-16-2011, 09:50 AM

I'm with the use the tool thing. It's done, get past it and play the thing.

That said, if it gets dinged after I own it, oh well, but I have a real thing about buying beat up stuff and yes, I'm anal enough that any oh s*(t mark no matter how small is excuse to offer less than asking or move on to the next one. Unless of course it plays really well.

stflbn · #7 08-16-2011, 09:57 AM

Yes, but an instrument simply having a ding doesn't mean a bass is beat up. It means something happened to it at some time.

Multiple dings and dents and divots in the back of the neck and headstock imply something could have been abused. But yes... people usually expect some reduction of cost based on the amount of dings.

Just keep in mind... you could spend a couple hundred dollars fixing that ding, then the next time you use the bass or gig it you 'could' get another ding. And in all likelyhood the bass WILL get another ding if you use it regularly. So you're just starting a trend of feeding money into a tool to keep it pristine.

hover · #8 08-16-2011, 10:00 AM

I would just continue to be the proud owner of said bass and accept the ding for what it is. Rock it proud. The ding says "I own it". Some people call it charm, others mojo, I call it a chip.

Gaius46 · #9 08-16-2011, 10:14 AM

I once took a 77 Rickenbacker to a luthier to get a chip in the headstock and another on the body repaired. He looked at it and then looked at me and said "Why? They give her character." I thought about it for a couple of seconds and decided he was right.

bolophonic · #10 08-16-2011, 10:40 AM

I don't understand anyone who gets worked up over a ding. Even more baffling are the people who consider my gear to be "beat up" because I don't cry about a ding or two.

grendle · #11 08-16-2011, 11:05 AM

You can use multiple thin coats of nail Polish or auto touch up paint. Fill the chip slowly,use clear after you get a few coats of color on. Wetsand with 1500-2000 grit. And Polish. Try and get the best color match you can. That's about it really

Josh Pelican · #12 08-16-2011, 11:23 AM

I used to fret about hitting my basses on walls, drums, amps, the floor, etc. Then I bought a 1983 T-40 and realized the world won't end if it has a ding or two.

I mean, if you JUST BOUGHT IT, that's a different story...

Chasarms · #13 08-16-2011, 12:44 PM

I often wonder why finish repair threads get posted over and over. It would seem that they are as valid in this sub-forum as any truss rod or pot question, but every one ends up with 10 "get over it, it adds mojo" replies for any one of value.

If someone wants to repair a chipped finish, that's his or her choice.

Personally I DESPISE chipped up basses. I have sold more than one otherwise good instrument after it took a hit and suffered a finish chip. And passed on dozens of deals on used basses with road rash on them.

That's good for you guys, though! More cheap, used basses to choose from.

But me, if I had a bass that I just had to keep, and it took a bump, I'd have it completely refinished before I would "just live with it."

I wonder if some of you guys are the same ones driving around late-model, otherwise nice cars with the fenders caved in.

calebbarton · #14 08-16-2011, 12:56 PM

I do chip repairs on occasion....Honestly, it depends on weather or not you want color and what type of finish it is. If you dont care about color and its a poly finish, you can build up the chip with superglue and sand it down so you cant even tell it was there. If you want to color match a nitro finish, you will spend more. It also depends on how deep the chip is....It makes this really hard to quote without seeing the instrument.

I certainly would not quote without seeing it first.

conqr · #15 08-16-2011, 12:57 PM

Kinda middling myself - I DO like a brand new bass (rather than used) and I DO like to keep it pristine for as long as possible. If dings occur and I can fix them, I will, but if not c'est la vie - I'll live.

calebbarton · #16 08-16-2011, 01:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SurferJoe46

The repair is going to be somewhat expensive, but in the very least you are at the mercy of another specialist who wants to make his next yacht payment off you - so there's always a certain amount of gouging in the price to consider.

This offends me greatly. How could you assume that every repair person is out to get the customer?

**jmattbassplaya** · #17 08-16-2011, 01:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chasarms

I often wonder why finish repair threads get posted over and over. It would seem that they are as valid in this sub-forum as any truss rod or pot question, but every one ends up with 10 "get over it, it adds mojo" replies for any one of value.

If someone wants to repair a chipped finish, that's his or her choice.

Actually, they are of equal, if not more, value than the ones telling the person to fix it. Repairing such minor blemishes on any instrument costs a real pretty penny for very little return. Most nicks don't hurt the tone of the instrument, the playability of the instrument, or anything 'important' in regards to the instruments function as a tool for making music. They just make the instrument look as if it has been used. The lesson here is to either a) be more careful with your instruments and accept that this sort of thing happens and that it's really not a big deal, or b) start saving a lot of money for touch ups because they cost a decent amount of money.

stflbn · #18 08-16-2011, 01:15 PM

I know a couple people who insist on getting any ding in their auto's repaired. They've spent thousands of dollars on repair of small dings, scratches and such in their cars. Over and over and over. Sometimes several months in a row. IMHO, this is similar. If you can outright 'afford' it and have the expendable cash to do so... hey... go for it... but if you have a bass with a ding in it and can't afford a nice amp, then do yourself a favor and put the money toward a better overall rig. It will matter more there.

IMHO.

.

PazzoBasso · #19 08-16-2011, 01:26 PM

I guess you could sell the chipped bass to someone who appreciates a good ding & buy a new one for yourself...

Be kind & don't overcharge for the newly relic'ed T-bird...

of course I jest... It's your bass & it should be as you like it - check out the best guitar shops in your area (one of them might have a good luthier in employment) and get a quote - depending on your location, there might be an independent luthier or repair person that could do the work (get references & check out examples of recent work if you can)...

I'm assuming that the cream T-bird was once white & has aged, so the colour match won't be easy...

Good luck & post some pics!

Pilgrim · #20 08-16-2011, 07:01 PM

I'd repair the chip - and I have done so when a bass was chipped in a visible area. I don't care what people say about "mojo"...but IMO there's no such thing. I take pride in my instruments and their condition.

it's all relative. I've had 60's basses with numerous chips around the edge of the body - in that case there's no rational way to do chip repair without a complete refin. But when the chips were in a black finish area, I at least took a Sharpie and colored the wood to disguise the chipped areas.

Would I spend a couple hundred dollars to do so? Not likely. It's DIY for me.