Filling misdrilled bridge cover holes

steamthief · #1 06-22-2006, 04:17 PM

I have a MIA RI '75 Jazz that sounds so sweet, but the holes for the bridge cover were drilled in the body badly; as a result, the bridge cover sits crooked, and the laquer has been raised to a bubble around one of the holes, marring an otherwise mint 3cs finish.

A couple of questions - would filling and refinishing the area over the holes be a difficult and/or expensive job for an experienced luthier? Also, can anyone recommend somebody in SoCal (or elswhere if they do five-star work) who can make the holes go away and look like they were never there? Thanks in advance for your replies!

steamthief · #2 06-23-2006, 08:45 AM

Buehler? Buehler?

steamthief · #3 06-23-2006, 11:00 PM

Thanks for the reply, Joshua. I'm in the Inland Empire in California, about an hour east of LA.

The finish on the bass, other than the bubbled up edges of the screw holes, is probably a 9.9 out of 10. I don't want new screw holes drilled - I prefer the look of the sunburst without the bridge cover - I just want the bass to look like the holes were never there in the first place. I guess my biggest cocern would be that the filling would match the ash grain and golden hue of the burst, and that the clearcoat is seamless.

Can anyone else chime in with some references?

62bass · #4 06-24-2006, 07:19 AM

I don't have a map handy, but Michael Dolan has a shop in Santa Rosa. He's certainly capable of work like this.

I'd suggest a good antique refinisher but most of them don't have experience working with modern poly finishes. But you could check it out.

From what you describe, it's a doable job for someone with experience, but a bit labour intensive.