Had a dent repaired by a local luthier...did he do an ok job?

bassd00d · #1 08-19-2008, 05:26 PM

So I bought a Peavey Cirrus a couple of months ago from eBay. It was supposed to be in mint condition...but unfortunately, a knob came off somehow and caused a dent on top of the body.

I took it to get repaired by a local luthier yesterday. He told me he couldn't make it look much better. The purpose of the repair would be to fill and seal it to prevent further damage. I was hoping it would look at least a little better, but now it just looks WORSE! I'm really regretting having it "repaired." I should have left it alone. He did mention that he could sand and buff it to make it look nicer, but that the area that he buffs would have a different shine than the rest of the bass. He said the polyurethane that Peavey uses is pretty unforgiving.

My question is, did the luthier do his job? Or could the repair have looked much better than this? Pics are below. Also, there's a new scratch on it that wasn't there before, visible in one of the pics.

This is my first nice bass...it was really heart-breaking when I first saw the dent...it looked like it was an inch wide and deep. I forgot about it eventually...but then I wanted to get it fixed, and now it's uglier...the feeling just sucks. Really though, once I start playing the bass I forget all about it, and I've fallen in love with the tone of this bass, so I don't care too much about the cosmetic imperfection. But still...I wish I could do something to make it look a little better. I'm guessing it's too late for that now.

Original dent

Dent after repair

This pic probably looks really bad because of the flash and angle. The new scratch is also visible here

chris.gotfunk · #2 08-19-2008, 05:30 PM

Hey man, don't sweat the small stuff. Chock it up to the character of the instrument. Just wait till you start takin that thing out to gigs and smack the headstock on a mic stand or something. The bass was meant to be played, not hung or kept as a museum piece.

By the way, those are great basses!!!!!!!

Peace,
Chris

tplyons · #3 08-19-2008, 05:30 PM

He told you he wouldn't be able to make it look better... he didn't. He was spot on.

Fixing a transparent poly finish is darn near impossible unless you strip and respray.

Rickett Customs · #4 08-19-2008, 05:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chris.gotfunk

Hey man, don't sweat the small stuff. Chock it up to the character of the instrument. Just wait till you start takin that thing out to gigs and smack the headstock on a mic stand or something. The bass was meant to be played, not hung or kept as a museum piece.

By the way, those are great basses!!!!!!!

Peace,
Chris

+1

You should see the scars I have on my Alembic.(one example)It was sitting on a stand, minding it's own business, then all da sudden, a cymbal on a stand fell over. Needless to say, the cymbal landed sideways right into it, left one hell of a scar.

**SoComSurfing** · #5 08-19-2008, 05:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chris.gotfunk

Hey man, don't sweat the small stuff. Chock it up to the character of the instrument. Just wait till you start takin that thing out to gigs and smack the headstock on a mic stand or something. The bass was meant to be played, not hung or kept as a museum piece.

By the way, those are great basses!!!!!!!

A big "Plus One" to all those comments. My Cirrus looks like its been through hell and back compared to that one.

BobXboB · #6 08-19-2008, 05:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bassd00d

He told me he couldn't make it look much better.

Well he didn't lie to you

What did he charge for this "repair"?

That's an easy thing to at least get level and buffed out. It can still be improved by a real repairman. If you Dremeled out the garbage you can even hide the dent a good deal.

BlackLake · #7 08-19-2008, 05:50 PM

On my main bass, I touched up every nick from day one.

"What the hell was I thinking?"...by now I would have some nice mojo.

Pilgrim · #8 08-19-2008, 05:53 PM

I'm not a professional repairman, and I don't know what the original damage looked like. But I don't like what I see there...that's UGLY. I've gotta think that removing the chipped finish and filling with poly, lacquer or super glue should look MUCH better. Not perfect, but better than that. Of course, it might cost $200 or more.

Zooberwerx · #9 08-19-2008, 08:40 PM

I hope you didn't pay too much for that whack job. I could have done better with my Dremel, brush-on super glue, and some rubbing compound. In the meantime, don't sweat it....the bass looks great!

Riis

Jazzdogg · #10 08-19-2008, 11:09 PM

One of the disadvantages of hard, brittle, finishes like polyurethane is that they can be very challenging and expensive to repair invisibly.

On the other end of the continuum are relatively soft finishes such as oil/varnish blends, lacquer, and shellac that, while somewhat vulnerable, are far easier to repair.

In the end, you pays your money, and you takes your chances. The next time an alleged craftsperson expresses doubt about his ability to perform a needed service, you may want to consider thanking him for his frankness and getting a second opinion from someone else.

bobunit · #11 08-20-2008, 09:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jazzdogg

One of the disadvantages of hard, brittle, finishes like polyurethane is that they can be very challenging and expensive to repair invisibly.

On the other end of the continuum are relatively soft finishes such as oil/varnish blends, lacquer, and shellac that, while somewhat vulnerable, are far easier to repair.

In the end, you pays your money, and you takes your chances. The next time an alleged craftsperson expresses doubt about his ability to perform a needed service, you may want to consider thanking him for his frankness and getting a second opinion from someone else.

+1
I will say that all is not lost. You need to find a luthier/repair shop in your area that specializes in finish repair/restoration. Will the repair be perfect? Probably not, however, I have seen it done. Be prepare to hand over some cash for experience. Also, if possible, find out from the repair person what they used for the repair. This will help the next guy in line know what's been done and not have to fly blind into the repair.
Btw, nice bass.

JazzyJames · #12 08-20-2008, 09:51 AM

Awe man. Thats a bad one.

thumpbass1 · #13 08-20-2008, 09:55 AM

Well your luthier would never have been hired to work in the furniture repair shop of my former employer. As for being done better yes it could have been better, but it would never be perfect short of some major wood replacement and a complete respray. Poly finishes are tough to work with but in the hands of someone skilled in wood and finish repair you can get pretty decent results that most people can live with.

Joe Nerve · #14 08-20-2008, 10:29 AM

Wow, that's a beautiful bass - except for that horriblly botched up repair job. What were you thinking???

I know the feeling. And I've long gotten over it. My first MM, my Sterling, took a hit at it's 2nd gig. About a half inch chunk came out of the front top and left a big wood blemish on the beautiful blue sparkle finish. I was advised, here I believe, to match it with nail polish and just paint over it. I found nail polish that was amazingly similar, and did the repair job. I hated it and couldn't undo it. : / I took it as a lesson in mojo. When my Bongo took it's first hit, I thought thank god - it's over with. It's got lots of hits on it now and I can't tell you how nice it is to be able to just enjoy playing my instrument. It's gotten knocked over, things have fallen on it (a padlock left a nice dent right on the front), I leave leaning against thing - and strangely enough, any time it gets a new mark or a guitarist crashes into it with his les paul, I smile. Feels like I'm adding character.

I've a feeling the only way you're going to be able to fix your problem is by puttin a whole lot of money into it, and just sooo isn't worth it. When you're on stage NOBODY will be able to see that, and even off stage - nobody wil care - but you. If you invest in making it perfect there's always the chance that the day after you'll get hit with something else.

eots · #15 08-20-2008, 10:41 AM

http://www.stewmac.com/shopby/product/3711
might try a pack of these. grit starts at 1500 and goes to something in the neighbor hood of 5 digits (30000 grit?). Too lazy to get up and look at my packs.

Madcity Fats · #16 08-20-2008, 10:42 AM

The first ding is always the toughest ... even more so when you didn't put it there yourself.

However, it had to happen sometime, so like someone else here said, "don't sweat the small stuff."

A friend's dad used to coach a cycling team. When one of his riders would get a spankin' new bike, the first thing he'd do is walk up and put a big scratch in it with a screwdriver and say, "there, now that that's out of the way you can focus on riding it and not treating it like a newborn baby," or something to that effect.

knarleybass · #17 08-20-2008, 10:44 AM

I would blame every clam I play on that ding.

Madcity Fats · #18 08-20-2008, 10:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eots

http://www.stewmac.com/shopby/product/3711
might try a pack of these. grit starts at 1500 and goes to something in the neighbor hood of 5 digits (30000 grit?). Too lazy to get up and look at my packs.

Geez! 30000 grit?! You could scrub your face with that all day long and end up with nothing more than a rosy complexion.

eots · #19 08-20-2008, 10:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Madcity Fats

Geez! 30000 grit?! You could scrub your face with that all day long and end up with nothing more than a rosy complexion.

OKAY! ya made me go look.
There are 9 different grits from 1500 - 12000. Grit is on both sides of a thin foam pad about 2" square. Can be used wet or dry.
Get ya a cup of water and dip the 1st pad and buff gently for 30 seconds. Follow with each consecutive grit size til you get your finish to match . You may need to actually start with a piece of 600-800 grit purchased separately.

Pilgrim · #20 08-20-2008, 11:14 AM

That chip can be greatly improved...and you can probably do it. do your homework online and try it out. Even if you end up sanding the finish down to wood and refilling with poly, you can do better than that. That is TERRIBLE work.