Ebony Bumpers

Cody Sisk · #1 02-11-2009, 08:12 AM

I've made ebony bumpers on a few basses in the past. I remember seeing in a previous thread someone mentioning the use of rubber cement to put them on.

To avoid having to deal with them constantly falling off, I've actually removed the varnish where the bumpers will sit and used a strong mix of hide glue to attach them. They WILL NOT come off that way.

If using rubber cement, does that hold pretty well? Do you avoid having to remove varnish using it? This would be attractive in that if you ever wanted to remove the bumpers, a little naphtha will eliminate the evidence that they were even there in the first place..

Thoughts? Thanks guys..

**Damon Rondeau** · #2 02-11-2009, 12:22 PM

My memory says the rubber cement thing was brought into play by Jeff Bollbach. Jeff advocated using pieces of fan belt stock (fibre-reinforced rubber?) as bumpers, adhered directly to the bass finish using rubber cement. Says it holds great, is removable, and doesn't damage the bass or its finish.

Or was it contact cement? A little site-searching will reveal da truth...

Anyway, it was Jeff and it was about fan belts. I think it's a great idea, and if I hadn't already chewed away at my bumperless hybrid bass, I'd do it myself.

1st Bass · #3 02-11-2009, 12:54 PM

I make my bumpers of harness leather, laminated in two layers, and cut to the same profile as a v-belt. I glue them on without removing varnish, and they seem to hold just fine. Being a little pliable, they may allow some flexing. I stain and varnish the leather to match the surrounding wood. Works pretty well...

Chet

Jake deVilliers · #4 02-11-2009, 01:12 PM

Hey Chet, what do you use for glue?

drurb · #5 02-11-2009, 01:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Damon Rondeau

A little site-searching will reveal da truth...

Da truth is here and you were correct.

1st Bass · #6 02-11-2009, 05:35 PM

Jake;

I hate to admit it, but after due consideration I decided that repairing varnish was cheaper and easier than replacing edge wood. I've done both. So I use the gel-type superglue, and the leather stays put-- it doesn't seem to hurt anything, can be removed with a scraper if necessary, and, in the long run, we were gonna remove the varnish there anyway. I've gotten tired of replacing wood on the edges of people's basses.

Chet

Greg Clinkingbeard · #7 02-11-2009, 06:47 PM

This thread has me thinking about bumpers again. I used the rubber V belts and bottled hide glue on my $2000 bass, just lightly roughing up the varnish to give some tooth for the glue. The edges on my 1 yr old $9000 bass are showing some wear so I want to protect them with something nice; leather or wood. Any reason not to go back to the bottled glue?

**Matthew Tucker** · #8 02-12-2009, 04:04 AM

I use contact cement for rubber bumpers. Straight onto the varnish. Hide glue won't stick to varnish. Wooden bumpers glue direct to bare wood with hide glue. Black piano keys make good ebony bumpers, if that's what cooks your goose. Just don't get caught knocking them off

Paul Warburton · #9 02-12-2009, 06:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Matthew Tucker

Black piano keys make good ebony bumpers, if that's what cooks your goose. Just don't get caught knocking them off

Yep. Especially, while the guy is playing his solo on a tune in a key with alotta sharps. This keeps both of you real busy.

Jake deVilliers · #10 02-12-2009, 02:27 PM

I'm just trying to figure out what to use to stick Bollbach-style neoprene bumpers to a variety of 'varnishes'.

I'm not worried about the polyurethane coated Strunals or even real varnish but the lacquered basses - Kay, Epiphone, King, American Standard, Hofner - I don't think they'd like contact cement. Maybe latex contact?

**Matthew Tucker** · #11 02-12-2009, 03:32 PM

Contact cement will stick to anything. The problem I found is that if the rubber is too soft, the flexing tends to pull them away, even if glued really well. I use hard black rubber that in buy in strips or sheets, various thicknesses.

Jake deVilliers · #12 02-12-2009, 05:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Matthew Tucker

Contact cement will stick to anything. The problem I found is that if the rubber is too soft, the flexing tends to pull them away, even if glued really well. I use hard black rubber that in buy in strips or sheets, various thicknesses.

Matthew, I'm a 53 year old tradesman and I've been through more 5 gallon buckets of contact cement than is healthy for a person, so I'm familiar with its stick-ability!

What I'm thinking of is removability!

**Matthew Tucker** · #13 02-12-2009, 05:39 PM

Well if you change your thinking that bumpers should not be removable, but fixed, then your choice is easy!

gbaker · #14 02-12-2009, 06:00 PM

Has anyone tried sections of self-stick exterior vinyl car molding?

A guitar player I was talking to said his db player used it to good result. I didn't see it.