Wood Shavings

[paperbag1213]

I recently got my bass back from being repaired, and there
are quite a bit of wood shavings still inside the bass and some
ebony shavings in the scroll.

Is there a reason for this? Or should I attempt to vacuum it out

[JtheJazzMan]

A piece of garden hose taped onto a vacuum cleaner can clean the inside of the bass through the F holes.

[paperbag1213]

so you're saying just to clean it out. I wonder why they would
even leave that in there in the first place

[LouisF]

Could you say (in a pm maybe) who did the work?

[JtheJazzMan]

Originally Posted by paperbag1213

so you're saying just to clean it out. I wonder why they would
even leave that in there in the first place

Luthiers are cool guys, they dont do housemaid work.

[Matthew Tucker]

Originally Posted by JtheJazzMan

Luthiers are cool guys, they dont do housemaid work.

Hey its no big deal, so some shavings fell inside the bass, that's not a mortal luthier sin. Most basses have a lot more than that rolling around inside.

You can get it out with an inside out loop of gaffer tape tied to a piece of string. Let the tape roll around inside for a gig or two then pull the string.

[Schoolhouse]

Hi, Its a pet peeve of mine. i don't understand how a pro can leave shavings or chips in a bass. if one can clean up the glue on the outside, why can't you vacuum it out, it might rattle?

[MollyKay]

Originally Posted by Matthew Tucker

Most basses have a lot more than that rolling around inside.

Agreed…we once thought we were digging out a tone ball from the inside of a bass…until I saw it had teeth, toe nails and a tail. The grey tone ball was a small, well dehydrated mouse. Needless to say I jumped back when I saw the tone ball had a tail. Along with lolly pop sticks, gum wrappers, paper clips, bar napkin, match book, sand paper, etc.

[paperbag1213]

No, the work is perfect its amazing, but its just a pet peeze, its gone now

[robobass]

Originally Posted by MollyKay

Agreed…we once thought we were digging out a tone ball from the inside of a bass…until I saw it had teeth, toe nails and a tail. The grey tone ball was a small, well dehydrated mouse. Needless to say I jumped back when I saw the tone ball had a tail. Along with lolly pop sticks, gum wrappers, paper clips, bar napkin, match book, sand paper, etc.

What's a "tone ball"? Some gimmick like a "Tonerite"? Who knows, maybe a dead mouse could somehow have a positive effect!

[robobass]

Originally Posted by Schoolhouse

Hi, Its a pet peeve of mine. i don't understand how a pro can leave shavings or chips in a bass. if one can clean up the glue on the outside, why can't you vacuum it out, it might rattle?

Yes, there is a dissconnect with certain luthiers. I have watched some very top rated guys scratch the hell out of my F-holes right in front of my eyes when doing a SP, and I've seen highly ranked shops leave painfully sharp edges on a FB. Perhaps they perceive that the shavings show off how sharp their planes are?

[MollyKay]

Originally Posted by robobass

What's a "tone ball"? Some gimmick like a "Tonerite"? Who knows, maybe a dead mouse could somehow have a positive effect!

A “tone ball” is nothing more then years of dust inside a bass vibrating around into a perfect ball. We have seen them as large as a golf ball. I heard someone call it a tone ball, in my house they are called “dust bunnies” and some how they seem to multiply on my hardwood floors under the bed and couch.

So no high tech gimmick…just a dusty interior of a bass with great resonates. I guess a perfect shaped, tight tone ball means you have a good loud bass…I’ll find a way to market that concept!

[RustyAxe]

Originally Posted by paperbag1213

so you're saying just to clean it out. I wonder why they would
even leave that in there in the first place

For that "fresh from the forest" smell?

[englehardtblues]

The guy planes fingerboards all day. If he still hasn't figured out to cover up the f holes so the customer won't be pissed about having to vacuum all that crap out I wouldn't bring it back to him. I've already done this.

[1st Bass]

"No, the work is perfect its amazing, but its just a pet peeve, its gone now..."


"If he still hasn't figured out to cover up the f holes so the customer won't be pissed about having to vacuum all that crap out I wouldn't bring it back to him."

He does great work, but you'd walk because he overlooked something as little as some shavings in your bass? Need to set some priorities, it seems.

Communication helps, too-- he may simply not have noticed them; or intended to get them out, and then got busy and forgot. I'll bet if the OP had called it to his attention he would have vacuumed it out, apologized, and seen to it it did not happen again.

I found an extra soundpost inside an instrument once. It evidently fell over when they were regluing a loose seam, some of the glue ran into the corpus cavity, and the soundpost rolled into the glue. It was out of sight, so they apparently thought they had lost the soundpost and simply made a new one. I didn't find the extra until it started buzzing.

[Jake deVilliers]

I had a cello in for service at the store last week with two sound posts - one rattling around inside and one standing up in the proper position! Just another mystery I guess...

[Paul Warburton]

Originally Posted by paperbag1213

No, the work is perfect its amazing, but its just a pet peeze, its gone now

What about yer OCD?

[Damon Rondeau]

People who work with wood like shavings, it turns their crank. I'm not sure it means "sloppy work", it's just as likely to indicate a certain regret at saying goodbye.

I've been known to take pictures of my shavings and to measure their thickness with calipers.

Just sayin...

[robobass]

Originally Posted by Damon Rondeau

People who work with wood like shavings, it turns their crank. I'm not sure it means "sloppy work", it's just as likely to indicate a certain regret at saying goodbye.

I've been known to take pictures of my shavings and to measure their thickness with calipers.

Just sayin...

+1. That's what I was trying to say. Vacuuming up some really beautiful shavings is perhaps too much for a really proud and sensitive luthier.

[bigolbassguy]

Originally Posted by Damon Rondeau

it's just as likely to indicate a certain regret at saying goodbye.