Filling in a strap hole, permanently.

[Griev]

Hi,

I have an epiphone thunderbird that I had strap locks installed on. To fix the neck dive I had the button installed on the neck plate.

I now have an extra strap button on my bass that gets no use. I would like to remove the extra strap button but it will leave a hole into the body of my bass. What is the best way to fill in the hole and/or cover it up?

Thanks for any help.



Edit: Seems I posted this in the wrong forum. Could a mod please move this thread?

[Jazzdogg]

I'd use a plug cutter to create a tapered plug from the same species of wood from which your bass is made. Alternatively, you could "whittle" a plug if you didn't want to enlarge the hole to insert a 1/4" plug. After you've glued the plug in place, you'll have to contour and finish the exposed plug to blend with the surrounding finish. If the existing finish is untinted nitrocellulose lacquer, and your bass hasn't been dyed or stained, you have a good chance of making a repair that won't call attention to itself without inordinate effort.

Good luck!

[MNbassist]

Fill it with wood filler, any kind....doesnt matter. keep the surface of the instrument clean by wiping it with a wet cloth so that you dont have to sand. Then use a filler crayon (available at any home depot or hardware store) and match the color to your instrument. Its a really, really simple way of getting rid of the hole without going nuts over it.

[XylemBassGuitar]

I'd second Jazzdogg's method, it has always worked very well for me in that past, even the "whittling" method.

[fishtx]

personally, I would just leave it...you never know...you may want to sell the bass down the road and the buyer may want the strap button to be in the original place...

[Darkstrike]

Get a third strap button and put it there.

[Griev]

Originally Posted by fishtx

personally, I would just leave it...you never know...you may want to sell the bass down the road and the buyer may want the strap button to be in the original place...

It's not going anywhere anytime soon.

Originally Posted by Darkstrike

Get a third strap button and put it there.

There is a button there. I don't need three buttons. That is why this thread exists.

[steve66]

fill it and forget about it

[Jazzdogg]

As other posters have suggested, there are lots of ways to make these kinds of repairs, but first you have to ask yourself what it's worth to you: Do you want the repair to be invisible, inconspicuous, or camouflaged just enough that it can't be seen by a casual observer?

When I make these kinds of repairs in costly furniture I will often use shellac burn-in sticks, followed by faux grain painting, clear coating, and rubbing out the finish, but those are techniques that I would only use on a very expensive bass because of the time and effort required. Compared to burn-in sticks, a plug is a piece of cake

[Griev]

I think I will go with the wood filler and crayon technique.

Thanks for all the help.