Dent in ebony fretboard

[neil|lien]

Hello everyone!
I recently got a fretless bass that has an ebony fretboard and the previous owner has dented it (the G string has been pushed into the fretboard to the point where the string, which was already a flatwound, has been flattened even further). I was wondering if the soldering iron + damp cloth trick would work on that?

 

[T_Bone_TL]

Depends if it's a dent or wear, IMHO.

 

[Slidlow]

Sounds like an impact. Pictures are always welcome. First try to steam it but ebony might not move due to its density.

 

[neil|lien]

It is a dent yeah, not like thr wear roundwound strings would cause. Even the string has been flattened. Don't have the bass with me so cantpost pics... sorry

 

[Gilmourisgod]

A soldering iron and damp rag pressed to it might work, never tried it on ebony. Worst case maybe ebony dust and CA glue, but you’d see it.

 

[WestyBassBob]

One could chisel it out. Glue in a replacement piece and sand flush.

Pictures would help.

 

[neil|lien]

Will post pics when i get home tonight!

 

[Slidlow]

One could chisel it out. Glue in a replacement piece and sand flush.

Pictures would help.

If it had frets or has fret lines this could be done and made near invisible. If it’s an unlined fretless it probably won’t work well.

 

[WestyBassBob]

If it had frets or has fret lines this could be done and made near invisible. If it’s an unlined fretless it probably won’t work well.

It wouldn’t be invisible but I’ve done similar things and done properly it can be nearly invisible. Especiallly if you match the gain.

 

[JeroB666]

Is the dent right where the note would land? Or is it affecting the slides?

 

[Pilgrim]

If it's a dent, unless it is really deep then I would bet that steam and patience will bring it up as needed. Trying steam and even letting some water sit in the dent is what I'd try first. It doesn't have to be <.001 perfectly flat to be nice and playable.

 

[Laurent]

One could chisel it out. Glue in a replacement piece and sand flush.

Pictures would help.

I would be really careful attempting this; ebony is very brittle and hard to work with. You risk doing more damage than good. I would leave this to a pro.

 

[fretno]

It could be scraped out or built up with a little of the same wood dust and glue then scraped out. If a steam doesn’t work.

 

[Bruce Johnson]

You can try the steam trick; it may work. If not, my preferred way of repairing cracks, holes and dents in ebony is West Systems epoxy with black pigment added. The cured epoxy is about the same hardness as the ebony, and it can be filed and sanded and polished up to match. The repairs are nearly invisible. A much better repair than sawdust and glue.

 

[rudy4444]

The key to successful steaming is if the fibers at the edge of the dent are unbroken. If the fibers are broken then steaming isn't nearly as effective.

Those long dents formed as impressions of the strings, or in extreme cases, wear from the player's nails can be effectively carved out and replaced with ebony fill chips. It's a common technique and you can find a photo essay on doing it correctly on Frank Ford's Frets.com website pages.

 

[Stewie]

Had my rosewood P neck done this last year. Light sanding all over, saved the dust. I don't know what glue. ACC, or epoxy he used but the deep wear grooves from years of RotoSounds are gone

 

[neil|lien]

Hello everyone!
Here is the dent. As you can see, the string is also damaged and it buzzes like crazy around 13th and 14th fret of the G string because of that.. it's not deep, but it's there and annoying.

Would the soldering thing + cloth work on that?
What about the string? Is it salvageable?

Thanks for all the replies so far!

 

[neil|lien]

Also, let me add i have no shed to work at, almost no tools and no knowledge about woodworking or anything..
It's a lined fretless from factory (not a defret job) and i wouldn't know how to replace a portion of the fretboard nor how to find ebony that matches this board.

 

[T_Bone_TL]

The string is junk. Buy a new one or a new set.

How that happened without some matching dents from the other jaw of the vise grips in the back of the neck is beyond me. Put it on sandbags and hit with a hammer?

A clothes iron (if you lack one, cheap at a thrift store) or soldering iron and a wet cloth will get you there on the steaming part. Though with a good string, it's mostly a cosmetic defect if you're playing on the lines. Unless the neck is more grossly damaged/bent by whatever impact caused that (look at it from the side, preferably with a ruler or some other straightedge, and see if there's a bend that doesn't belong there) in which case fixing the dent won't fix that problem.

 

[Zooberwerx]

I use a variable-heat modeler's iron from the hobby store....handy when assembling mylar to model aircraft. The trick is lower temp settings for longer periods. In this case, the approach MAY diminish the blem but I think you're stuck with a dust 'n glue (epoxy) to get things near-perfect. Given the narrow footprint, leveling should be a cinch with a "J" blade.

Riis