Ding'dwall Combustion 5...

[Quitter]

I made a boo boo. I grabbed my early Dingwall Combustion 5 to plonk around on it a little bit last night. I thought that it was securely on the strap, alas... it was not. The bottom of the strap let go and the Dingwall went face down onto my PodGo. Broke the G string and added two nice gouges to the top, cutaway part of the formerly beautiful tobacco burst finish. I always hesitated to take this bass out on gigs due to how pretty it was and not wanting to scuff it up. Now, it looks like it will be in heavy rotation. Is there a way to make these gross gouges look like more intentionally "roadworn"? I beat myself up about dropping the bass for 15 minutes or so. Restrung the G, tuned it up and played it for a minute. Still plays and sounds great. Just uglier. This was therapeutic... thanks for reading.

 

[Bass Viking]

Don’t feel bad. Years ago I went to pick up my bass case not realizing the lid wasn’t latched shut. As the bass started to tumble out I quickly shut the lid and accidentally put a dent in the top with one of the latches. Doh!

 

[Dr. Cheese]

Scratches and dents are a sign that you actually use a great bass. That is not a bad thing at all.

 

[Timmah]

The best way to hide a ding is to make more dings. That first one is always tough, but I think now you’ll find yourself worrying less and less about how you treat the bass, so you’ll naturally be more relaxed playing it. It’s a good thing!

 

[Timmah]

Scratches and dents are a sign that you actually use a great bass. That is not a bad thing at all.

Exactly! I have a serious player friend who likes to buy vintage guitars. He says he avoids the shiny closet classics and goes for the beat up, chipped and gouged examples, because “good guitars get played!” His logic is that if a guitar still looks new after 50 or 60 years, it’s probably because nobody played it, maybe because it wasn’t worth playing.

So beat the hell out of your bass, I’m sure it deserves it!

 

[Sid the Kid]

The first cut is the deepest…

But now you have the pleasure of playing that amazing bass more frequently. Everyone wins!

 

[J Posega]

I would put some water-thin super glue into the big chip in order to hold down any loose bits, then sand it down just a bit.

Also, get yourself some strap locks.

 

[Bozendoka]

Ugh, I hate that feeling. I have an early Combustion in matte black and the finish chips off if you look at it wrong. I repaired the first few spots with nail polish but now I just let it wear. Thankfully they've all been small so far.

+1 on the strap locks.

 

[S-Bigbottom]

 

[Gizmot]

Exactly! I have a serious player friend who likes to buy vintage guitars. He says he avoids the shiny closet classics and goes for the beat up, chipped and gouged examples, because “good guitars get played!” His logic is that if a guitar still looks new after 50 or 60 years, it’s probably because nobody played it, maybe because it wasn’t worth playing.

So beat the hell out of your bass, I’m sure it deserves it!

I don't agree! Why would anyone take an instrument that they paid good money for and that they're counting on to play great and sound good and beat the crap out of it? Makes no sense! I have several instruments that are 30 - 40 years old that look excellent. I use strap locks, I regularly clean the fingerboards, shine the frets, clean and polish the bodies and necks, etc - - to keep things looking good. I have one guitar that had a couple of serious dings when I bought it - but all my other guitars and basses could be hung in a store without looking out of place. I don't baby my instruments and I certainly play them as much as possible, but I treat them with respect.

 

[Jefus]

My vehicle has damage to the front bumper from busting through snow drifts on my way to work, a hole in one fender from the trailer I was towing delivering water, fuel, and generators to coworkers after a hurricane in Louisiana, and scratches down the side from overgrown brush on my way to a job site way off the beaten path in South Texas. I haven't fixed any of them, but i do keep it in top running order. Why? Because my vehicle is there to serve me, not the other way around.

I guess I take a similarly utilitarian approach to instruments. I don't mind nice/high end/boutique, but only if they serve my creative whims, and they WILL be taken to gigs.

 

[Deleted member 368008]

Battle scars. The first cut is the worst and you could killed yourself. But ... it's me, myself, I who makes the battle scars. Not someone else. That's why I tend to go for natural wood with a lot of grain visible, because people thinks its just twig, knag or whatever, until they feel it with fingers. The body I don't mind that much. But any dent anywhere on the back of the neck or fretboard where the fingers go is a big no-no for me. I have to have that one fixed immediately if possible. On headstock I had my first battle scars. On every bass. Except the headless...

But they aren't called Dingwall for nuthin'

 

[micguy]

OK, so let me et this straight - you have dents caused by actual use (OK an accident - like any instrument will get at some point or another if it's gigged), and you're looking for an artificial way to make them look more "real". Have I got that right?

 

[N4860]

OK, so let me et this straight - you have dents caused by actual use (OK an accident - like any instrument will get at some point or another if it's gigged), and you're looking for an artificial way to make them look more "real". Have I got that right?

 

[groovaholic]

My Z2 has worse gig-wounds than this - get that bass out and play the poop out of it!

As far as minimizing the chips - it really depends on how much they bother you.
The professional answer would be to get the bass refinished.

But - if the damage is what gets you playing the bass out, where it belongs, where it can do exactly what it was created to do?
Then just do a cheap/easy fix to minimize the damage, and the only reason I'd go through the trouble is that gouge looks rough, and it seems likely to irritate the skin on your wrist.

(This is how I'd address the more severe divot; for the less severe one, skip to Step 5)

Step 1:
Put a drop of distilled water into the bigger divot.
This will swell-up the compressed wood fibers.
If it all soaks in, add another drop - repeat as necessary.

Step 2:
Heat up your clothing iron
Soak the tip of a washcloth in the distilled water
Put the wet area of the washcloth over that spot
Touch the iron to the washcloth over the ding just long enough to get the initial burst of steam
Repeat as necessary

Step 3:
Let it dry, completely
While it's drying, get a red and a black sharpie (possibly orange, but it looks like orange is out of the burst by that point)

Step 4:
Once dry, color in the whole spot with the red sharpie
Next, start at the outside edge and "feather in" with the black to match the blend of the burst

Step 5:
Once the ink is dry, put 1-2 drops of thin superglue into the divot
Once the glue is COMPLETELY dry, repeat until the superglue is level with the finish

Step 6 (optional - and approach with caution):
Once the superglue is fully cured (wait a day, at least) you can soak some very fine (600 grit or higher) sandpaper in water, then carefully wet-sand that area to blend it smooth.
This *WILL* leave the finish looking dull and matte in that area, so you would have to buff it out to make it shiny again.
Products for buffing an automotive finish would be suitable here.

It seems like a lot, but you're basically doing 5 minutes of work in each step.

 

[Kipp Harrington]

S*** happens. I remember being pretty upset when I experienced what you did. That feeling goes away with time. It almost made me never to want a new instrument again... but nah!

 

[Fumble Fingers]

If you regularly use an instrument (or worse.....gig it), it will get dings. It's a fact of life.

I can almost recall the origins of every ding in each of the instruments I own, and in many cases can tell the story of how they got there. Some humorous, like running into a dumpster in a dark alley behind a club (don't ask). Some tragic, like my golden retriever knocking a newish Les Paul off its stand and snapping the headstock clean off.

I consider each blemish a badge of honor, and a reminder that it's an imperfect world that we live in.

 

[eweise2]

Its just relic'd. Some people would pay to have that done.

 

[HardNHeavy]

Ouch nice bass!!.....congrats you popped your proverbial cherry.....it's roadworn now. Or you could scuff those out with a slow Dremel tool to take down sharp edges which surely snag on something and become larger or paint over it in blk nail polish and clearcoat.

 

[james condino]