Headstock damage. What would you do?

[bassyogi]

Folks, what's my best option here? I thought about: 1) using a dremel and sanding it out. 2) covering it with some type of sticker or doing an inlay of some sort. 3) leave it alone. I had the chipped out piece of wood...but somehow it came up missing.

 

[Humbled]

Leave it alone... sorta.

It's just character now, but I'd try to darken it (tobacco spit, hmm... I don't know...) to make it look like old mojo rather than a brand-new "oops"...

 

[Dmwphoto]

agree. leave it as is. it is history, do not mess with history

 

[RustyAxe]

Duck Tape ... not duct tape ... http://www.duckbrand.com/products/duck-tape/printed-duck-tape

Really, I'd leave it alone unless you NEED to replace/repair some structural problem.

 

[BamaBird]

Battle Scar, badge of courage, etc. leave it.

 

[96tbird]

All of the above.

 

[bassyogi]

Thanks everyone! That's probably the best bet. Should I dab something like clear fingernail polish on the wound to seal the wood or tung oil or something?

 

[96tbird]

Oil will darken it and make it more noticeable. I'd leave it to age and just not get my finger grease in there, as in don't touch. Too bad theres no smokey bars left to age it in. Tobacco smoke is the King of patina.

 

[Bruce Johnson]

Well, if you do want it fixed, the normal technique that we Luthiers use is trim out a little piece of scrap maple to match the color and grain, glue it in there carefully, and then touch up the finish. Done with care, it can be made nearly invisible.

If you decide to leave it there, then yes, you should dab some clear finish on there seal up the exposed wood against moisture. Fingernail polish is a weak nitro lacquer, and is a reasonable choice. You can also use superglue.

 

[walterw]

the rest of the bass is poly, so i'd assume superglue would be a reasonable analog to seal it up.

i'm all about leaving "earned" battle scars alone, but that big a chunk in that prominent a place on that nice a bass would have me thinking about piecing in a bit of maple, finishing it flush and buffing it smooth, at least to the point where you'd see it but wouldn't feel it.

 

[Bruce Johnson]

Yeah, that's my opinion too. Little dents and scratches are fine, but missing chunks of wood should be fixed. If it were my bass, I'd repair it properly.

 

[friendlybass]

I'd put something to keep it from splitting further, as mentioned above superglue applied carefully will seal it up. Otherwise its character!
Oh a wax touch up crayon (available at home depot or woodworking supply shop) just colour match and scribble away!

 

[spectorfreak]

Hell, I had a Jazz bass with a chunk the size of a quarter out of the body, hairline fractures on either side of the bridge running about 5 inches from the strap button end straight into the body, full depth and parallel to the bridge. Sounded better then it did new. Leave it alone. It's now official "road worn", that there chunk would cost you $500 had a Fender Custom Shop builder put it there, see so you saved money . One thing I've learned in 30 odd years of playing bass, basses come, basses go, it's a hunk of wood, it's supposed to have character, the story of how it got there is far more interesting then how you found a great tech and what an awesome job he did repairing it.

 

[Alex_SG]

Personally I would leave it, but that's just me.
Perhaps a bit of wood putty? You can shape it to the correct shape, and probably stain it so it wouldn't be as noticeable.
My one and only bass has a crack in the headstock that goes right through one of the tuner key holes, but it is stable so I'm going to leave it as is until it becomes unstable!

 

[96tbird]

AlexSG, that is a different matter that you might want to have fixed. Cracking along grain like you have is more structurally serious. Even though, for now, the hole stops it.

And

NO, the OP should not use wood putty!

 

[codycon96]

Leave it alone man. that looks good, and it also adds character.

 

[202dy]

If it were an automobile with a bashed in fender no one would suggest leaving damage unfixed or refer to it as "character" or "mojo."

Have the guitar properly repaired. Or do it yourself if you know how.

 

[AdamR]

If it were an automobile with a bashed in fender no one would suggest leaving damage unfixed or refer to it as "character" or "mojo."

Have the guitar properly repaired. Or do it yourself if you know how.

Its missing a chunk of wood how would he fix that so its not noticeable ?

 

[DWBass]

My tech would probably glue in some wood dust, buff it smooth and clear coat it.

 

[bassyogi]

Thanks for the input everyone! I'm still undecided as to what I should do. One part of me says fix it. But the other part of me says let it go and seal the wound. BTW,This was damage due to shipping so I really don't have any fond memory to associate with it.

Rough estimate...what would it cost to fix with either a piece of maple or sawdust filler? Are we talking $100, $500, or $50? That might make the difference too.