Bongo headstocks

[Zippydog]

Title says it all and its got me a little bit cranky.

Here's the deal...

I love my new Bongo, but dangit if I haven't already got two small nics on the headstock after just a couple months. One from a brush against a living room chair next to the piano at home where I practice, the second from who knows where...just noticed it at church today.

I'm pretty fussy and extremely easy on my instruments (when I'm not being a klutz), but this finish seems very, very fragile for its purpose. And its not just me....look at ads for used Bongos online and they've all got pictures with dings and chips on the headstock.

Why do Bongo headstocks chip so darn easily??
What is it with the finish?
Other than bubble-wrapping the headstock what can I do?

What have you other Bongo owners done to fix small dings?
Does E.B. sell touch up paint?



Thoughts?

 

[oddjob]

All basses that I have owned with paint on the stock have chipped. It is kind of a fact of life like the sun rising in the east, death and taxes, BP s%$#ting in the woods (or was that bears??? I can never tell the difference )

 

[Zippydog]

Well, maybe I just never noticed any dings on my trusty Stingray 5, since the headstock isn't painted. Haven't had a painted headstock before.

 

[Bass Control]

It has nothing to do with it being painted. It's pointed. That's the only reason. As opposed to getting maybe a scuff like you would get with a rounded edge, you get a chip because of the point.

Don't fret about it! Chips, scratches, and scuffs add voodoo and character to an instrument!

 

[Randracula]

Don't laugh but i've found that crayon works pretty good for headstock dings on the Bongo. Just find one as close to the color of your bass as you can, go over it until it's completely filled in and wipe off the excess with a polishing cloth. It's not permanent but it works.

 

[syciprider]

They're a bit longer than Stingrays and Sterlings so I expected the hs to hit things. My Dargie has several nicks on the hs and while it hurt at first, I just came to accept the fact that it WILL get dinged for as long as I play it.

 

[sloshep]

I think every bass I have ever owned ended up with a headstock mark, ding or chip. It just kind of comes with the living and playing. The first ding always hurts, but that just part of life. Be thankful for being able to own and play a EBMM. There are 3 bassists that play at our church. I am the only one with an EBMM bass. The other two bassists play much lower quality basses than me and the sound crew can hear it. I hear all the time " that bass isn't punching through like yours".

 

[RobertB]

I think it's only happened once in 20 years that the headstock of one of my instruments contacted something other than my hand, and I haven't really put much effort into being careful about it. Just lucky I guess. It was my first Stingray, and it was a lesson learned about leaning a bass or guitar against an amp ... or anything, really.

Anyway, I did once buy a Stealth Bongo 5 with some GC shop-wear on it, including the headstock ding. In the case of Stealth Black, a black sharpie does the job perfectly.

Edit: BTW, Bass Control's right about the pointed headstock design contributing to this with Bongos. But I wouldn't want to see it changed.

 

[AnthonyD]

Don't laugh but i've found that crayon works pretty good for headstock dings on the Bongo. Just find one as close to the color of your bass as you can, go over it until it's completely filled in and wipe off the excess with a polishing cloth. It's not permanent but it works.

This is a great tip - thanks Randy!

Headstock more than any other part of the bass is likely to come into uninvited contact with some other object. Natural headstock dents, painted headstock chips.

 

[Psychicpet]

well Zippy, my first Bongo arrived with a chipped headstock (before the days of Bongo cases) and my second Bongo had the paint worn off the tip from my gig bag.

although I don't abuse my instruments (debatable by BP and Guitarbuerator of course) but I just play 'em and like a nice looking instrument but ya know what, it's like getting your "colours" in a bike club, you're no longer an initiate, you're a member!!

can be frustrating but at the end of the day it truly does show that the thing is being played and not just looked at.

 

[MingusBASS]

I don't want to jinx myself but I've had my fretless Bongo for more than 3 years and the headstock is still perfect. $*@#$#, I just banged it against the desk. Nevermind.

 

[and lombardini]

the more real dings (no fake relic) => the more mojo...

I can't wait for my bongo o-gold...argh...

 

[jasper383]

Don't laugh but i've found that crayon works pretty good for headstock dings on the Bongo. Just find one as close to the color of your bass as you can, go over it until it's completely filled in and wipe off the excess with a polishing cloth. It's not permanent but it works.

+1 on the crayon. Also, I have used Sharpies on black or dark blue guitars to mask chips. From about 2 feet out, the ding is invisible.

Has anyone thought of a putting tiny bit of clear nail polish on the tip out there to protect it from chips? A "preemptive strike?"

 

[ekb16b]

crayons, sharpies and clear nail polish do work, but im a bit lazy so i go for the band aid approach

 

[captcolour]

The pointy headstock on the Bongo, if you use it like it was intended, won't chip when poking the guitarist and occasionally the singer

 

[andynpeters]

I can recommend nail varnish for small chips

 

[UniTap]

My bongo 4 was chipped when I got it and is even more now. Maybe if I play it for, lets say, 10 more years, the bongo will be completly gone?

My bongo 6 is still flawless... I need a gig!!!

 

[joshbrake]

hell, my SR5 has a natural headstock and it has a paint chip!


no seriously, my teacher turned around in lessons one day and hit his 70s ric's headstock into mine. it was like the 3rd day i owned the bass.

 

[bradfordws]

I'm not a Bongo guy, but it seems that the pointed shape AND the fact that the finish is a flat black like on the SUB basses is the issue - maybe not as durable either? A non-painted headstock on any non-Bongo will take a little bit of abuse because there's no color to get knocked off, then you see the light colored maple underneath. I bought my SUB used and it had a couple of nicks - took a black Sharpie to it and you can't even see the nicks now. A flat black hobby paint or paint pen will work too. I'm not sure about the crayon idea - it will melt out if your bass gets just a little warm. My local repair guy did a finish repair while I waited just the other day. I had a pin-head sized ding in a honeyburst finish - he took an amber colored felt tip pen and touched it in the ding, then a drop of super glue followed by a quick levelling with a file, sanding with 1000 grit, then hit it with the buffer - it now looks like it's part of the grain of the wood and it's flat and polished. Super glue fixes are pretty standard at this point and most repair shops can do it. But, the Bongo or SUB headstocks? Black Sharpie!

 

[Hellboy]

This have been discussed here before. Some say that basswood, being a softer wood, is more susceptible to dings. And some say the oposite. But it might be that there are some truth in this. I don´t know.....

Basswood Bongo

//J