Finish advice, por favor.

[hihohiho]

Hi all,

I own a wonderful 2000 SR5 (got it new), black with rosewood fretboard. This bass is my #1 workhorse, and has logged many hours. Still rocks hard or purrs when needed. In short, it's my "to be buried with" bass.

As it has accumulated a bunch of dings and taken hits over the years, the finish has developed cracks in a couple of places and now it is beginning to flake off a little bit, outward from the cracks. My question is:

Since a refin is out of the question right now, I am wondering if there is anything I can do to prevent the flaking from accelerating. Is it advisable to sand the edges of the crack down and seal it with poly or something? Let it flake off until it stops? What is the best way to maintain the finish on an instrument that is in the process of being naturally relic'd?

Cheers,
I

 

[Grand Wazoo]

can you show us some pics?

 

[adouglas]

My vote is to let the mojo take its own course.

But if you feel you must maintain the status quo, from what I know of finishing (not much) then your idea of sealing the edges should prevent it from going any farther. The only thing is, it might wind up looking awful.

 

[UniTap]

My bass teacher had this problem with his SR5 and got it sealed by a luthier. Still see the cracks but doesn't flake away anymore.

 

[five7]

Flake away!

 

[hihohiho]

Hmmm, first dandruff and now bass flakes?

Thank you for the advice so far. Part of my reticence to do anything was the worry of making it look bad. Mind you it doesn't look bad now, I don't think this bass ever could, but I'd rather the finish stuck around for as long as possible.

I'll try to take pics of the mojo once I get a hold of my wife's camera. My phone is refusing to take sharp images due to the glare off the bass.

Cheers,
I