I am soooo pissed off at myself this morning!!!

[tadawson]

Sigh!!! Time for an embarrassing revelation . . . I can't believe I just did anything this stupid . . . . .

Back in May, methinks, ordered my 20th SR5 HS . . . . patiently waited! It was done just before Christmas, and finally hooked up with Pete, and got it paid for . . . it arrived yesterday. Perfect shape - not a mark on the box!!! Opened it up, ogled the thing - such a beauty! Closed it back up and let it sit for 8 hours or so to come slowly to room temp, and then went to play it a bit last night. Wonderful, but between California, Connecticut, and Texas, the neck went a little flat, and I had a bit of buzzing . . . . so, I sez to myself, "Self, just back off the truss one hole, and you should be good . . . but the little screwdriver I use for that was in the other room, it was late, and I was lazy. I have a small screwdriver blade in my mini Leatherman that I have used for this before, so I dug it out . . . . The nut was pretty tight, and I was just about to go get the other tool, and the damn thing broke (the screwdriver, not the bass . . .) . . . I thought I was OK, and then I looked down, and saw a nice two inch scratch down the otherwise flawless face of the bass, just below the neck . . . . . ***SOB*** I didn't play it 10 minuted before I f**ked it up!!! I try to care for these so well, I am just sick!!!! (Oh, and I got the right tool, and the nut let go with a pop, and now moves freely - I think the relatively new finish was just a tad tacky and had it a little stuck . . . so no problems there . . . ).

But now, everytime I get this bass out of the case, I get reminded of what a dumba** was . . . . not to mention, I was going to try to keep this one "Cherry" as a collectors item . . . (well, maybe not, but it sounded like an idea) and I already put that idea right in the crapper . . . .

The good news is it doesn't look too deep - just in the clear, and if you get it wet with polish or something, basically disappears. Probably correctable, but the last thing I want to do is anything that might make it worse . . . any ideas, folks?

Disgruntled and embarrassed,

- Tim

 

[MrMusashi]

i hear your pain ta!
if possible consult the experts before making any desicions on what to do.. the local paintshop for cars.. the luthier with his own laquer shop.. perhaps someone at eb can give ya some advice...
i sure hope you get it sorted out!

MrM

 

[bovinehost]

Tim:

I feel your pain. *biting lower lip*

Mine has a ding already - small, but I see it.

In your case, I'd call Jon and ask him if it's safe to use McGuires on that. I suspect it is, but I'd be sure first.

And of course we require photos, scratch or not!

Jack

 

[tadawson]

Tim:

I feel your pain. *biting lower lip*

Mine has a ding already - small, but I see it.

In your case, I'd call Jon and ask him if it's safe to use McGuires on that. I suspect it is, but I'd be sure first.

And of course we require photos, scratch or not!

Jack

I know what you mean . . . from a distance, this will probably be invisible, but to me, it looks like the grand freakin' canyon!!!!

No rush to do anything - perhaps Jon will see this and reply, or when I get sick of looking at it, I'll.

I'll try for some pictures here in the next few days . . .

- Tim

 

[Kirby]

I have used a mild polishing compound and a small hand held buffer in the past on finishes to correct minor blemishes. It has always worked great for me! Stu Mac also sells these small sanding pads with varied grits that go from fine to extremely fine. These work awesome for finish repair. I have used them both dry and with wet sanding and had great results.

 

[AnthonyD]

Tim - you did yourself a favor... She just became a player!

Enjoy, and don't beat yourself up about it.

 

[Spudmurphy]

If it's not a gouge -just a clear coat scratch then you should be able to use a rubbing compound such as ferecla
Just use it on a cloth as a buffing wheel should only be used wet and by someone who knows what they are doing.

Take it a bit at a time then finally use some polish.

I'd like to see a before and after shot?

 

[timmy5strings]

Yep she's already got some mojo ! You can breath easy now. Hopefully you can touch it up without too much trouble.

 

[PeteDuBaldo]

Tim,

I'm sorry to hear that it had a rough first day. Leaving the scratch or touching it up is your prerogative. I dinged my 20th Silhouette the first day I had it; these things happen. If you or anyone else is interested in having one "cherry" for collection purposes, I've got a gorgeous single H rosewood matching that hasn't made it onto my online inventory yet...

Here's a shot for of those who asked - it's a stunner no matter what!

 

[oli@bass]

Oh man that sucks! (the story and the top! )

As others have said: Now you can take her out and just play... but I feel your pain...

 

[tadawson]

Thanks, Pete . . . . I know what you mean, just get it over with. It's really not as bad as my frustration shows, and I may well try to rub it out at some point, but don't want to take a chance of clouding the clear in the process. I especially love the fingerboard on this one, with the streaks of orange in the rosewood that are pretty much the body color . . . s**tloads of character!

I gotta take my daughter back to college tomorrow, but then will get photos from my end - my "oopsie" too . . . .

- Tim

Tim,

I'm sorry to hear that it had a rough first day. Leaving the scratch or touching it up is your prerogative. I dinged my 20th Silhouette the first day I had it; these things happen. If you or anyone else is interested in having one "cherry" for collection purposes, I've got a gorgeous single H rosewood matching that hasn't made it onto my online inventory yet...

Here's a shot for of those who asked - it's a stunner no matter what!

 

[Caca de Kick]

I use Maguires polish on all my basses....makes scratches disappear.

 

[oli@bass]

I use Maguires polish on all my basses....makes scratches disappear.

The Scratch X stuff?
I tried it with the professional Diamond Polish (don't remember the number), but wasn't able to get rid of hair scratches around the pots and above the pickup.

 

[DTG]

i would go with "it was made to be played not looked at ",i kinda think its a waste to leave it stuck in a box and not gigged.but thats just me.I screamed like a girl when i put a wee ding on my SR5,but i did it at a gig so it felt a bit better.

Mind you the 20th is just beautiful,if i had the cash to buy one i might think different !!

 

[Freddels]

There are guys that make a living fixing furniture scratches/gouges disappear. I really think this can be fixed. Call around to find a guy that fixes high end furniture.

 

[bovinehost]

Wow. Scratch or not, that is stunning.

 

[bassmonkeee]

Wow. Scratch or not, that is stunning.

That is the one bass that has drawn my eye other than Bongos in a long time.

 

[MuppetPastor]

now you dont have to baby it

my sr5 has several dings and paint chips
its been gigged and still sounds as good as ever