1965 EB-0/3 Refinishing Project

dc10bass · May 01, 2014, 07:09:48 AM

Looking for some opinions regarding refinishing...

I have a 1965 Gibson EB-0, poorly converted to an EB-3...
the bridge pickup hole location is a little off, and one attempt at drilling a pickup lead hole came through the top.
...No, I did not do it.

My plan is to fill the hole back in with a piece of mahogany and reroute the bridge pickup cavity.
I also want to fill in some other holes, dings and dents.

What is the best filler/material for small holes, dings and dents that will not shrink up or cause ghost lines under paint?
I am going to have it refinished in Pelham Blue.

Thanks for your input!
Curt

drbassman · May 01, 2014, 09:22:02 AM

I've used the Rockler Quickwood Epoxy putty a lot and like it. It can do small holes and cracks. It shouldn't shrink and when painted over, shouldn't show ghost lines. It's easy to use and you can use as much or little as you need. I did the same thing with an EB body. I cut a mahogany block as close to the hole size as possible. Glued it in and filled the edge seams with the epoxy putty and CA glue for very tight hairlines.

You can also see all of the screw holes were filled and I used the epoxy putty.

I did just notice one small error on my part. The hole plug grain should have been running the other way!

dc10bass · May 01, 2014, 09:23:52 AM

Nice one! Thanks!

Granny Gremlin · May 01, 2014, 09:55:45 AM

Quote from: dc10bass on May 01, 2014, 07:09:48 AM

What is the best filler/material for small holes, dings and dents that will not shrink up or cause ghost lines under paint?

I like to use wood glue and toothpicks/wooden skewers/dowels for small roundish holes or very deep ones. For not so deep or wider/odd shapes I make a mix of wood glue and sawdust. Sands great and takes finish very well (even stain) - won't see it under a refin. If doing translucent finishes, it can easily be made to look like a knot in the grain by using a bit of a dark(er) stain on the fill (assuming the hole shape works for that - DrB's pup route fill would obviously not be a candidate for that - you gotta go opaque in such cases). If the hole is very deep and oddly shaped I might actually use a combo of dowels (etc as outlined above) and sawdust with glue.

I keep a bag (or multiple bags for various wood types) next to the(manual) mitre saw to collect sawdust. It is also good to have a mix of fine and longer fiber saw dust, for larger fills.

Another helpful tool (cheap too $10-60 depending on brand and size - you can get really huge ones, double edged with fine and coarse tooth counts etc), especially when using dowels (etc) is a Japanese style flush cut pull saw. Cuts down on sanding (basically only finer, finish prep, sanding required). I even use those sometimes on sawdust fills - overfill the hole, give a day to dry really solid and then saw off the excess before sanding (this will usually require a bit more sanding than with dowels).

dadagoboi · May 01, 2014, 10:22:26 AM

Both Bill and Granny's methods MAY work but to guarantee no ghost lines, especially under lacquer, this is what I use on top of the repair and under the top coats:

Catalyzed polyester primer surfacer. I've painted over 60 basses in the last 3 years. I'll be using it on Denis '67 NR restoration after I fill the Jazz pup hole and other imperfections before painting it Inverness Green. For epoxy filler I use stuff from Ace Hardware that comes in a 1" diameter roll with the catalyst ringed around the filler. You slice off a ring, knead it to mix and apply. Almost zero waste and dries very hard in minutes.

Consider asking the guy who will be painting your bass for his recommendation. That way if there are any problems and you followed his recommendation he will be less likely to blame you.

dc10bass · May 01, 2014, 11:47:15 AM

Quote from: dadagoboi on May 01, 2014, 10:22:26 AM
Consider asking the guy who will be painting your bass for his recommendation. That way if there are any problems and you followed his recommendation he will be less likely to blame you.

Thanks guys, appreciate the input.

Yes, I did ask the guy who will paint it...
He gave me a few ideas, but wanted to check in here as well seeing that most of the repairs at the Outpost are on Gibsons (mahogany).

Will be sure to post picks once it's painted.

Lightyear · May 01, 2014, 05:12:47 PM

Large patches/plugs will eventually telegragh, no matter what you use, although Carlo's cat stuff is probably going to hold the longest of any I would think. In my opinion the most stable way to fix it is to plug your holes and then cap the entire center, non bevelved section, with thin veneer.

drbassman · May 02, 2014, 06:15:42 AM

Quote from: Lightyear on May 01, 2014, 05:12:47 PM
Large patches/plugs will eventually telegragh, no matter what you use, although Carlo's cat stuff is probably going to hold the longest of any I would think. In my opinion the most stable way to fix it is to plug your holes and then cap the entire center, non bevelved section, with thin veneer.

True, this is the ultimate fix. I was going to do that on the EB-3 I pictured above but got sick and then sold it without finishing it.

Granny Gremlin · May 02, 2014, 07:36:20 AM

I didn't do this repair, but whoever did was a master. About an inch long and 3/8ths wide. There was a break at the neck joint before I owned it - there is a (fixed) hairline crack running from the interior corner of the fill almost straight down past the edge of the mudbucker route to the fretboard... and I think another from the outside corner towards the underside of the neck pocket, but I don't recall exactly. Not a "large" fill, but not telegraphing at all. You can still see it because of the clear finish I applied, but you sure can't feel it. This is the way it came to me - nitro sanded off but still stained (except for the repair, which is unbelievably rock solid):

The home-made case it came in was such an annoying beast. Hilarious really as the cost of building it surely was more then just buying some prefab generic case.

drbassman · May 06, 2014, 08:57:19 AM

Well, I know those telltale lines can show up at any time, but I did this repair years ago (can someone help me remember?) and it is still perfect. No lines or movement. After gluing and sanding, I ran a thin line of CA around the seam and sanded that back before painting. So far, so good! I'll try to get a current picture posted.

drbassman · May 06, 2014, 08:59:30 AM

I know the 60's RI project was prior to 2008 cuz the archive here stops at that point and it was not mentioned as a new item. Maybe there are some dates on th old photo files, I'll have to check.

Sorry to hijack things! I'll stop.

slinkp · May 07, 2014, 12:00:19 AM

Quote from: dc10bass on May 01, 2014, 07:09:48 AM

I have a 1965 Gibson EB-0, poorly converted to an EB-3...
the bridge pickup hole location is a little off, and one attempt at drilling a pickup lead hole came through the top.
...No, I did not do it.

I wonder how many former EB-0s are in similar condition? Mine got the same treatment!
At least the original owner bought an actual EB-3 bridge pickup... but made the same mistake, there's a pickup lead hole coming through the surface of the bass. Oy vey.

drbassman · May 07, 2014, 06:03:27 AM

Drilling at an angle isn't as simple as it seems!

dadagoboi · May 07, 2014, 08:33:27 AM

Quote from: drbassman on May 07, 2014, 06:03:27 AM
Drilling at an angle isn't as simple as it seems!

Ain't it the truth!

I misdrilled this hole through both levels.

I cut the plug at a similar angle from a cutoff of matching grain using 1/8" I.D. brass tubing as a cutter.

Result

I've always subscribed to the maxim 'a pro is someone who can fix his mistakes'.

Granny Gremlin · May 07, 2014, 11:37:38 AM

Just off the top of my head, maybe try using a Kreg Jig as a pilot/starter for such angled hole-drilling? It's made for a much larger bit than needed for pup wiring, but the bit that comes with the jig is stepped - the first half inch or so of it is 1/8" or so before the step up in size.