Jinder Posted February 17, 2018 Share Posted February 17, 2018 So, I was merrily playing my Dove this afternoon at a gig with my band, a little lunchtime happening at a warehouse filled with vintage clothing stalls and allsorts. A really nice scene...until, that is, I went for a solo only to find half of the notes sharp and the other half not where I left them at all. Sounded like a fire in a pet shop! I looked down to see if my fingers had finally mutinied and left me chopsless, only to see-TO MY HORROR-that the tenth fret of the guitar was entirely missing! It had somehow FALLEN OFF and was laying at my feet. Thankfully I had my SJ200 with me, so grabbed that and the show went on. My question is, however, what in God’s name made the tenth fret drop off like that? I’ve never seen that happen before in all my days. I love my Dove, but I’ve had so many problems with it recently that I’m worried it won’t be the dependable workhorse I need it to be for my heavy gigging schedule. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelly campbell Posted February 17, 2018 Share Posted February 17, 2018 Wow Sorry to hear your issues with what is normally a great guitar. Best of luck in getting it back to being the Dove you want it to be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobouz Posted February 17, 2018 Share Posted February 17, 2018 Only thing I can think of is a very dried out & essentially shrunken fretboard, but even in such a case, the fret wouldn't typically just fall out. I'd probably pop the fret back in with a few small touches of superglue, and treat the board with F-One fingerboard oil (all natural oils, no petroleum distillates). I've been very pleased with the results on my instruments. Best of luck in resolving this odd duck scenario! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Paul Posted February 17, 2018 Share Posted February 17, 2018 If my 10th fret fell out it could be years before I noticed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JWG4927 Posted February 17, 2018 Share Posted February 17, 2018 If my 10th fret fell out it could be years before I noticed. Excellent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QuestionMark Posted February 17, 2018 Share Posted February 17, 2018 So, I was merrily playing my Dove this afternoon at a gig with my band, a little lunchtime happening at a warehouse filled with vintage clothing stalls and allsorts. A really nice scene...until, that is, I went for a solo only to find half of the notes sharp and the other half not where I left them at all. Sounded like a fire in a pet shop! I looked down to see if my fingers had finally mutinied and left me chopsless, only to see-TO MY HORROR-that the tenth fret of the guitar was entirely missing! It had somehow FALLEN OFF and was laying at my feet. Thankfully I had my SJ200 with me, so grabbed that and the show went on. My question is, however, what in God’s name made the tenth fret drop off like that? I’ve never seen that happen before in all my days. I love my Dove, but I’ve had so many problems with it recently that I’m worried it won’t be the dependable workhorse I need it to be for my heavy gigging schedule. Live music=expect the unexpected. Sounds like you did by bringing along a second guitar. The reason I do... QM ak Jazzman Jeff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E-minor7 Posted February 17, 2018 Share Posted February 17, 2018 Extreme - nothing less Never happened before anywhere in the world. Are U sure this actually happened. . . What a band name = . . . . . . . . . . 10th fret missin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluesKing777 Posted February 18, 2018 Share Posted February 18, 2018 Oh, what a fretful experience that must have been...yuk, yuk! <_< And now the 3 dudes standing in front of the stage want to see you do it again! And again... BluesKing777. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidblast Posted February 18, 2018 Share Posted February 18, 2018 I'm also going with a very dry fret board.... that said, I would probably have soiled myself. Thankfully you found your run away fret. Good for you to bring 2 guitars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jinder Posted February 18, 2018 Author Share Posted February 18, 2018 Haha thanks all! I was taken aback to say the least. I’m not sure what approach to take to repair it, I don’t think I’ll tackle it myself. Upon removing the strings to investigate further today, two more frets were loose-literally hanging off. I’ve removed them and stashed them in the case. I don’t tend to oil my fretboards beyond a light wiping with gun oil once a year or so-all of my guitars are played a lot, so I tend to figure that natural finger oils will do the job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murph Posted February 18, 2018 Share Posted February 18, 2018 Wow, I've never seen that happen, and I lived and gigged in Arizona (Mesa/Phoenix) for over a decade. Guess it's time to oil the boards........ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fortyearspickn Posted February 18, 2018 Share Posted February 18, 2018 I'd just look at the bright side - you found the missing piece. If it were just the one, I'd write it off to random selection. But since there are others - it sounds like something larger. If you use gun stock oil (as opposed to gun mechanism oil !) I'd consider switching to something that permeates better. But - you've probably used it on dozens of guitars up until now without problems. Possibly, the day your Dove fingerboard was fretted, the glue was not 'fresh'. Since you're wisely getting a luthier to fix it, you might ask if he thinks they should all be 'popped off' and rte-glued. I'd stay away from Super glue though. Don't give up on the Dove, whatever you do! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldCowboy Posted February 18, 2018 Share Posted February 18, 2018 As a firm believer that guitars are 1) alive, and 2) if acoustic, female, I'd guess that you're dealing with either spirit possession or a very sassy lady😂 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidblast Posted February 18, 2018 Share Posted February 18, 2018 Jinder, I use this bout twice / 3 times a year. https://www.amazon.com/Gerlitz-GGH-Guitar-Honey-Fingerboard/dp/B000EEJF4O If you really do a good check on any guitar, even new, you will likely find a few frets not tightly seated. Tap em lightly with a small straight edge, you can hear the ones not locked in. Add this to dry winters in the northern hemisphere, and multiply by years you had it. I can see some loose frets appearing, raising, etc, but falling out is just crazy. Let us know how the journey to address this goes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blindboygrunt Posted February 18, 2018 Share Posted February 18, 2018 Boiled linseed oil is all anyone should be using for fretboards Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidblast Posted February 19, 2018 Share Posted February 19, 2018 hey Stu Guitar honey is made for rosewood and ebony boards, 100% pure wood spirits. Does a fine job hydrating the wood. I've never tried boiled linseed oil tbh.. not even sure I would know where to find it.. hardware store? Paint Store? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lars68 Posted February 19, 2018 Share Posted February 19, 2018 I watched the Townes van Zandt "Live in Amsterdam" DVD the other day, where one of his bridge pins suddenly popped out and went flying. He was very cool about and took it in stride. Just make sure all your frets are properly glued and seated in preparation for your upcoming gig in the U.S. You don't want to end up in a law suit because one of your frets hits the audience... Lars Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blindboygrunt Posted February 19, 2018 Share Posted February 19, 2018 hey Stu Guitar honey is made for rosewood and ebony boards, 100% pure wood spirits. Does a fine job hydrating the wood. I've never tried boiled linseed oil tbh.. not even sure I would know where to find it.. hardware store? Paint Store? eBay ! 😂 I dont thInk it matters all that much I’m not obsessive about such things , I just needed something to oil fretboard and bridge and after reading all the tripe it seems that boiled linseed oil is as pure as can be I think it’s used for cricket bats too .... It was £7 and that one bottle will do me forever Lemon added can be bad supposedly ... etc etc My old takamine I regularly cleaned it with my mums mr sheen 😂 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fortyearspickn Posted February 19, 2018 Share Posted February 19, 2018 Crickets have bats? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidblast Posted February 20, 2018 Share Posted February 20, 2018 eBay ! I dont thInk it matters all that much I’m not obsessive about such things , I just needed something to oil fretboard and bridge and after reading all the tripe it seems that boiled linseed oil is as pure as can be I think it’s used for cricket bats too .... It was £7 and that one bottle will do me forever Lemon added can be bad supposedly ... etc etc My old takamine I regularly cleaned it with my mums mr sheen ebay! Of course! why didn't I think of that! From what I understand, just about any pure wood spirit works. house hold products may not be the best option, they can include things like ammonia and other nastiness that play with the glue in the fret slots but OTOH I know a few dudes who use lemon oil from the grocery stores, and they don't seem to have any problems. older guitars, go figure.., I think the products they used back in those days for finishes is about the most durable stuff on the face of the earth I have a 78 Alvarez Yari, I think if I left it out in rain, it'd probably be ok. not that I would... but.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted February 20, 2018 Share Posted February 20, 2018 As a friend of mine always says when you hear a little buzz on a certain note - - just don't play there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted February 20, 2018 Share Posted February 20, 2018 If my 10th fret fell out it could be years before I noticed. Ain't that the truth. Well maybe if it was sticking out and drawing blood. As has been said, there ain't no money above the fifth fret. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidblast Posted February 20, 2018 Share Posted February 20, 2018 btw... I laughed pretty hard when I first read this. If my 10th fret fell out it could be years before I noticed. seriously,, that was priceless! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jinder Posted February 20, 2018 Author Share Posted February 20, 2018 As a friend of mine always says when you hear a little buzz on a certain note - - just don't play there. Chap I know who fronts a very popular folk outfit in the UK has his guitars built by David Oddy, and incredible instruments they are. He once took an Oddy back to David and said “it needs a tweak, I’m getting a buzz when I’m playing anything in the key of A”. Oddy replies “no it doesn’t, just don’t play in the key of A!” Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidblast Posted February 21, 2018 Share Posted February 21, 2018 I know... I've spent about half my life avoiding B Flat.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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