Neck notch help?

[irishdazzler]

Hey Guys,

 

I bought a lovely little second hand Flying V at a real bargain price and the only thing that is really wrong with it is a nasty little notch taken out of the back of the neck at about the 5th Fret

 

I obviously want this sorted out, so I was wondering if any of you guys have ever used a french polisher to make a wood repair like this?

 

or whats my alternative?

 

thanks D

[InsideMan]

irish,

 

I'm having trouble zeroing in on your difficulty--you mention a "nasty little notch", but then talk about french polishing. Does the notch go into the wood, or is it just a finish problem? Is this an Epiphone or a Gibby? (That is, what kind of finish is it?) Can you post pictures? Cheers.

[irishdazzler]

Well this is my first stab at hosting a pic - so i hope it works!

 

anyway, sorry for the confusion. The notch is through the veneer and into the wood - about 1mm deep.

 

the guitar is a Epi Flying V Korina

 

and (hopefully) a pic of the little blighter im trying to eradicate!

 

 

[Ron G]

Looks too small to worry about

[irishdazzler]

Looks too small to worry about

 

personal opinion i guess - but i'd like to repair it and im asking for advice

[Ron G]

Since you have a natural finish on that neck, build the depression up with multiple coats

of clear poly until it's flush and then sand/polish smooth. OK?

 

P.S. I put a similar gouge in the neck of my Yamaha, worried about it for a while and then

realized it didn't friggin matter.

[irishdazzler]

sounds good to me!

 

i'll give it a shot!

 

cheers lads

 

D

[InsideMan]

Here's the thing--almost anything you do to the gash is going to make it look worse than it does now. I don't think french polish over the Epi synthetic finish will work very well, either.

 

I think your best bet is to work to make the guitar feel better in your hand. Place your guitar face down on a table covered with newspapers and use bunched-up clean rags to level the plane of the gash. Then flow slow-drying SuperGlue into the notch and let it dry. It may take a couple of applications, depending on how deep it is. This will fill in the wound and give the neck a better feel when you play. It may even minimize the appearance of the gash.

 

Good luck. Cheers.

[rockstar232007]

You could also use, maple wood filler.

[TWANG]

maple wood dust.. file a piece of maple until you have a little pile of dust..

do this first using something maple besides your neck..

clean out the notch.. down to wood..

a little bit of superglue.. not up to the edges of the notch hole..

coat with dust..

let dry..

file in there a bit..

repeat..build it up.. glue drys fast..

 

I'm no finish expert.. but I've done that with good results..

it's still going to show, but it will fill it up and be closer in color as well as smooth.

 

when it's a bit higher, tiny bit, than the neck finish..

tape around it and smooth sand it.. use a little strip of 400.. then 600..

then a bit of poly. wipe on poly by min wax will match..

gloss or satin whichever your neck has..looks satin to me.

remove tape.. buff with 800 or better emery paper.. and then buff with swirl and haze remover or scratch remover of some kind.

 

do it on a piece of maple first.

you'll see what it looks like and it isn't all that hard.

 

it's just not adding to it.. scratching around it, that you have to watch for.

TWANG