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  #1  
Old 10-13-2018, 06:03 AM
Samian Samian is offline
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Default Gibson ES 325

Hello forum,

I m looking for advice on how to repair divots on a Gibson es325 1975 model so I can refret and set up properly.
I m located in Athens Greece and such old pieces are quite rare to find around.
The guitar is in good condition overall apart from some divots and warn off frets. It possibly needs a new bridge as I was told that it might have been bent and the strings might not follow the fretboard curve properly.

I v visited a guitar expertise and although he is a recommended craftsman around athens he has probably seen none or very few similar pieces.
He suggested we fill up the divots with a mixture of epoxy and rosewood dust, sand it down till level with the intact parts of the fretboard and then properly refret and setit up. He is a very confident and busy craftsman.

After doing an extended search on the net I see that the most popular method is using layers of superglue with wood dust. On epoxy I v only found very few references. So I m not sure whether to trust the epoxy method.
Generally I m feeling kind of insecure to trust this guitar to anyone, but on the other hand I need to fix it and improve its playability. I m not interested in keeping it as a relic.

I registered with Gibson forum days ago but they still have not activated my account so Ithought maybe I could find some help here.
Thanks in advance.






Last edited by Samian; 10-13-2018 at 06:35 AM.
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  #2  
Old 10-13-2018, 07:36 AM
clintj clintj is offline
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Super glue is generally preferred as it will be drawn quickly down into the wood, giving a strong bond. It also cures in seconds, so you'll need to work quickly. The negative of it is that the remover is acetone, which will attack the guitar finish instantly. Something to consider if you have a mistake with the glue and need to clean up a spot. Super glue is also the preferred glue if you get tear out when removing the old frets.

Epoxy would work, but it has a slow cure time, anywhere from 5 to 30 minutes depending on the type you buy.

Beautiful guitar, too!
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Old 10-13-2018, 12:05 PM
muscmp muscmp is offline
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do they affect your playing or is it just for looks?

play music!
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Old 10-13-2018, 12:43 PM
thomasfelty thomasfelty is offline
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I suppose if they're deep enough it could give you a Sitar kind of effect. If you have a light touch I don't think it would hurt.
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Old 10-13-2018, 02:32 PM
charles Tauber charles Tauber is offline
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Either will work. I'd probably use epoxy if filling the wear.

Regardless of which is used, keep in mind that you will have blobs of uniform color and texture where filled. You won't have pores, grain or variations in color, such as the wood has. It's a "quick and dirty" type fix. Other alternatives will be more expensive, including replacing the fingerboard or milling it flat, gluing an new piece of rosewood the length of the fingerboard and then re-slotting. Another option is to inlay between frets.
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Old 10-13-2018, 06:31 PM
Samian Samian is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by muscmp View Post
do they affect your playing or is it just for looks?

play music!
Well, the craftsman insisted we do it so he can refret it properly..
I personally don't mind those old divots. They are not too deep to affect playability. That's the reason I m trying to find out things myself.
I need to have some idea what my options are before taking any decisions.
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  #7  
Old 10-13-2018, 06:40 PM
Samian Samian is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by charles Tauber View Post
Either will work. I'd probably use epoxy if filling the wear.

Regardless of which is used, keep in mind that you will have blobs of uniform color and texture where filled. You won't have pores, grain or variations in color, such as the wood has. It's a "quick and dirty" type fix. Other alternatives will be more expensive, including replacing the fingerboard or milling it flat, gluing an new piece of rosewood the length of the fingerboard and then re-slotting. Another option is to inlay between frets.
I m aware of that and that's why I hesitate to do it. The damage is not that big to demand drastic solutions like replacing the board or bits of it.
If it wasn't for the craftsman insisting we fill the divots I would never ask for it.
All I really want is refreting and setting it up.
As I said my problem is there are very few good craftsmen with experience is such instruments where I live.
I suppose I will have to insist we keep the board as it is and just refret it as best as posible.
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Old 10-13-2018, 07:25 PM
mirwa mirwa is offline
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I would leave the divots alone, alternatively if you want a flat board level through the finger wear areas

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  #9  
Old 10-14-2018, 03:45 AM
murrmac123 murrmac123 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by thomasfelty View Post
I suppose if they're deep enough it could give you a Sitar kind of effect. If you have a light touch I don't think it would hurt.
The divots are not underneath the string, so there wouldn't be any sitar effect.

They are caused by the abrasion over time of the fingertips/nails making contact with the wood of the fretboard, and are between the strings, rather than directly underneath.

No reason why the OP's "craftsman" couldn't refret it as it is.
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  #10  
Old 10-14-2018, 06:42 AM
MC5C MC5C is offline
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While I personally would just sand the fretboard to true the radius and slightly reduce the divots, here is Frank Ford's take: http://www.frets.com/FretsPages/Luth...boardivot.html
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Old 10-14-2018, 07:44 AM
tadol tadol is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MC5C View Post
While I personally would just sand the fretboard to true the radius and slightly reduce the divots, here is Frank Ford's take: http://www.frets.com/FretsPages/Luth...boardivot.html
Second that -
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  #12  
Old 10-14-2018, 08:59 AM
Samian Samian is offline
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Another thing I forgot to mention is the plastic plate that carries the knobs and switch is cracked at one of the three screw holes and one of the three original screws is missing. I could try to mend the small crack or look for a new one (make a custom one?) but I m not sure if I will find a similar screw to the original ones. All the wiring under is original and functioning well.

The plate broke at a gig I gave 25 years ago when I stepped on the cable and the screw came off and got lost. After examining the damage I realised that apart from me stepping on the cable and applying force on the plate the plate itself was originally misplaced, not centered properly and so one of the screws was basically drilled on the edge of the cut under and so it was quite weak.
Thanks for your replies guys
They have been all very helpfull.

Last edited by Samian; 10-14-2018 at 09:07 AM.
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