Ebony Fretboard Cracks and Value
Ebony Fretboard Cracks and Value
Somebody in my neck of the woods is selling a BFR Petrucci 7-string sig for a little over $1k. The catch? There's a small crack in the ebony board on the high frets, nothing that affects playability afaik but still, nobody is touching the thing.
Wdyt? A hell of a deal? Is there anything to be afraid of with that crack?
Wdyt? A hell of a deal? Is there anything to be afraid of with that crack?
- Dinosaur David B
- Posts: 18625
- Joined: Tue Nov 16, 2004 5:21 pm
Re: Ebony Fretboard Cracks and Value
Ebony is more brittle than rosewood and can get the micro cracks in dry humidity. Try not to let it get too dry.
As for fixing the crack, I had to do that on one of mine. Just sand a little of the ebony dust off the high end of the board above the last fret where it won't be noticed and catch the ebony dust on a post-it or piece of paper. Mix the dust with a drop or two of superglue so it turns the color ebony, then work it into the crack with a toothpick. It's better to under-do it, and repeat than to overdo it so too much spills out onto the board. Once it dries, sand it smooth with high grit sandpaper with the grain if possible.
As for fixing the crack, I had to do that on one of mine. Just sand a little of the ebony dust off the high end of the board above the last fret where it won't be noticed and catch the ebony dust on a post-it or piece of paper. Mix the dust with a drop or two of superglue so it turns the color ebony, then work it into the crack with a toothpick. It's better to under-do it, and repeat than to overdo it so too much spills out onto the board. Once it dries, sand it smooth with high grit sandpaper with the grain if possible.
It's not a restring until I'm bleeding.
- Dinosaur David B
- Posts: 18625
- Joined: Tue Nov 16, 2004 5:21 pm
Re: Ebony Fretboard Cracks and Value
The usual worry is that it gets worse/longer, but it looks contained by the fret slots at each end, so there's nowhere else for it to go. That's so small all a repair guy would do is put some superglue in that and sand it clean. You can probably just leave it alone unless you see it getting worse.
It's not a restring until I'm bleeding.
Re: Ebony Fretboard Cracks and Value
Hmm, depends on where you look at it.Dinosaur wrote: The usual worry is that it gets worse/longer, but it looks contained by the fret slots at each end, so there's nowhere else for it to go. That's so small all a repair guy would do is put some superglue in that and sand it clean. You can probably just leave it alone unless you see it getting worse.
It's been like this for three years without any change, and frankly, I don't see how this can turn worse. But for what it's worth, it's deep.
Here's a better picture.
- Dinosaur David B
- Posts: 18625
- Joined: Tue Nov 16, 2004 5:21 pm
Re: Ebony Fretboard Cracks and Value
There's not enough space in the crack to fit any superglue in it anyway.
It's not a restring until I'm bleeding.
Re: Ebony Fretboard Cracks and Value
I got it fixed! Luthier managed to get glue and ebony into it, good as new (almost).
Great guitar. I'm not a JP fan but the guitar is FIRE.
Great guitar. I'm not a JP fan but the guitar is FIRE.