Any way to "cover up" a ding on a set neck guitar?

[That90'sGuy]

I have a wonderful guitar, a semi-hollowbody Dean Chafin Del Sol. It's worth some upgrades, but I do have a few small dings that I can feel while I'm playing. I don't have big gouges out of the back of the neck, so is there anything I can use to kinda "smoothen" it out when I'm running my hands down the neck? It's really not a huge problem, but for a guy like me that's really starting to like his guitars as mint as possible, I would like the neck to feel smoother.

Any ideas?

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: Any way to "cover up" a ding on a set neck guitar?

I hate to recommend this technique because it's a bit risky and doesn't always work, but I've heard that wood expands under heat and moisture, so I've tried it before. It works best on softer woods, especially if the dent is fresh.

Take a moist towel and put it over the dent, then use the tip of an iron to lightly heat the dented spot. The moisture makes the area a little more pliable, and the heat might make the ding expand. I dinged the edge of a rosewood fretboard once, and used this method. Since the ding wasn't that deep, the wood kind of expanded back into place. It may be worth a shot, but don't blame me if it doesn't work. It's a bit of a longshot to remove a dent in wood. Another trick I've used is to try to put pressure on the area right around the dent to make it blend with the dented area better.

 

[Vasshu the humanoid typhoon]

Re: Any way to "cover up" a ding on a set neck guitar?

Well we used 10sec glue to fill up the ding, but it really depends how deep it is.
Then it got sanded with wet paper and a firm polish(do not rub the laquer to hot or you'll destroy the finish), but I guess that it is not for most people to do such work, or use the Erlewine method as Joneser suggested, but that is also not recommended for the happy amatuer :burnout:

 

[mrid]

Re: Any way to "cover up" a ding on a set neck guitar?

or use the Erlewine method as Joneser suggested, but that is also not recommended for the happy amatuer :burnout:

I always fudge the "Erlewine methods!" :laugh2:

 

[That90'sGuy]

Re: Any way to "cover up" a ding on a set neck guitar?

Wow... good advice guys. These are all definitely worth a try. I may be an amateur to stuff like this, but when it comes to my gear, I'm pretty careful

 

[Bludave]

Re: Any way to "cover up" a ding on a set neck guitar?

It also depends on the finish.. What typ I mean. If it is finished with Nitro, you can buy this in a spray can. Spray enough on to fill the dent, and then cut it back using 2000 or 2500 grit sand paper. Be sure to tape off as much of the guitar as possible to avoid overspray.