Should I take my bass into the shower?

[Tokalo]

I've just acquired a used Squire Jaguar VM (the long scale version with active boost; I don't think it had been looked after too well - I had to straighten the neck and do the intonation).

It arrived via post, so I don't know how it's been stored. But on first inspection the rosewood fretboard looked pale and dry. I applied a little Danish oil I had left over from a table restoration project, and the colour has come back to the rosewood.

But.

I can't play the bass because the frets are cutting my fingers. It's not that they haven't been smoothed - they are fine if you run your finger over them in a direction from the strings towards the back of the neck. But in the other direction there are tiny edges which are causing my cuts.

There's lots of love out there for these Squier Jags, so is it possible I just got a bad one?

Or is there a chance the rosewood had dried out too much at the previous owner's and exposed tiny corners of the frets?

If so, can I avoid having to file them by re-hydrating the wood? Would my problem in fact be solved if I stand the guitar I a humid atmosphere, like a sauna or a bathroom when the shower is running?!

[Grangur]

Doesn't Danish oil seal the wood?
If so, humidity wouldn't penetrate.

In any case, humidity isn't going to be helpful. I think you need someone to look at the frets. You might simply need them tapped down into their slots.

[Tokalo]

I think Danish oil is ok as long as it is based on tung oil (which this is).

Is tapping frets something I should be able to do (if I'm careful)? It certainly sounds preferable to explaining to Mrs T why I'm taking my new bass into the bathroom with me!!

[deepbass5]

make sure your amplifier is plugged into an RCD, you should be fine

[dyerseve]

[quote name='Tokalo' timestamp='1494145369' post='3293540']
I think Danish oil is ok as long as it is based on tung oil (which this is).

Is tapping frets something I should be able to do (if I'm careful)? It certainly sounds preferable to explaining to Mrs T why I'm taking my new bass into the bathroom with me!!
[/quote]

Getting a pro to sort your frets would be a very worthwhile investment. Don't risk causing permanent damage by attempting it yourself.

[Norris]

Joking aside, a humid bathroom is not going to do anything beneficial to your bass. More likely the opposite

[Dan Dare]

Don't do it, captain. She cannae take it. Remember that, even if it worked for the fingerboard (and it's a very big 'if'), the rest of the instrument would be likely to be adversely affected by the damp/humidity.

[Twincam]

Indeed the logic is flawed. As even if you somehow hydrate the wood that much, it could actually push out the frets in various places to a tiny degree even more.
Which on another note, is actually also why you should never over oil a fret board and limit oiling to the minimum required. As it can lift frets (over a long period), again to tiny degrees but its not what you want.

As others have said in this instance your better off taking it to someone in the know. Basically the fret ends need filling/dressing etc. You can do this yourself although doing a really good job takes a fair bit of practice to get the ends really nice and then polished up also without marking up the fret board.

[Grangur]

[quote name='Norris' timestamp='1494251795' post='3294332']
Joking aside, a humid bathroom is not going to do anything beneficial to your bass. More likely the opposite
[/quote]
This /\
There's an almost certainty of damaging the finish. And a high risk of warping the wood. I used to work with solid oak furniture. Wood will move and bend in damp surroundings, but never in a predictable way. You could even find the frets pop up more.

The process of seasoning wood before it's used in manufacturing, is the removal of the moisture from the wood. If the wood has dried out further after the manufacturing.
Over the years, I have seen a lot of furniture warped after it was manufactured. The usual reason is dampness or it being left in a conservatory in hot weather.

The answer for your bass could be to get a soft headded hammer and tap the fret back down. If this doesn't work, then the fret will need to be removed, the slot cleaned out and replaced. Before doing this a good luthiers would check the neck to see if it's twisted and if it's worth doing the neck work at all. It is possible that the problem could be more significant than you think.

Edited May 9, 2017 by Grangur

[gary mac]

In the first instance I would live with it for a few days. The humidity and temperature in your place might be very different to that of its previous home.

[hubrad]

This sounds more like the frets aren't lifting out of the slots, rather they're just sticking out a little bit. If you run your finger along the edge of the fingerboard it's a bit like a saw, right? If so, it's just that the wood has shrunk slightly, leaving the fret ends prominent.
An easy job for any decent repair shop, then it most likely won't trouble you ever again.

[Manton Customs]

[quote name='hubrad' timestamp='1494321080' post='3294886']
This sounds more like the frets aren't lifting out of the slots, rather they're just sticking out a little bit. If you run your finger along the edge of the fingerboard it's a bit like a saw, right? If so, it's just that the wood has shrunk slightly, leaving the fret ends prominent.
An easy job for any decent repair shop, then it most likely won't trouble you ever again.
[/quote]

Yep, this. it's called fret sprout.

Edited May 9, 2017 by Manton Customs

[dyerseve]

It has actually happened on my old Warwick Streamer, slighly radiused fretboard but the frets now have zero radius so are "sprouting" at either end. Need to get it across to my local luthier so he can bash them back in to shape.

[martthebass]

[i]But.

I can't play the bass because the frets are cutting my fingers. It's not that they haven't been smoothed - they are fine if you run your finger over them in a direction from the strings towards the back of the neck. But in the other direction there are tiny edges which are causing my cuts[/i]

Just bought one of these myself, exactly the same problem. Fret dress sorted it no problem