How to rebuild fret nibs?

[pariko]

I have 2 missing on my custom 2007.
I have heard here on this forum you can use epoxy white, or super glue and baking soda?
Has somebody tried to rebuild them?
THe high E gets stuck now there where the stupid nibs are missing......Gibson why the hell would you use nibs anyways?
My 2015 LP standard came without stupid nibs and it plays great....

 

[fred dons]

you can dissolve binding material in acetone to make a paste, use that to build new nibs (use a bit of acetone on the existing material so that the new material will dissolve into the old) or instead of making the paste cut a small bit of binding material and glue it using the acetone to the existing material, reshape it when fully hardened with a small file or sandpaper

 

[pariko]

i am not gonna cut a piece of the binding from my LP....so acetone will evaporate and that way the nib will be hard?
I prefer buying a same material and using acetone on that....

 

[zacknorton]

I think using a separate piece of binding material was heavily implied.

You can buy binding material from a ton of sources (stewmac etc) or get some from your local repair shop.

If you're not really into this kind of detailed work, id strongly suggest having a skilled repair person do it. But yes, the repair will be hard and strong and will essentially melt into the existing binding and "become one" continuous piece of binding.

It's tricky because that acetone can cause some serious damage to the finish on the guitar so it's crucial to work on this with a jeweler's kind of precision.

Not impossible to do it yourself... but it would be really easy to make a huge mess that could require a much more involved repair to "fix".

It's also possible to seal that fret/fretboard edge with thick CA glue. it'll fill the gap and you won't have to build any nibs. I'd suggest medium to thick CA glue and the non-fogging accelerant.

 

[Flogger]

In an old GP column, Dan Erlewine dissolved binding material in acetone, then painted it on the fret ends.

 

[slater529]

I fixed several broken nibs on my '99 LP Custom a couple of years ago. Bought the binding from Stewmac, the acetone from Ace Hardware. Once the binding gets nice and soft in the acetone, you just goop some on the fret end. Let it dry, then carefully file and sand it to shape. Mine turned out great, and it was pretty easy. Just mask off the fretboard and neck in the area where you're going to work.

 

[Gold Tone]

Acetone works marvellously to bond the pieces together, melting them together really creating “one”.

I must though HIGHLY recommend you follow the advice given by others here…if you’re not confidently working with good precision give this job to a pro. You WILL ruin your finish and binding if you are not careful

 

[AA00475Bassman]

I would leave it alone ,or have a pro repair .

 

[El Gringo]

I would leave it alone ,or have a pro repair .

Sage advice . There is a reason why we have Professional Tech's and Luthier's , as when I put my hands on my guitars I break stuff that my tech has to fix .Then it's like talking to "dad" and dad asking me "how did that happen ?" Then having to explain ,usually from something pissing me off and frustrating me from not working or doing what I want it to do , and that's exactly how I break stuff .