The more I read here the more I think about doing a bass from scratch if I ever have the space to work. So much beautiful work and so much experience here.

Mods, I hope this is appropriate for this forum.

cut to the chase, Suzie...OK When I install a replacement neck (or buy a new instrument), I sometimes find that the edge of the neck feels too sharp, intrusive or even painful after playing for a while. I'm not talking about fret edges but the edge of the fingerboard itself. I know that over the years I have read about "rolling" the edge of a neck but I dont know how this is done, especially on a finished fretted neck. If anyone can explain how to do this or give me a good link about this, I would appreciate it.

Thanks,
S

I've never encountered that problem, but some careful work with a fret beveling file (something akin to this (http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Fretting_supplies/Shaping_and_crowning/Fret_Beveling_Files.html)) would give you a nice angle that would likely be easier on your fingers. My only concern would be filing off a bit of finish along the edge (if it's a finished fingerboard) but you could touch that up without too much trouble.

Something else to try would be to use a hard metal shaft (like the shaft of a large screwdriver) and run it along the edges to round out the corner a bit. I'm sure somebody probably has a "correct" technique for this job, but I'm all about improvisation.

-Nate

There was just a thread about this somewhere here. I tried it on my SX jazz. Basically, it involved CAREFULLY scraping the edge with a blade to shave a bit off and then finish sanding (low to high grit, followed by steel wool, 0000 or finer). I wasn't too careful (hey, it's a cheap bass) and slipped when distracted, nicking the neck a bit. If you're careful, it can have amazing results.