Mother of pearl blocks on my L2500 Tribute - your opinion? - pics included

fourstringbliss · #1 07-30-2007, 01:21 PM

What do you think?

sunbeast · #2 07-30-2007, 01:42 PM

Nice! I'm not a big fan of dots myself.....I really wish my L2000e had pearl blocks (or even pearl dots instead of the black ones)- that would be super hot (on a maple fretboard...). I'm not going to screw with it that much though- a 1982 G&L is bound to only go up in price. My favorite is an unmarked board though!

Karl

fourstringbliss · #3 07-30-2007, 01:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sunbeast

Nice! I'm not a big fan of dots myself.....I really wish my L2000e had pearl blocks (or even pearl dots instead of the black ones)- that would be super hot (on a maple fretboard...). I'm not going to screw with it that much though- a 1982 G&L is bound to only go up in price. My favorite is an unmarked board though!

Karl

So you like the look, huh? They're actually overlays of super thin MOP veneer. I haven't glued them down yet. It cost me about $35.

the_fooj · #4 07-31-2007, 11:20 PM

Wow, those look awesome. You had me fooled, they looked totally real before I read your last post. Just curious, where did you get them?

Stanley Design · #5 08-01-2007, 01:02 AM

I wish my necks had nothing on them.

**Chef** · #6 08-01-2007, 06:08 AM

I've come back and looked at this several times now.

I guess I like it ok, yeah; and neat trick.

I'm old enuff that blcoked necks "don't look right to me without being bound too," but what a great idea. Had me fooled, fershure.

saxofunk · #7 08-01-2007, 09:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chef

I'm old enuff that blcoked necks "don't look right to me without being bound too," but what a great idea. Had me fooled, fershure.

I was feeling young and spry until I read this. I prefer binding with blocks also.

To the OP: I like it. It's a nice touch to set it apart from the crowd.

TNF · #8 08-01-2007, 02:04 PM

hmmm... I need to know where to get some of that material. My L2k has a bound board and just dots. It needs blocks.

Your bass looks great fourstringbliss!

fourstringbliss · #9 08-01-2007, 04:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TNF

hmmm... I need to know where to get some of that material. My L2k has a bound board and just dots. It needs blocks.

Your bass looks great fourstringbliss!

Sorry for my late response! There was a problem with my email account and I couldn't get my TB account reactivated.

I got the MOP veneer from inlayusa.com. I got the "Micralone" because it was supposedly painted on the back to make it opaque and had a lacquer finish on the front. I don't know about the lacquer, but the paint on the back wasn't enough to make it opaque. I did the following to make the blocks:

I covered one side with low-tack blue painter's tape and then sprayed the other side with flat white Krylon Fusion paint.
I then removed the front side tape and taped up the painted side.
I had already made the mockup blocks using table cells in Microsoft Word. I had to adjust some of the sizes because the veneer is MOP strips glued together, so I'm constrained by the sizes of the strips.
I used spray adhesive to glue the printed block page to the front of some contact paper.
I then cut the block guides to suitable strips of the MOP veneer.
I cut the blocks out with a pair of sharp standard size scissors.
Finally, I carefully removed the contact paper and painter's tape from the finished "blocks".

I did have to make a few of the blocks over again because of chipping and I had to reapply some white paint the the back of a few blocks with a cotton swab.

After all of that work, I don't think I'm going to put them on. Try as I might, I couldn't get perfectly straight edges on all of the blocks. From a few feet away you wouldn't be able to tell, but up close they're a tiny bit jagged here and there. I just don't feel comfortable putting them on permanently.

I'm actually thinking of doing the same process but with a wood veneer. I seriously don't think I'm ever letting this bass go with all of the work and mods I've done so I don't mind modding it some more.

I've got some laurel burl veneer

And some amboyna burl veneer

coming, and I'm going to try the block thing again. The veneer is thin enough that I should be able to make the blocks and mount then on the fretboard without interfering with fretting the notes. If they're too thick I can always sand them down. With wood I can shape the pieces in ways I couldn't with the shell veneer without worrying about chipping and breaking.

I'll sand them extra smooth, bevel the edges, and apply a gloss lacquer. I'll probably use a "permanent" adhesive (like glue dots) but one that can come off the fretboard easily if I want to remove them.

Maybe this seems silly, but no more silly than choosing a pickguard. I just love the look of blocks on a fretboard and I figure as long as they don't interfere with fretting a note it shouldn't be a problem.

I think if I ever have a custom bass made I'll probably have block inlays made of the body top wood and a matching headstock veneer.

fourstringbliss · #10 08-01-2007, 04:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by saxofunk

I was feeling young and spry until I read this. I prefer binding with blocks also.

To the OP: I like it. It's a nice touch to set it apart from the crowd.

You're right about the binding - that would be a really nice touch, but I don't know how I'd do that!

Dan Molina · #11 08-01-2007, 04:17 PM

Make sure they're all straight and properly sized before you put them on.

fourstringbliss · #12 08-01-2007, 04:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dan Molina

Make sure they're all straight and properly sized before you put them on.

Absolutely! I have some temporary "glue dots" that I'll use for a trial run. I'll shape them, get them to a uniform height, and then try them on playing all of the strings on those frets. I'm not going to use the permanent adhesive until I know it's all good.