Can it be done? Defretting a rosewood board and NOT applying a hard finish...

**Matthew_84** · #1 09-27-2011, 11:48 AM

I don't think it can, but I'm up for any suggestions.

I have a jazz copy with a rosewood board. I've read many threads about defretting and I have no concerns regarding the process, but I know if I apply a hard finish afterwards then my tone, as far as I'm aware, will get an added "zing", which I don't want.

This project is just temporary, maybe for 6 months at the most. The fingerboard in question has an extremely thick slab of rosewood on it, and I don't mind sanding it down every month or so if I need to.

So my question is this, how would I fill the slots? Should I use a mixture of superglue and rosewood dust? Would that still provide the zing? Would applying tung-oil on top seal it, but not affect the tone?

Again, any suggestions are welcome and appreciated. Thanks,

Matt

jacostilllives · #2 09-27-2011, 12:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Matthew_84

I don't think it can, but I'm up for any suggestions.

I have a jazz copy with a rosewood board. I've read many threads about defretting and I have no concerns regarding the process, but I know if I apply a hard finish afterwards then my tone, as far as I'm aware, will get an added "zing", which I don't want.

This project is just temporary, maybe for 6 months at the most. The fingerboard in question has an extremely thick slab of rosewood on it, and I don't mind sanding it down every month or so if I need to.

So my question is this, how would I fill the slots? Should I use a mixture of superglue and rosewood dust? Would that still provide the zing? Would applying tung-oil on top seal it, but not affect the tone?

Again, any suggestions are welcome and appreciated. Thanks,

Matt

I think you're overestimating the effect on your sound of adding a sealant to your board. If you want less of a 'zing' use flatwounds.

What I did when I de-fretted my bass was fill the slots in with wood putty. Worked fine. Doesn't look great, but it totally worked. I would still add the sealant though because you don't want to keep sanding your board all the time.

jdbernard · #3 09-27-2011, 12:26 PM

If you are just applying a wood finish I would not worry too much about changing the tone. I do think it will alter the tone, but I would think it would be subtle (unless by finish you mean epoxy coat, in which case it will change a lot).

Even with a wood finish, you may still eat up the board depending on your playing style and string choice. When I was using roundwounds on a rosewood board I defretted they chewed through the wood really quick. I mean, one good session put noticeable divots in the board. Flatwounds will be far more gentle. I would not be concerned about six months unfinished with flats.

When I defretted my rosewood board I filled it with wood filler rather than putty. You can sand and stain filler, unlike wood putty. Especially if you decide not to finish the wood, I would use filler. Some companies call a filler a putty and visa-verse. Usually they advertise on the product if it can be sanded after application. That is the bottom line in my book.

JTE · #4 09-27-2011, 01:20 PM

My first fretless came with a stock rosewood fingerboard (Fender Japanese Jazz Bass Special). I used rounds (either nickel or stainless D'Addarios) for the whole time I had that board, and it lasted several years. Yes, you do see some wear, but the amount in my experience is often overstated.

Most of the wear can be alleviated by technique and string choice. Use nickel rounds if you like the sound of rounds, or use flats if you like the sound of flats. Modified rounds (either ground ones like D'Addario Half-Rounds and GHS Brite-Flats or buffed ones like GHS Progressives) will give more or less a similar sound to rounds (within varying degrees of similarity) with less wear. And some alloys and brands are a lot less abrasive than others. Rotosound RS-66 have a deserved reputation for being a very hard alloy and a wrap that's more coarse than other stainless steel rounds. But even these can be used on fretless.

You can also alleviate a lot with how you play. A light touch with BOTH hands is important. Don't push the string any harder to the fingerboard than you need to get a clear note. And don't hit the string hard with your plucking hand because that causes vibration at the point the string is touching the fingerboard. Don't smear strings by bending, but develop a light touch for along-the-string-length vibrato.

Yes, you will see some wear, but it won't be horrible in most cases. And if it gets annoying, a buffing with a 3M hardware sponge (the equivalent of 0000 steel wool) can easily resurface it. If you're going to do more than buff with the sponge, invest in the appropriate radius sanding block like Stewart-MacDonald sells. You might also try Tung oil as a wood protector, it's not as hard as epoxy, etc. and didn't seem to make much sonic difference on my bass.

I also don't like wood putty as filler. It's softer than the wood and makes it hard to get a level fingerboard with it.

For this short-term experience I think you'll be OK if the technique considerations don't hamper your music. However, I eventually did replace the rosewood board on mine, but that was after about ten years of using stainless rounds on it. And a good bit of the need to replace the board was from me being over-zealous when I sanded the board too- I could have been more judicious but sometimes dressed it when it really didn't need any more than a buffing.

When I did replace the rosewood, I had a thick chunk of ebony put on it, and since then the only care has been to buff it with a hardware sponge when I change strings.

John

Turnaround · #5 09-27-2011, 01:42 PM

You don't need any finish on the fingerboard with flats or tape strings. And for a proper job, fill the fret slots with wood veneer. Check the sticky about defretting at the top of the forum - lots of good info there.

**Matthew_84** · #6 09-27-2011, 01:42 PM

Okay, I think I'll try veneer strips, super glue and rosewood dust for the rest and a tung-oil on top to protect. Thanks everyone.

EDIT TO ADD: does anyone have any tips for applying the tung-oil? I know if a lot is applied then it can become a pretty hard finish. Any tips on how to put on just a minimal amount which would still protect the wood enough for my liking?

I should add that I'll use flats (maybe tapes) and I use a medium-light touch with both hands, well maybe a light touch with my fretting hand.