End of Fingerboard "Ski Jumping"...

BritFunk · #1 02-25-2013, 08:35 AM

Friends,

I have a small stable of some decent basses, but as time goes by they're all requiring higher action and more relief to avoid string buzzing, generally around the 17th - 19th frets.

Some years ago my Yamaha BB300 needed a *second* refret - the luthier told me there was a problem with the fretboard at the upper end of the neck and that it needed planed. He removed the frets, planed the fingerboard level, and refretted. Best playing bass I ever owned afterwards - the action was just ridiculously low.

Since then just about every bass I own is exhibiting the same symptoms. I'll adjust the relief and action, but if the action gets low enough to suit me I am buzzing like crazy in that small section high on the board. It is *not* fret wear so far as I can tell.

I'll also mention that while I am no expert, I do the setups for a couple of local music stores and never have a problem getting a great low action unless the instrument is just really cheap.

I should also mention that I'm not using anything unusual as far as strings - .105 - .045 is the heaviest I use.

I have tried everything from a perfectly flat fretboard to pretty serious relief - nothing will tune out the buzz in that area.

Any thoughts or suggestions? What to look at next? I am getting into unfamiliar territory here. It would *suck* to need just about every bass I own refretted after fingerboard planing...

Any ideas how to tackle this would be welcome and appreciated - I am at wit's end.

----
Kurt

Rip Topaz · #2 02-25-2013, 08:59 AM

It's common practice when doing fretwork to introduce a gradual fall in the height of the frets after the 15th or so.

I'm not sure how exactly to explain it, but the frets sort of drop off in height. There's a thread around here somewhere about it, I think it was one of the SX threads. When the guy did his fret leveling, he shimmed the leveling beam with a few layers of tape when doing the upper frets.

Slowgypsy · #3 02-25-2013, 10:32 AM

A ski jump condition is actually more common than you might think with older bolt on neck basses. The fix you experienced, removing the frets and replaning the fretboard, is the only way I know of to actually fix and cure the condition. Also, in older instruments, the neck has more than likely settled into that ski jump shape, so the replacing fix at that point is most likely a permanent fix.

Some folks might have experience with heating up the neck and rebending it... never tried that so can't comment if that's a way to go.

bassbully · #4 02-25-2013, 01:04 PM

I have a couple of basses with slight Ski jump one is a 74' musicmaster the other a MIK P bass that had neck issues. It is only around the 15 th fret and up and since I only go to the 12th fret like once In a blue moon..who cares?

testing1two · #5 02-25-2013, 01:58 PM

If the rise is not severe, a fret leveling can improve things significantly by introducing some falloff after the 16th or 17th fret. But there's only so much fret material that can be removed at which point you are left with a full or partial refret so the fingerboard itself can be leveled.

bassclef112 · #6 02-26-2013, 08:41 AM

I've bought numerous older basses that had this situation. So far none have needed a full refret and FB planing. The lift was absorbed by leveling the frets as needed. For a refret/planing the lift would have to be very severe - you may be able to get away with just having the frets dressed down. It'll be case by case.

+1 with testing1two's post

JLS · #7 02-26-2013, 11:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bassclef112

I've bought numerous older basses that had this situation. So far none have needed a full refret and FB planing. The lift was absorbed by leveling the frets as needed. For a refret/planing the lift would have to be very severe - you may be able to get away with just having the frets dressed down. It'll be case by case.

+1 with testing1two's post

A method: Double the measured distance between the 15th & last fret. This is the length you'll be dealing with, with a straightedge, depending on the bass, this will be around the 9th fret. Measure the ski jump, "relief", at the 15th fret--you will have to remove this amount from the higher frets, up to the last fret, doubled, plus some, to get fallaway above F15. Example:you get .015 at F15, a not uncommon amount for a ski jump. You're then looking at having to remove about .035 by the time you're at the last fret--and your frets are only .045 high; you have a no-go situation, as you would have to take the frets down so that the last fret would have .010 height. A planing would be necessary, to fix this ski jump.

fourstringbliss · #8 03-01-2013, 12:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rip Topaz

It's common practice when doing fretwork to introduce a gradual fall in the height of the frets after the 15th or so.

I'm not sure how exactly to explain it, but the frets sort of drop off in height. There's a thread around here somewhere about it, I think it was one of the SX threads. When the guy did his fret leveling, he shimmed the leveling beam with a few layers of tape when doing the upper frets.

I just did this on my Peavey Millennium Plus J/J and now I can get the strings nice and low. I taped off the frets from the 15th on and then used one of these

to gradually file the frets down, a little more each fret, until the end of the fretboard. It was easy. I think I started with about 4 strokes on the 15th fret and then went up by one each fret after that.

Turnaround · #9 03-01-2013, 08:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JLS

A method: Double the measured distance between the 15th & last fret. This is the length you'll be dealing with, with a straightedge, depending on the bass, this will be around the 9th fret. Measure the ski jump, "relief", at the 15th fret--you will have to remove this amount from the higher frets, up to the last fret, doubled, plus some, to get fallaway above F15. Example:you get .015 at F15, a not uncommon amount for a ski jump. You're then looking at having to remove about .035 by the time you're at the last fret--and your frets are only .045 high; you have a no-go situation, as you would have to take the frets down so that the last fret would have .010 height. A planing would be necessary, to fix this ski jump.

Or just mess with it..