REPLACE fretless rosewood fingerboard with EBONY?

[TheEmptyCell]

Unless you're playing and gigging more than you're sleeping, a rosewood board will last years, even with rounds.

[202dy]

Originally Posted by JacoNOT

I don't have a fretless yet. Trying to decide.

1) I'll bet the rosewood on a 1973 Fender P is a LOT more substantial/dense/hard than whatever South Korea is using on a $400 bass these days. I'd bet heavily that whatever I get will be a more open grain and less dense, and to me that spells faster wear.

2) What type strings have you been using since the late 70s.

3) Do you play it a lot, or a little?

4) Do you have fretless skills that tend to preserve or to wear out a fretless board?

I have no idea how my technique will impact a fretless board, but I assume I lack the finesse to minimize wear. Also, I don't like roundwound strings, and expect to run either GHS Pressure Wounds (compressed rounds) or some kind of flatwound... That should help.

Rosewood is rosewood, within limits. The fingerboard on the new instrument is more substantial than the veneer fingerboard on a '73 Precision. The new guitar can have the fingerboard dressed several times. The '73 only once or twice. Not that it would be wise to perform that service on a vintage piece.

It comes down to hours and technique when trying to forecast how long a fingerboard will last. If the guitar is in use forty hours a week it will wear twice as fast as one used twenty hours a week by the same hands. As for technique, if back and forth guitar vibrato is employed the fingerboard will show it and expect to dress the board more often. The same goes for those who squeeze the neck for all it's worth. A fingerboard used by someone with light left hand will probably never have the fingerboard dressed.

[fenderslaper]

If you are going to use flats I would stop worrying about wear. I have tape wounds on my fretless and have seen no wear at all.

[Jazzdogg]

Originally Posted by JacoNOT

I don't have a fretless yet. Trying to decide.

1) I'll bet the rosewood on a 1973 Fender P is a LOT more substantial/dense/hard than whatever South Korea is using on a $400 bass these days. I'd bet heavily that whatever I get will be a more open grain and less dense, and to me that spells faster wear.

2) What type strings have you been using since the late 70s.

3) Do you play it a lot, or a little?

4) Do you have fretless skills that tend to preserve or to wear out a fretless board?

I have no idea how my technique will impact a fretless board, but I assume I lack the finesse to minimize wear. Also, I don't like roundwound strings, and expect to run either GHS Pressure Wounds (compressed rounds) or some kind of flatwound... That should help.

1. For years, my woodworking students have been conducting wood species research to familiarize themselves with the characteristics of each wood species with which they work. If you do the same, you will find that 202dy was largely correct with respect to rosewood.

2. Strictly flats; for the past 10 or 15 years, TI flats.

3. It was my main gigging bass throughout the seventies, eighties, and nineties - between practice, rehearsals, and gigs, I probably averaged 12 - 24 hours per week.

4. I've been playing DB and fretless electric bass since '68; professionally since the early 70s. I don't use rounds, slap, etc., but my basses are played vigorously; none of 'em are "trailer queens," and none are worse for wear.

What's the worst case scenario? Will your fingerboard only lasts 20 years until action needs to be taken?

Enjoy playing your bass.

[JacoNOT]

Originally Posted by fenderslaper

If you are going to use flats I would stop worrying about wear. I have tape wounds on my fretless and have seen no wear at all.

I'm VERY interested in tapewounds (a flatwound metal string wrapped in a black nylon) I'd like to know which brand you use.

My initial plan (which has changed 20 times ) was to mount nylon tapewounds because 1) I played someone else's P-bass with tapewounds long ago and LOVED the feel, though I can't remember the sound, 2) I figure the nylon wrap provides maximum protection for the board (I'm worried too much about that), and 3) black strings LOOK great (wutta dope).

These two YouTube vids give a basic impression of what to expect, but probably not the whole story:

D'Addario XL Nylon Tapewound
Man, the tone at first is so dark and so covered/thumpy! I hate it. I want FUNDAMENTAL tone, not muffled Thump. Garth Fielding says they provide a wide range of sounds, but he doesn't demonstrate that. What do you say?

Rotosound Tru Bass 88
This video provides a more balanced tone, focused on the fundamental without any roundwound overtones, etc.

How do you describe your tapewounds?
Thanks

[JacoNOT]

202dy and JazzDogg and TheEmptyCell ==

Thanks a lot for the reality check(s). At $400, if that rosewood board is likely to hold out for 20 years, I'm just going to have to buy it.

The fretted twin is a lot of bass (sez me who knows little). My only complaint is that it's one heavy mofo, but I'll get used to that.

[Groover]

Would gluing a thin laminate (veneer) ebony on top of a half sanded down rosewood be a viable option?

[fenderslaper]

Originally Posted by JacoNOT

I'm VERY interested in tapewounds (a flatwound metal string wrapped in a black nylon) I'd like to know which brand you use.

My initial plan (which has changed 20 times ) was to mount nylon tapewounds because 1) I played someone else's P-bass with tapewounds long ago and LOVED the feel, though I can't remember the sound, 2) I figure the nylon wrap provides maximum protection for the board (I'm worried too much about that), and 3) black strings LOOK great (wutta dope).

These two YouTube vids give a basic impression of what to expect, but probably not the whole story:

D'Addario XL Nylon Tapewound
Man, the tone at first is so dark and so covered/thumpy! I hate it. I want FUNDAMENTAL tone, not muffled Thump. Garth Fielding says they provide a wide range of sounds, but he doesn't demonstrate that. What do you say?

Rotosound Tru Bass 88
This video provides a more balanced tone, focused on the fundamental without any roundwound overtones, etc.

How do you describe your tapewounds?
Thanks

I'm using Carvin branded tapes. They are NOT flat wounds. They are rounds wounds covered with nylon tape and can sound quite bright and full bodied. I highly recomend them (I think they are made by La Bella).

My bass neck is a 71 Fender fretless, and has no visible wear.