Setting up fretless fingerboard?

[Monkeyseed]

Hoping to get my first fretless soon (if I can scrounge up enough money) I've been reading alot about roundwounds eating through fingerboards, and I don't want to use flatwounds to save the fingerboard as the tone just isn't for me. Any idea on what to treat the fretboard with (epoxy, polyurethane) and how to do it without making a mess of the bass? The bass I want has a natural, untreated fingerboard of rosewood. It's a vintage v940fl. Anyone with experience in doing this before, advice would be much appreciated! Thanks.

[Skitch it!]

Why don't you see how it goes first with the unfinished board, IME I've played mine for 17 years, and had the board skimmed (nothing major, sanded out) once in that time, I find less fretting finger pressure to be pretty useful for easier playing/less friction too.

[Monkeyseed]

Thanks I'll try it out unfinished first and see if it needs improvement after that

[Skitch it!]

Keep in mind that if you do decide to epoxy it, it will sound harder/brighter than an open (unfinished board) enjoy

[JazzV]

Another possibility would be to try half-wounds. If you do decide on rounds, you could stay with nickel rather than steel. That would lessen any damage a bit.