Your experience with coated fingerboards, please...

fretlessman71 · #1 08-19-2010, 12:29 PM

Looking to get a fretless neck coated. Rosewood board.

My tech has given me WAY too many options. Epoxy, polyurethane, polyester (isn't that the same?), superglue, nitrocellulose... ugh.

What's your favorite coating? Why?

What coating have you had problems with?

And don't tell me not to coat the neck... it's GOING to get coated with SOMETHING, and that's that.

MNAirHead · #2 08-19-2010, 12:30 PM

subscribed.. I have a carbon fiber with ebony that's needing some love

Akshat · #3 08-19-2010, 12:31 PM

i have a rosewood uncoated at the moment.this should be of some help.

guroove · #4 08-19-2010, 12:37 PM

The most important thing is how you want it to sound. Epoxy is going to give you a great singing tone with lots of mwah, if that's what you're going for. It also holds up really well. It's very bright sounding too.

FunkMetalBass · #5 08-19-2010, 02:42 PM

From what I can tell, there will be very little difference in the super glue vs. polyurethane. Otherwise, you appear to have listed them in order of hardness. The softer materials will sound warmer, but wear down quicker. They might be a bit cheaper to have re-done, but you'll have to do it a bit more often.

fretlessman71 · #6 08-20-2010, 11:53 AM

In order of hardness! I had no idea - this helps an awful lot.

Hoover · #7 08-20-2010, 12:16 PM

fwiw, my favorite fretless fingerboard coating is whatever Mike Pedulla used on his Buzz Basses in the 1980s...but I have no idea what that was, or whether that's what he still uses.

fretlessman71 · #8 08-20-2010, 12:28 PM

According to their website, it's currently polyester. And I remember those boards as feeling pretty slick and hard, too. Too shiny for my tastes though - don't like reflections while I'm concentrating. It's an easy fix on epoxy; no clue if it's the same with poly.

MNAirHead · #9 08-20-2010, 12:55 PM

IF doing something at home.. I'd want something that was recoatable and thinnable.

any suggestions.

MglMatador · #10 08-20-2010, 03:03 PM

I was thinking of using System 3 Mirror Coat: how do epoxies hold up to relief changes? I don't want it to crack if I add or take away relief, and it seems that unless the coating is somewhat flexible it might be prone to cracking if the relief were changed.

fretlessman71 · #11 08-20-2010, 03:31 PM

I've had epoxy on a few six string fretlesses and it did just fine. I assume that if the other options are not as hard that they will be fine as well. Learning more and more about this as I go.

fretlessman71 · #12 08-26-2010, 09:48 AM

I'm going to bump this - wanting to get more people's experiences with the various coatings...

kalle74 · #13 08-26-2010, 01:51 PM

The epoxied (did it myself) fingerboard of my TRB1005F has held up for 3 years without any problems or fixes. Plenty hard and sounds fantastic. I recommend epoxy.

**line6man** · #14 08-26-2010, 02:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FunkMetalBass

From what I can tell, there will be very little difference in the super glue vs. polyurethane. Otherwise, you appear to have listed them in order of hardness. The softer materials will sound warmer, but wear down quicker. They might be a bit cheaper to have re-done, but you'll have to do it a bit more often.

*I think* that epoxy is the softest of the materials listed.
It should be the most durable, however.

Akshat · #15 08-27-2010, 07:47 AM

im thinking about doing a few coats of polyurathane on my fingerboard.not too sure at the moment.You think i should let it be?i play with a soft touch.
If i do put a coat how many coats are ideal.would i need to sand em between coats

kalle74 · #16 08-27-2010, 11:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by line6man

*I think* that epoxy is the softest of the materials listed.
It should be the most durable, however.

Epoxies come in a variety of hardnesses. Marine epoxy (I did mine with West System 106, which is for laminating boats) is really hard, the stuff from tubes (e.g. Araldite etc., intended for gluing stuff, as opposed to coating or laminating) is generally softer.