fingerboard replacement

[skipper]

My luthier has told me that my bass' fingerboard is getting thin and that I should consider having it replaced. There is enough rosewood currently that I needn't have this work done immediately, but in all likelihood, I will have to have it done in the not-too-distant future. A new bridge may be in order at that time, too, because of the change in fingerboard thickness.

I have 2 questions--am I risking damage to my bass by postponing the replacement of the fingerboard; when I do ultimately replace it, should the new one have the same profile as the one it replaces?

Thanks.

[kurt ratering]

how thick is your current board? if its really thin you COULD run the risk of having your neck warp which would need to straightened when the new fb finally went on.

[svenbass]

I had the same issue a few years ago and had the FB replaced. He added some wood to the feet of my bridge so I didn't need the a full replacement, and he convinced me to go from a beveled board to a full rounded board. All of these made for what was like getting a new bass - the sound was vastly improved and I couldn't be happier with the new FB profile.

All this was well worth the expense IME, IMHO, YMMV etc.. good luck!

p.s. My opinion on the sound improvement was based only on the installation of the new board not on the shape. As Jake says below, go with the shape you prefer.

[Jake deVilliers]

Your Kay's neck has probably already been pulled into a curve by the string pressure, so don't worry about it. The neck will need to be straightened and reinforced when you replace the board anyway.

If you like the bevel stay with the bevel, if you want to go round, go round. You have some time to seek out DBs with round boards to try out, so don't panic.

I prefer a rounded board solely because I can then narrow the string spacing at the nut a little more, rather than being dictated to by the edge of the bevel. As a player, I like either way...