fingerboard replacement

skipper · #1 10-27-2010, 08:18 AM

I play a Kay bass with a rosewood fingerboard. My luthier has suggested that the next time I bring my bass in for service, I should consider a new fingerboard because the original one is getting thin. This entails going from rosewood to ebony and having a new bridge made, as well as the usual set-up and new strings.

I trust my luthier and don't intend to second-guess him. I have some questions, though. Regarding the fingerboard, at what point is it considered too thin? Does the thinness of the fingerboard present a problem if the neck isn't twisting? Is it a question of not having sufficient wood to permit planing of the fingerboard?

How does it look to have an ebony fingerboard and a rosewood tailpiece? Should I consider replacing the fingerboard with rosewood for consistency and for the original look? Or should I go with ebony which I believe is superior?

Finally, the cost of the work he's suggesting is likely to be in the $1500 to $2000 range, what with a new fingerboard, a new bridge, new strings (which I want in any case), and his labor charges. His price is reasonable, in my view, so that's not the issue. I'm wondering if I should pick up a Shen hybrid for a bit more money and keep my Kay in original condition.

I appreciate any advice.

drurb · #2 10-27-2010, 08:44 AM

It depends on where you place your priorities. IMO, and many agree, a thick ebony FB can improve a Kay in more than one aspect, not the least of which is to compensate for the thin neck profile. Is it more important to you that your Kay be optimized for playing or for collectibility? If the former, then go with your luthier's plan. If the latter, then perhaps leaving it as is would be better but I'm not even sure that replacing the FB with ebony would decrease its value at all. I'll defer to others on that one. Indeed, assuming that your priority is how it plays, I would swap out the tailpiece as well but hang onto the original one. If you ever sell/trade the bass, someone may want it. As far as value goes, no harm done.

Finally, there's the cost. What you'd be spending makes little sense from the perspective of investment if you view the Kay as a collectible piece to be sold. That's because the work is, at least, a huge proportion (and could exceed) the value of the bass right now (depending on its condition, etc.). On the other hand, if this is the bass you really like and enjoy, then spending the $$$ on the work makes absolute sense.

So, it all comes down to how you view the purpose of owning that Kay.

P.S.-- The cost of the work sounds high to me. What's the breakdown of costs?

skipper · #3 10-27-2010, 09:29 AM

This is very good advice, indeed, and I thank you for it. My bass is for playing, not for its value as a collectible. I hadn't considered changing the tailpiece, but, as you suggest, that would address the issue of the disparity between a rosewood tailpiece and an ebony fingerboard.

My luthier's prices would be approximately as follows--new, best quality available ebony fingerboard (board plus labor), $900; new, high quality bridge with adjusters, $350; strings, $190; labor for soundpost adjustment, string installation, etc.,$200. Add the cost of a new tailpiece, and it gets higher, of course.

Big B. · #4 10-27-2010, 09:29 AM

I have to agree with drurb that the value of replacing the fingerboard on this bass only exists if the bass is special to you. I am not extremely familiar with Kay's but I am guessing that 1500$ to 2000$ is the better part of the value of your bass.
I would play some of the other instruments that you are interested in and see how they sound next to your Kay. If you still like the Kay more then stick with it. One idea for a less expensive repair: Instead of going to the trouble of fitting and planing a new fingerboard to your bass, your luthier could pull the board and glue a 1/8" or so slice of rosewood or even ebony to the bottom of your board. Once trimmed flush this would effectively thicken the board without any refitting or serious planing and it could be reglued in it's original position. I dont think this would be an appropriate repair for a fine older instrument but could work very well with a less expensive instrument like yours where the cost of the repair is approaching the value of the instrument. Good luck.

drurb · #5 10-27-2010, 01:05 PM

I was assuming that, in any case, you were set on keeping the Kay. Big B. raises an excellent point that, for some reason, I thought (perhaps mistakenly) was off the table. That is, you may find that a different bass altogether would be more desirable. Think of the price-range you could be in. Take the same $2000 that you would spend on repair, figure you could (depending on condition, etc.) get close to near that same amount for the Kay and suddenly you could be looking at some VERY nice ply basses and, perhaps, some hybrids. Again, if you're attached to the Kay, all this is moot and it would seem best to have some work done.