replacement fingerboard

Vince_P9 · #1 11-12-2009, 08:51 PM

im looking to replace the rosewood fingerboard on my engelhardt with one of ebony. upton bass has some nice looking ones for 250 a piece, but whats to stop me from saving 170 in buying one from bob gollihur, when it may also save me some bread in luthier work, considering they are engelhardt-specific replacement fbs?

wayne holmes · #2 11-13-2009, 12:37 AM

Replacing a fingerboard is not for the inexperienced. If you are planning to do it yourself, the chances of doing damage greater than $170 is very high. Fitting a fingerboard is one of the hardest things that I do in my shop. It is time consuming getting to a perfect fit. If something other than hide glue is used by the maker, it can be hard to remove unless you know how to do it. You have to have the right clamps and other tools. Of course, you should use hide glue . I have given you an answer, in part, but, I am not real clear on what your question is?? Could you be more specific- is this your first board replacement, etc.? Are you going to get a Luthier to do the work? This would be the recommendation from most. You are certainly wise to ask some questions before you start. Good luck - hope it turns out well.

uprightben · #3 11-13-2009, 05:14 AM

Englehart boards are of a poorer quality of wood, specifically, the grain tends to be wild and you might have some knots. This can cause the surface to change with the seasons and create bumps and buzzes. You should also expect to need to work every surface of the board, regardless of where you get it, not an easy thing to do right. I have no experience with the upton boards, they seem to hve a good rep around here.

Cody Sisk · #4 11-13-2009, 06:14 AM

This project is too bold for someone who's not a luthier. Take it to a luthier.

wayne holmes · #5 11-13-2009, 06:48 AM

My experience with Engelhardt-Link boards is much different. I don't recall seeing a knot in any of them. Engelhardt-Link uses some of the prettiest exotic woods that can be found. They are much better than some green maple painted black, or some low grade ebony which is brown and stained ebony.

wayne holmes · #6 11-13-2009, 06:52 AM

"bold" I second that- Cody has given you some very good advice.

Vince_P9 · #7 11-13-2009, 08:52 AM

perhaps i was unclear in my post. i have absolutely no intention of doing this job myself. in saying that i might save money in terms of luthier work, i simply meant that perhaps the luthier rate would be significantly lower, considering he would not hvae to cut the fb to size because it is prefit to engelhardt size. i would never attempt to do something as involved as replacing a fingerboard. the new fingerboard is part of a makeover i am planning to give my bass which includes a new adjustable bridge, spruce soundpost, new strings and a full professional luthier set up.

Jake deVilliers · #8 11-13-2009, 09:22 AM

Vince, there's a big difference in quality between the Engelhardt ebony boards and the ones I buy from Metropolitan Music. Also the extra thickness is really beneficial in terms of helping to strengthen the shallow necks on Kays and Engelhardts.
I spend the extra hundred bucks for a reason - its worth it.

MIKMAN · #9 11-13-2009, 10:10 AM

+1.
As Jake stated, the most common problem in Kays and Engels is the thin neck, which leads to some tiresome situations. A new FB, constructed from good quality ebony, will serve not only as a cosmetic upgrade but also as a ergonomic improvement. Definitely a luthier's job, not a DIY project as you perfectly know.
Mike

Ed Fuqua · #10 11-13-2009, 10:39 AM

Read Jeff Bollbach's fingerboard rant....

bassfixer · #11 11-25-2009, 12:10 AM

You should take it to a luthier and not buy a fingerboard online. Our shop doesn't allow people to bring in their own fingerboards only because we don't know the quality of the FB. It'll cost you more if your luthier has to spend more time working on a poor quality FB than a good one. It's getting hard to find good ebony now even for bass shops. So I wouldn't trust buying one without looking at it first. We get our FB's from GOTZ in Germany. They have the best stuff I've seen.

jacochops · #12 11-25-2009, 09:43 AM

Bassfixer...are you Jon Peterson at WOS?? Jon did work on my basses when I was in SoCal, and did immaculate work. Just pristine! Highly recommended! All of the fine folks ar WOS are fantastic at what they do, and really care about their work!

bassfixer · #13 11-25-2009, 02:33 PM

No Jon is my boss. I've been working for him for about 6 years now. I'll pass the compliment to him.