Mother of Pearl Fret Lines?

[Tslicebass]

Hey
I was just wondering if anybody has ever used MOP or some other type of pearl equivalent for fret lines or binding on a fretless bass.
Is this possible/practical.
Sorry...it is kinda of a random question

[Tslicebass]

Nobody's got any thoughts on this???

[Darkstrike]

It would be sexy, could be done with MOP binding, I would expect so anyway.

[abarson]

Fret lines are usually very thin, and I doubt that you would be able to get MoP that thin. Even if you did, it may be hard to distinguish it as MoP, as there would hardly be any surface evident to see the reflective qualities.

I'd say try it, but don't expect to be blown away by the results.

[Taurus]

I concur with abarson. Working with .023" wide pearl would be an exercise in frustration I would think. Maybe something like an abalam material would be tougher or even "pearl" plastic. Might not be very noticeable in the end.

[Darkstrike]

You could do a noch as wide as a fret, but wouldnt be as helpful for intonation.

[Tslicebass]

good points all around. I was actually kinda curious as to what the effect would be on the string running over mop lines or binding. I have heard it can be a problem on some of those fretless michael kelly's with the crazy inlays.

[thombo]

seems to me, it would be best to use a fretline material that wears at a similar rate as wood. i would think that mother of pearl would wear slower, creating deadspots and buzzes more quickly.

[allenhumble]

Originally Posted by thombo

seems to me, it would be best to use a fretline material that wears at a similar rate as wood. i would think that mother of pearl would wear slower, creating deadspots and buzzes more quickly.

What if you put a coat of epoxy over it?

[SDB Guitars]

I would second the abalam suggestion. Easier to work with, less likely to break, comes in very thin form already, and would be easily cut to length/depth.

[krfoss]

what material do most people use for fretlines? Wood veneer? is there anywhere i can buy precut fretlines for a fretless?

[wemedge]

Originally Posted by krfoss

what material do most people use for fretlines? Wood veneer? is there anywhere i can buy precut fretlines for a fretless?

I've used plastic binding material from stewmac on ebonol. they als sell wood binding strips.