New material for fretless neck

odin70 · #1 03-05-2009, 10:03 AM

Im interested in trying aluminium or brass fingerboard.. on a fretless. I know Vigier have used something like brass on one of theyre fretless basses. Does anyone know how it works?
What would be best aluminium or brass? Or maybe something else...

NoobOnRoad · #2 03-05-2009, 10:06 AM

Check on Bumblefoot(Ron Thal) website, He made himself a fretless with coins(dime,quarter etc.) and vigier made him a cool fretless that i assume is metal.

pilotjones · #3 03-05-2009, 03:59 PM

LeFay uses stainless.

Nexus uses granite, both fretless and fretted.

Plain aluminum, or "standard anodized" aluminum would would wear out very quickly. "Hard coat anodized" aluminum could be a possibility.

Aluminum has a thermal expansion coefficient five times that of wood in the longitudinal direction, so that might have to be taken into account.

tdogg · #4 03-17-2009, 07:18 PM

stone huh? now you have me thinking... what about cement, or acrylic? or just epoxy (no wood) so you could see the truss rod?

bassdude7907 · #5 03-18-2009, 02:55 PM

wow that's going to be pretty expensive