Coated vs uncoated fingerboards

[MoEllis]

On a fretless jazz bass type bass with an ebony board, what are the pros and cons of coating or not coating?

I had a pentabuzz and it was always very bright.. I'm wanting the same kind of muaaaahhh but less of the brightness. Will the muah be present without the coating?

And yes, i know... use rounds and they will eat up the board lol

OK GO!

[unclejane]

Originally Posted by MoEllis

On a fretless jazz bass type bass with an ebony board, what are the pros and cons of coating or not coating?

I had a pentabuzz and it was always very bright.. I'm wanting the same kind of muaaaahhh but less of the brightness. Will the muah be present without the coating?

And yes, i know... use rounds and they will eat up the board lol

OK GO!

Pros of coating:
- the fingerboard surface will be very hard, which is what gives the bright muaah you got with your Pedulla (no, it's not technique).
- if it's a lined version, with the plastic inserts, the finish will guarantee that the inserts will never pop out of the slots.

Cons of coating:
- the fingerboard surface will be very hard, which is....
- if you ever wear through it, it could be a little harder to repair, since you'll have to refinish it.

Pros of not coating:
- bare wood is softer which will reduce the muuaah. Ebony is still pretty hard and will muaah, but not as much as a plastic board. Rosewood will be even more muted, but it'll tear up slightly faster than Ebony. It'll still last a long time either way, but Ebony is just a bit more durable.
- dressing a bare wood board is a little easier.

Cons of not coating:
- bare wood is softer which will reduce...
- lined models run the risk of the inserts eventually starting to work their way out of the slots, making a terrible mess of your board.

My preference is an unlined, unfinished Ebony board. I'd be fine with Rosewood also since I'm generally not a fan of muaah. I prefer something closer to a fretted tone, tho I don't hate muaaah.

But if I had a lined model, I'd get a finish put on the board anyway to insure the inserts stay put. And I'd just tolerate the muuah.

LS

[MysticMichael]

I love me a good mwah. So I've had the fingerboards of all three of my fretless basses epoxied. They don't sound unreasonably bright to my ears. But they definitely sound more modern, more "electric"...and they sustain longer.

MM

[Mojo-Man]

I have both.

I love the coated fingerboard / flats.
Gives it more brightness, and focus.

I love the woody tone of a none coated, for mellower tunes.

[MoEllis]

Originally Posted by Mojo-Man

I have both.

I love the coated fingerboard / flats.
Gives it more brightness, and focus.

I love the woody tone of a none coated, for mellower tunes.

I think thats what I was missing with the coated board. The organic woodiness! I love organic woody mwwaaah! I guess thats a bit picky lol. Here is the sound I'm going for:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tu7rhHInjUA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvz73t6mSaY

In my experience, the coated board was too focused and actually kind of piercing on the high end.

[bmc]

Mwah is a one trick pony. It's nice, but limiting, and it's unnecessary.

Modding any bass affects its resale value. I've never been impressed by coated fret boards.

[MoEllis]

I'm actually not going to mod this next fretless.. I'm going to actually order it. Select the woods and all.. chambered body... yata yata.. i'm just undecided on the finish thing. I'm leaning toward un finished.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKd7vmIeqgc

^^all of these links are of bare boards and thats the sounds I want. Unfortunately I have played the AC signature bass and we didnt get along haha It just felt odd to me

[MoEllis]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amEp34owKn0

this is very close as well

[bmc]

Originally Posted by MoEllis

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKd7vmIeqgc

Nice playing and gorgeous tone. Such a signature Alain Caron tone. That guys nails it quite well.

Good luck with the hunt and let us know what you settle on.

[unclejane]

Originally Posted by MoEllis

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amEp34owKn0

this is very close as well

I don't have a recording of my Bunnies to save my life, but here's my old Gibson Tobias 6 which had a Rosewood board:

https://soundcloud.com/unclejane/lick_me_lvepump

Even with the softer wood, it had a lot of whine. I later had to put epoxy on the board because the inserts in the lines started coming out (and then it finally got stolen, thank goodness). Then it was so whiney it was actually almost objectionable.

But my vote for that tone you're looking for is bare Ebony or even consider Rosewood if it's available. A hard finish will give you a lot more dentist-drill in the muuaah, which you might not want and may be hard to get rid of.

LS

[MoEllis]

So I'm waiting on s fretted Carvin sb5000 to be built right now... if i like it, I'm going to order another with the chambered mahogany body, figured walnut top, maple neck, and UNfinished ebony board. I think they may just be a winning combo.

[gumbynotpokey]

Speaking of Carvin....

The finish on the board I can only describe as being like marble. It is super hard and super smooth. It's hard to describe. Here's my link to my NBD thread so you can have a look. I've also given you a link to my hack/poser soundclip. I did it fast right when I got it to A/B my fretted and this new fretless. Use headphones, bro. Sorry for being such a piece of crap player. No need to rip me.

NBD Claro walnut fretless with birdseye board

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nh_lhGZS9sM

[MoEllis]

Nice demo! I think the maple/hard as nails would be too harsh for me. I'm trying to get a more woody laid back sound without going to straight bare rosewood.. Ebony seems to be the wood of choice for everyone I listen to as far as fretless cats. Plus its like the classic wood for acoustic string instruments

[MysticMichael]

Originally Posted by bmc

Mwah is a one trick pony. It's nice, but limiting, and it's unnecessary.

That may depend very much upon the player. I personally don't find it a "one-trick pony" or "limiting" in any sense. On the contrary, I find it highly expressive. I find it liberating. I find it beautiful.

Unnecessary? It's necessary for obtaining tone(s) that would be nearly impossible to get without it. It's "unnecessary" only if you don't value those tones.

Originally Posted by bmc

Modding any bass affects its resale value.

Generally true. If you're purchasing an instrument for its resale value, then don't modify it. Don't even play it.

But if you're buying an instrument to play, then by all means, make whatever modifications that will help you to obtain the tone, timbre, and/or touch that works best for your sound. Then play it!

Originally Posted by bmc

I've never been impressed by coated fret boards.

Clearly...

MM

[gumbynotpokey]

And one additional point is in my experience and ears mwah is not an all or nothing thing, and not a one-dimensional phenomena. Rather, it's on a spectrum of timbre and fullness. Sort of like an x and y axis. In other words, it's at least a palate of a couple of additional dimensions. In the right context the various aspects of mwah can be exploited and put to use. In my experience it's not limiting but more territories are added.

[MoEllis]

Well said!

[Brad Johnson]

My main fretlesses have coated Ebony boards. I've let people play them who only get one kind of mwah. And others who can get more. The one-trick limitation is usually determined by the player, not the bass. Otherwise Bernard Edwards, Tony Levin and Louis Johnson would all sound the same when they used the classic sterotypical one trick pony bass.

The mwah when playing near the bridge is typically different than when playing over the end of the fingerboard. Using different parts of your fingertips to play can give you tonal options too.

I prefer coated because I can still get a singing woody sound but I can also get non fretless sounds too. I gig fretless in situations where fretted would be the norm.

[MoEllis]

I've been playing fretless for years and understand the mechanics of how to get the muah and all that, im at the point where im just being very picky as to what exact sound I want. I won't normally play fretless in any other situation other than a fretless situation because I like to make a distinct difference between the two. I dunno, i guess for once im thinkin like an artist lol

[JoeWPgh]

Uncoated ebony has been used on uprights for years, if not centuries. Epoxied boards might be desirable for use with round wounds, but it gives a very specific 'Jaco-y' sound. Both have their places. But if I could only have one, I'd go with bare ebony.
Something else to bear in mind is that modern amplification is very friendly to flat wound strings. This wasn't the case in Jaco's day. Generally speaking, those amps were mudbuckets that demanded round wounds.

[Brad Johnson]

Roundwounds on a coated board can easily not sound like Jaco. It's an option. Mine can get a nice Jamerson vibe without tweaks.

OTOH my semihollow Elrick NJS5 with uncoated Ebony board does what it does and some of the coated sounds aren't in it's arsenal without work (EQing and such).