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coating for fretless fingerboard?

#22
HG Thor - he's top notch, for sure.
His treatments cost about 2x the price of an SX bass, so it isn't cost effective in the OP's case.
Also he has a 1-2 year waiting list.
Absolutely brilliant work, though.
 
#24
After some research im finding that a lot of people are using marine epoxy (like jaco). So does anyone have any tips on that:
1.Where to get marine epoxy?
2.tips for applying it from those who have done this?

also, any one have any tips on reshaping a headstock? Particullary my SX 5'er with the new horrible headstock....
I would much rather get a replacement neck (not $warmoth$) but i dont see a fretless5 JB on Mightymite site.
Any other companys? thanks. you guys have given me lots of help/info
 
#28
warwick89 said:
Anybody second this particular idea? seems alot easier.
Click to expand...

Linseed oil is the only way I finish any neck, frets or not.
Easy to clean, easy to repair, wears like iron and doesn't need to reflect like a mirror to feel or sound excellent.
Just wipe it on, wipe it off and let it dry.

Boiled linseed, not raw linseed.
Raw linseed will go rancid, so don't put it on your cutting boards either.

Also, I tend to think Jaco's "sound" came from Jaco's fingers.
 
#29
warwick89 said:
hey guys, im new here. i just got my first fretless bass (sx JB) and i really like it but i wish my fingerboard had a coating. i love the feel of an ebonal board, real smooth and slick but my ebony feels kinda grainy.

So has anyone coated a fingerboard? do people even do that? what do i coat it with?

laquer? poly?

Thanks
enjoying the forum...
Click to expand...

Just a note that the epoxy finish will not only change the feel but also signifincantly brighten the tone of the bass. It adds a very unique "zing" to the fretless experience.

I'm not saying this is a good or bad thing. I'm just saying it is a thing.
 
#30
im torn between the Mirrior Coat and Boiled lin seed whatever.
what the deal with the Linseed oil?

I just want a smoother playing surface, and be able run rounds(or not) without tearing up my board.
I played an ebonal board and loved how smooth it was, particularly on vibratos. I dont really like the grity fealing of the rosewood on vibratos. thats why i want something to make it smooth. Maybe just sanding will give me the results i want. idk...

I know it will sound brighter, doesnt really bother me. i like a jaco tone (bright), and warm tone too. so either way im happy as long as it doesnt feel all grity.
 
#35
warwick89 said:
hey guys, im new here. i just got my first fretless bass (sx JB) and i really like it but i wish my fingerboard had a coating. i love the feel of an ebonal board, real smooth and slick but my ebony feels kinda grainy.

So has anyone coated a fingerboard? do people even do that? what do i coat it with?

laquer? poly?
Click to expand...

One of these days I may decide to do my fretless SX too. Even though epoxy (of various kinds) seems to have a reasonable history of working out, I'm thinking about trying a couple of other things.

A friend of mine has a home with lots of woodwork he did himself. The great majority he coated with a catalyzed material known as Polane. It is about as tough as you can get without getting extreme and it produces nice glass finishes without a lot of difficulty. My friend tells me that his kitchen floor on the other hand is finished with some other material that is used on loading docks. It is EXTREMELY tough, but he told me it was a bear to get a decent finish on it. (it is sort of rubbery like epoxy) I forget the name but if you searched on leading dock coatings you could probably find it or something like it. His kitchen floor is amazing and hasn't changed it's look in 20 or 30 years of constant wear and washing? (it is a walnut parquet floor with heavy coating on it) Doesn't this sound interesting?

Of course SX basses being dirt cheap make the perfect thing to experiment on. The only questions that remain is who is going to be the first guinea pig? :D
 
#37
warwick89 said:
OK. are rounds worth it? ive heard they have more "mwah".
Thats what i want: the most mwah.
Click to expand...

If you want the most mwah, then you want rounds. You can get some mwah out of lower tension flats (notably TI flats), but not nearly as mush as you can get with rounds.

Get some rounds and try them out first. Having rounds on your fretless board for a few days won't damage it unless you do something silly like bending. That should give you an idea as to whether or not you prefer flats or rounds. Then you can worry about whether or not you want to epoxy your board.

PS: Using the mirror coat method is a little time consuming with letting it dry between coats (I usually need 5 to 8 coats) and it requires a good solid afternoon (like three hours or so) of sanding, but it really isnt' a difficult mod. Just take your time, especially with the sanding. Better to use light pressure with a greater number of passes than to dig in and really ehf it up IME. Also, the sand paper gets pretty funky with epoxy, after a few passes, cut off and use a fresh strip rather than trying to use the same peice for more than a dozen or so passes.

PPS: Seriously get the 8" radiused sanding block and not the shorter one unless you REALLY enjoy spending lots of time sanding.
 
#38
Jason P Bass said:
How small was the smallest order that you found? I've done two necks (three if you count the complete rework job on #2) and I have enough for at least 50 more. It's really hard to estimate when I've used so little epoxy.

Thinning the mixture to get out air bubbles sounds interesting. I used a creme brulee torch and it generally worked great, but I was nervous about getting too close or applying too much heat. Would you say that you ended up with absolutely zero bubbles?
Click to expand...

Not sure how small my purchase of mirror coat was. I purchased it at a Woodcrafters and I think it ran about $40 or so. Maybe a bit more or less. Usual measurements are a half tablespoon of hardner, half tablespoon of denatured alcohol and a tablespoon of epoxy. Any more than that and I wind up with extra I don't need for that coating. I seem to like many light coats as opposed to a few thick ones. I should point out that I like to apply at least five layers and usually more (around ten on the last job) when I epoxy. If someone is ok with a really thin epoxy job, then I am sure that you could eek more fingerboards out of a small mirror coat order.


By diluting with alcohol then applying the coats GENTLY with a 2" foam brush, I can avoid bubbles in the epoxy. There are always some when applied, but they rise quickly to the surface. I have been able to blow them out "manually" (ie: using my breath) thus far. I am sure if one was super anal they might be able to find a one or two miniscule bubbles on my board, but nothing that one could see without really looking for it. Usually my layers are thin enough and the mixture is diluted just enough that any bubbles (even ones I might not have noticed when applying the layer) will work themselves out before it is time for the next layer.
 
#39
Soma666 said:
i have a fretless jazz and i have wanted a shiny coating for ever, just dont feel comfortable doing the coatings, that mirror coat looks amazing tho. it might send me over the edge n do it. its either that or the fretless has to go
Click to expand...

DO IT MAN! mirrior coat is apperently self-leveling so its probably easy. do it so i can see. lol

check this out if you already havent. he uses mirrior coat and it looks awesome but seems easy enough. http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=231434&highlight=epoxy
 
#40
Kael said:
If you want the most mwah, then you want rounds. You can get some mwah out of lower tension flats (notably TI flats), but not nearly as mush as you can get with rounds.

Get some rounds and try them out first. Having rounds on your fretless board for a few days won't damage it unless you do something silly like bending. That should give you an idea as to whether or not you prefer flats or rounds. Then you can worry about whether or not you want to epoxy your board.

PS: Using the mirror coat method is a little time consuming with letting it dry between coats (I usually need 5 to 8 coats) and it requires a good solid afternoon (like three hours or so) of sanding, but it really isnt' a difficult mod. Just take your time, especially with the sanding. Better to use light pressure with a greater number of passes than to dig in and really ehf it up IME. Also, the sand paper gets pretty funky with epoxy, after a few passes, cut off and use a fresh strip rather than trying to use the same peice for more than a dozen or so passes.

PPS: Seriously get the 8" radiused sanding block and not the shorter one unless you REALLY enjoy spending lots of time sanding.
Click to expand...


Thanks thats what im going to do as far as trying rounds goes. my fretted 5'er needs new strings so i will put its rounds on my fretless.

and as far as the mirrio coat goes, thanks for the great info. really makes me want to do it, but i guess we will see after i try the rounds. thanks again.
 

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