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Fretboards-Custom Project

iriegnome

iriegnome

Bassstar style
Supporting Member
Nov 23, 2001
11,263
5,577
61
Kenosha, WI 53140
#1
Ok, I am super tired of trying to find a suitable bass to play that is not only fretless, but Unlined and has a MAPLE FRETBOARD!!! This is just crazy. Please do not get me wrong, there are a couple out there, but they are pretty hard to come by.
So, I picked up a crappy Jay Turser JTB-440M Music Man copy. I found a company that sells fretboard blanks and as luck would have it, they also will radius the fretboard and put a nut slot in it. All for $35.
So this is my trial run and converting a bass to fretless. If it works out well, I will upgrade to a much better bass and give it a whirl.
So, any suggestions? I realize that after the new board is on, I need to seal it. I have heard several methods from Spar Varnish, Epoxy and Marine varnish. Opinions? :confused:

Also, any tricks to getting the old board off and the new board on properly?
 
#3
The Jay Turser was cheap. Replacing the neck kind of defeats the purpose of what I am doing. I could go to Warmoth and just have a neck made, but that is just about $250. That is more than my whole project right now. Just for the neck.
Granted, I really like Warmoth and my next project for this bass may be a full Warmoth. I wanted to try a more inexpensive way to do this. I have found it is cheaper to buy whole and fix up rather than buy bits and pieces and build.
 
#4
You could buy the maple to make the neck for ~$20 at most any store that sells hardwoods, and you can order a truss rod online for $15 (or make one for about $3 if you have the hand tools and a blowtorch)...

I just think that you are going to find that either defretting and planing the fretboard off (your better option if you are set on dismantling this neck, I think) or trying to remove the fretboard intact (which I wouldn't recommend in this case, as you would probably damage the neck portion when trying to steam loose/pry off the original fretboard) will be more work than it's worth, and may not leave you with a usable neck.

Just a thought...
 
#7
SDB Guitars said:
You could buy the maple to make the neck for ~$20 at most any store that sells hardwoods, and you can order a truss rod online for $15 (or make one for about $3 if you have the hand tools and a blowtorch)...

I just think that you are going to find that either defretting and planing the fretboard off (your better option if you are set on dismantling this neck, I think) or trying to remove the fretboard intact (which I wouldn't recommend in this case, as you would probably damage the neck portion when trying to steam loose/pry off the original fretboard) will be more work than it's worth, and may not leave you with a usable neck.

Just a thought...
Click to expand...
I have planned on removing the whole fretboard at one time. I bought the bass to do this modification. I do not expect it to be easy, I don't mind a challange. I am buying a fretboard blank and Allen Guitars is doing the radiusing as well. The fretboard will come ready for glueing.
 
#8
i agree with SDB. it would be a little harder to make your own neck, but you would definately enjoy the final result a lot more. necks on cheap basses (in my experience) they warp very badly. it would be about $35 for wood and a trussrod, and you could even put in some cool pinstripes and really make the bass look cool.

just my 2 cents
 
#9
I would say make your own neck too, you have all the tuners already. But removing your Fingerboard wont be too hard. I removed mine off one of my old basses by lying a heating pad over it for while, used a putty knife and it popped right off (and I glued that sucker on strong when I first built it).
 
#10
Possibly store bought basses use glues that don't separate as nicely? I've just had bad esperiences w/ that in the past, and I'm trying to pass that on so you don't have a crappy experience, also...

Just my opinion... I'd be interested to see how this turns out
 
#11
before proceeding I'd recommend you make sure you have a budget to either

a) buy the materials to make yourself a new neck
b) have a new neck made
c) unload a neckless bass carcas cheap

I say this because you appear not to have the woodworking skills to make yourself a new neck from scratch ... and properly removing a fretboard and installing a new fingerboard is significantly more difficult IMO than making an entire new neck from scratch - but then you know more about what you can do than several here with loads of experience who have offered you very solid advice

all the best on your project,

R
 
#12
i tried de-fingerboarding an electric guitar...BAD experience.

but then again, i tried to separate the glue with an old steam iron. too much steam, not enough iron...

so if you really want to take a fingerboard off, get a heating blanket for that purpose, and take your time. in some ways i'd say getting it off is harder than getting a new one on...
 
#14
All the advice is very much appriciated. I most certainly have enough skill and knowledge to build a complete bass, if needed, what I am lacking is space and tools. Since my divorce, I do not have room in my new (Much Smaller) house for anything I would need to make a complete neck. As it is, I will be removing the fretboard on my bedroom floor. I understand that this may not be the easiest thing to do, but it is a project and not all projects are easy. :smug:
 
#15
Can anyone explain the difference in finishes for a Maple Fretboard fretless? I am considering Marine Varnish, Spar Varnish, Epoxy or CA Glue.
I know a little about Marine and Spar varnish, but I do not know anything about Epoxy (except the glue) and I have only heard of CA Glue, but I do not know what it is.
 

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