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Fretless boards: harder than CA or Epoxy, but still manageable? Does it exist?
- Thread starter Wizzu
- Start date
Rôckhewer
Commercial User
- Feb 28, 2015
- 2,922
- 9,029
- Disclosures
- Owner/Builder- RockHewer Custom Guitars LLC
I do about 30... coats.
.... just saying.
But then...I suppose our definitions of a "coat" will vary... depending upon application.
Rôckhewer
Commercial User
- Feb 28, 2015
- 2,922
- 9,029
- Disclosures
- Owner/Builder- RockHewer Custom Guitars LLC
Totally off topic, but what is that gorgeous instrument in your avatar?
On Topic
I have used the Minwax wood hardener, but with mixed results. It can only do so much.
As for something harder than CA or epoxy, some automotive finishes/treatments are virtually indestructible. Consulting your local automotive finish supplier could help.
I don't know how hard they are, but casting resins are an option as a top coat.
Also, with regards to rosewood, there are a lot of woods called rosewoods that aren't, and many are rather low quality. It happens. Marketing is a double edged sword. Rather than debating or speculating on what the fretboard is or isn't, I think we can all agree that there is an issue of wear that should be solved. I do think that the idea of a thin veneer of something harder is not a bad idea if a traditional finish/coating doesn't do the trick. It eliminates the need to remove the board, yet provides a stable surface for a good coating. Something in the .05" range would probably be plenty of thickness while not being too hard to conform to the underlying board. If the board is single radius, then a long radiusing beam could be used as a clamping caul. Careful masking and a good, hard glue (like Urea Formaldehyde) would probably do quite nicely.
Fender used Pau Ferro for MIM 5 strings while using Rosewood for the 4s. This applies to the 2003 models like the one I have but I'm not sure how long they did this. If you have a 5 I think Pau Ferro is your answer. It can look a lot like rosewood which leads to people hearing it as rosewood.
Fender and Musicman have sold thousands of unfinished fretless boards. Rosewood will work just fine on a fretless. Though it may show wear faster than other woods or finishes.
Hardness, as measured by the Janka Scale, describes the woods resistance to crushing. This is a good indicator of how well it will hold up to string wear. But I suggest there is a better indicator and that's abrasion resistance.
Ebony while very hard is also a pleasure to work with and Macassar Ebony has a Janka hardness of 3,220 lb. Purpleheart has a much lower Janka hardness of 2,520 (almost the same as Indian Rosewood's 2,440) yet it is very abrasion resistant. Back in the 1980's while buying wood the guy at the store was telling me I should try purpleheart because it's high silica content made it very resistant to wear and it will dull tools faster than other woods in the store while ebony cuts relatively easy. So in the '80s I made my first purpleheart fretless. I found it could handle stainless roundwounds with little wear and basses I made in the '80s and '90's with purpleheart boards are just fine today.
I'm not convinced someone who has 6 failed boards is just the unlucky luthier who found 6 soft boards that no one else has had trouble with and is the victim of companies sneaking in soft rosewood. An Alder fretboard with a properly applied epoxy finish will hold up to roundwounds.
That said I don't recommend stainless roundwounds if you are not willing to replane every now and then. I find nickel strings much smoother than most stainless strings and the texture difference will greatly reduce wear. And of course flatwounds will damage a fretboard about as much as letting kittens sleep on one.
Hardness, as measured by the Janka Scale, describes the woods resistance to crushing. This is a good indicator of how well it will hold up to string wear. But I suggest there is a better indicator and that's abrasion resistance.
Ebony while very hard is also a pleasure to work with and Macassar Ebony has a Janka hardness of 3,220 lb. Purpleheart has a much lower Janka hardness of 2,520 (almost the same as Indian Rosewood's 2,440) yet it is very abrasion resistant. Back in the 1980's while buying wood the guy at the store was telling me I should try purpleheart because it's high silica content made it very resistant to wear and it will dull tools faster than other woods in the store while ebony cuts relatively easy. So in the '80s I made my first purpleheart fretless. I found it could handle stainless roundwounds with little wear and basses I made in the '80s and '90's with purpleheart boards are just fine today.
I'm not convinced someone who has 6 failed boards is just the unlucky luthier who found 6 soft boards that no one else has had trouble with and is the victim of companies sneaking in soft rosewood. An Alder fretboard with a properly applied epoxy finish will hold up to roundwounds.
That said I don't recommend stainless roundwounds if you are not willing to replane every now and then. I find nickel strings much smoother than most stainless strings and the texture difference will greatly reduce wear. And of course flatwounds will damage a fretboard about as much as letting kittens sleep on one.
