I am working with a local luthier to have a bass converted to fretless. The instrument has a macassar ebony board. I asked him to replace the frets with pau ferro strips. The goal here is to give a medium contrast in color and not require a poly finish. He also offered to apply an epoxy finish to the board for a small up-charge. I have some questions for you: Will pau ferro strips be ok with just basic oil finish? Will I have any issues with ebony/pf? What are you thoughts on an epoxy finish? I am inclined to pass on this. I've never experienced issues with unfinished fretless boards. I don't expect any with the ebony/pf board. I would like to hear about your experience with epoxy finishes. Thanks all.
A decent double bass has an ebony board. No finish. Pao Ferro is fine. But any lined board may required occasional maintenance, ie. light sanding to deal with lines that sprout a bit. An epoxy-finished board will be a lot brighter sounding than an unfinished board. So it depends on what you are after.
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