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Fretless neck is getting scarred....

N

nutso42

Jul 6, 2009
1,705
28
Your location can be this long
#1
I recently converted my Yamaha RBX250 to fretless (this was my first time trying), and it worked very well at first. But then I realized the neck was getting scratched up, so my first thought was to switch my strings to a lower gauge and from roundwound to flatwound. A while later though, it was still getting scratched, so I'm wondering if anyone has ideas on how to allay this problem. Anything from technique tips to finishes to add to the fretboard.


I should tell you though, I did not re-finish the FB after I filled in the fret slots. I sanded it down and rubbed fingerboard oil to give it it's original color back.
 
#4
Theres a thread by spankypants going over all sorts of different opinions on this subject. http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=630709 I think in this department its safe to say many people do many different things and it's just a matter of trying a few things out on a meaningless piece of wood and going from there. I'm actually about to start messing around with this myself as I'm in the process of making a fretless.
 
#5
Are these just scratches or are the strings making dents in the wood (big difference)?

Another problem may be your technique. If you press down really hard or use side-to-side vibrato like you would on a fretted bass, you can cause damage to the board.

Also - tapewound strings would be the softest against the FB. You can get LaBella tapes from Carvin for a good price.
 
#6
dude, who cares? don't epoxy that ****. play it like it was meant to be played. keep it oiled and rock on!

that fret(finger)board is going to get scratches. period. and thats fine. you've already ruined whatever "mint" resale value you may think is there, so it doens't matter as much if you ever have to replace th fingerboard.
 
#7
bassmanjla said:
dude, who cares? don't epoxy that ****. play it like it was meant to be played. keep it oiled and rock on!

that fret(finger)board is going to get scratches. period. and thats fine. you've already ruined whatever "mint" resale value you may think is there, so it doens't matter as much if you ever have to replace th fingerboard.
Click to expand...

It's an Rbx 250, it probably is worth more with the de-fret....not many of those fretless. I would sand it out with a radius block to 320, and give it a couple of thin epoxy coats and try it out, if you like it, you can lightly sand it and apply a few more, if you don't like it, you can sand it back to wood, and oil it up. That's the beauty of projects.
 
#10
Boat epoxy is great, but if you get the technique down, which I wouldn't recommend you practicing on a neck you want to keep, is superglue.

I had a Steinberger fretless that was getting chewed up by roundwound strings and my luthier refinished it with boat epoxy. And the neck is now strong enough to handle stainless strings.

If you pulled the frets, sanded and never really refinished it, you're going to want to anyway.

I'm having the same luthier pull the worn frets out of my vintage Spector and convert it over to fretless. And he'll do the same old epoxy trick on it.

I say carefully coat it with something. It'll make a major difference.
 
#11
I have the exact same bass which I defretted after I bought my 2nd Yamaha (BBG 5 string). I left the fingerboard bare after sanding and have used roundwounds since defretting it, over a year later its still in good shape after many gigs and lots of home practice. My immediate guess would be that your vibrato is causing this, try side to side as opposed to bending the string like you would on a fretted.

Alternatively you could try putting some sort of finish on it like PolyPoxy or even marine varnish, put like 3 or 4 coats on with a day in between each coat.
 
#12
2242132459_cfde3e7a6c_o.jpg


How bad is the damage you have now?
 
#14
nutso42 said:
Not too bad, mostly just scars from the strings.

I'll try to get pics, but right now all I have at my disposal is a crappy cell camera......
Click to expand...

1) Never vibrato by bending the string - slide your finger up and down the string (see violin vibrato technique)

2) Don't bend the string - slide your finger up the string (just like #1)

3) Get a polyurethane spray and put a couple coats over the top. If you aren't going to epoxy it, at least get a little bit of protection on there.
 
#15
I havent tried Epoxy yet but Polyurethane is good for short term results ( started getting the roundwound winding marks on the neck after about 6 months) So I removed it ( who knew that polyurethane can be peeled like a fruit?) sanded it down and tried lacquer. It lasted about a week before I started getting the marks superglue is a clean effective way of keeping the same color of your fingerboard and protecting it long term
 
#16
bassmanjla said:
dude, who cares? don't epoxy that ****. play it like it was meant to be played. keep it oiled and rock on!

that fret(finger)board is going to get scratches. period. and thats fine. you've already ruined whatever "mint" resale value you may think is there, so it doens't matter as much if you ever have to replace th fingerboard.
Click to expand...

Ditto.
Every finish will leave marks.
Even epoxy will leave marks.

Just play it.
 

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