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Fretless Purple Heart board...will it work well compared to ebony?

T

TheOriginalName

May 28, 2018
627
357
#1
Hey Talkbass.

I think I’ve decided to try to go fretless. I wanted to ask if any of you have experience with purple heart as a fingerboard wood on a fretless, and if it’s hard enough. Sorry if this is in the incorrect category.

Thanks.
 
#6
Mendelsohn_fretless_Bass-full-3.jpg

I've had this one since 1992, for a while it was my main bass. It may not be as hard on the Janka scale as some ebonies but it is very abrasion resistant and I feel will outlast ebony.
 
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#7
I have this bitsa I put together a few years ago. It has a Warmoth neck with bubinga shaft wood and a bloodwood 'board. Bloodwood has a Janka a little bit less than macassar ebony but more than certain rosewoods. I'm running Dunlop flats on it and I wouldn't say the tone is as prominent as some ebony 'boards I've tried though there is a punchy tone and a long note decay. The shaft wood must play some part, too, I'd suppose.
20190508_135344.jpg
 
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#8
Gunga Din said:
I have this bitsa I put together a few years ago. It has a Warmoth neck with bubinga shaft wood and a bloodwood 'board. Bloodwood has a Janka a little bit less than macassar ebony but more than certain rosewoods. I'm running Dunlop flats on it and I wouldn't say the tone is as prominent as some ebony 'boards I've tried though there is a punchy tone and a long note decay. The shaft wood must play some part, too, I'd suppose.
View attachment 3409929
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Would it be a lot to ask about the rest of the woods used? That’s a gorgeous bass, holy moley.
 
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#9
TheOriginalName said:
Would it be a lot to ask about the rest of the woods used? That’s a gorgeous bass, holy moley.
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Sure. It's quilted maple over mahogany, so you can't stand for long with this baby. It's has a light stain and a nitro rattle-can finish. The two 'plates are also bloodwood.

Edit: You can't see much of the quilting from the angle the photo was taken.
 
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#11
I've got a Wishbass with a purpleheart fingerboard that I bought in 2004. It has no finish on the fingerboard at all, although I do put some cutting board oil/wax on it about once a year. For several years, it was my (and then my son's) "go-to" bass. I can't remember what strings Steve shipped it with (they were rounds), but we've usually strung it with D'Addario EXL170 nickel rounds. You can see some light string winding marks on the board, but there are no gouges or divots after years of gigging and rehearsing.
 
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#12
TheOriginalName said:
Hey Talkbass.

I think I’ve decided to try to go fretless. I wanted to ask if any of you have experience with purple heart as a fingerboard wood on a fretless, and if it’s hard enough. Sorry if this is in the incorrect category.

Thanks.
Click to expand...

Just coat it with urethane (satin finish, if you want less traction than gloss), and it will totally last.
 
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#15
It’s certainly a suitable wood for that purpose and quite a bit harder than rosewood ime. Won’t stay purple indefinitely though as mentioned. Also, as mentioned, bloodwood has similar qualities and will retain its red colour if you’re looking for something out of the ordinary.
 
#16
Aidil said:
No complaint or whatsoever on the subject of using purpleheart for the fretless side fingerboard on this one (the fretted side is jatoba):

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I have one of those in Dragoneye Burst!

+1 to coating the purpleheart. I forgot to mention that the 'board on my bass (further up) is coated with a few layers of tung oil. Purpleheart will, IIRC, be rather porous so any oil coating you do, beware that the wood will absorb it. Cyano is a good way to go but it's messy, has to be scraped then radius-sanded before polishing. I'd let a luthier do that.
 
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#18
Supadope said:
I say go for it. A Purple Heart fretboard will be unique and hopefully sturdy enough.

Cheers,
Supa
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It will look great but it won't be unique.

ramp two.JPG


;)

My board is covered with epoxy though. I couldn't tell you how the purpleheart holds up although, in my research, it seemed to be a suitable although odd choice. As @mikewalker mentioned, the purple will brown without protection.
 
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