Frettless w/round wounds ????'s

[00Funk]

...says the guy who sent his fretless in for an epoxy coating

Think of what I could have spent that 475.00 on instead. I could have bought an Ultron.

I was under the impression, Epoxy never mared or scratched. Its all mared up cloudy and scratched up now.

I do kind of like it, but definately prefer diamond wood or ebony

 

[Standalone]

One poster mentioned poor technique eating the fb. My LH technique is not the best-- I tend to fix intonation problems unconsciously with string bends, and you can see the evidence of the rounds in the rosewood, especially low in the B and E.

But whatever. The sound is good and gets me through the gig! I'll sand it if it ever gets truly bad. As of yet, I haven't really heard any odd sounds coming from the bass on certain notes that might be the result of unevenness.

 

[Groovin]

FWIW, I need to have my ebony board sanded. It is neary 7 years old. I can't play a D on the A string in tune. I can actually see a small indent in that area of the fingerboard when looking down the length of the board. I've always used rounds. The sound is worth it asuming I can get away with a reputable guy sanding it down every decade or so.

 

[JimmyM]

Those SX necks are so cheap you can buy 5 or 6 of them and stash them in case yours wears out. It would actually be as cheap or cheaper than getting your FB planed or replaced. On the other hand, the SX necks usually need work when you get them anyway, so maybe it's not such a good idea. Never mind.

 

[rhcp32291]

What would the wear be on a graphite fretless using roundwounds?
Im considering buying a status replacement neck.

 

[JazznFunk]

I think if you're going to go with rounds on a fretless board, nickel rounds of some sort are a good compromise. I've never been a stainless steel player really, and the times that I had SS rounds on a fretless, they did cause noticeable scratching in a short amount of time... nickel rounds didn't/don't. It's common sense though... if SS rounds eat frets faster, they'll eat wood faster for sure. Just my $.02.

 

[spade2you]

What would the wear be on a graphite fretless using roundwounds?
Im considering buying a status replacement neck.

Should be pretty durable.

 

[spade2you]

I think if you're going to go with rounds on a fretless board, nickel rounds of some sort are a good compromise. I've never been a stainless steel player really, and the times that I had SS rounds on a fretless, they did cause noticeable scratching in a short amount of time... nickel rounds didn't/don't. It's common sense though... if SS rounds eat frets faster, they'll eat wood faster for sure. Just my $.02.

I've been using SS strings on my Conklin which has a Dymondwood fingerboard. It appears to be holding up extremely well.

 

[bobyoung53]

I'm switching my sx fretless 5 to roundwounds but I do not know what to do to protect the fretboard from excess wear due to fretting and all of the slapping and poping I do. Anybody got any suggestions for me.

Have a pro put two part epoxy clear varnish or something similar on it otherwise you'll pit it sooner or later, I've seen fretless basses with ruts in them from RW strings that had to be planed and redone. Incidentally flatwounds kill RW's on fretless basses IMHO, more growly, they have more presence where you need it, and they're fuller sounding to boot.

 

[251]

I am using Dean Markley FretMasters. They are burnished over the fretboard to minimize the damage. I also like their gritty growl.

 

[Showdown]

Don't know how the slapping and popping will affect wear, but you'll have to play a *lot* before the wear will become a problem. One thing that I've heard recommended by both Rick Turner and George Furlanetto is a gunstock finish by Birchwood Casey called Truoil. It's a penetrating oil finish that dries hard and will help protect the wood a little. You can rub it on with your fingers or a soft cloth, let it soak in for a while, wipe off the extra and let it sit overnight. The nice thing is you can recoat it easily whenever it needs a touch up. It doesn't change the look or sound of the fingerboard. I've used it to finish bodies for a nice satin oil finish too.

+1

I've used Tru-Oil on three fretless fingerboards (all rosewood) and it works great. I use RW, and don't see much wear on them. It is cheap (less than $5 for a bottle), and it is easy to apply. I've also used it on two bodies, and on the back of several necks. It is hard and withstands the wear of strings on fingerboards, and makes a nice smooth feeling finish on necks and bodies. Good stuff. For bodies and necks I prefer it to tung oil.

 

[JazzV]

How about using Nickel strings instead of steel. Nickel is a little softer than steel and shouldn't be as rough on the fretboard.