Glarry Fretless Fingerboard

[Dr. Cheese]

I think this fingerboard is composite, and it is very tough. I have played it regularly since late June and it has virtually no wear.
More expensive companies should check out this formula.

 

[luciens]

my fingerboards on my tony franklins which I know are ebony, are also super duper hard. They feel almost like a hard plastic. In fact, for a while I thought they had a finish on them. But when I was working on the heel of my new one sanding it with a radius beam to smooth out the little hump in it, sure enough it was the normal ebony wood dust....

I think that still looks like ebony to me. I've seen ebonol boards and those are definitely darker than a regular ebony wood, so I don't think thats ebonol either..

But even so it's a super durable wood. My blue TF is already getting slight marks in it but even once you get the marks they don't go anywhere for years and years...

Of course, I could be wrong - maybe it is ebonol or something?

L

 

[eastcoasteddie]

I think this fingerboard is composite, and it is very tough. I have played it regularly since late June and it has virtually no wear.
More expensive companies should check out this formula.

I don’t know, Doc, the 3rd photo shows what looks like grain between the E and A of the fingerboard...closer to the E
Have you tried running some sandpaper on an inconspicuous spot?

 

[Dr. Cheese]

my fingerboards on my tony franklins which I know are ebony, are also super duper hard. They feel almost like a hard plastic. In fact, for a while I thought they had a finish on them. But when I was working on the heel of my new one sanding it with a radius beam to smooth out the little hump in it, sure enough it was the normal ebony wood dust....

I think that still looks like ebony to me. I've seen ebonol boards and those are definitely darker than a regular ebony wood, so I don't think thats ebonol either..

But even so it's a super durable wood. My blue TF is already getting slight marks in it but even once you get the marks they don't go anywhere for years and years...

Of course, I could be wrong - maybe it is ebonol or something?

L

Mine is not ebonol. I heard it is a composite of sorts, but it really works.

 

[Dr. Cheese]

I don’t know, Doc, the 3rd photo shows what looks like grain between the E and A of the fingerboard...closer to the E
Have you tried running some sandpaper on an inconspicuous spot?

I can’t feel it at all so I am not worried.

 

[luciens]

Mine is not ebonol. I heard it is a composite of sorts, but it really works.

Interesting... maybe it is a form of ebonol? I played the $200 Fender VM jazz bass once years ago with the ebonol board and I thought it sounded fantastic. Lots of sustain and mwah for days kind of like my tony franklin...
That's probably why your bass sounds so good too...

L

 

[eastcoasteddie]

I can’t feel it at all so I am not worried.

Not that I meant to cause worry, just that the one section looks like wood grain. But if it’s definitely composite, then nevermind...I am usually wrong, you know...

 

[Dr. Cheese]

Interesting... maybe it is a form of ebonol? I played the $200 Fender VM jazz bass once years ago with the ebonol board and I thought it sounded fantastic. Lots of sustain and mwah for days kind of like my tony franklin...
That's probably why your bass sounds so good too...

L

The ebonol I have played felt sort of plastic like. The fingerboard on my Glarry definitely feels like wood to me.

 

[Dr. Cheese]

Not that I meant to cause worry, just that the one section looks like wood grain. But if it’s definitely composite, then nevermind...I am usually wrong, you know...

I heard it was composite, but I do not know for sure.

 

[C Stone]

It's strange indeed, when I pulled frets out of a glarry it left tiny jags? from the fret bumps or tang anchors as you would expect but it was as if it was pulpified! So my guess is your right most likely the fretboard is a resin wood pulp concoction.

 

[Dr. Cheese]

It's strange indeed, when I pulled frets out of a glarry it left tiny jags? from the fret bumps or tang anchors as you would expect but it was as if it was pulpified! So my guess is your right most likely the fretboard is a resin wood pulp concoction.

At $99, don’t try defretting it, just buy one fretless already.

 

[Dr. Cheese]

I should note that I am still using the stock round wound strings.

 

[C Stone]

At $99, don’t try defretting it, just buy one fretless already.

Haha I bought 2 at $56 and immediatly pulled the frets from the one that had more sustain. The fretless they offer now wasn't available. It was simple though, a little water, razor blade and soldering iron for heat which in hindsight I dont think I needed (i don't think the frets were even glued) finished out nicely though.

 

[Fender_Bender]

I have heard that it’s some sort of composite like “Richlite” or Garolite. It would almost be beyond belief to have a real tropical wood at that price. I have an “epicurean” brand cutting board made from one of these composites I got at a thrift store. They’re normally rather expensive. I use mine for cutting up meat, especially chicken, as I don’t want that goop sinking into my maple boards. Pretty hard on the knife edges so I use a lesser knife on it.

 

[micguy]

My fretless has a composite fingerboard - ebonol, which is pretty tough stuff. It's a Mighty Mite neck. About 7 or 8 years in (I don't remember exactly when I bought it) It doesn't have any wear, but.....recently I levelled it. it wasn't all that ...flat to begin with, and I was waiting for it to wear a bit before levelling it - two birds with one stone. Eventually, I realized it wasn't going to wear, and I wanted to get it flatter, so recently, I hauled out the tools, and now it's levelled.

Plays like a dream. Tough as nails. OK, it cost more than a Glarry for just the neck, but not that much more. Ebonol is great stuff - when it's flat.

 

[C Stone]

I should note that I am still using the stock round wound strings.

Yea right about it being tough stuff this is several months of playing with steel strings.

The string marks are on the poly coat the board is solid (whatever it is) and yep I slap it good n hard too...

 

[Fender_Bender]

Now that I think about it it might be an engineered bamboo product similar to that of bamboo flooring. I don’t know how they do it but bamboo obviously does not have 4” wide, 1/2” thick flat walls. They can darken it somehow by carburization etc. Very hard stuff.

 

[scuzzy]

I built a kit guitar for a guy that had a Synthetic rosewood type fretboard. It to was some sort of colored composite. Looks very similar to yours. It felt fine to me. Time will tell.

The bass in my avatar has an eden neck that has something meant to be like ebony. It seems very durable and feels great as well. Cool things are being done in the renewable wood world.

 

[Dr. Cheese]

Now that I think about it it might be an engineered bamboo product similar to that of bamboo flooring. I don’t know how they do it but bamboo obviously does not have 4” wide, 1/2” thick flat walls. They can darken it somehow by carburization etc. Very hard stuff.

Hey, I am all for strong and cheap materials.

 

[C Stone]

Now that I think about it it might be an engineered bamboo product similar to that of bamboo flooring. I don’t know how they do it but bamboo obviously does not have 4” wide, 1/2” thick flat walls. They can darken it somehow by carburization etc. Very hard stuff.

Thinknyour right, if you look close at the neck pic in my earlier post it looks like super thin pieces "sandwiched" together and dyed.