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Glossy Maple Fretboard on Geddy Lee Fender

R

Rwelch76

Guest
Apr 6, 2011
6
0
#1
Greetings and salutations:

- In the market for a decent bass.
- Played a Geddy Lee Fender Jazz and really liked it.
- Noticed that the maple fretboard was very glossy vs most of the other basses at GC, including the MIA Fenders.
- I really liked the feel of this glossy fretboard vs the natural (satin?) finish on the others.

Questions:
1. What makes this fretboard glossy and is this some kind of upgrade?
2. Any other Fender/Squier basses that have this type of fretboard? None of the specs specify.
3. I have $300 in Amazon gift cards. I'm debating about buying a Squier, one of those SX basses or putting the $300 towards the Geddy Lee. Thoughts?

Appreciate your opinions!

Rob
 
#2
The Geddy has a gloss board because that's the way Fender did Jazz basses in the '70s, & Geddy's bass is from that era.
Depending on what you believe, Fender & many other companies went to a satin finish in response to customer preferences - that, or maybe it's because satin finishes just happen to be less expensive to produce.
If you like the Geddy Lee, save up & get one - it's a better made bass than the Squire, & you will be getting what you really want.
 
#3
The only Squier with a glossy maple board is the CV 50's Precision. Any maple-fretboard bass with a glossy finish on the neck will have a glossy board, because maple has to be finished to stand up to the wear of fingers on the playing surface.
 
#4
Thanks for the insight and advice! That gloss board just feels no nice - I'm afraid it's a must-have feature. Too bad most fretboards are not finished this way. I am salivating over the Geddy in sunburst.

Probably going to pull the trigger soon, although the Squier CV 50's ain't too shabby. Torturous.

Many thanks!
 
#12
fretlessguy said:
Maple fretboards have to have a gloss finish. Maple is a soft wood that requires the finish to resist fretboard wear.
Click to expand...

It doesn't have to be glossy. As long as there is some clearcoat, it doesn't matter if it's glossy or satin. It's more about keeping the light colored wood from staining (from finger oils and crud) than it is about protecting the wood from damage. Rosewood doesn't need a clearcoat as much because any staining is not as noticeable on the dark wood
BTW, my '08 MIA JAzz bass has a glossy maple fretboard and headstock front, with a satin finish on the back of the neck.
 
#13
fretlessguy said:
Maple fretboards have to have a gloss finish. Maple is a soft wood that requires the finish to resist fretboard wear.
Click to expand...

They don't have to be glossy. AFAIK, all of Fender's basses that have satin finishes on the neckbacks also have satin finishes on the fretboards, if they are made of Maple.

Polyurethane or Nitrocellulose finishes do very little to protect against stringwear. The reason for the finish is that Maple will warp and get very dirty without a finish.
 
#15
line6man said:
They don't have to be glossy. AFAIK, all of Fender's basses that have satin finishes on the neckbacks also have satin finishes on the fretboards, if they are made of Maple.

Polyurethane or Nitrocellulose finishes do very little to protect against stringwear. The reason for the finish is that Maple will warp and get very dirty without a finish.
Click to expand...

Nitro will do very little to protect against both wear and warping as you can take it off with your figernail. Poly, on the other hand, is pretty tough.
 
#16
Rwelch76 said:
Thanks for the insight and advice! That gloss board just feels no nice - I'm afraid it's a must-have feature. Too bad most fretboards are not finished this way. I am salivating over the Geddy in sunburst.

Probably going to pull the trigger soon, although the Squier CV 50's ain't too shabby. Torturous.

Many thanks!
Click to expand...

The Geddy is an amazing bass. Best neck I've ever seen, and I love its tone. It is "Closer to the heart" :)
There are also basses with rosewood FB that have gloss finish, some Rick 4003 or 4001 in mind.

As said, the Geddy is a MIJ bass, very well made. A tad heavy, but most jazz basses are so.

If you like maple fret boards, you can also look on the VM jazz or the new CV p bass. Just ask C.Linton, he knows Squiers very well :)
 

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