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Maple Fretless Tone ??
- Thread starter Lorenzop
- Start date
I am that guy. Here's the NBD thread.
http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f8/nbd-claro-walnut-fretless-birdseye-board-917774/
And here's the youtube soundclip (headphones please). This is an A/B with A being my fretted (first) then the fretless. The fretless starts at 1:18 if you want to jump ahead.
I love it. With the exception of my Yamaha acoustic-electric guitar, all of my basses and guitars have maple necks. I would love to have a fretless with a maple neck!
Anything coated with epoxy is going to be far more influenced by the effect of the epoxy, than by the type of wood that is underneath it.
MM
Not all maple is created equal. Some is much harder than people think, and with epoxy applied, it's no longer an issue of hardness, but more about resonance. The maple Fender P-Basses from the 70's seem to hold up remarkably well, considering they are in their mid 30's. I think you should go for it....
I doubt that anyone can really answer that question...other than to state that ALL luthiers are not necessarily against using epoxy on a fingerboard - apparently just the ones you know.
Some players - and apparently some builders as well - are very doctrinaire about never using it. They want the natural sonic qualities of the wood to be evident, and using epoxy prevents that. Personally I think it's worthwhile for the additional brightness, sustain, and durability alone. But to each his own.
My advice would be to search until you find someone qualified and willing to do the job for you. Don't try to talk someone into it who doesn't really want to do it. Applying epoxy to a board is a specialized process that not all luthiers know very well - and it has to be done right the first time. You don't want someone who will do only a half-assed job, because a bad job would be very difficult to fix, and virtually impossible to ever reverse.
MM
I doubt that anyone can really answer that question...other than to state that ALL luthiers are not necessarily against using epoxy on a fingerboard - apparently just the ones you know.
I would suspect that a luthier who is "against" epoxy simply doesn't have the equipment and capabilities.
I doubt that anyone can really answer that question...other than to state that ALL luthiers are not necessarily against using epoxy on a fingerboard - apparently just the ones you know.
Some players - and apparently some builders as well - are very doctrinaire about never using it. They want the natural sonic qualities of the wood to be evident, and using epoxy prevents that. Personally I think it's worthwhile for the additional brightness, sustain, and durability alone. But to each his own.
My advice would be to search until you find someone qualified and willing to do the job for you. Don't try to talk someone into it who doesn't really want to do it. Applying epoxy to a board is a specialized process that not all luthiers know very well - and it has to be done right the first time. You don't want someone who will do only a half-assed job, because a bad job would be very difficult to fix, and virtually impossible to ever reverse.
MM
Extending this just a bit, I'll add that it's our ears and what's appropriate in the moment, and what's FUN. My next bass will probably be an unlined fretless with a bare wood board. And I will probably string it with flats. I'm just saying that tone is tone to me - neither good nor bad, merely different. And I like the different qualities of each, for their own merits.
You might want to check in to a cyanoacrylate fingerboard finish. It's extremely hard and really not that hard to do. I followed Dan Erlewine's instructions and did the neck on my old Sigma acoustic bass. It turned out great and has been on for about 8 years, holding up well. Invalid Link Removed
