Nitro fretless fingerboard

[ped]

Lol there is a "Poundshop" over here but I wouldn't buy anything from there except wooden BBQ skewers
However you can still get what Matt recommends over here too;

Amazon.co.uk : starbond glue

Gluboost | Tonetech Luthier Supplies

tonetechluthiersupplies.co.uk

Amazon.co.uk : totalboat epoxy resin

WEST SYSTEM

wessexresins.co.uk

This looks like interesting stuff. Any experience?

Gluboost Lac R' Shot Flash Coat UltraThin | Tonetech Luthier Supplies

Gluboost Lac R' Shot Flash Coat Ultrathin Clear Gloss Lac R’ Shot! – UltraThin Lacquer Flash Coat is developed especially for guys who are serious about Wood. Now quick and easy professional repairs of gloss finishes after repair work is attainable + complete ultra-thin gun like finishes are...

tonetechluthiersupplies.co.uk

 

[Gilmourisgod]

You don't really "need" a finish over a fretless ebony or rosewood fingerboard. With rounds, you'll eventually get some string wear marks, more or less depending on your technique. The Diamondkote polyester on my fretless looks nearly pristine after 30 years of rounds, but it has a very crisp "glassy" tone to it, I wouldn't call it "warm". If you are looking for more of an upright tone, you could just leave it unfinished. It will be years before you'd have to re-sand the board to level it.

 

[Dirk Diggler]

How about this?
indoor-outdoor helmsman spar urethane

Any product designed for boat hulls is a good choice.

I will warn you that it takes a good while to build up coats, like at least 5 minimum.
And of course dry time takes a while as well. Overnight will work, so at least a week or so, just coat daily
and of course scuff up and apply the next day.

 

[TeeSee]

This looks like interesting stuff. Any experience?

Gluboost Lac R' Shot Flash Coat UltraThin | Tonetech Luthier Supplies

Gluboost Lac R' Shot Flash Coat Ultrathin Clear Gloss Lac R’ Shot! – UltraThin Lacquer Flash Coat is developed especially for guys who are serious about Wood. Now quick and easy professional repairs of gloss finishes after repair work is attainable + complete ultra-thin gun like finishes are...

tonetechluthiersupplies.co.uk

No mate though I did use bog standard loctite watered down with a bit of acetone once on an old neck but didn't like the semi-gloss finish. All my fretboards now I use lemon oil which is non permanent and a PIA as you have to keep applying but I'll let you into a little secret that's a bit more permanent;

Polyx-Oil Original – Osmo UK

osmouk.com

It's the dogs knob.
You can get on Amazon for less than £20 for a 125 ml tin and you'll never use all of the tin for a fretboard. Osmo do various finishes like matt, satin and gloss, and various shades but I just use the natural shade in matt but it's up to you. Lightly sand fretboard to about 220 grit (osmo recommend 180 grit but thats for floors etc) apply a very thin smear - I just use a microfibre - and wipe off any excess. Another light sanding once dry and then another application.
Job's a gud 'un.

 

[ped]

Thanks again for the thoughts. True, no coating is strictly necessary but I just like the look of a mirror fretboard (maybe because I once had a Vigier delta metal). Sound wise I'm leaning towards the treble range so glassy suits me, and the bass has a warm characteristic naturally that will compliment the overall sound.

I think our plan as it stands is as follows:

The bass has an ebony fretless neck currently installed, which I'll leave as-is. The original neck will be defretted and have maple inserts, then oiled. If that neck compares favourably with the ebony then I'll make the switch, as I'd prefer to use the origin neck. From there, we'll look into a harder coating if everything checks out up to that point.

 

[ped]

No mate though I did use bog standard loctite watered down with a bit of acetone once on an old neck but didn't like the semi-gloss finish. All my fretboards now I use lemon oil which is non permanent and a PIA as you have to keep applying but I'll let you into a little secret that's a bit more permanent;

Polyx-Oil Original – Osmo UK

osmouk.com

It's the dogs knob.
You can get on Amazon for less than £20 for a 125 ml tin and you'll never use all of the tin for a fretboard. Osmo do various finishes like matt, satin and gloss, and various shades but I just use the natural shade in matt but it's up to you. Lightly sand fretboard to about 220 grit (osmo recommend 180 grit but thats for floors etc) apply a very thin smear - I just use a microfibre - and wipe off any excess. Another light sanding once dry and then another application.
Job's a gud 'un.

Oooh and it's saliva resistant! That looks fab - to be honest I rather like the therapeutic routine of de-stringing a bass and lightly oiling a fretboard (does that sound suggestive?)

Clear glossy might give a hint of the shiny finish I'm after but in an easy to maintain way... I may show this to my luthier and suggest trying it.. thanks! Do you have any pictures of the results you have achieved using this? I presume in terms of sanding, you're using a radiused block?

 

[MonetBass]

I use bore oil (purified mineral oil) on my fretless ebony fingerboard. I've been playing it with roundwounds for two years and yes, there are some minor marks on it but nothing that affects playing. It will likely be decades before I have to worry about sanding it down.

 

[TeeSee]

Oooh and it's saliva resistant! That looks fab - to be honest I rather like the therapeutic routine of de-stringing a bass and lightly oiling a fretboard (does that sound suggestive?)

Clear glossy might give a hint of the shiny finish I'm after but in an easy to maintain way... I may show this to my luthier and suggest trying it.. thanks! Do you have any pictures of the results you have achieved using this? I presume in terms of sanding, you're using a radiused block?

Nope, no radiused block just a gentle finger tip light sanding. You are negligibly removing any material, not even enough to change the shape of your fretboard, all that should already been done by your luthier all you are doing is opening up the pores a little for the oil to penetrate.
Here's some picsof my fretboards that have been PolyX'd.

Bear in mind Ive used matt and it's invisible, but I know the wood is protected for at least a few years.
3rd photo is the satin finish on my floor, it's not a great pic as it's bloody miserable outside today but at least you can get an idea of the 2 different finishes.

Gloss? I've never seen a piece of furniture in that finish so I can't comment on how glossy the finish will be - whether it'll be a full gloss or a crap gloss like the water based gloss finishes that B&Q should be banned from selling under the trades description act
Great thing about Osmo is it can easily be sanded off easily back to bare wood if you want to change.

Have a look at this video which shows you how to apply but ignore the 3m pads cos as I've said a clean microfibre for application and another clean midcrofible just to wipe off any excess. Remember "sparingly" is the keyword here if it pools then it won't cure properly.

 

[Lo-E]

Oooh and it's saliva resistant!

A pretty important consideration for me.

In close to 40 years of playing fretless and many, many different basses in that time, I’ve only had two coated fingerboards and, while I don’t dislike a coated board, I never felt like it was anything special, either.
A vast majority of the fretless boards I’ve played have just gotten lemon oil every year or two. It seems to resist drool as well as anything else!

 

[ped]

Osmo it is - my luthier knows people who have used it with great results. I found some pictures of the clear/gloss version on an acoustic guitar which looks great. Like you said, it's easy to reverse if for some reason it doesn't work - and I think it's a nice middle ground between a light oiling and a full resin finish. Thanks again for the advice/ideas/pictures - I'll update you here as things progress.

 

[TeeSee]

Osmo it is - my luthier knows people who have used it with great results. I found some pictures of the clear/gloss version on an acoustic guitar which looks great. Like you said, it's easy to reverse if for some reason it doesn't work - and I think it's a nice middle ground between a light oiling and a full resin finish. Thanks again for the advice/ideas/pictures - I'll update you here as things progress.

Yeah definitely show us some pics of the finished article. Take care now mate.

 

[ped]

Yeah definitely show us some pics of the finished article. Take care now mate.

Thanks, you too - you've been a great help! Fingers crossed the whole project won't take as long now, so hopefully I'll have something to share soon. Quite tempted to put the remaining stuff on my kitchen table. Anywhere I tend to drool, really.

 

[ped]

Yeah definitely show us some pics of the finished article. Take care now mate.

Here you go mate, it looks and feels great. We’ll see how it holds up. Thanks for the recommendation again.

 

[TeeSee]

Here you go mate, it looks and feels great. We’ll see how it holds up. Thanks for the recommendation again.

View attachment 7338510

TBH that looks mint, never used the gloss Osmo and didn't expect it to come out as good as the other finishes but that,s well nice, plus you know you can drool all over your fretboard with impunity mate!