Rolled edges

[KohanMike]

I have a couple of basses with binding on both sides of the fretboard and they never got fret sprout, but a number have. When I take in one of those to Eric's Guitar in Van Nuys, CA for repair or modification, I have him smooth the sprouts. One day I'll stop being lazy and file them myself.

 

[58kites]

After a few years they all get rolled naturally.

Do you think this is true with a maple neck/fretboard with a shiny gloss coat ? Not sure how they would change over time.
I've got a number of 80's Peaveys with glossy all maple necks, their fretboard edges feel soft and right.
Same with all maple gloss coated 80's Guild Pilot and 1990 Yamaha Attitude necks.
I have a 2004 MusicMan USA SUB with a rosewood fretboard that feels a bit edgier, but not by much.
Last fall I got a new all maple Fender Player Series MIM Jazz neck and the edges of the fretboard were much sharper than anything else here,
and more so than any Fender I've ever fondled.
You're saying that that Mexi Fender will feel like the rest in a few years?
I will never know because I sold that bass two months after I finished putting it together.

 

[Gilmourisgod]

You have to play the daylights out of them for years to roll it naturally, rosewood is HARD….or spend 30 minutes with file and some sandpaper. Most of what people pay top dollar for on vintage instruments is simple wear and accumulated grunge, don’t get it personally, but people love a good story.

 

[58kites]

You have to play the daylights out of them for years to roll it naturally, rosewood is HARD….or spend 30 minutes with file and some sandpaper.
Most of what people pay top dollar for on vintage instruments is simple wear and accumulated grunge, don’t get it personally, but people love a good story.

I agree with all of what you said....there is no way my glossy poly coated maple fretboards are getting any fretboard edge wear from flesh barely rubbing on it.
Brazilian Rosewood is twice as hard as Canadian Maple, which is why I always wonder what people are hearing when they talk about how the rosewood is warmer and the maple is "snappy" and less warm....I think they are hearing with their eyes.
As far as expensive vintage basses, I think lots of new aftermarket pickups sound just as great as old Fender pickups that were their inspiration.

 

[marchone]

I think they are hearing with their eyes.

+1

But a look is a look. Style counts.

 

[C Stone]

Rosewood is twice as hard as Canadian Maple, which is why I always wonder what people are hearing when they talk about how the rosewood is warmer and the maple is "snappy" and less warm....I think they are hearing with their eyes.

FWIW all my Maple boards are CLEARLY 'snappier' sounding at least when in 'slap mode'...

Not massively but absolutely without a doubt noticeable.
I also find the resonance is different...

I would also add that in my case my Maple boards are all gloss poly coated.

 

[marchone]

I would imagine the gloss poly coat has more to do with it nothing else.

 

[Iridescentone]

With recent discussions of vintage vs Fender Custom Shop basses I have to wonder how important it is to players to have rolled edges on their fretboard? Flattish poly coated necks often have fret sprout; what's the cure?

Your experience doesn't have to be limited to Fenders.

I vote in favor of rolled edges!

Fret sprout has nothing to do with flat necks, poly coated necks, or Fenders in particular. It's an issue caused by a lack of adequate humidity. The wood shrinks, but the frets don't. Even cheap basses don't leave the factory with fret sprout, so it's not a QC problem like many seem to think when they encounter it. It can happen to expensive basses, too, when kept in a dry environment.

 

[Jim C]

I won't buy another bass without rolled edges

 

[ClassicJazz]

My Sire M5 has them and gotta say that neck is really really comfy to play. So yes, I am a fan of rolled edges!

 

[marchone]

Fret sprout has nothing to do with flat necks, poly coated necks, or Fenders in particular. It's an issue caused by a lack of adequate humidity. The wood shrinks, but the frets don't. Even cheap basses don't leave the factory with fret sprout, so it's not a QC problem like many seem to think when they encounter it. It can happen to expensive basses, too, when kept in a dry environment.

Quoted for truth.

 

[The Bass Clef]

it is a gimmick used to intice buyers into thinking they are getting some added value feature. That’s what a gimmick is. Just like roasted maple. That is what makes it a pointless feature.

And it is a fad. Something people jump all over just like they did with new kids on the block.

It’s hard to be a “fad” when Fender has been rolling their edges since the 1950s (then they stopped in the early 1980s on standard models... then began doing it again a few years later). It became a feature to note simply because it feels different. That’s not a marketing gimmick, it’s just basic spec info about the instrument - no different than stating the nut width or the fingerboard radius.

If rolled edges are pointless to you, cool. But it’s pretentious to assume that applies to everyone else, when there are so many different techniques to playing bass - some which benefit from this, and other techniques that don’t as much... especially considering everyone has different shape and size hands too.

Roasted necks also serve a purpose. The roasting process removes moisture and people started doing it in the first place to make the neck more stable and less likely to need seasonal adjustments. But even if roasting was just for looks only, that still wouldn’t be a gimmick, it’s just an option. Who doesn’t like options for any product?

 

[Stinsok]

Until I owned Sire basses I never knew I needed them.

 

[lokikallas]

Do you think this is true with a maple neck/fretboard with a shiny gloss coat ? Not sure how they would change over time.
I've got a number of 80's Peaveys with glossy all maple necks, their fretboard edges feel soft and right.
Same with all maple gloss coated 80's Guild Pilot and 1990 Yamaha Attitude necks.
I have a 2004 MusicMan USA SUB with a rosewood fretboard that feels a bit edgier, but not by much.
Last fall I got a new all maple Fender Player Series MIM Jazz neck and the edges of the fretboard were much sharper than anything else here,
and more so than any Fender I've ever fondled.
You're saying that that Mexi Fender will feel like the rest in a few years?
I will never know because I sold that bass two months after I finished putting it together.

Yes, even more so if you wear a wedding ring.

 

[lug]

I like rolled edges and I cannot lie
You other brothers can't deny
When a bass comes in with an edge that's smooth
and after touching, all ya wanna do is groove
You get sprung

 

[mouthmw]

I voted no, it doesn't bother me as long as the fret edges aren't sharp.
I don't need them super rolled.
Sire V2 rolled edges were for instance, too rolled for my tastes.
Fender's rolled edges were nice though.
But yeah. Sharp edges - no thanks.

 

[Ricky Rioli]

My modest Yamaha BB doesnt have rolled edges, but does have a pair of neatly done bevels that do most the job of getting the edge out of the way very nicely.

 

[micguy]

My favorite bass neck has rolled edges. My gigging basses do not. So not sure how to vote

I'll suggest that you need to think about why your favorite bass neck doesn't get to go out and play.

 

[Mastermold]

It’s hard to be a “fad” when Fender has been rolling their edges since the 1950s (then they stopped in the early 1980s on standard models... then began doing it again a few years later). It became a feature to note simply because it feels different. That’s not a marketing gimmick, it’s just basic spec info about the instrument - no different than stating the nut width or the fingerboard radius.

If rolled edges are pointless to you, cool. But it’s pretentious to assume that applies to everyone else, when there are so many different techniques to playing bass - some which benefit from this, and other techniques that don’t as much... especially considering everyone has different shape and size hands too.

Roasted necks also serve a purpose. The roasting process removes moisture and people started doing it in the first place to make the neck more stable and less likely to need seasonal adjustments. But even if roasting was just for looks only, that still wouldn’t be a gimmick, it’s just an option. Who doesn’t like options for any product?

Wondering how much this has contributed to Fender’s popularity over the years.

 

[west al]

My 2018 Epi EB-0 has a slight rolled edge. Not rolled as much as the Fender Am. Std.'s did, but some rolled without any sharp edges on the length of the fretboard.