rolled fingerboard edges

[JSPguitars]

I tried to do some searching without any results....
What exactly does 'hand-rolled fingerboard edges' consist of? I know Fender offers this option on a lot of their guitars. How do they do it, exactly?
What does the term imply?

 

[wilser]

I don't know how "they" do it. But the way I do it is when chamfering the fret edges I rock the file sideways while running it back and forth until it lightly rounds off the fingerboard edge.

 

[klocwerk]

I "hand-rolled" the edges of my mim-jazz fretless with a soft sanding block.
Worked like a charm.

 

[Drake Kennedy]

I would think a radiused bit would do the trick.

 

[Musiclogic]

Rolled fingerboard edges are just compressed edges of the fingerboard. They use either a glass rod, steel rod, or some other hard round material. They work up and down the edges to compress the grain, and then sand to a finishable radii. It is a simple process that makes the edge of the fretboard more comfortable, and mor stable against chipping. This is how it was described to me by another luthier.

 

[Inthegroove75]

I’m in the process of rolling my Jazz bass edges. Using the small fret file to create the radius and finishing with 600 to 1000 wet and dry. Looks like a custom shop finish. I know because I have been there....

 

[lowplaces]

 

[Bruce Johnson]

Check out this thread:

Perfectly Rounded Fret ends

We talk about methods of easily rounding off the fret ends. Starting in post #12, I introduce my method of using Combi-Flap wheels to do this. At the same time, this method also rolls off and smooths the edges of the fingerboard between the frets.

 

[Jisch]

Check out this thread:

Perfectly Rounded Fret ends

We talk about methods of easily rounding off the fret ends. Starting in post #12, I introduce my method of using Combi-Flap wheels to do this. At the same time, this method also rolls off and smooths the edges of the fingerboard between the frets.

I've been using this method and it works great.

 

[Gilmourisgod]

It’s funny how “hand rolled edges” is always described in corporate literature as some kind of premium treatment you should be paying a lot more for. 2 minutes with the shaft of a screwdriver and some sandpaper, I don’t get the hype.

 

[micguy]

It’s funny how “hand rolled edges” is always described in corporate literature as some kind of premium treatment you should be paying a lot more for. 2 minutes with the shaft of a screwdriver and some sandpaper, I don’t get the hype.

If we put you in the chair of the Marketing guy at Fender trying to come up with reasons for people to buy a Custom Shop instrument, my bet is you'd eventually end up doing precisely that.

 

[Gilmourisgod]

I’d make a lousy marketer,
Me:
“But Ted, this all the purest form of bullsh*t!”

Ted: “Your fired!”

 

[Rôckhewer]

using Combi-Flap wheels

I ordered one of these... following that thread.
And tried it.... (without much practice) on an important board...in process.
I consider myself fairly proficient in abilitiy to "control" most abrasive shaping processes.
Like.... I am a, "rotary tool guy"....
(die grinder/dremel /angle grinder).... BUT...
...I didn't find the combi-flap, immediately or intuitively effective. (At least not to my expectation of fit & finish.
( ok... it scared the crap out of me)
Not because it doesn't work.
It almost works too well.
Like a lot of things... it takes practice. It's a process very dependent on proper feed rate & pressure consistency, which is only developed from muscle memory.
Guys like Bruce make stuff like this look easy.

Just saying... best to practice this method on a fb you don't care much about.... before... well, you know.

 

[honza992]

Gilmour with this method can you get the 'roll' all the way to the edge of the fret, or is it more of a 'scalloped' look?

 

[FunkHead]

MIM Fender Road Worn Necks have this treatment. They really feel great to play.
The trick is removing just a tiny bit of fret edge with a file first. Then any way you want to "round" the edge of the fingerboard will work.

 

[Gilmourisgod]

I tried doing that on my Ric clone build, but it’s a bound fingerboard, you can only “roll” it so far before the fret ends get weird. A minor sacrifice for bound bling, I guess.

 

[Beej]

I ordered one of these... following that thread.
And tried it.... (without much practice) on an important board...in process.
I consider myself fairly proficient in abilitiy to "control" most abrasive shaping processes.
Like.... I am a, "rotary tool guy"....
(die grinder/dremel /angle grinder).... BUT...
...I didn't find the combi-flap, immediately or intuitively effective. (At least not to my expectation of fit & finish.
( ok... it scared the crap out of me)
Not because it doesn't work.
It almost works too well.
Like a lot of things... it takes practice. It's a process very dependent on proper feed rate & pressure consistency, which is only developed from muscle memory.
Guys like Bruce make stuff like this look easy.

Just saying... best to practice this method on a fb you don't care much about.... before... well, you know.

Funny, I also went down this road after reading the endorsements. But, I was worried I'd eff it up, so I rigged up a long maple board and mounted the neck next to it so that I could lay the body of the drill on it as I moved down the neck with the flap wheel. The idea was to be able to control the amount of pressure applied on the edge so it would not run away on me. This actually worked too well and it seemed like it was hardly doing anything with multiple passes, so I ended up removing the guide board and just freehanding it, with better success! I totally agree about trying it out on a tester first...