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Rolled fretboard edge
- Thread starter ics1974
- Start date
They're the most comfortable 5'ers I've ever played. I have 3 and they're each ergonomic works of art, Elvis's toilet notwithstanding.
The Rolled FB edge was one of those things I didn't know I needed in my life until I noticed it. And now, it's a must. I build my basses with a nice roll to the edge, but I also will do every purchased bass with it as well now. I have a Squier CV P bass that needs it done and I'll be getting to that soon.
What blew my mind though was spotting it on older instruments that were "cheap" at the time, but had a feature that it took many fancier companies, many years to also do. And it's not rocket surgery to do it! So that's what made me start appreciating conscientious design features over name tags as the years went by.
What blew my mind though was spotting it on older instruments that were "cheap" at the time, but had a feature that it took many fancier companies, many years to also do. And it's not rocket surgery to do it! So that's what made me start appreciating conscientious design features over name tags as the years went by.
Got 7 basses, all with Squier CV and Modern Player necks made in Grand Reward China, they all have rolled fingerboard edges (and incredible frets planimetry). Once you taste that, you can't like other necks. Most importantly the awful necks that Mexican Fenders have. Squier had rolled fingerboard edges since 2008 and when Fender announced their Ultra series they told people they have rolled fingerboard edges like it was something new. LOL
I don't find myself rubbing the bottom edge of the fretboard much, and I can't really imagine a scenario when I come in contact with the top edge.
It's great to see all the DIY edge rollers, myself included. There's lots of ways to skin the cat, and one thing is crystal clear...you don't need to overpay some jumped up guitar "tech" or "luthier" for such an easy mod that makes such a big difference to any guitar. I think I'll try the flapper disk method next time.
Rock on, DIY-ers!
Rock on, DIY-ers!
I agree. Now that I have done it myself, I wouldn't dream of paying someone else to do it for me. It's not hard at all. You just need to be careful.It's great to see all the DIY edge rollers, myself included. There's lots of ways to skin the cat, and one thing is crystal clear...you don't need to overpay some jumped up guitar "tech" or "luthier" for such an easy mod that makes such a big difference to any guitar. I think I'll try the flapper disk method next time.
Rock on, DIY-ers!
I generally use a brass guitar slide to roll edges, by pressing in the edges between frets. No sanding required
I've rolled edges with a razorblade in the past. It is very easy to roll the edges quickly like that, but I found it difficult to get it uniform and a bit finicky.
I tried rolling with a screwdriver...that works VERY fast, but again I couldn't get it uniform. In areas where the fretboard wood had darker harder lines, it wouldn't roll/compress the same as areas just adjacent.
I've found the most consistent way with the best uniform results for me has been good old fashioned sandpaper. A lot lot lot lot lot more work, but it turns out consistently smooth.
I tried rolling with a screwdriver...that works VERY fast, but again I couldn't get it uniform. In areas where the fretboard wood had darker harder lines, it wouldn't roll/compress the same as areas just adjacent.
I've found the most consistent way with the best uniform results for me has been good old fashioned sandpaper. A lot lot lot lot lot more work, but it turns out consistently smooth.
Probably breaking all sorts of cardinal rules, and I fully understand if people clutch pearls, but I have a MiM Fender Stratocaster with the pao ferro board. It was a little too angled at the edges, so I knocked it down with the rounded shaft of a large screwdriver. Kind of pressure/burnishing action. Not too much pressure, and slowly-slowly-catchee-monkey, but it got the job done nicely. A played-in feel.
Don't worry, people have been doing that little trick for decades.
I mentioned it once and got flambeau'd by some pearl clutchers. lol
All of my electrics and most of my basses have rolled edges. The difference in feel, as you have eluded, is extraordinary. There are several ways to roll fingerboard edges. Sanding/filing is one method. But another is the "crush" method. I've used that several method several times. I never sanded or filed rosewood fingerboards and rolling over the edges with a heavy, round metal tool did all that was needed to round the edges. Maple FB's are trickier in both methods because of the finish. If you sand or file a maple board you will certainly have to refinish it. Crushing spares the refinishing, but you have to be super careful not to crack the existing finish.
I now have two Fender basses, on MIM, one USA and a Squier VM70's jazz. The MIM is from 2010 and the Squier is from 2011. The one thing about the 2010 MIM is that the edges were nice and rounds (as were the Squier's). Back in 2017 when I was looking again at basses (and I think Fender was in the Pau Ferro mode) what really disturbed me about them was the really sharp fingerboard edges. I could tell that the quality overall was inferior to what I had- even compared to my old Squier! I'm not sure what Fender has done with the current "Player Series" basses. But considering they are now $1000+ (with tax) one would expect better overall finishing (and electronics).
It's a little hard to see as it's visually subtle, but the image below shows the rolled edge of my '96 MIM Tele cThe "crush" method was used on this. I also round the fret ends with, believe it or not, a Revlon diamond fingernail file. Each fret is rounded individually. While it may not look super-smooth in the photo, I no longer feel the fret ends at all.
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I found what I believe is the item referenced by Bruce Johnson previously
I think you're right. Here's the Amazon wheel he posted a link to previously...not a "combi" wheel at all. Looks like he either confused links, or Amazon switched something along the way.
https://www.amazon.com/3M-Scotch-Br...TF8&qid=1519460573&sr=1-3&keywords=flap+wheel
As an Amazon Associate, TalkBass may receive commissions from qualifying purchases made via links on this site.
Yes, that's exactly what I'm using. I use these Combi-Flap wheels for different jobs around my shop, but I keep several just for rounding off fret ends and fingerboards. They last a surprisingly long time. I've got a few that are close to 20 years old, and they still cut.
