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Silly fretboard question - Why arent they painted?

#46
lz4005 said:
When you clear a maple board you shoot it after the frets are in. Then you scrape/buff the clear off the frets.

With paint, from what I've read, you have to do the paint before you put in the frets. Then frets, then clear. That makes it a lot more difficult to get a clean finish. Also makes a refret more difficult.

I don't know what Dean is doing to be able to make those neon Zones so cheap. I really want a green one just so I can be as obnoxious as possible.
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I bought a pink Zone for $100 used. It was in near-mint condition. I too would like to know how Dean manages to sell them for so cheap because it's quite playable and sounds good. Best part is that it's completely obnoxious, though my band mates have come to expect that sort of thing for me. One of my favorite basses is a Cheeto orange Ibanez EDA905. A matching orange fingerboard would be fantastic!
 
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#48
This is Krylon on the fretboard, straight out of a rattlecan. It wears quite well IF it's allowed to dry rock-hard before playing on it. The flat paint is softer than the gloss, and wears with a cool brown undertone as time goes on. I've got a bass from around 2000 or 2001 that has hundreds of hours on the Krylon fretboard and it's held up remarkably well, but the pics aren't on this memory card as I sit here at work. But long story short, d.i.y. painted fretboards work just fine with prep, primer, and spraypaint.... even with big ol' honkin stainless .125s tuned to B with lots of bends thrown in frequently while playing.
IMG_1960.JPG
 
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#50
Josh Thatguy said:
This is Krylon on the fretboard, straight out of a rattlecan. It wears quite well IF it's allowed to dry rock-hard before playing on it. The flat paint is softer than the gloss, and wears with a cool brown undertone as time goes on. I've got a bass from around 2000 or 2001 that has hundreds of hours on the Krylon fretboard and it's held up remarkably well, but the pics aren't on this memory card as I sit here at work. But long story short, d.i.y. painted fretboards work just fine with prep, primer, and spraypaint.... even with big ol' honkin stainless .125s tuned to B with lots of bends thrown in frequently while playing.
View attachment 537629
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The image isn't showing up on this crappy iPad, but did you apply a finish over the paint on the fretboard

Also, when you painted it, did you just tape it, or did you remove the frets or anything? If the former and you got paint on the frets, how did you get it off?
 
#51
Sprayed a vintage amber color on a P bass neck twenty years ago and it still looks okay. No chipping or other issues. Made a fretless maple neck for my nephew with his name painted in black lettering. The paint was a little thick, so it took quite a few clear coats to level the board. He doesn't play much, so I think he wanted it more for a decoration than an instrument.
 
#55
jamro217 said:
Sprayed a vintage amber color on a P bass neck twenty years ago and it still looks okay. No chipping or other issues. Made a fretless maple neck for my nephew with his name painted in black lettering. The paint was a little thick, so it took quite a few clear coats to level the board. He doesn't play much, so I think he wanted it more for a decoration than an instrument.
Click to expand...

Just a few questions if don't mind? Did you apply a finish over the paint on the fretboard?

Also, when you painted it, did you just tape it, or did you remove the frets or anything? If the former and you got paint on the frets, how did you get it off?

Thanks in advance
 
#57
IMG_1960.JPG
Matthew_84 said:
The image isn't showing up on this crappy iPad, but did you apply a finish over the paint on the fretboard

Also, when you painted it, did you just tape it, or did you remove the frets or anything? If the former and you got paint on the frets, how did you get it off?
Click to expand...

I can't take all the credit for the technique, as I learned from a friend's trial-and-error on the basses he painted along the way (Alembic, Zon, Gibson TBird, Esh, et al), with each one painted better than the ones before. Here's the final technique in a nutshell, slightly tedious but effective.
Paint thinner and a degreaser handrubbed fret by fret on the factory fretboard finish. Automotive vinyl pinstriping material thin enough to cover/mask the fret wire but thick enough to "fold over" the wire to cover it as much as possible without covering the wood on the frets. Krylon primer. Alternately masking the frets for the black, or green AFTER the primer has dried for days so the masking tape doesn't lift it up when you remove it off the uncolored frets. Then, a couple (or several) coats of whatever colors you want to use, and patience for days or weeks letting it harden 100% as it dries. After it's dry, use a razorblade or Xacto knife to detail any fretwire that might have gotten paint. Lastly, a set of crappy used strings for the first few weeks of playing as the micro-top layer of paint might come off and gunk them a bit, don't put a $40 set on the first time after the paint is done.

Here's an obnoxiously huge photo for your "crappy ipad." Apologies to everyone else for the size of this thing. (I find myself telling that to women, haha)
 
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#58
Josh Thatguy said:
I can't take all the credit for the technique, as I learned from a friend's trial-and-error on the basses he painted along the way (Alembic, Zon, Gibson TBird, Esh, et al), with each one paimted better than the ones before. Here's the final technique in a nutshell, slightly tedious but effective.
Paint thinner and a degreaser handrubbed fret by fret on the factory fretboard finish. Automotive vinyl pinstriping material thin enough to cover/mask the fret wire but thick enough to "fold over" the wire to cover it as much as possible without covering the wood on the frets. Krylon primer. Alternately masking the frets for the black, or green AFTER the primer has dried for days so the masking tape doesn't lift it up when you remove it off the uncolored frets. Then, a couple (or several) coats of whatever colors you want to use, and patience for days or weeks letting it harden 100% as it dries. After it's dry, use a razorblade or Xacto knife to detail any fretwire that might have gotten paint. Lastly, a set of crappy used strings for the first few weeks of playing as the micro-top layer of paint might come off and gunk them a bit, don't put a $40 set on the first time after the paint is done.
Click to expand...

That's absolutely brilliant! Thank you very much for the detailed response.
 

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