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So I was looking at my PB4 fretboard today (birdseye maple) and it looks like on some of the upper frets, there is a line or ridge in front of the fret extending along the entire length. I don't know if it's glue or if something happened with the finish if the neck shrunk (which I think it did because the fret ends are slightly rough).
I emailed Mike to ask about it. It doesn't really bother me but if it's something that shouldn't have happened either within the first year or at all, I'd like to know. Has anyone else experienced this?
I emailed Mike to ask about it. It doesn't really bother me but if it's something that shouldn't have happened either within the first year or at all, I'd like to know. Has anyone else experienced this?
My maple board was made in March and they are sticking out a tad....not quite enough to do anything about it yet.....my 2 rosewoods one was made in 2012 and one last august both are smooth as glass still.
I heard back from Paul, Mike's general manager. He wanted me to take a picture so he can see what's happening, but he said it sounds like it shrank a bit, so I'm going to send it out to get fixed. He said Mike will either fix it on the bench if he can or the neck will get resprayed. I'm a little bummed that I have to have this done already considering the bass is brand new and I've only had it a few weeks, but I know Mike will make it right. If it was just the fret ends I'd let it go or have it fixed locally, but since it's the fretboard finish, I can't let it go. Perhaps if it happened a while down the road, but not when it was like this upon my receipt of it. I'm hoping too if I get charged for it, it's not too much though I assume aside from shipping it would be covered since it is new.
Here's a picture I took and you can kind of see what's going on. There's a definite line before most of the frets, and at the angle it looks like a hump or ridge.
Here's a picture I took and you can kind of see what's going on. There's a definite line before most of the frets, and at the angle it looks like a hump or ridge.
That's what I was thinking as well. Is that something that can just happen over time, especially if the neck shrinks? I'd be really surprised if it slipped past Mike.
it's not something i would worry about. i was at Mike's shop the other day and he let me hang around and watch him build a couple basses. one of them was an MV5 with a maple/maple neck. the frets are glued in place and the neck is then sprayed after the frets are installed. i watched Mike take an exacto knife to carefull cut along the base of the fret to remove the finish from them. i have seen those lines on all the maple boarded Lulls i've seen.
Well it's odd that they're not like that on every fret and the line isn't up against the fret, so it looks like glue has possibly oozed out.
Out of all my basses, the one with a maple fingerboard has had the most fret sprout issues. Maybe maple is more prone to shrinkage over time than the other common fingerboard woods?
Yeah that's been my experience and oddly enough now that's all I own after avoiding them for years. I just really enjoy the tone and the feel. Plus having a guy nearby who can easily and cheaply take care of fret sprout makes it more bearable. But like I said, the issue is whatever is going on on the fretboard. That I'd like to get fixed by Mike if it's worth it. I imagine it has something to do with shrinkage.
Just checked my M4V with the maple fret board and I don't see anything similar to the photo. I also have not noticed any fret sprout having had the bass about a year now.
Well I'll see what Paul says. I just want it taken care of cheaply and hassle free considering how expensive it was.
It's a little bit of a bummer since it seems like literally every bass I get has something wrong with it. Even if I think it's ok when I get it, something crops up. Granted this is a minor thing all things considered. It sounds great, plays great..
I've always been curious and this is not necessarily a Lull-specific question but does a P-bass with a traditional width neck sound the same as one with a more narrow (J-bass) neck? I'm thinking more along the lines of 4-strings here. I noticed that rocket music has a beautiful 4-string P bass with a jazz-style neck and was wondering... Something that has always turned me off of P-basses was the width of the neck.
Maybe on some level there is a minute difference but I doubt you'd be able to tell, all else being equal.
Checked my M4V ash/maple and it has glue as well. Its very consistent and barely noticeable. Seen on every fret on both sides, Mike does beautiful fretwork through, doesn't he?
Forgot to mention that the frets are completely flat against the edge of the fretboard. Certainly no shrinkage that I can appreciate. No sharp edges.
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Yes he does do beautiful fret work. I just noticed that on mine I'm already getting some black marks on the frets and on the fret tangs themselves, which is odd.
