Wood hardener....

[oldprussians]

has anybody used wood hardener used on window frames with wood rot? they say it makes it hard as rock.

Surely a small coat on a Rosewood Fingerboard, won't make it too brittle, and will work wonders so that one can use roundwounds...?

 

[Larry Davis]

Do not ever use rotten rosewood for a finger board...ever..

 

[oldprussians]

Serious answers...please.......

 

[mikeyswood]

If you are not using rotten wood why would you add a hardener? Some people us an epoxy finish for fretless and such but most of us choose proper wood for the application.

 

[air_leech]

have you tried Viagra?


sorry, it was just too hard (no pun intended) to resist.

 

[oldprussians]

If I thought crushing Viagra into a paste and rubbing it onto finger Board would help, I would!

 

[scojack]

Never seen the need for epoxy finishing a FB myself. I have played a fretless with roundwounds on for over 20 years now and never had a problem.. albeit its an ebony FB.

 

[Malinoski]

Never seen the need for epoxy finishing a FB myself. I have played a fretless with roundwounds on for over 20 years now and never had a problem.. albeit its an ebony FB.

I don't get it either.
I've had and played roundwounds on oiled fretless fingerboards for years with woods from rosewood to walnut and haven't had wear problems.
For hundreds of years violins have been made and played without fingerboard wear problems.
There is a lot of talk and hype about this problem,
but I have never actually seen evidence.

I am willing to be convinced of fretless fingerboard wear issues;
somebody show me pictures of it.

 

[gbarcus]

I've used with some success thin CA glue. I apply liberal amounts so it has soak time before it hardens...then pass out from the fumes.

 

[air_leech]

For hundreds of years violins have been made and played without fingerboard wear problems.

have you bothered checking the differences between electric bass and violin strings?

I'd say uprights would be a better comparison but I don't know whether they suffer fingerboard wear or not.

 

[Gearhead43]

have you bothered checking the differences between electric bass and violin strings?

I'd say uprights would be a better comparison but I don't know whether they suffer fingerboard wear or not.

Yes, they do wear, as a matter of fact, and that is with 98% of double bass strings being flatwound. It can take many years depending on the fingerboard material used, with ebony of course being the most wear resistant.

 

[Musiclogic]

FB wear is quite common even with ebony. To hear people say they don't believe it happens, tells me a lot about their experience beyond their small little world.

Old proverb states that; "A fools arrogance is usually based in an ignorance to the greater world beyond his own".

 

[Malinoski]

FB wear is quite common even with ebony. To hear people say they don't believe it happens, tells me a lot about their experience beyond their small little world.

Old proverb states that; "A fools arrogance is usually based in an ignorance to the greater world beyond his own".

Kind of harsh don't you think?
I seem to have touched a nerve.

Lets see some pictures...
please, anybody.

 

[Skelf]

Have to agree with Musiclogic about finger board wear it does happen especially with roundwounds but even with flats. I have had an ebony finger board on my own bass re-levelled because of board wear.

 

[tjclem]

"For hundreds of years violins have been made and played without fingerboard wear problems."

A violin with roundwounds now that would rock!

 

[mikeyswood]

An electric bass with gut. Now that would not rock.

 

[Malinoski]

A violin with roundwounds now that would rock!

Yep, I'm an idiot,
arrogant, ignorant, lets throw in naive for good measure.

I have a couple of fretless electrics,
one I made in 1991 and it has a lot of use- with roundwounds- not much fingerboard wear.

I have a bass violin- with steel strings- had it since 1980- not much fingerboard wear.

Had a 1974 p (can't even print the word) bass fretless that I played the crap out of all through the 80's in my wild youth,
with roundwounds.
Sold for a profit, no major issues, no work done.

I agree, fretless finger boards will show signs of friction from strings.
They show scratches and grooves.
It takes a long time... a long time before there is a wear issue.

How does an epoxy surface not show the same wear issues?


Still no pictures.

 

[tjclem]

To get this thread back on a more mellow track............

I would think epoxy would wear as fast as ebony or possibly faster. I haven't kept any of the basses I have epoxy coated so I honestly don't know. I have noticed a slightly different tone between epoxy coated and natural wood fretless boards and I believe that is the main reason it is done.

 

[oldprussians]

In relation to FingerBoard Wear, I would use HalfRounds/Pressure wound on Fretless electric, obviously on a Double Bass they are flat wound, and on a acoustic bass fretless with a rosewood fingerboard I will be using Thomastik Akousticore. Although Phosphor Bronze round wound, they have Nylon core that will provide less pressure on the fingerboard due to the fact that less pressure is exerted by me to mesh the stings!

I will never the less still look at hardening the fingerboard for extra cover just in case!

 

[Monkey]

In the early '90s, I had a fretless Carvin with an ebony fingerboard. I was playing over 150 gigs a year (reggae, rock, a bit of slap), and I wore an obvious groove under the G string that would cause the notes to dink out above the 12th fret. I was using Roto Swingbass at the time.

I've been using flats for many years now, and I haven't had any problem with fingerboard wear on ebony, rosewood, or finished maple. I don't play as many gigs, though, and almost never slap.