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Post by gfxbss on Mar 20, 2007 15:51:00 GMT -5
hey guys, its been forever and a day since ive been on here. ive since picked up another job and havent done much w/ my axes. ive been focusing more on art and screen printing.
at any rate, i took the fretboard off of a silvertone neck for my bass this weekend. i am looking to put a new fretboard on there but i want it to be fretless. i have only seen ebony or rosewood fretless basses. the only problem, i prefer maple or other lighter colored fretboards. i wanted to see if anyone could tell me why this is? does it have to do with the finish that maple fretboard have on it?
Thanks guys.
Tyler
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Post by sumgai on Mar 20, 2007 23:13:02 GMT -5
Tyler,
No known reason for most fretless basses being non-maple.......
Probably due more to cost/perceived value than anything else.
I too prefer maple, and am willing to forego any kind of warranty in favor of not finishing it with anything any harder than lacquer. Poly is much more durable, but it can change up on you in a heart beat - one moment it's slicker than snot, the next moment it's like sandpaper.
Tell us, what method did you use to strip off the old fingerboard?
sumgai
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Post by gfxbss on Mar 21, 2007 5:33:45 GMT -5
i set an iron(set to full steam) on the fretboard. when it ran out of steam, i put a razor blade between the fretboard and the neck. at that point, i took a putty knife that i had sharpened w/ my dremel, and put it between the razor and the fretboard. be as careful as i could not to pry, i would move the iron down for another 5 or so min. then tap the putty knife w/ a hammer lightly so it would separate the neck and the board. the general process can be seen here www.projectguitar.com/tut/removal.htmbtw, i also contacted www.lmi.com about why maple is never seen. they told me that it is because it is not as dense as ebony, bloodwood and rosewood. also, rosewood has an open grain, so the suggested that i go w/ bloodwood or ebony. this lead me to buy a bloodwood fretboard last night. should be here in a few days, along w/ my radius gauge. anyone have any tips on making a radius block? once i get my gauge in, i plan on making myself a set. Thanks, Tyler |
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Post by sumgai on Mar 21, 2007 12:58:22 GMT -5
Tyler, Good to know that that method works!  Since when does a Law Management firm hand out advice on guitar neck woods?  Dense equals better? In what respect? Would anyone dare say that pre-1958 maple-necked Fenders would have sounded "better" if only they'd had rosewood/ebony fingerboards? I think not. ;D Denseness of a wood type has nothing to do with whether or not that wood will work as a fingerboard. It's a given that woods can produce different tonalities, but that's an individual preference, not some kind of law laid down by You-Know-Who. Most musicians go for the tone first, but some place the 'feel' at the top of their priority list. Either way, that individual is "correct" for him/herself, but not necessarily so for anyone else. Me, I prefer the looks of maple (amber tinted), and I happen to think that the neck/fingerboard wood contributes so little to the overall tonality that I feel more than justified in placing appearance at the top of my personal checklist. After all, I can always put on a finish that will give me the feel I might want, so why not have something that's visually appealing? Most fretless basses are sold to, and played by, jazz-style players. How many rockers do you see on stage (or hear on a recording) that use a fretless bass? You can count them on one hand, I'm sure. That's too bad, IMHO, 'cause in the right hands, the fretless can be very expressive in any kind or style of music. The price issue not withstanding (Allegedly, the darker woods require more investment in time and effort to make them into fingerboards. ), it all boils down to appeal. Name your flavor of appeal (tone, appearance, feel, whatever), and aim for what fills the bill for you. HTH sumgai |
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Post by gfxbss on Mar 21, 2007 17:18:08 GMT -5
sorry about that, i meant www.lmii.com/im sure we can find someone out there who would say such an outrageous lie. I went to my local GC yesterday, and i found a Dragonfly 5 string fretless acoustic(what an odd combo). at any rate, i played it and found that the maple was a bit too slick for my liking on a fretless. i overshot my mark many times on slides. unfortunately, what you said is true. but many rockers also do nothing but play root notes and settle for how there bass came stock. i agree, the fretless can bring a whole new level to your playing, when played "right"(who is to say youre playing it right or wrong). maybe ill start a revolution? probably not, but id like to think i will.  |
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Post by sumgai on Mar 21, 2007 19:47:12 GMT -5
One thing's for sure - you won't be the one leading the revolution if'n you don't at least try! I've played fretless off and on over the years, and most of the time, I've enjoyed it. But like anything else, it don't come easy (according to certain musicians who shall remain nameless ). One needs to practice with it for more than a few moments, and to unlearn some old habits while learning new ones. Stick with it, soon enough you'll stop overshooting your slides, and then nothing'll stop you! ;D sumgai |
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Post by gfxbss on Mar 21, 2007 20:59:39 GMT -5
yeah, ive played one from time to time for about the last two years. i had actually already made this bass a fretless by just taking some fret pullers to it. i just decided to make it a real fretless. my girlfriends bro(mmray) did the same. we both have a blast w/ em. the only thing i really like differently is i prefer flat wounds on a fretless.
Thanks for the encouragement SG
Tyler
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