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what fingerboard wood?
http://w-ww.luthiersforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10101&t=18416		 Page 1 of 1
Author:  Christian Staub [ Sun Aug 17, 2008 12:45 am ]
Post subject:  what fingerboard wood?
I'm looking to put a fingerless fingerboard on a bass I'm making out of purpleheart with a maple through-neck. I see alot of different species on LMI, but I'm wondering what specie you guys think would look best with maple and purpleheart. ( note: I have no problems with abnormal colors or interesting grain patterns)
Author:  Howard Klepper [ Sun Aug 17, 2008 1:34 am ]
Post subject:  Re: what fingerboard wood?
You mean fretless? Go with ebony.
Author:  Hesh [ Sun Aug 17, 2008 6:46 am ]
Post subject:  Re: what fingerboard wood?
Ditto what Howard said - a purple heart bass would look great with a black fret board.
Author:  Christian Staub [ Sun Aug 17, 2008 8:39 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: what fingerboard wood?
I could be thinking way too deeply into this, but I will already have the color contrast b/w the PH and the maple I'm wondering if adding a second contrast b/w the maple and ebony will detract from the overall visual appeal.
Author:  Clay S. [ Sun Aug 17, 2008 8:56 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: what fingerboard wood?
Save yourself some trouble and do an integral maple fingerboard as Fender does. Fretless would be even less work. I think it would add interest.
Author:  Bob Garrish [ Sun Aug 17, 2008 10:32 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: what fingerboard wood?
You'd get the best durability out of an acrylized wood fretboard from Larry Davis is my experiences with acrylic are a good reference.
Author:  Darrin D Oilar [ Mon Aug 18, 2008 1:09 am ]
Post subject:  Re: what fingerboard wood?
I've been thinking of a design whose visual interest would be the lack of visual interest. I'd like to make an electric all monochrome, in purpleheart or bloodwood or something along those lines. Just one solid color throughout. So i'm voting for purpleheart fingerboard.

Darrin
Author:  Bob Garrish [ Mon Aug 18, 2008 7:42 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: what fingerboard wood?
You'd better hollow it out or invest in some 'roids :)

If you want an 'all-something' you can carry then the domestics (cherry, walnut, maple) or mahogany are a lot lighter than 'the colour woods' (bloodwood, purpleheart, padouk, etc)
Author:  Howard Klepper [ Tue Aug 19, 2008 12:39 am ]
Post subject:  Re: what fingerboard wood?
I recommended ebony for the way it wears. Roundwound strings will chew up most woods on a fretless bass.
Author:  martinedwards [ Tue Aug 19, 2008 2:37 am ]
Post subject:  Re: what fingerboard wood?
darrin wrote:
I've been thinking of a design whose visual interest would be the lack of visual interest. I'd like to make an electric all monochrome, in purpleheart or bloodwood or something along those lines. Just one solid color throughout. So i'm voting for purpleheart fingerboard.

Darrin


I remember seeing primer gray Les Pauls on top of the pops. I THING it was the Human League in about 1981.....

they looked.......



ICK!! [xx(]
Author:  Colin S [ Tue Aug 19, 2008 5:00 am ]
Post subject:  Re: what fingerboard wood?
Howard Klepper wrote:
I recommended ebony for the way it wears. Roundwound strings will chew up most woods on a fretless bass.


Howard, as usual, is the voice of reason. Listen to Howard (good basic rule of guitar building).

Colin
Author:  joel Thompson [ Tue Aug 19, 2008 8:33 am ]
Post subject:  Re: what fingerboard wood?
How about snakewood.

its probably the toughest fingerboard and as such is popular with fretless bass makers for that very reason.

otherwise go with ebony, black contrast,s well with all woods and as howard says it will resist wear from the strings allmost as well as snakewood.
add some black elsewhere on the guitar (maybe black chrome hardware) and it will tie in nicely.

purpleheart will wear pretty quickly and suck up finger jam like a sponge if used for a fingerboard giving it dull grey apearance after time.
combine that with oxidisation and you end up with a disapointing fingerboard.

The great thing about ebony is that it just gets blacker with time and goes with anything.

african blackwood or malaysian black may be other options.
cocobolo also works well for fretless basses but may not tie with your color scheam.

Joel.
Author:  Burton LeGeyt [ Tue Aug 19, 2008 8:51 am ]
Post subject:  Re: what fingerboard wood?
Katalox is also super hard and can have beautiful color and grain patterns. I agree that a fingerboard for a fretless has to be chosen more strictly but from my very limited exposure to katalox it would be a contender I think.
Author:  Christian Staub [ Tue Aug 19, 2008 10:57 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: what fingerboard wood?
I plan to get some flat wound strings similar to the ones I have on my current frettless, so wear won't be as big an issue. my hardware has to be chrome cause I'm cannibalizing an old bass of mine for parts and its hardware is chrome.

I'm also open to an alternate thru neck wood that would offer sufficient stregnth but tie the PH with a Cocobolo frettboard into an appealing color scheme.

-just a thought could cherry be a possible thru neck wood b/c I have the idea of using it to bridge the colorscheme gap b/w the PH body and a bloodwood frettboard-
Author:  Brett L Faust [ Tue Aug 19, 2008 11:51 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: what fingerboard wood?
Try pricing snakewood that big, wow7-eyes it makes the finest Ebony look like a huge bargain.
Since you will be using flat wound strings ,a nice purple slab of EI Rosewood would give a nice round tone and not cost too much. Zircote is also a fine choice,if you want to go for a faster brighter attack.
Alternate woods for neck through might be Wenge or Padouk.
Both are stiff enough with CF reinforcement to lessen dead spots.
Wenge with purpleheart stringers and an Zircote FB,oh yeah!
Padouk w/ Cocobolo FB would also be nice.
Good luck [:Y:] Enjoy your build.
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