Phenolic fretboard repair... any ideas?

[Lfalex v1.1]

My Status Streamline's fretboard has become damaged by sweat ingress (God knows how!)
It has stained the board in a way that can't be polished out.
A small pit has started to wear into the board, too.
It is no longer shiny and black, It's just dull and stained.
The frets are fine, but does anyone have any ideas for repairing/restoring the fretboard?

Thanks in advance,

Alex.

Edited July 20, 2013 by Lfalex v1.1

[BassBus]

Honestly, the best person for advice on this is Rob Green at Status. I'd give Dawn or Rob a call and see what they say.

[Lfalex v1.1]

I was hoping for a DIY fix. I have a feeling that I'll just get clobbered for the cost of a new fretboard. Which will no doubt be astronomical... And be just as prone to failure as the previous one.
I have two other phenolic boarded instruments, a Vigier and a Yamaha, and neither have had this problem.

[Mr Bassman]

http://www.milliput.com/black.html

Available from amazon etc

[Lfalex v1.1]

The bass is all carbon/graphite.
The neck/body/hardware are all fine. It's just the phenolic fretboard that's rotting.
It's fretted, and I'd attribute the pitting to delamination of the fretboard due to wear from the strings.

Thanks for the suggestions so far.
That Milliput looks like it might do the trick. Some sort of black epoxy that I can paint on in thin layers would be ideal. The harder and the shinier, the better!

[Mr Bassman]

Black Milliput should do it.

[MoonBassAlpha]

[quote name='Lfalex v1.1' timestamp='1374399434' post='2148265']

The neck/body/hardware are all fine. It's just the phenolic fretboard that's rotting.
It's fretted, and I'd attribute the pitting to delamination of the fretboard due to wear from the strings.

[/quote]
do the strings actually touch the fretboard? I don't think they do on my basses, even the SEI, which has small frets....

Do you have long fingernails on your left hand? My guitarist does and it really eats up his boards, rose and maple. I don't like him borrowing my guitars!

[Kiwi]

Superglue will work nicely.

[zero9]

If it's just the black fading to a grey-ish colour, WD40 will bring it back. WD40 is a known solution for bringing phenolic boards back to life.

[BassBus]

Some information from the Status site.
[color=#000000]
[b][font="Arial"]The phenolic fingerboard on my bass looks grey and has lost it's original black colour :[/font]

[font="Arial"]The dry look on the fingerboard is where the laminated phenolic material is actually 'drying' out a little. It is often caused by being cleaned wit[/font][font="Arial"]h a water or solvent based polish which can take the natural 'oils' out of the board.
You can fix this very easily by cleaning the fingerboard with a very small amount of oil. Something as simple as WD40 is fine.
Use a soft cotton cloth and wipe a VERY small amount of oil on the fingerboard and rub it in.... then clean it all off again leaving just a trace which has 'soaked' into the surface. This will bring back the dark colour of the board.[/font][/b][/color][color=#000000]
[b][font="Arial"]'Non waxy' types of furniture polish are fine for the gloss lacquer on the body or the lacquer on the BACK of the neck but not for the fingerboard.[/font][/b][/color]

[Lfalex v1.1]

[quote name='MoonBassAlpha' timestamp='1374578989' post='2150331']

do the strings actually touch the fretboard? I don't think they do on my basses, even the SEI, which has small frets....

Do you have long fingernails on your left hand? My guitarist does and it really eats up his boards, rose and maple. I don't like him borrowing my guitars!
[/quote]

I think my strings hit the fretboard of all my basses when played... No other instrument had ever done this in the last 18 years.
My fingernails aren't causing it. That's for sure.

The board isn't going grey/dull. It has a parchment-coloured stain from about the 9th fret to the 24th.

I reckon superglue to fill the pit/s, a quick rub down with either fine wire wool or 1000 grit. A quick rub down with white spirit and dry to remove any grease/dust/contaminants and mask frets/board edges. Then paint with [i]very[/i] thin coats of black epoxy.

I'm inclined to practice first. I've an old fretless neck laying around that'll be ideal...

[BigRedX]

Have you actually been in touch with Status about this problem?

I can't imagine it being in their interest for this problem to even exist no matter how it's been caused. I can't believe that this has been caused by user negligence, so there must be something wrong with the bass. Even if you do manage to repair it, is there any guarantee that it won't come back? Has anyone else reported this problem on the Status forum?

[RhysP]

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1374583529' post='2150457']
Have you actually been in touch with Status about this problem?

I can't imagine it being in their interest for this problem to even exist no matter how it's been caused. I can't believe that this has been caused by user negligence, so there must be something wrong with the bass. Even if you do manage to repair it, is there any guarantee that it won't come back? Has anyone else reported this problem on the Status forum?
[/quote]
This.
I've never heard of or seen this happen to a phenolic fingerboard & I used them for years on my Zons.
Sounds like it could well be a manufacturing fault. Don't do anything to it until you speak to Status about it.

[Fat Rich]

[quote name='Lfalex v1.1' timestamp='1374347698' post='2147981']
My Status Streamline's fretboard has become damaged by sweat ingress (God knows how!)
It has stained the board in a way that can't be polished out.
A small pit has started to wear into the board, too.
It is no longer shiny and black, It's just dull and stained.
The frets are fine, but does anyone have any ideas for repairing/restoring the fretboard?

Thanks in advance,

Alex.
[/quote]

Whereabouts is the small pit? Any chance of posting pics?

If worst comes to worst maybe you could fill the pit with something, get the board sprayed black and lacquered to protect it.

You've said before on this forum that you've talked to Status about and got nowhere, did they consider it wear and tear? In my experience they're really helpful when it comes to fixing things.

[Mr Bassman]

[quote name='Lfalex v1.1' timestamp='1374583221' post='2150455']
I reckon superglue to fill the pit/s, a quick rub down with either fine wire wool or 1000 grit. A quick rub down with white spirit and dry to remove any grease/dust/contaminants and mask frets/board edges. Then paint with [i]very[/i] thin coats of black epoxy.
[/quote]

Milliput will fill and wont need painting. You can smooth finish it for an almost invisible repair.

Paint will rub off again!

Its worth £4 to experiment with on a bit of scrap wood before you aply it to the bass.

Edited July 23, 2013 by Mr Bassman

[Lfalex v1.1]

[quote name='RhysP' timestamp='1374589128' post='2150555']

This.
I've never heard of or seen this happen to a phenolic fingerboard & I used them for years on my Zons.
Sounds like it could well be a manufacturing fault. Don't do anything to it until you speak to Status about it.
[/quote]

Nor I. My 1996 Vigier has a phenolic fingerboard, and that's still perfect, as is the phenolic board on my Yamaha.
It's beginning to sour my "relationship" (for want of a better term) with the bass.
I'm struggling to be bothered with it at all, and I won't have the time to get it to Status until probably the second or third week in September at best.

[Fat Rich]

[quote name='Lfalex v1.1' timestamp='1374595263' post='2150677']
Nor I. My 1996 Vigier has a phenolic fingerboard, and that's still perfect, as is the phenolic board on my Yamaha.
It's beginning to sour my "relationship" (for want of a better term) with the bass.
I'm struggling to be bothered with it at all, and I won't have the time to get it to Status until probably the second or third week in September at best.
[/quote]

I had a duff pickup in one of mine, they sent a van out and collected it next day. Rob wound a new pickup and they couriered it back within a couple of days.

Because it was a manufacturing fault they seemed to pull out all the stops to fix it.

[Lfalex v1.1]

But was yours six years old (or whatever mine is)?
Not that it's seen much mileage...

[Fat Rich]

[quote name='Lfalex v1.1' timestamp='1374595670' post='2150687']
But was yours six years old (or whatever mine is)?
Not that it's seen much mileage...
[/quote]

Nope, but if it's a manufacturing fault they might feel they ought to sort it out.

[BassBus]

I wonder what is stopping you from contacting Status? They are not going to charge you for a phone call..... BT might though. [size=4] [/size]

[Lfalex v1.1]

Time and lack of phone credit. Edit- And the fact that I have a distinct sinking feeling that I'll be told that there's nothing to be done for it that won't cost ££££.
It cost enough in the first place, but once I got over the honeymoon period it's really failed to impress me. It's too light, feels and sounds like a toy. I struggle to take it seriously any more, TBH. Compounded by the fretboard problem
That, and the fact I forget I own the bleeding thing as it's permanently in a cupboard.
Total waste of time, effort and money.
Only the Status restoration thread reminded me..

Edited July 24, 2013 by Lfalex v1.1

[Fat Rich]

[quote name='Lfalex v1.1' timestamp='1374652163' post='2151234']
Time and lack of phone credit. Edit- And the fact that I have a distinct sinking feeling that I'll be told that there's nothing to be done for it that won't cost ££££.
It cost enough in the first place, but once I got over the honeymoon period it's really failed to impress me. It's too light, feels and sounds like a toy. I struggle to take it seriously any more, TBH. Compounded by the fretboard problem
That, and the fact I forget I own the bleeding thing as it's permanently in a cupboard.
Total waste of time, effort and money.
Only the Status restoration thread reminded me..
[/quote]

Sounds like you need to fix it up as cheap as possible and move it on, no point in keeping a bass you don't like.

Still, sending an email to Status with a picture of the problem only takes a few minutes and doesn't cost anything.

[Lfalex v1.1]

[quote name='Fat Rich' timestamp='1374660709' post='2151363']


Sounds like you need to fix it up as cheap as possible and move it on....
[/quote]

Hence a thread about DIY phenolic fretboard repairs on a popular UK bass-related website..
I get the impression that I'll lose about £6/700 on it, though.

[Fat Rich]

[quote name='Lfalex v1.1' timestamp='1374661256' post='2151370']
Hence a thread about DIY phenolic fretboard repairs on a popular UK bass-related website..
[/quote]

Well, why didn't you say!

[quote name='Lfalex v1.1' timestamp='1374661256' post='2151370']

I get the impression that I'll lose about £6/700 on it, though. [/quote]
Sadly the second hand value of Status basses is always disappointing although I think the Streamline is one of the more popular models, but if you're not playing it you might as well free up the cash.

Edited July 24, 2013 by Fat Rich