carlsim Posted February 2, 2022 Share Posted February 2, 2022 Hi all... I recently bought a Harley Benton musicman copy (the stealth black one) as I wanted a cheap fretless 5 string. I also wanted a project so ripped the frets out, filled the slots and lacquered the neck. After some filing at the nut, it plays lovely! Quite surprised to be honest! However, I really wanted to get a blank unlined board so was wondering... Anyone ever replaced a fingerboard? I'm pretty good with wood working (have fitted kitchens, doors etc at home) and can be meticulous when needed. Is it that difficult? I looked online and saw people removing them with an iron and a scraper... Is that the accepted method?? I get I will need to source a blank board, glue it in (what is the best glue to use for this??) And then profile the board correctly... Is there anything else to consider?? Any advice would be welcome before I get crazy and pull the original board off... I just love a blank board... Lined fretless boards make you look too much and I want my ear to do the work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rubis Posted February 2, 2022 Share Posted February 2, 2022 I removed one that way, it's a bit nervy and not something I'd care to do too often, but I had no other option, and it worked quite well I used a steam iron and got an old tea towel, damped it down and placed it on the fingerboard, then went from the body end towards the nut. I used new paint scrapers to start off, then as the glue heated up and the board began to separate, I used something a bit thicker to prise it apart and hold the gap open as I worked along the neck, an old wood chisel I think. Yellow Titebond is decent glue for your new finderboard, but do spend time getting the face of the neck properly prepared so that you get a good glue joint, there will be a fair bit of old glue residue left behind, and as it cools it will re-set best of luck mate 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carlsim Posted February 3, 2022 Author Share Posted February 3, 2022 16 hours ago, rubis said: I removed one that way, it's a bit nervy and not something I'd care to do too often, but I had no other option, and it worked quite well I used a steam iron and got an old tea towel, damped it down and placed it on the fingerboard, then went from the body end towards the nut. I used new paint scrapers to start off, then as the glue heated up and the board began to separate, I used something a bit thicker to prise it apart and hold the gap open as I worked along the neck, an old wood chisel I think. Yellow Titebond is decent glue for your new finderboard, but do spend time getting the face of the neck properly prepared so that you get a good glue joint, there will be a fair bit of old glue residue left behind, and as it cools it will re-set best of luck mate Was the blank that you glued in place oversize? Did you just plane the sides down flush? I see people doing it with a router with a blank neck that hasn't been profiled, but I can't see any other way to flush the edges... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rubis Posted February 3, 2022 Share Posted February 3, 2022 The neck had an angled headstock so I lined the squarest end of the new board up with the mark left behind where the old fingerboard met the nut. It was oversized so after gluing I trimmed it roughly with a table top belt sander (I don't have a band saw) and then sanded it by hand to finish, it was a bit more controlled (but slower) doing it that way 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted February 6, 2022 Share Posted February 6, 2022 Well...it's not for the faint-hearted... The basics are - most of the time - relatively straightforward. But there a lot of things that need to be done for it to be successful and many of those need a bit of practice. One of the big challenges (there are many) is successfully profiling the board. If the bass is 'dispensable' then certainly feasible - but I wouldn't practice on anything important Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maude Posted February 6, 2022 Share Posted February 6, 2022 When it comes to fitting the new board, a couple of small pre-fitted locating pins help massively. A new board once glued, becomes slipperier than an angry eel when trying to clamp in place. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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