Epoxy a Fretless Bass Fingerboard

[@matthewgill_bassplayer]

Great video ! Thank you ! Straight forward and informative!

[@BassCave7]

Thank you, more than a year in, it's still holding perfectly.

[@freednighthawk]

I'd remove the nut beforehand. Makes sanding way easier. Should just take a couple taps from a chisel/screwdriver. Glue it back in with a dot of wood glue.

[@BassCave7]

Yes this would have been easier. I agree. But the nut was glued on very crudely, I said there is no way I could get it off and on in one piece.

[@heversuarez8733]

Hi basscave, I would like to convert my bass to a fretless model. I have a short B4 plus bass whose fretboard is made of "Panga Panga" wood. Would the epoxy finish be good for this project? King regards

[@BassCave7]

Hi Hever, I just had a look at Panga Panga, it is related to Wenge, which I once had bass with. They gave those natural grooves and cavities like here www.talkbass.com/media/panga-panga-fretboard.23456/ which might be a challenge to fill up with epoxy. It might require some extra coats to get it completely flush. But Epoxy is quite a miracle substance, hard and flexible to a degree.

[@JuergenJoherl]

Interesting info & video!🙏..yet I'm hesitating to do this by myself?🤷‍♀😎

[@BassCave7]

Hey Jürgen, hallo wie geht's, I have two left hands and zero training as luthier. If I can do it, you can do it! Prepare carefully, that's all.

[@JuergenJoherl]

@@BassCave7 Danke, es geht mir nicht schlecht, nur das Wetter könnte hier wärmer sein..Brrr😉..I see, I'm not trained as well and maybe I have also two left hands😉...and I won't like ruin my beautiful fretless😅..but with good preparation, patience & execution I'm maybe able to manage it..let's see!

[@BassCave7]

Deswegen bin ich nach Australien ausgewandert. Probiers an an Brettl wos wurscht is zerst. I wish you all the best!

[@JuergenJoherl]

@@BassCave7 Oh,surprise..Du bist Deutscher oder Österreicher?..cool, aber Austalien kann auch extrem sein, doch?..Danke, dir auch!🙏

[@harrybrooks8514]

Have you any experience with Ebonol ®️? It’s a hard substance similar to a bowling ball. It has been used for fingerboards at least since 1980.

[@BassCave7]

I have not heard of it! I will check it out. I am also dying to know what Ibanez put on their new fretless basses. It has a crazy pattern. I guess I can't just call and ask 😂

[@Apostasy362]

I had an incredible Cort Curbow fretless back in the late 90s that had an untreated Ebonol fretboard. It still managed to get fairly chewed up using roundwounds after a few years. No idea how well it would take an epoxy treatment but it'd prob be worth trying.

[@Shred_The_Weapon]

I learned that applying several coats of epoxy resin also protects the fingerboard against the physical backlash from thumping and plucking associated with slap bass. If I’m not mistaken, Les Claypool has had the fingerboards on each of his fretless basses coated in enough layers of this resin that it could function as a mirror when polished afterwards. Do you know how close that comes to the facts, Renė? What if you had put one layer of tape over the other one after you finished applying everywhere above epoxy? Would that seal in the parts that had not yet dried?

[@BassCave7]

Hi Shred, Not sure I understand the second question. But be (unlike me) patient and wait the 12, better 24 hours to set. I had (thick) drops gathering where it had run off, they were still wet. Big scare. I had Epoxy disaster on another fretless, worst coat ever, but you can Always sand it off. Phew. First question, I can very much confirm, it protects the board against string wear, even if you hammer them in round wounds with your thumb kzbin.infot2Vx7NT6EZM?feature=share I can very much imagine Les Claypool using Epoxy, he also played 6 string fretless from memory. The mirror effect sets in pretty quickly with Epoxy, even after the first coats. You have two challenges though: A fretboard is not completely even, it has a slight arch, epoxy keeps moving and runs off to the side. And bubbles form as well when brushed on, they need to be sanded off. I stopped coating as soon as I had a even surface, I did not want the epoxy get too thick to mess with the profile.

[@Shred_The_Weapon]

Thank you for what you were able to share, Rene. I went back and reread my original comment and retooled my second question.

[@BassCave7]

I think I understand now, the epoxy hardening does not need air, it only needs time. The resin and hardener fuse together. It will harden, even if you have it sealed off. Experimenting on a board will get you an idea how epoxy ticks.

[@Shred_The_Weapon]

👌

[@livebassngames]

@@Shred_The_Weapon the epoxy will make the bass good to slap on ! it just sounds better with it..

[@MythixMusic1]

Also in Australia. Could I send you a neck to do?

[@BassCave7]

Well as much as I would like to, I live a vagabond's AirBnb life in the moment. I might have a workshop in a couple months again, I might contact you then. But thanks for the confidence. But realistically: If I can do it, you can do it.

[@MythixMusic1]

@@BassCave7 yeah, some things I'm keen to try and do myself, other things I just can't be bothered

[@julianrodolfo]

Does the epoxy smell, fumes, anyone know?

[@BassCave7]

It smells a little. It's very thick, so not much potential to smell. I get more headache from the turps that I use for sanding. I would not do it in a living area.

[@humanpaw]

🖐

[@BassCave7]

Thumb 👍

[@rodneylockhart6775]

There is a much easier way to do this! I have done a few of these epoxy jobs. First, the nut should have been removed. All sanding should be done with a solid block sander. The epoxy that I use is made for clear bar tops. It is self leveling and won't leave brush marks. Co2 released over the product will remove all air bubbles. Simple 1 coat process. Block sand to leval and finish.

[@BassCave7]

Hi Rodney, thank you for your feedback, but in my defense: The nut should have been removed, but was a no-go. The glue was oozing out from under the nut, no way I would have gotten it off and back on. Secondly I would pay good money to know that brand of the self-leveling epoxy, but: the fretless bass fingerboard has an arch, would this epoxy stay on and not run off the sides. Regarding solid block sander, have tried it, did not like it, I believe it was not flexible, it took all off in one spot, left the gloss in the other. I am very intrigued by the CO2, how would a regular person apply it?

[@rodneylockhart6775]

@@BassCave7 Hey man! Thanks for replying! I'm not going to give you a hard time about the nut. I don't remember the name of the product, but go to a Sherwin Williams paint store and tell them you want to do a poured bar top and they will get you the right product. It will be a 250ml. Kit. As far as the co2 thing, you can get it in a spray can. You spray it over(horizontal) over the work piece. You can also just breathe on it, but that can also make you pass out! Lol! As far as the block sanding goes, you have to think about it like you are are prepping the fretboard for a refret job. You want to use a straight edge and make sure the fretboard is absolutely flat before you start doing anything. That's another reason why you need to remove the nut.

[@BassCave7]

Thank you so much! This is great info. One of the challenges is a (good) fretboard is not not absolutely flat. It has an arch on the upper end, and a curve all together. This is quite vital for playability.

[@rodneylockhart6775]

@@BassCave7 when it is strung, yes. That's what the truss rod is for. You get the neck as flat as possible. Do the work you need, mount the neck, restring and tune the instrument then check the relief and adjust accordingly. I've been setting up my own basses since I started playing.

[@chriswho2569]

@@BassCave7Hey friend I was wondering if you could help me? I’m trying to do this with a jazz bass and I was wondering how many layers of resin do I use?

[@rodneylockhart6775]

I spent 40 years as a protective coatings specialist. I just might know a thing or two about the process and products.

[@BassCave7]

That's great, thank you for sharing!

[@Noone-of-your-Business]

Nice mod. I should have done _this_ instead of using superglue.

[@BassCave7]

I found quite a few doing it with super glue, epoxy can be coloured pretty well. And until now it just lasts. Incredible stuff

[@UCEg7z1wK]

😂

[@BassCave7]

Every feedback welcome :)