Thanks for sharing this process. I am just finishing up my first fretless bass neck and after seeing this I am going to give it a go. I am not keen on the full gloss look so seeing how you finished this one is super helpful. I have rea that super glue makes masking tape brittle. Have you had issues with tape? Do you just use painters tape or something else. Thanks again for sharing the process.
Thanks for watching. I like the blue vinyl tape for anywhere that touches the edges of the glue, then I use the cheaper paper tape elsewhere. Good luck with the bass!
I'm interested in coating a fretless fingerboard, not to protect it, but to help with that 'mwah' sound. You mention in the video that superglue doesn't change the sound as much as other methods - would superglue therefore not be the best choice for me?
The superglue should increase mwah a bit, but not quite as much as epoxy. It also depends which wood it is applied to, it’ll have a more noticeable effect on softer woods than Ebony for example. Superglue is easier to apply than epoxy, so you could always try superglue first and see how you get on. Thanks for watching.
@@mantoncustoms Thanks so much. Super helpful video, and thanks for your reply. It's an Indian Laurel fingerboard in this case. I will ponder what to do :)
Did you use any activator after applying the super glue? And is super glue good enough to use as a fret filler after you have taken the frets off? Thanks.
No activator used as the glue sets off pretty quickly from the contact of the brush/foam. Activator can turn it white if you aren’t very careful, so I avoid it for this job. You need something additional in the fret slots to fill them really. I like plastic styrene sheet as it’s stable, but veneer is another common choice. Superglue is fine for gluing the plastic or veneer into the fret slots. Thanks for watching!
Great video. I'm a fretless guy but I don't have one with a coated board yet. I hadn't heard of using superglue before - this seems way easier than epoxy. Would I be correct in assuming it's also thinner?
@@mantoncustoms weirdly enough, My first fretless was an old P bass I “Jockoed”, and I used some odd bar top coating. I’ve had that thing for many years now and that coating is fantastic!
The brand isn’t really important, but if I’m remembering right it was Hard as Nails. Thin viscosity. I think I used about 20g but can’t remember for sure. Obviously the size of the fretboard makes a difference to how much you’ll use, this one was massive as it was a wide 5 string 38” scale bass neck
Hello! Yes, but not for long…20 minutes or thereabouts. The glue dries from contact so as you’re working it with the applicator it’s setting much quicker than it would if you just squirted it on and left it.
Hey, great video! I'm considering doing this to my fretless jazz bass one day. Did you apply any radius or is it a completely flat board on this build?
Thanks. No, there’s no radius block used at this stage. The board starts off with a radius (before the coating is applied) then the shape is refined by sanding down the string paths with a fairly narrow beam rather than using a radius block. Radius blocks make a cylinder, whereas the best shape for optimal playing is conical.
@@mantoncustoms Thanks for clarification! Funnily enough I read about that on an old TB thread after watching your video. Sand along the string paths and make them level for best end result. The string spacing is wider at the heel than at the nut, so the strings' paths don't form a cylinder but a somewhat conical shape. so put against the cylindrical shape of the fingerboard there's a hump on the string's actual path. When you level these paths, you actually create a kind of hourglass shape on the cylinder. Can't post the link here, but the thread is called "Even fretless fingerboard levelling tips" and post #40 is where it starts. absolutely brilliant stuff right there!
I used about 2oz on this neck, but it was very long and quite wide an area. So 2oz should do a normal scale 4 string easy for example . But it depends how much you end up sanding off and how thick you apply it. An extra bottle as backup couldn’t hurt!
Just picked up a secondhand fretless squier jazz and the only issue is a bit of wear from rounds. Surprised seeing how easy the repair process is
Thanks for sharing this process. I am just finishing up my first fretless bass neck and after seeing this I am going to give it a go. I am not keen on the full gloss look so seeing how you finished this one is super helpful. I have rea that super glue makes masking tape brittle. Have you had issues with tape? Do you just use painters tape or something else. Thanks again for sharing the process.
Thanks for watching. I like the blue vinyl tape for anywhere that touches the edges of the glue, then I use the cheaper paper tape elsewhere. Good luck with the bass!
I'm interested in coating a fretless fingerboard, not to protect it, but to help with that 'mwah' sound. You mention in the video that superglue doesn't change the sound as much as other methods - would superglue therefore not be the best choice for me?
The superglue should increase mwah a bit, but not quite as much as epoxy. It also depends which wood it is applied to, it’ll have a more noticeable effect on softer woods than Ebony for example. Superglue is easier to apply than epoxy, so you could always try superglue first and see how you get on. Thanks for watching.
@@mantoncustoms Thanks so much. Super helpful video, and thanks for your reply. It's an Indian Laurel fingerboard in this case. I will ponder what to do :)
Did you use any activator after applying the super glue? And is super glue good enough to use as a fret filler after you have taken the frets off? Thanks.
No activator used as the glue sets off pretty quickly from the contact of the brush/foam. Activator can turn it white if you aren’t very careful, so I avoid it for this job. You need something additional in the fret slots to fill them really. I like plastic styrene sheet as it’s stable, but veneer is another common choice. Superglue is fine for gluing the plastic or veneer into the fret slots.
Thanks for watching!
Great video. I'm a fretless guy but I don't have one with a coated board yet. I hadn't heard of using superglue before - this seems way easier than epoxy. Would I be correct in assuming it's also thinner?
Thank you. Yes, it’s a bit easier and less stressful than using epoxy…And yep, it can be made as thin or as thick as you’d like
@@mantoncustoms weirdly enough,
My first fretless was an old P bass I “Jockoed”, and I used some odd bar top coating.
I’ve had that thing for many years now and that coating is fantastic!
" odd bar top coating" ? Mind sharing details?
Once you have the CA glue on there, are there any issues adjusting the neck later, would the CA crack?
No, it holds up really well. Thanks for watching 🙂
what ca glue did you use? and how much did you go through?
The brand isn’t really important, but if I’m remembering right it was Hard as Nails. Thin viscosity. I think I used about 20g but can’t remember for sure. Obviously the size of the fretboard makes a difference to how much you’ll use, this one was massive as it was a wide 5 string 38” scale bass neck
@@mantoncustoms awesome thank you so much man, can’t wait to make my hofner fretless
Hi, Do you have to wait for the glue to dry before sanding?
Hello! Yes, but not for long…20 minutes or thereabouts. The glue dries from contact so as you’re working it with the applicator it’s setting much quicker than it would if you just squirted it on and left it.
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Hey, great video! I'm considering doing this to my fretless jazz bass one day. Did you apply any radius or is it a completely flat board on this build?
Thanks. No, there’s no radius block used at this stage. The board starts off with a radius (before the coating is applied) then the shape is refined by sanding down the string paths with a fairly narrow beam rather than using a radius block. Radius blocks make a cylinder, whereas the best shape for optimal playing is conical.
@@mantoncustoms
Thanks for clarification!
Funnily enough I read about that on an old TB thread after watching your video. Sand along the string paths and make them level for best end result.
The string spacing is wider at the heel than at the nut, so the strings' paths don't form a cylinder but a somewhat conical shape. so put against the cylindrical shape of the fingerboard there's a hump on the string's actual path. When you level these paths, you actually create a kind of hourglass shape on the cylinder.
Can't post the link here, but the thread is called "Even fretless fingerboard levelling tips" and post #40 is where it starts. absolutely brilliant stuff right there!
Any suggestions for classical guitar replacement tuners???
Around $25
I like the Gotoh stuff, may be slightly more than your budget, but not too much
How much superglue do you need for this? Is a 2oz bottle enough or do you need a couple of bottles?
I used about 2oz on this neck, but it was very long and quite wide an area. So 2oz should do a normal scale 4 string easy for example . But it depends how much you end up sanding off and how thick you apply it. An extra bottle as backup couldn’t hurt!