"New" FrankenFretless

[bbl]

Fun fixin up FrankenFenders for folly.

2000 Hot Rod Body and '77 Fretless Neck

[Matt R.]

Yessss!

[LefThanDed]

Flatwounds for fretless fingerboard finish?

[bbl]

I rarely use flats on fretless. I just use nickel round - DR Low Riders or other hexcore nickel-wrapped string. The hexcore allows the string to sit lower and the nickel rounds don't chew up the board as much as steel.

This board has been finished in poly, but I've played on unfinished pau ferro and rosewood, too.

I learned from other players - who play fretless much more frequently than I do - that it'll take a good 2-3 years of heavy playing before a re-sanding is needed, and most boards can be sanded 2-3 times.

The tone of rounds is well worth it, imo.

[bbl]

Yessss!

Recognize the neck?

The finish was, oh, a bit bumpy. So I've spent a few hours sanding it down with 400 grit and a 9.5" radius block from Stew Mac. It STILL doesn't forward bow as much as it should. But hey, I love to tinker.

[bbl]

Flatwounds for fretless fingerboard finish?

Or better answer... "forego the flats for fretless fun with FrankenFenders"

[PunkRockBassist]

i love it very nice

[Matt R.]

Oh that was the neck I used to own? Well if so, that's epoxy, not poly. So you'll have no trouble out of those rounds.

[pjmuck]

Is that a Hot Rod P married to a real lefty '78(?) neck?

[gravesbass]

I should have walked with that Hot Rod when the offer was available..

Very nice bass Geoff!!

[bbl]

The neck is a '77 I believe, with a serial starting with "S7."

Matt, I do remember you saying it was epoxy but then I did some research and somehow concluded it was poly. I guess I didn't think one could sand epoxy. Or shouldn't. Perhaps some fine wet sanding and steel wool is in order here.

[Matt R.]

Definitely epoxy. Very sandable. Used the same stuff on my jaco fretless

[Rodent]

I guess I didn't think one could sand epoxy. Or shouldn't. Perhaps some fine wet sanding and steel wool is in order here.

most epoxies are very sandable, and doing so is a must if you want to have a perfectly level fingerboard.

the right radius block, multiple grits of high quality wet/dry paper (I wet sand thru 2000 grit on my epoxy fingerboard finishes), and good wet sanding technique will yield you a fingerboard ready for buffing to a high gloss.

for high quality wet/dry paper, visit an auto paint store. good quality paper has less potential for a high grit, and it also is more uniform when wet. I use a small bowl with water plus a few drops of liquid dish soap (lubricant) as my liquid source. I also pre-tear all my paper pieces before starting, and pre-soak all paper I'll be using for at least an hour proior to using it on an epoxied surface

I never use steel wool on a epoxied fingerboard, especially when there's potential for it to come in contact with moisture

all the best,

R

[bbl]

Thanks so much for the tips, Rodent.