Rolling a neck edge

[LITTLEWING]

I've had a Yamaha RBX375 for a few years and recently acquired a 775 which has an infinitely more playable neck in the fact that the 'board egdes are either rolled or has beautiful time-worn wear. How would I go about rounding the edges of the relatively sharp 'board on the 375 ? Apparently the frets shouldn't be rolled, merely smoothed with 0000 grade wire wool. All hints and tips greatly appreciated.

Edited April 21, 2011 by LITTLEWING

[Blademan_98]

I did a guitar a while back.

I used 1200 wet and dry.

It was on an oiled neck (not painted).

It worked ok and gave the desired effect for me.

(I masked the frets and used the wire wool on them before re oiling)

[hillbilly deluxe]

Quick and easy method that i use is just to rub with the round shank of a screwdriver,leaves a smooth finish,with no possibility of sanding marks.

[Ancient Mariner]

I've done a couple of bass necks - used a big spark plug socket pressed firmly against the edge of the fingerboard. Ran it up and down a few times, varying the angle each time and pressing quite hard. It turned a sharp-edged neck into a smooth & comfy one.

Be aware you may have to smooth off fret ends. Also don't try this on a maple neck with lacquered fingerboard!

[LITTLEWING]

Okay chaps, call me stoopid, but I was under the impression that a very small amount of 'board would have to be removed to imitate natural wear. The idea of screwdriver shanks and spark plug sockets compressing the wood to form a 'round' sounds a bit odd. I was looking at a blade of sorts to actually shave the edge to make a smooth roll ?

[hillbilly deluxe]

Stoopid sorry,the rounded edge of the screwdriver/socket works perfectly,no need for scraping or sanding.

[son of frog]

just think...
what is a more similar shape to a human finger?

1. Round edge of screwdriver

2. Sharp knife!

the decisions easy. haha

Just make sure you keep pressing and adjusting then testing, then adjust etc. might end up worse if you over do it.

[skankdelvar]

Just to be difficult - Stanley knife.

Fingers cause the wear. But flesh is softer than wood. (Try pressing your finger against some wood and see which compresses first. It's not the wood). If the wood's not compressing, it must be wearing.

Not saying a screwdriver shaft / socket wouldn't do the job all handy-dandy. Just nitpicking the rationale like the annoying bastard I am

[LITTLEWING]

THAT'S where I'm coming from ! Over time, surely the 'board is being naturally worn away. I can't see for the life of me how squashing it into a round shape can be right. Also, what's the chances of the wood expanding again slightly under certain conditions ?

[Musky]

I've got to admit it's the screwdriver method that I've always read about. The wood's not going to decompress in a hurry, or I wouldn't still have all those little knocks on my necks where I've been a little careless.

I definitely wouldn't trust myself with a stanley knife - far too easy to take a bit too much off or leave little nicks in the wood.

[Ancient Mariner]

There's no reason either method won't work. However wood removal is irreversible, while wood compression could probably be steamed out, especially if fresh.

I've done the spark plug socket technique on a couple of basses and been (continue to be) very pleased with the results. You do have to press surprisingly hard to create much of an effect.

[skankdelvar]

The method I adopted involves holding a stanley blade almost vertical to the edge and 'scuffing' away very gently. That said, it's just one approach out of many.

[quote name='Ancient Mariner' post='1210566' date='Apr 25 2011, 01:06 AM']... wood removal is irreversible, while wood compression could probably be steamed out, especially if fresh.[/quote]
Entirely true. FWIW, next time I roll an edge I'll be trying the screwdriver / spark plug socket approach. It's all good.

Edited April 25, 2011 by skankdelvar

[Jean-Luc Pickguard]

I've used the screwdriver method with great success on a few basses. The only one where I removed wood were on the brandoni neck of my Fretless precision where I sanded a radius into the edge of the ebony fingerboard.