Radius block-do I need one?!

[the hand of john curley]

Posted this already in discussion section but maybe it's better suited here?

Hi all

First step taken into the world of fretless conversion! Bought an old encore, stripped it all down, taken the neck off, the frets out and stuck in and trimmed veneers....now to the sanding! Do I need to use a radius block? The radius of the neck...as far as I can tell....appears to be 14.5"??? But it looks almost flat....if I carefully (or little but even pressure ) will I be able to get away with it?
Thanks
Matt

[BassBus]

If you want an even radius then yes a radius block is essential. You can get them quite cheaply on ebay. If I remember correctly I think I got one from Portugal for a tenner delivered. Get hold of a set of radius gauges too so you can check the exact radius, ebay too.

[MoonBassAlpha]

I've done a couple without, just used a normal sanding block and they both worked fine. Unless you are actually changing the radius, I don't think it's really needed, more important to keep the board straight along the length, I reckon.

[iiipopes]

If you are careful and have a light touch, and you can match the existing fingerboard, then simply trim your veneers close and go for it with a regular block.

If you are not sure, or especially if your bass has any uneven spots, either to begin with, or from wear from playing, then a radius block will help not only smooth the veneers into the crown, but bring your entire fingerboard into line which will help overall setup.

I recommend tapewound strings, either La Bella for a more "electric" sound, or Rotosound for a more "double bass" tone.

[Annoying Twit]

Hi THoJC.

Where did you get the veneer, to stick in the fret slots, from?

Edited September 3, 2014 by Annoying Twit

[Bradwell]

Worth doing it properly with a radius block I think. If you can get one that's double sided then you've got a choice of putting a tighter radius on the fingerboard as 14.5" sounds a bit too flat for my taste.

Slacken the truss rod off fully and make sure it's got a decent surface all along it's length.

Also consider putting a coating of epoxy over the surface, hard finish will allow you to use whatever strings you like and it's easy enough to replace. Not keen on flatwounds and roundwounds will chew a rosewood fretless board to bits (I assume it's rosewood).