Tidying up an old fretboard...

[Andyjr1515]

Hi All

Just a quick hints and tips thread of how I go about a well-used fretboard. Chris Sharman's new/old Aerodyne is in my maniacal clutches to tidy it up, look it over and tweak it up a bit. I won't steal his glory, suffice to say it's a LOVELY bass, albeit in need of some TLC - particularly in relation to the fretboard.

The frets are not worn, but were very tarnished, gummed up with old finger-grease. The fretboard again was pretty mucky and with quite deep 'wound-round-string-marks' in a number of places. I'm sure other folk do this in other ways, but for what it's worth, this is how I go about it.

First is to clean the years of gunk off the rosewood, and also get rid of the string marks. I use a single-edged razor blade as a scraper:



Clearly, you don't do this many times in a fretboard's life - unless you want to go scalloped - but for a fresh base to start from it is a very effective way. The razor movement always follows the grain, stopping and starting butted right up to the fret.

Because there is no fret wear, I am spared having to get the crowning files out. Like an eejit, I forgot to take a photo of the frets as they originally were but, trust me, they didn't look great! First off was a fret-polishing rubber (I used the 1000grit one) and an old trigonometry template that is perfect for a fret-guard!




I then did an initial dousing of lemon-oil, letting it soak in then wiping off the excess:





Then, final polishing with a micro-mesh cloth. I used the 8000grit one:




Final lemon oil applied and buffed off:



...and photograph the *sparkle*


I'll let Chris post the finished shots when it's all done

Andy

Edited April 15, 2015 by Andyjr1515

[paul_5]

Exactly the same way I do it, works a treat dunnit?

Check that *sparkle*

[Andyjr1515]

[quote name='paul_5' timestamp='1429128057' post='2748386']
Exactly the same way I do it, works a treat dunnit?

Check that *sparkle*
[/quote]

Excellent! I thought I was going to get inundated with folk who were going to say 'eeeeeeewwwwwww....you don't want to do it like THAT'

[leonshelley01]

That's the method I picked from a guitar maintenance book as well. Works a treat!

[paul_5]

[quote name='Andyjr1515' timestamp='1429130133' post='2748429']
Excellent! I thought I was going to get inundated with folk who were going to say 'eeeeeeewwwwwww....you don't want to do it like THAT'
[/quote]

Stick around, this [i]is[/i] Basschat, after all.