Fingerboard Shaping

[SamIAm]

I'm in the early stages of thinking/designing my next bass build.

Is it better to shape the curvature of a fingerboard before or after gluing it to the neck?

Sam x

[Andyjr1515]

14 hours ago, SamIAm said:

I'm in the early stages of thinking/designing my next bass build.

Is it better to shape the curvature of a fingerboard before or after gluing it to the neck?

Sam x

If you have the choice, I would say before every time.  If you are going to be using radius blocks with sandpaper, there is a LOT of sanding involved - it doubles the difficulty if you are trying to clamp a neck at the same time.

[fingerz]

The problem with doing it before is that when you come to clamp and glue the finger board to the neck blank, it can want to move even more so than normal. If it's square then clamping is much easier for a successful glue up. I also find it much easier shaping the finger board when it's glued to the neck beam, just more height from any work surfaces.