Uk source for fretline material when defretting a bass and radius sander

[Delberthot]

I've checked out a link here on how to defret and epoxy a bass and am planning on giving it a try but need to source a couple of things first.

I'm looking for some proper wood inserts to go into the slots left after I remove the frets to make it an obvious lined fretless - or should I just plastic wood them to save time and hassle?

I'm also after a radius sanding block so I can level the fretboard/fingerboard/whatever after I've filled the fret slots and during the epoxy process - I can see them on Stew Mac's website but is there a Uk source for one? - I believe that modern Fenders are 9.5 radius so a Squier should be the same

Once I'm all prepared I'll post the results as I go

[Mr. Foxen]

A sheet of veneer will do you for fret line filler.

You can make your own radius block from a favoured fretless (or your defretted and smoothed board) but putting the sandpaper on the board facing out and using it to shape a piece of fairly soft wood into the matching curve. Easier to get a proper one though.

[steve-soar]

You need to go to a local luthier and ask very nicely if you can buy some maple veneer from them. This will be the right thickness to fit into fret slots.
You will have to cut these out individually with a craft knife into individual strips, getting progessively wider towards the body.
Copy the radius of the board with a pencil line onto the bottom of the strips, otherwise a flat bottom edge will rock from side to side on a radiused cut slot.
easiest way is with a radius curve, I have some, somewhere.
When they are all cut and trimmed to radius at the bottom, they need to be placed into the slot and a bead of the thinest super glue needs to be fed along the slot via the edge of the fingerboard, careful you don't flood the slot and it pours out the other side and all over the neck.
All stuck? now you need super sharp chisels to trim everything above the finger board and trim the edges.
Then sand through the grades to achive a perfect result.

[Ou7shined]

+1 for the maple veneer

[Al Heeley]

radius sanding blocks can be bought from StewMac, as can practically any item/accessory/tool for guitars, but they are expensive plus you have the shipping cost from USA. If you are handy in the workshop you can have a go at making one. You can search project guitar dot com for radius sanding and get a shed load of ideaas.

[henry norton]

The StewMac blocks are pretty reasonable, even with postage from the US. As for veneer, the standard thickness is round 0.5 to 0.6 mm, which should fit just about any fret slot cut to take standard fret wire. You could ask at your local joinery company or ask for some offcuts or a veneer sample from a veneer supplier. If some luthier charges you megabucks for 'special thickness' veneer, you have been taken to the cleaners! Beware....

[Telebass]

Sorry to hijack, but I read the thread title quickly, and my first thought was that you couldn't get fretted radius sanders...







I'll get me coat.

[d-basser]

Late to the party but I have been looking at this for a current project and there is a guy on ebay selling radius blocks

[Delberthot]

Bought one from him and waiting for it to arrive. I thought I'd order the longer one (he does 2 different sizes)

I've decided in the end to make the lines invisible and am just working out what to do with top facing lines as the dots on the top will now be out as the show the middle point of 2 frets instead of on the fret which is what I need now.

[Mr. Foxen]

[quote name='Delberthot' post='858489' date='Jun 5 2010, 09:47 PM']Bought one from him and waiting for it to arrive. I thought I'd order the longer one (he does 2 different sizes)

I've decided in the end to make the lines invisible and am just working out what to do with top facing lines as the dots on the top will now be out as the show the middle point of 2 frets instead of on the fret which is what I need now.[/quote]

Put a quarter inch of visible line in the top of the slot so you have a reference.