Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Skeesix on October 14, 2013 at 6:12am

I've removed a fretboard before. You need heat to soften the glue. I have a board set up with some spotlights attached to it. I hang this above the fretboard and plug it in. The heat from the lights will eventually soften the glue enough that you can start to insert a thin flexible knife, such as a palette knife underneath it. This might take several hours.

I can't say what shape the fretboard will be in when you're done though. The one I removed was on the thin side, and by the time I was done, it was curled up like a banana.

You also might be able to use an iron.

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Permalink Reply by t-belly johnson on October 14, 2013 at 6:24am

I would have thought this was nigh on impossible without making a real mess of the board. Maybe use a spoke shave or machine and go at it from behind? Take of all the wood from the neck behind the board?

The other alternative, and far,far easier would be to just take off the whole neck and use that!

Just stick the whole thing on a box, much easier 

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Permalink Reply by Reeds Taylor on October 14, 2013 at 6:33am

I heard people had luck using an old iron....

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Permalink Reply by Vinylhed on October 14, 2013 at 7:42am

Whether you can remove the fretboard or not, I don't know. But you might have problems with the scale length, unless you're going to replicate the measurement of the original guitar exactly.

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Permalink Reply by Dan Sleep on October 14, 2013 at 7:42am

It might be easier just to take the whole neck off and stick it on the cigar box.

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Permalink Reply by Gibby Fiddy Five on October 14, 2013 at 1:01pm

Thanks for the replies I'll probably just use the whole neck and make a 3 string.

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Permalink Reply by John Sawyer on October 14, 2013 at 3:07pm

You could always buy this:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Acoustic-Folk-Guitar-Rosewood-Fretboard-Fin...

They take offers, I'd go $10 and see what happens.

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Permalink Reply by Jordan Brook on October 15, 2013 at 5:40pm

I have done this with a large paint scraper lightly tapping it down lengthways with a soft mallet

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Permalink Reply by Gibby Fiddy Five on October 23, 2013 at 1:13pm

Well I cut the body down, now humbucker or tele bridgepup[URL=http://s176.photobucket.com/user/galletaloco/media/cigar%20box%20gits/100_1189_zpsde005169.jpg.html][IMG]http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w167/galletaloco/cigar%20box%20gi[URL=http://s176.photobucket.com/user/galletaloco/media/cigar%20box%20gits/100_1186_zpsc46f9c79.jpg.html][IMG]http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w167/galletaloco/cigar%20box%20g...[/IMG][/URL]ts/100_1189_zpsde005169.jpg[/IMG][/URL][URL=http://s176.photobucket.com/user/galletaloco/media/cigar%20box%20gits/100_1187_zpsbbed5248.jpg.html][IMG]http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w167/galletaloco/cigar%20box%20g...[/IMG][/URL][URL=http://s176.photobucket.com/user/galletaloco/media/cigar%20box%20gits/100_1189_zpsde005169.jpg.html][IMG]http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w167/galletaloco/cigar%20box%20g...[/IMG][/URL]

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Permalink Reply by Bad Finger (Eric) on October 23, 2013 at 1:23pm

I'd rather make a fretboard than try to reclaim one. I don't have any luthier quality tools, but I'd feel pretty comfortable saying I can make one faster than peel one.

Take that $20 git and rip 3 strings off it and play it or add a pan lid resonator.

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