Hi all,
I'm building my first CBG. It will have a maple through neck and rosewood fingerboard.
I'm wondering if it makes more sense to glue on the fingerboard before finishing the neck, or after? It seems like it might be easier to tape off the top surface of the neck while finishing and then glue, rather than gluing before and taping off the fingerboard to finish, but I'm not sure. I haven't decided on the finish (I'm thinking off either spray-on lacquer or maybe polyurethane) and I still have a ways to go, but I'm trying to get a handle on the assembly process.
Thanks!
Replies
I have been putting the frets right on the neck - no separate piece - what are the pro's and con's of that???
On another note: My way is based on a bought fretted board...haven't attempted fretting yet.
I use a fretboard slot duplicating jig
My version
http://www.cigarboxnation.com/photo/mmy-fret-slotting-jig
Copied from heaps of other similar ones here and on YouTube.
oh give it a shot...it looks absolutely daunting, but it's really not too terribly bad. If you're like me, you'll probably screw up here and there and leave a few tool marks behind, but it gives the guitar a bit a soul.
You might want to check into the Tru-Oil Dan mentions.
I'm debating whether to use tung oil, or Tru oil on my neck(s) & fretboard(s)...( maple, poplar, red oak... ). Anybody have any thoughts, preferences, ...? Also, what about polyurethane? ( I thought ting oil was pretty pricey... until I saw that Tru oil was almost twice as much! ) These will be my first builds. I'd appreciate some advice. ( Like: where can I find the best prices on these? )
Tung oil is pricey but it goes a very long way. It's an earthy, natural finish, almost like those wooden railings at amusement parks that have had about 7 billion oily hands run over them every year. I liken it to more of a players finish versus a thick, glass-like, lacquer hard shell. It will oxidize with the wood and gets richer as time goes on. It's not the toughest, but it is beautiful.
As with anything, practice on a scrap piece of wood. Lots and lots and lots of really thin coats, rubbed in with a rag, is how I put it on. It's a rather slow zen like process.
I guess I will have to throw a different opinion in just to stir it up. I glue my fret board on before I finish the neck. My fret boards are over sized when I glue them on, then I cut them down and sand them flush to then neck. I also drill side fret position markers in along the glue joint (half in the neck and half in the fret board). I install the fret position markers on top of the fret board after this and then check to insure the fret is perfectly flat. I use Truoil as my finish and apply it to both the neck and fret board prior to installing the fret wire.
Not sure if my process it right, but it work for me.
Wow that's beautiful. Nice combination of different woods. I've never seen side markers like that.
Same here. Getting a fretboard placement spot on after finishing the neck would be difficult. I tend to shape the neck and trim fretboards kind of both before and after attaching the fretboard dependiing on how it looks and how I feel at the time. The rub on finish I use (minwax wipe on poly) goes over fretboard fine.
-
1
-
2
of 2 Next