Fretless Neck Epoxy

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Mon, 08/16/2010 - 3:55pm
Jake Kobrin's picture
Jake Kobrin
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Hi,


I own a squier vintage modified fretless jazz bass and I'm wanting to epoxy-coat the neck in order to get that excellent bright tone and so that the roundwound strings I am using stop wearing down the neck.


What I was wondering is if I could use a urethane clear coat like what they put on cars in order to do it. I have experience with custom airbrushing and spraying this clear coat, I am just unsure how the wood (Ebenol in this case) would react to the Urethane. The paint jobs I have done in the past on wood have been sealed and primed before coated with clear coat. The clear coat is extremely durable, however, and would certainly be able to last very long on the bass.


Alternatively, can the marine epoxy be applied with a spray gun?


Thank you,Jake

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Tue, 08/17/2010 - 1:07am
#1
silverSurfer's picture
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no,no,no

don't do it!!!


The squier has a great neck and in my opinion this will completely ruin it!!!

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Tue, 08/17/2010 - 10:22am
#2
Fenderman's picture
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Jake, I don't see any reason

Jake, I don't see any reason you couldn't spray on the epoxy but I wouldn't fool with it.  It will affect the tone and you're not going to see any significant wear on that neck for many years.  What damage you might get in a few years will not affect playability or tone.  Use proper vibrato technique.


But to straight up answer your question, you can spray it on.  Use several light coats instead of one thick one.


 

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Tue, 08/17/2010 - 6:22pm
#3
Jake Kobrin's picture
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Ok, I decided I'm not

Ok, I decided I'm not actually going to do this.


But still, I get a lot of friction from the strings when doing slides and such. Does anyone have any tips on how to relieve this?

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Tue, 08/17/2010 - 8:10pm
#4
silverSurfer's picture
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Don't

Don't bend strings like you would on a fretted instrument but slide or roll forward or back instead. This way you won't get neck wear even with roundwounds. I use rw strings on my fretless musicman and have no wear at all.

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Wed, 08/18/2010 - 3:46pm
#5
Jake Kobrin's picture
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I don't bend the strings. I

I don't bend the strings. I treat it fully like the fretless instrument it is.

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Wed, 08/18/2010 - 5:02pm
#6
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Then why not just put flat

Then why not just put flat wounds or tape wounds on it?  Treating it like the fretless instrument it is, that is.Wink


 

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Wed, 08/18/2010 - 8:16pm
#7
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When you say you get a lot of

When you say you get a lot of friction, do you mean your fingers kind of stick to the strings?  If it has flatwounds on it now, that might cause a kind of stickiness. Try roundwounds.  Nickel roundwounds have a better glide to them.


A spray like Fastfret might help, too.


 

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B.A.S.K Assault Squad Leader UOF Badge #12 If you ask me to just play root notes again, I'm going to take that guitar off you and shove it down your throat! Don't play what's there, play what's not there. - Miles Davis THORNATUDE shall rule! - Thorn

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Wed, 08/18/2010 - 9:37pm
#8
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Fastfret!?!?   I just eat a

Fastfret!?!?


 


I just eat a bucket of KFC before I play or practice.


 


*burp*

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Thu, 08/19/2010 - 7:12am
#9
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Chicken Grease

Mmmm.  Chicken Grease.


Drive By Truckers bassist Shonna Tucker.


Fun starts about 1:15.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNJ1g18fmwg


edit:  She can cook me up something special any time... Wink

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B.A.S.K Assault Squad Leader UOF Badge #12 If you ask me to just play root notes again, I'm going to take that guitar off you and shove it down your throat! Don't play what's there, play what's not there. - Miles Davis THORNATUDE shall rule! - Thorn

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Mon, 08/23/2010 - 1:51pm
#10
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FYI

AFAIK the ebanol neck is some form of hard plastic that may not take much to finishes. So yeah, best just left alone.


Also, now I feel a deep yearning for fried chicken.


Maybe that's why Geddy Lee has those chicken roasters on stage.Big

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Tue, 08/24/2010 - 11:55am
#11
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I read an article a while

I read an article a while back from some pro luthier type fellow who used super glue (cyanocrylate?) to finish the fretboard of a bass he had converted to fretless... it was many coats applied with the back of sandpaper or something but it looked great and is supposedly super durable... maybe a search on the internets might turn that one up.


 


good luck!


 


rock.


 


DDD


 


EDIT:


 


a quick search and there it is:  http://www.bassplayer.com/article/superglue-savior/jun-06/20674


 


woot.

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Tue, 08/24/2010 - 8:59pm
#12
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y'all ...

Fenderman wrote:


Mmmm.  Chicken Grease.


Drive By Truckers bassist Shonna Tucker.


Fun starts about 1:15.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNJ1g18fmwg


edit:  She can cook me up something special any time... Wink



 


Love that idea, but wouldn't do it to mine.

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