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Permalink Reply by Wes "I'm Baaaaack" Yates on March 23, 2012 at 5:32am

Fretless == easier to build and play

Truss rods aren't necessary but if you have heavier strings or weak wood, it will help. I don't put in traditional truss rods. I put in 1/8"x1/2" bar stock set perpendicular to the fingerboard. Also a separate fingerboard will add strength.

-WY

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Permalink Reply by Lester Harper on March 23, 2012 at 7:38am

I have some red oak and poplar but I was going to put a finger board of an exotic Bocote wood just for looks. Thanks for the advice on the truss rod I figure the oak is pretty strong and the Bocote is dense so I will probably be alright with that combo

Do you leave your fret board flat or do you give it a slight radius?

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Permalink Reply by Roadkill a.k.a. John Maw on March 23, 2012 at 7:46am

Hi Lester.

I agree with Wes. Most DBGs are three or four string (you don't say how many you are planning for) and if you choose a suitable wood you will have no problems. Also it is less critical on a fretless than on a fretted, so rest easy. I only use recycled wood. Old wood is much more stable and normally completely free (I like free) and you can go around feeling eco smug if that pleases you. Most hardwoods are more than stiff enough and some soft woods. Oak, mahogany, maple are all good, but there are loads of others. If you are gluing on a fretboard, just the fact that you have laminated the neck in that way will help a huge amount (except for the bit that's inside the box where the fretboard doesn't extend). I have made several three stringers with parana pine (a softwood) but with a mahogany or beech fretboard (also one with rubber wood). Really no problems.

Good luck and all the best.

John

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Permalink Reply by Lester Harper on March 23, 2012 at 7:50am

Thanks John I should have mentioned I am building a 3 stringer I figured it would be fine with a hard wood as long as I didn't go to crazy with the string gauges. Thanks for all the great input looking forward to getting started on it.

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Permalink Reply by Bad Finger (Eric) on March 23, 2012 at 7:53am

Plenty of first builds are 3-string fretless with a 1x2 stick of poplar and no fingerboard.  That will get you through your first batch of mistakes pretty quickly.  Save the exotic stuff for your 2nd, 3rd or 4th guitar when you won't feel so bad about monkeying up a perfectly good piece of wood.

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Permalink Reply by Roadkill a.k.a. John Maw on March 23, 2012 at 8:29am

Sorry. I've just got to disagree with ED. Save the exotic stuff for your fourteenth fifteenth an sixteenth. Only kidding of course. A three string fretless with a hardwood neck will be fine. Put whatever strings you like on it. Having said that, I prefer nickel wound strings (normally lighter) to phosphor bronze wound even acoustically. Did a comparison with Martin bronze and Martin nickel and much preferred it even without an amp. Of course that doesn't mean that you will prefer them. Just saying.

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Permalink Reply by Bad Finger (Eric) on March 23, 2012 at 9:19am

Hahahahahaa.  I thought who would dare disagree?

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Permalink Reply by MichaelS Country Boy Guitars on March 23, 2012 at 4:02pm

Use the oak for the first one, they are so simple it will come out great and who wants a great CBG with a warping poplar neck. : )  I don't think the oak is much more at the lowes than the poplar. 3 string fretless is the way to go, and no truss rod is needed if a hard wood is used, I have not had a bent neck yet, from string tension anyway. I've used Cherry and black walnut. Both hard enough but I think the oak is stiffer.

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Permalink Reply by Lester Harper on March 24, 2012 at 7:46am

I am going to use the oak with a fret board of another wood. I have a lot of exotic wood left in my shop so I will be building a bunch of these little guitars

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Permalink Reply by Michael P Barclay on March 23, 2012 at 10:09am

I had the same concerns regarding the truss rod, what I did originally is split the neck wood then I reverse the grain, before I glue it up, I also cut three strips of wood the same thickness, then glue up the split neck of mahogany, the strip of purple heart, a strip of mahogany, the second strip of purple heart, and then the other split of mahogany, the woods are an example.

I have started using a carbon fiber rod on the Cigarbox basses. On the picture below I just used one strip of purpleheart

http://inlinethumb52.webshots.com/39603/2561932700033885154S600x600...

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Permalink Reply by Lester Harper on March 24, 2012 at 7:48am

Thats pretty awesome I always put a power lam in my bows the same principle this is something I may do for the looks and the strength cool bass neck by the way

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Permalink Reply by Michael P Barclay on March 24, 2012 at 12:36pm

Thanks, I can't draw a bow anymore 'cause I screwed up my arm but I plan on putting an archery woods walk in the lower 10 for a bushcrafter Rendezvous in October.

I got a little over ten acres of this kind of flora on the farm.

 

 

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