Ive just finished "shaping" the neck for my first cbg.
Ive decide to go fretless, (I planned to have frets originaly)
As I have never played slide before, I figure having some kind of marking on the neck will help me
find where to slide to.
Im going to laquer the whole neck and was thinking of having some 6mm mother of pearl type fingerboard dots (I have 10 of them allready) in-layed for markings.
Im after sugestions/thoughts on the process...
I will be using a "honey coloured" tinted laquer.
Im thinking that I should drill the holes for the dots, then laquer, then insert the dots rather than laquer over the top of them.
Also.... I was thinking of having the dots at 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th, and 12th fret positions.
As a standard guitar neck would be, does this all sound OK?
cheers
Brian.
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I would say play it a little before you put the position marks on. You will easy be able to work out the major scale positions... just listen when you play.
When I finished my neck, I drilled holes for the fret markers (I used a guitar pick and a hole puncher for the markers) and glued the markers in, then sanded flush. I used Formbey's High gloss Tung oil finish to coat the neck. This finish goes on nice and thin. If you decide there's too much on the fretboard, you can always gently buff it off with fine steel wool.
Sweet. Good luck. Show pics when you finish. Oh and write up how you did it.
-Wes
Brian said:
Thanks for the replies all. After considering all the input, Ive decided to laquer the neck, and drill the holes for the dots after a couple of coats. Ive also decide to put the dots on the side of the neck.
Thanks for the replies all.
After considering all the input, Ive decided to laquer the neck, and drill the holes for the dots after a couple of coats.
Ive also decide to put the dots on the side of the neck.
I've built 2 fretless cbg's. I've also done some inlay with abalone dots. The technique I used on my boomerangs was this. Select the proper brad point drill bit (it drills a flater hole) for your dots. Drill just a little deeper than your dots are thick. Use 2 part epoxy and place some in the hole. Place your dot into the hole. It's OK if it is not 100% flush with the wood, it should though stick up above it rather than be recessed. Let it all dry. Sand your dots flush and the coat with your finish of choice. I've used tung oil with very good results on boomerangs. I also like Varathane for finishes.
Mine too was a fretted CBG until I figured that gee, 14ga copper wire does not make good frets -- at least how I made them. That said, I sanded down the fretboard to get rid of the slots and marked the fret positions with a pen. Fret dots and all. Anyhow, I find that playing with the slide (mostly) that these indicate relative positions more than where the slide needs to be -- at least on my CBG (your experience may be totally different.)
Playing the slide, of course, you don't necessarily press the slide to the fretboard (you prolly already know that tho). Therefore, I'm listening to the note and where the slide is, stopping the slide where it sounds right more or less.
I like the pic above showing the frets on the side rather than on the face of the fretboard. I might use that later too.
If I were you, I would laquer, drill the dots, then do the inlay. I don't know how well a glue would work adhering to laquer. One consideration is if you drill then laquer, you are introducing a layer of material to the hole you just made. May not make a difference, but...
One thing I would suggest and this comes from this site is to put cling wrap (Saran Wrap) over areas you want to protect. Its clear, it adheres, you can later as much as needed and it keeps marks, fingerprints, and stains from getting on your work.
Replies
Yep, Im going to finish making it to playable, then mark and drill for the dots :D
yea im thinking where th bridge is placed etc make sure the scale is acurate before placing the dots.
-Wes
Brian said:
After considering all the input, Ive decided to laquer the neck, and drill the holes for the dots after a couple of coats.
Ive also decide to put the dots on the side of the neck.
Steve
Wade
Playing the slide, of course, you don't necessarily press the slide to the fretboard (you prolly already know that tho). Therefore, I'm listening to the note and where the slide is, stopping the slide where it sounds right more or less.
I like the pic above showing the frets on the side rather than on the face of the fretboard. I might use that later too.
If I were you, I would laquer, drill the dots, then do the inlay. I don't know how well a glue would work adhering to laquer. One consideration is if you drill then laquer, you are introducing a layer of material to the hole you just made. May not make a difference, but...
One thing I would suggest and this comes from this site is to put cling wrap (Saran Wrap) over areas you want to protect. Its clear, it adheres, you can later as much as needed and it keeps marks, fingerprints, and stains from getting on your work.
-Wes
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