Fretboard replacement
Q: I have a metal body resonator guitar
and I would like to know if it is possible to put a wider nut and
fretboard on the existing neck? the neck is a round back not square
back. the neck is a little narrow for my large hands and I'd like
to widen it out if possible. If so please let me know if this can
be done.
thank you
Phill M.
A: It is usually possible to get a little more
playing room by widening the string spacing at the nut and saddle.
We move the E strings closer to the edge and then respace the other
strings. Lowering the action also might help. Trying
to push a high string down to the fret between two other high strings
may give a cramped feeling to the action. If these two
things don't do the trick you are in for a big project.
The neck on a metal body resonator
guitar comes off quite easily. Take off the pie pan, strings,
tailpiece etc. reach inside and unbolt it. The fingerboard
tongue is held down by screws hidden under the pearl dots.
Pop out the pearl with a sharp #11 Excell blade. Cut
from above or below so that the slot is with the grain.
It will disappear better when you glue the pearl back in.
Use an old iron to heat the fingerboard to remove it from the neck. If
you have the tools and the temerity you can cut the neck in half
and add the wood to the center. This will look much better,
but it involves dealing with the truss rod. It is also possible
to make two cuts, one on each side of the truss rod, leaving the
rod assembly untouched and functional.
True macho would demand that
you spend all day making a new fingerboard from scratch, copying
the scale from the original, but Stew-Mac and others sell very fine
precut fingerboards for around $20. Cheap and definitely more
accurate than you are going to be able to make with hand tools in
your kitchen. While the fingerboard is off go ahead and inlay
a pair of carbon fiber rods parallel to the truss rod. It
might be overkill but it can't hurt.
Clean and level the fingerboard
surface of the neck and reinstall it to the body. Carefully
align the new fingerboard and put alignment pins through a high
and a low fret slot. Glue on the new fingerboard with
Titebond, or Elmer's Carpenters glue. Don't crush it,
use lots of clamps with a firm even pressure. I have two long
iron bars with holes drilled every two inches. I put one bar
on each edge of the fingerboard and then stick steel rods through
the holes. I then loop lots of rubber bands from the rod ends
around the back of the neck. Allow it to dry for two or three
days.
Now, using rasps files and
sandpaper, reshape the back of the neck. Roll the neck back
and forth sighting along the "horizons" to see if your
work is symmetrical. Sand down to 280 grit sandpaper.
Stain to taste and apply finish. Nitrocellulose is traditional
but urethane will do the job also. Level the new fingerboard.
Bend, drive and level the new frets. Knocking the sharp edge
off the top of the fret slots with a three corner file does wonders
in helping the frets to seat cleanly.
This looks like so much work
that you might as well start from scratch. Really, you save
yourself lots of math and fine carpentry by reusing the old neck
attachment and tuner holes. If, however, this is a collectors
item instrument you should start from scratch so that you can store
the original neck and reinstall it at resale time.
Steve Mason
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