Elmo

[Bass Guy]

Today I took delivery of Elmo- a custom order of a JBB-5TN model bass, with an unlined fretless maple fingerboard. As with his predecessor Imhotep, Elmo is a spectacular instrument with fantastic sustain and a great sound.

Elmo's neck appears to have no finish in it. Which isn't a problem in itself, but I thought I'd canvass the hivemind about the widsom of putting a finish on the maple fingerboard. What would one use, or should one bother? Answers on a postcard, etc...

[wokkaboy]

Hey BG was wondering when you would introduce Elmo to the forum and no photos !
Did it come with flatwound strings ? Definitely need flatwound strings for a fretless and I usually apply 2 coats of thin superglue on the fingerboard and sand level with a radius block. That will protect the fingerboard from string abuse.
Allow plenty time for the superglue coats to cure.
A temporary fix will be rub some dingowax on the FB

[Bass Guy]

I'm having issues uploading photos at the moment, so you'll just have to wait- Tasmanian internet can be interesting at times....

I have a set of flat 5s to put on eventually, but I'm enjoying the zing of the roundwounds for now!

[wokkaboy]

what you doing in Tazzy BG ? I've seen pics on FB as you know !

I wouldn't play it with roundwounds without any fingerboard protection. You will damage it !

[wazkelly]

I wouldn't play it with roundwounds without any fingerboard protection. You will damage it !

Hey Woks, maple is way tougher than rosewood and from watching some of BG's videos he has a soft enough touch to get away with playing rounds and not cause any damage.

DT Wax is probably the way to go as a shiny lacquered finish may end up showing signs of wear over time plus it will help retain a more earthy organic feel and sound.

[Simon Barden]

I'd be surprised that it has no finish on it at all (though it may well have). Can Adam check if anything was used, and if so what? If you add anything else on top of that you want it to be compatible.

[Bass Guy]

DT Wax is probably the way to go as a shiny lacquered finish may end up showing signs of wear over time plus it will help retain a more earthy organic feel and sound.

I did think that DT wax could be the way to go, but I was concerned it might gum up the strings. But nothing ventured, nothing gained.

[Bass Guy]

I'd be surprised that it has no finish on it at all (though it may well have).

Be surprised- it is indeed unfinished. It's polished and planed, but left au naturel.

[wazkelly]

Good point however when buffing it off things no longer feel waxy and can almost resembles a satin lacquer finish.

Sent from my SM-A520F using Tapatalk

[Bass Guy]

My illustrious father (a keen woodworker) has alerted me to the presence of beeswax in his shed, so I'm going to give that a go. I figure if it doesn't work it'll be easy-ish to remove.