Working with phenolic material

[big_black]

I'm taking about fretboard material mainly, known also as Ebonal. I want to roll the edges a bit on a fretboard but I'm concerned about leaving scratches....it's a dense material, also very smooth. Does this material sand (I'll probably try steel wool first) clean? Any suggestions on working with it?

Thanks!

 

[big_black]

Re: Working with phenolic material

Bump

Any idears?

 

[JB_From_Hell]

Re: Working with phenolic material

Bump again.

Does it feel like wood, or smoother? I'm getting into the idea of a fretless guitar....

 

[big_black]

Re: Working with phenolic material

It's very smooth, smoother than ebony...smoother than any wood and very dense (it chips rather than dents - under extreme force). Some people complain that it is too sterile as compared to ebony or other woods that add snap, but I have no problems. It's kind of snappy, but I've also heard it described as "transparent". Phenolic is used on a lot of high end basses and would probably be a very good fretboard material for a fretless guitar seeing that it is so smooth.

My concern with rolling the fretboard edges is that I am not sure if phenolic will (being such a dense and hard material) come out scratched and will require buffing afterward. The board is flawless right now and I'd hate to screw it up.

 

[big_black]

Re: Working with phenolic material

One more thing Chris-

If you are interested in phenolic, I would research further how well it works with WOOD, more specifically with an adjustable russ rod. Most of the guitars and basses I remember seeing that use phenolic have graphite or aluminum necks. Being a dense plastic / rubber-type material, it provides a great amount of stiffness to the neck, which can help aid in increasing sustain, but may not work very well with a neck that requires adjustment because it does not seem like it would bend easily.

 

[JB_From_Hell]

Re: Working with phenolic material

A friend of mine had a fretless Cort bass with a fretboard that seems like you're describing. Combined with flatwound strings, it made for some very cool playing.

I'm almost positive the back of the neck was maple, so I think it'd work ok for a guitar, as well.

 

[firebirdV]

Re: Working with phenolic material

Is this what Steinberger fretboards were made of?

 

[big_black]

Re: Working with phenolic material

A friend of mine had a fretless Cort bass with a fretboard that seems like you're describing. Combined with flatwound strings, it made for some very cool playing.

I'm almost positive the back of the neck was maple, so I think it'd work ok for a guitar, as well.

I know that Cort Dangly was try to get rid of forever had a phenolic fretboard, you could check with him.

 

[big_black]

Re: Working with phenolic material

Is this what Steinberger fretboards were made of?

I dunno.

 

[idsnowdog]

Re: Working with phenolic material

Washburn had guitars in the 80's with phenolic fretboards. Also Gibson had some.

 

[sufferinrewind]

Re: Working with phenolic material

I know that Cort Dangly was try to get rid of forever had a phenolic fretboard, you could check with him.

That's the Cort Curbow bass.

 

[Hellion]

Re: Working with phenolic material

Is this what Steinberger fretboards were made of?

Most of the Steinbergers that I've seen specs on have ebony fingerboards (I'm not saying that they don't), but I think Parker uses the phenolic type.

 

[big_black]

Re: Working with phenolic material

Before we get too off topic....any one worked with this stuff before? :fingersx:

 

[JB_From_Hell]

Re: Working with phenolic material

Yeah, that's what it was... my friend had the 5 string.

It seems like it might be kind of finicky about how you work with it. He used flatwound strings, but a previous owner used roundwounds, and there were a number of places on the fretboard where they'd kind of dug in.