How to remove a rosewood fretboard on a set neck?

[scubadoo]

Hi guys,

I have a guy who wants a new fretboard putting on a set neck guitar, mainly just because he wants custom inlays. Seems mad to me, especially on a guitar that is only worth £150

Anyway, what's the best method? I was thinking that i would remove the nut and frets and then put the router in a jig so that i can keep it level above the neck and gradually remove all the rosewood board. Sound ok? Any potential pitfalls? hitting the truss rod occurs to me.

Thanks guys
Dave

 

[jkingma]

I would heat it and remove it that way. Remove the nut but keep the frets. Start at the head and work towards the body. Using a power tool for this type of work seems a bit risky to me. Plus you will still have the fretboard to use for some future project.

I recently removed a fretboard in order to replace a broken truss rod. It took me about 20 minutes to get the fretboard off the neck using my wifes iron. It will take you just about that long to get yourself jigged up to do it with a router.

Also, I agree with you... what's the point in doing this on a budget guitar???

 

[Telenator]

Heat. Work a snall section at a time and keep sticking a wedge under the board as you go. It'll come off with no problem.

 

[BAW4742]

I heated the fretboard gently with a heat gun set on low and then worked a thinned down putty knife in the seam. I kept heating down the neck and used a wedge behind me to keep the fretboard up while I worked the rest of the neck. Be careful with the heat so you don't strip the finish.

 

[scubadoo]

thanks guys, not something I've done before, knew i could rely on you!

So what do you use for heat, an iron like JKingma?
Cheers
Dave

 

[guitarbuilder]

I have removed a fingerboard with a household iron after removing the frets. I put aluminum foil down and move the iron back and forth and start to pry it up as mentioned above.

 

[scubadoo]

does this work with all glue types?

 

[Buckocaster51]

Take a look at (link removed) method using heat.

He is working on a Martin D-28, but you will get the idea.

Have fun.

 

[scubadoo]

Take a look at (link removed) method using heat.

He is working on a Martin D-28, but you will get the idea.

Have fun.

Thanks Steve, I'll check that out.

 

[jkingma]

does this work with all glue types?

Yes... with all glues normally used for guitars. Titebond, Hide Glue, Epoxy...

And you don't necessarily need to remove the frets.

 

[Shoved BassVIII]

Get decal inlay stickers off the bay. Problem solved.

 

[scubadoo]

Get decal inlay stickers off the bay. Problem solved.

surely they'll just wear off? and the guy definitely wants proper inlays. It's gonna cost him more than the guitar though

 

[fishtownmike]

yeah i use a house hold iron. A lot cheaper then buying one of those silicone neck heaters they sell out there. An icing spatula like below comes in handy. It's thin and easy to start working under a corner of the fretboard.

 

[Shoved BassVIII]

Sure they'll wear off eventually. Or lay a couple coats of clear over it. But its a cheap guitar. A cheap guitar is still a cheap guitar no matter how much you do. Sure it may sound and play better after upgrades, but its still a cheap guitar. I just don't see the point

 

[fishtownmike]

I look at this as a practice opportunity for this guy. And besides the customer is always right.

 

[jkingma]

I look at this as a practice opportunity for this guy. And besides the customer is always right.

Except when they're wrong.

 

[scubadoo]

I'm assuming that this guitar will have a poly finish and is probably going to cover the sides of the fingerboard. Is there any prep i can do to avoid finish damage; thinking of using a scalpel to cut along the join?

and how easy is it to repair poly if it damages; materials needed?

thanks for all the help guys.

 

[Shoved BassVIII]

I'd score the edges of thwe neck along the joint between the 2. Go thru the lacquer. Then het the iron hot and grab a towel..... Then read (link removed)

 

[muttley]

I'm assuming that this guitar will have a poly finish and is probably going to cover the sides of the fingerboard. Is there any prep i can do to avoid finish damage; thinking of using a scalpel to cut along the join?

and how easy is it to repair poly if it damages; materials needed?

thanks for all the help guys.

Scubadoo, I would resist the temptation to jump right in on this. It isn't a simple task for the uninitiated and I would recommend anyone who hasn't spent a bit of time separating glue joints to practice on some junkers first to get a feel for the process and for how different glues feel as they let go. It can be quite a scary experience the first time you hear it "crack".

Having said that if you are determined to go for it. Here is the method that has always worked for me.

Remove the nut and slacken the truss rod.

Have a wedge of timber about 5 inches long and one inch high handy.

Take a domestic iron and on a medium setting lay it on the frets at the nut end. Keep an eye out for the finish scorching but if you go slow you should be good. Your not trying to super heat anything but rather to get some heat right in to the centre of the neck. Too quick and you'll scorch the finish.

Take a pallet knife or similar, I have a bunch of old kitchen knives ground down to various shapes. For this job a butter knife with just the fist half inch ground flat and sharp is ideal. You want to get that tip into the joint to start working the glue apart and then have the rest of the blade follow it as you go acting as a small wedge.

Now this is the bit that will save you pain and speed things up. Heat the knife on a hot plate and start working it into the glue line. Start from behind the nut and slowly work your way in. Do NOT force the glue will separate when it is ready, forcing it will start to split the timber and force the knife off track.

Keep heating the blade every few minutes at least and when you have it in a few inches get the wedge in under the nut end and gently tap it in. Don't go too hard at first. The fingerboard can take a lot of bend here but not all at once. Keep working the knife along heating the blade as required and periodically using the iron to raise the temperature of the area of neck you are working.

The whole process is largely one of feel and you need to go slow if it's your first attempt.

It sounds as if you are replacing the f/b but just as a heads up to others that may be attempting this job or even taking a back or top off. It is vitally important that as soon as you have the piece off you clamp it down to a flat surface and leave it clamped while working on the other parts. That is if you want it to go back the same place that it came off.

If I'm intending to put the f/b back on I will also drill a 1mm hole at each end of the f/b away from the truss rod and into the neck about a 1/4 inch. I can then use a locating pin to get it back exactly where it came off. I'll fill after and nobody is any the wiser. On high end guitars I will remove the first and 12 fret and hide the pins under them so they end up blind.

I took a few pictures of a fretboard removal I did a while back for an insurance claim. A local shop had mashed up a truss rod and smashed the fret board and inlay as a result and claimed it wasn't their fault. Once they saw the pictures they caved in and paid for the repair. These pics give some idea of the method I described.

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