My first worn out fingerboard

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Pimientito

Posts: 2481
Joined: Jul. 30 2007
From: Marbella

My first worn out fingerboard

Its taken me 20 years but I have finally managed to wear out my first fingerboard.
This is the neck of my Alhambra guitar which is electrified and is my main workhorse
for outdoor gigs. 20 years of regular playing have finally worn out grooves into the ebony.
It got so bad that it was starting to become difficult to stay in tune and if you added
a cejilla to the 2cd fret it would need re tuning.
Maybe Ricardo can do the maths on how many million notes need to be played before
you need a fingerboard re fit. Its getting a fret job and repair this week!

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jan. 2 2016 10:03:51

estebanana

Posts: 9351
Joined: Oct. 16 2009

RE: My first worn out fingerboard (in reply to Pimientito)

Oh poppycock, that fingerboard looks fresh as a daisy. Now get you there and start strumming!

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jan. 2 2016 11:14:07

tri7/5

Posts: 570
Joined: May 5 2012

RE: My first worn out fingerboard (in reply to Pimientito)

Are you gripping too hard with your fretting hand? honest question as I kind of get it in the electric realm due to bends and steel strings but not so much nylon where you dont need to gorillas grip a neck.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jan. 2 2016 15:10:20

Pimientito

Posts: 2481
Joined: Jul. 30 2007
From: Marbella

RE: My first worn out fingerboard (in reply to tri7/5)

quote:

Are you gripping too hard with your fretting hand?

No...that's just honest repetition over years. Actually, thinking about it I bought
that guitar new in 1993 so its 22 years of wear. I spent my first years in Spain practicing at least
5 hours per day and then gigging for the last 10 years or so on it. Im quite pleased to have finally worn
through one fingerboard

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"Ceremonial" by Mark Shurey "Pimientito". CD and digital download vailable on Amazon and
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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jan. 2 2016 20:15:42

tele

Posts: 1464
Joined: Aug. 17 2012

RE: My first worn out fingerboard (in reply to Pimientito)

That's for sure a result of hard work but I hate to see some guitars that have such grooves but are relatively new, a result of too long fingernails.

I have had two guitars with replaced fretboard, it's not a very big process and costs around 300 euros.

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jan. 2 2016 21:41:20

Sr. Martins

Posts: 3079
Joined: Apr. 4 2011

RE: My first worn out fingerboard (in reply to Pimientito)

Why would the strings touch the ebony when using a cejilla? What's wrong with having fretboard grooves?

I am just asking because I can't really see anything wrong with that. Worn frets are a problem but wood...?

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"Ya no me conoce el sol, porque yo duermo de dia"

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jan. 2 2016 22:52:49

Leñador

Posts: 5237
Joined: Jun. 8 2012
From: Los Angeles

RE: My first worn out fingerboard (in reply to Pimientito)

Por feo maybe?

Nice work Pim! Lol

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\m/

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jan. 2 2016 23:20:01

Sr. Martins

Posts: 3079
Joined: Apr. 4 2011

RE: My first worn out fingerboard (in reply to Leñador)

quote:

Por feo maybe?

Plane & refret = guapo again, no?

My first guitar looks like that but I think it's made out of a dark rosewood although it doesn't look or feel "thirsty" and rough like many of the rosewood boards out there.

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"Ya no me conoce el sol, porque yo duermo de dia"

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jan. 2 2016 23:56:45

tele

Posts: 1464
Joined: Aug. 17 2012

RE: My first worn out fingerboard (in reply to Sr. Martins)

When doing a vibrato the grooves can feel disturbing and also cause "scalloped" feel which requires a lighter touch when playing . I had a guitar with such grooves, it really is best to change the fretboard at a pro instead of planing it, needs too much planing.

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jan. 3 2016 11:51:59

Sr. Martins

Posts: 3079
Joined: Apr. 4 2011

RE: My first worn out fingerboard (in reply to tele)

Ok, I see. I kinda like the scalloped feel and never let the strings touch the ebony when using a capo but I can understand how that changes the feel of things.

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"Ya no me conoce el sol, porque yo duermo de dia"

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jan. 3 2016 19:09:14

tijeretamiel

Posts: 441
Joined: Jan. 6 2012

RE: My first worn out fingerboard (in reply to Pimientito)

Good work Mark,

I think fretboard wear is a nice thing to look at in some ways, a sign the instrument is doing it's job.

What size frets are you planning to go for for the refret?

***
The issue of grip is an interesting one, I've made an effort to play with a lighter touch for right and left hands, less for the interests of the guitar and more for the interests of the health of my hands.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jan. 5 2016 14:40:11

Pimientito

Posts: 2481
Joined: Jul. 30 2007
From: Marbella

RE: My first worn out fingerboard (in reply to tijeretamiel)

I got my guitar back this week. Its has had the fingerboard planed and new frets in place.
Also the action has been altered so now it plays better than ever. Should last me another 20 years anyway.
Best of all is I can use a cejilla again without the whole guitar going out of tune

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jan. 11 2016 12:50:31

Pimientito

Posts: 2481
Joined: Jul. 30 2007
From: Marbella

RE: My first worn out fingerboard (in reply to Pimientito)

Actually this episode also introduced me to a new guitar maker. Since I moved to Marbella
it has meant that to get any minor repairs done I had to either go to La Herradura or Granada
or Algododales in the Cadiz province...a 90 minute journey in any direction.
I was talking about this problem to a friend and they said " why not go and see Alberto down the road?"
I had no idea there was a luthier near Marbella. As luck would have it the workshop is only 5 minutes down the road from
where I live. I went to visit and was delighted to meet Alberto Martin, a very fine luthier working from
a well equipped workshop in Las Chapas just outside Marbella.
There are almost no Luthiers in the Malaga province so it was a real piece of luck to find someone on my doorstep.
Here is Alberto in his workshop.

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jan. 11 2016 13:00:38

Pimientito

Posts: 2481
Joined: Jul. 30 2007
From: Marbella

RE: My first worn out fingerboard (in reply to Pimientito)

Apart from doing an excellent repair job on my guitar he also is a maker of classical and
flamenco instruments. Here is the front of a concert blanca and a finished negra.

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Follow my blog http://pimientito.wordpress.com/

"Ceremonial" by Mark Shurey "Pimientito". CD and digital download vailable on Amazon and
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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jan. 11 2016 13:05:32

Ricardo

Posts: 14806
Joined: Dec. 14 2004
From: Washington DC

RE: My first worn out fingerboard (in reply to Pimientito)

Cool, lucky you. Fate often works out that way. I actually got nervous when a luthier moved into my area....sure enough my main Conde cracked and needed repair weeks later.

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jan. 11 2016 17:02:33

Stu

Posts: 2529
Joined: Jan. 30 2007
From: London (the South of it), England

RE: My first worn out fingerboard (in reply to Pimientito)

Interesting. I'm currently weighing up the option to replace the finger board on my guitar I built with Stephen hill.
It's been moving quite a lot and causing the frets to be irregular heights. Causing unpleasant buzzes. I've leveled them twice now but think I'm just gonna go for it and replace the fret board.
But I'm nervous. But seeing your nice new fret board has encouraged me!

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jan. 11 2016 19:31:41

Pimientito

Posts: 2481
Joined: Jul. 30 2007
From: Marbella

RE: My first worn out fingerboard (in reply to Ricardo)

quote:

I actually got nervous when a luthier moved into my area

How do you mean nervous? Did you think he might not know about Spanish guitars?

Stu..its the same fingerboard, just been planed and refretted.
With regard to your fingerboard I would say don't forget you made that
guitar during one of the hottest and driest Spanish summers in the last 100 years. The cold and
humidity of London will certainly affect the ebony greatly. I would suggest you don't replace
the fingerboard but remove the frets, re plane the original ebony and refret. I had problems with
my first Conde in England for the same reason. It will edventually settle down once it has acclimatised.

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Follow my blog http://pimientito.wordpress.com/

"Ceremonial" by Mark Shurey "Pimientito". CD and digital download vailable on Amazon and
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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jan. 11 2016 20:20:25

Ricardo

Posts: 14806
Joined: Dec. 14 2004
From: Washington DC

RE: My first worn out fingerboard (in reply to Pimientito)

quote:

How do you mean nervous? Did you think he might not know about Spanish guitars?

I was talking about fate. Before that guy showed up to town my guitars were just fine.

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jan. 12 2016 10:59:18

Andy Culpepper

Posts: 3023
Joined: Mar. 30 2009
From: NY, USA

RE: My first worn out fingerboard (in reply to Pimientito)

Congratulations sir. I'm curious, how many refrets over the 22 years? How many new golpeadores?

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jan. 14 2016 0:04:15

Stu

Posts: 2529
Joined: Jan. 30 2007
From: London (the South of it), England

RE: My first worn out fingerboard (in reply to Pimientito)

Thanks Mark, yeah been considering doing that. But honestly I think that fret board is done. It's cupping after the twelfth fret and coming away from the neck and sound board. Re glued but it's still not right. Just noticed it's coming away from the neck at twelfth fret now too.:(

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Jan. 14 2016 10:00:45