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Topic: fretboard coming loose |
Ben Jones
From:
Seattle, Washington, USA
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Posted 21 Feb 2008 9:21 am |
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Hi kids...my fretboard is popping up off the metal neck in one spot and making a bubble in one spot near the third fret. Pressing down on the bubble simply moves it forward or backward a bit so Im not sure clamp and glue will do the job in repairing it...seems like I may have to remove some parts or something and take the whole fretboard off and reglue it back down?
any advice or ideas? guitar is a nashville ltd (rittenbury built and a real sweetie). My concerns are aesthetic and also that the bubble may cause me to percieve the fret location as a little sharp (and I have a hard enough time already with intonation)
thanks! |
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Kevin Hatton
From:
Buffalo, N.Y.
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Posted 21 Feb 2008 10:00 am
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| Heavy duty double sided 3M tape. It will never come up. |
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Ben Jones
From:
Seattle, Washington, USA
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Posted 21 Feb 2008 11:29 am
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thanks Kevin...good idea.
BUT the problem seems to be not only that is coming up, but that it is somehow too long now to go back down..when i push down on the area that is bubbling up, it just presses up against the nut and causes another bubble...maybe the tape will do it tho |
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Kevin Hatton
From:
Buffalo, N.Y.
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Posted 21 Feb 2008 11:54 am
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| Ben, you are going to have to take the fret board off and re apply it. Use the double sided tape (must be heavy grade), start at one end and press down as you lay it down. Don't press it down all at the same time. |
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Ben Jones
From:
Seattle, Washington, USA
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Posted 21 Feb 2008 11:59 am
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oooh scarry! Im afraid to touch this contraption because frankly, I could screw up a steel ball. i think you're right tho, this is what needs to be done.
so just maybe pry the thing up and off, clean off the neck with some rubbing alcohol and then retape er back down? |
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Tim Kowalski
From:
Illinois, USA
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Posted 21 Feb 2008 12:28 pm
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I understand that you are supposed to heat it up with a hair dryer to soften the adhesive, then use a plain string between the neck and fretboard to carefully separate the two.
I haven't done this before, but there is a video on the Carter Steel Guitar website that illustrates the procedure.
_________________
Bad wine is better than no wine. |
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Ernest Cawby
From:
Lake City, Florida, USA, R.I.P.
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Posted 21 Feb 2008 12:36 pm TAPE ON
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My fret boards are installed with 3M tape been holding for more than a year, holds just fine.
ernie |
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John Billings
From:
Ohio, USA
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Posted 21 Feb 2008 1:40 pm
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| First thing I'd try would be heating it up with a hair dryer. That might reactivate the glue. Put somethin' flat and heavy on it, and add as much weight as possible. If that doesn't work, remove and use double-sided tape. |
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Ben Jones
From:
Seattle, Washington, USA
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Posted 21 Feb 2008 2:41 pm
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| thanks for the help everyone. |
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Donny Hinson
From:
Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.
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Posted 21 Feb 2008 3:01 pm
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This problem is caused by either the body or neck shrinking with age.
Several remedies I can think of...
Try to work the bubble away from the nut (to the other end)
Loosen the neck screws if they're visible, put a thin piece of plastic between the neck and the nut. Tighten the neck, then remove the plastic and then the fretboard will have room to lay.
You could also loosen the strings way down, and then loosen the keyhead screws, and then use the same "plastic trick" (above).
Remove the strings, peel up the lower end of the fretboard, and then file a little off the edge before you press it back down (probably only .010"-.015").
The last thing I would do would be to completely remove the fretboard. The glue on it (and the neck) might have to be all cleaned off, and that's a real pain in the neck!
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