View Full Version : Fill or plane
A friend has a very nice old Stromberg guitar which was well played on the first 5 frets. The ebony fingerboard is worn, with divots under each string, up to the fifth fret, and those first frets are well worn, but it appears they never played the neck above the fifth fret. The fretboard is not worn next to the frets; the wear is in the middle between the frets. Would it be preferable (and possible) to fill the divots and replace the worn frets and leave the untouched fingerboard and frets intact, or should the entire fingerboard be redone? Budget is somewhat an issue, but not a deal-breaker. Any input and suggestions would be appreciated.
sunburst
Jan-16-2008, 7:36pm
I leave those divots.
I've never seen a fill that really looked good, and I hate to plane away that much original wood from a fingerboard. When I re-fret, especially "vintage" or historic instruments, I plane the 'board until it is straight (or has proper relief), put the fret in, and that's it. The divots don't cause a problem for players, generally.
ejkauf99
Jan-16-2008, 8:10pm
Would that be an Elmer Stromberg archtop, or one of the Stromberg Voisinett type guitars.
It's an Elmer, sunburst archtop, model G1, late 40s.
Paul Hostetter
Jan-16-2008, 9:56pm
I am solidly with John on this: ignore the divots. They have no effect on playability. If one was absolutely insistent on a clean surface, pull the frets, inlay new ebony only where needed (it blends in effortlessly), plane and install the new frets. All the sawdust-and-whatever fillers look like cr*p in no time.
Thanks for your input. That simplifies the project greatly.
Bill Snyder
Jan-17-2008, 10:35pm
Some people pay extra for a scalloped fret board. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif
http://uk.geocities.com/strat110/scalop.jpg