Official Luthiers Forum!

I used to get my ebony fingerboards from John at CNC Guitar Parts as he sold singles of the 24.9" short scale, 1.75" nut, 2.25" at 12th fret fingerboards that I use on my guitars. He no longer has them in stock and doesn't plan to produce any in the near future.

LMI has them pre-slotted - but I like John's "faux binding" way of cutting the slots with his CNC.

LMI also has them pre-slotted and radiused but not tapered.

Sure would like to find a source where I can just get what I want.

Any ideas?

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P A U L B U R N E R
Burner Guitars

I make them, but I don't do singles.

A relatively simple jig can be built to do blind slots on a pre-radiused and tapered board.

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Bob Garrish
Former Canonized Purveyor of Fine CNC Luthier Services

I know it doesn't exactly answer your question, but why not make your own? You're guaranteed to get what you want and learn a lot in the process.

If you still insist on buying, just go for the LMI boards. Tapering is the easiest part of the process. And for the "faux bound" look just rip some binding from the same material as the fretboard. Especially easy to make invisible with ebony.

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Wes McMillian
Santo, TX
http://www.wesmcmillian.com

I'm with Wes 100%! Really...it amazes me to see so many guitarmakers buying components, including necks that are so easily made. If I were a guitar buyer, I'd shy away from those who buy kit components and favor those who are willing to learn and do it all.

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JJ
Napa, CA
http://www.DonohueGuitars.com

JJ, If you were a buyer would you shy away from those who sublet part of the build (like finishing) in "favor those who are willing to learn and do it all."

I don't use pre made components, and I don't sublet any part of the process out, but if I were trying to make 50 guitars a year I probably would to save time. If I were only making 1 or 2 guitars a year I probably would to save money.
( In the interest of full disclousure, I don't make my own kerfing, and I don't make all of my bindings and purflings)

Paul, if you want fauxbound fingerboards why not inquire with Bob about the quanity required for a run, and see if some other OLF members would buy some of them.

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I didn't mean to say it, but I meant what I said.
http://www.brackettinstruments.com/

Woody, I actually have done it all...including making my own liners and bindings as well as bridges and necks. (Has anyone ever realized how quickly and inexpensively this stuff can be made??) And I continue to learn lot from the effort...so much so that I realized some structural features and benefits and incorporated them. And I learned to do such operations years ago when I was only making 1 or two guitars a year. I still do those operations now but a lot faster and more efficiently only because I took the time to learn. I also finished my first 10 guitars in several different materials and methods before sending to Joe White for a finish I will NEVER be able to duplicate. I'll also one day have my necks CNC'd to my own specs and using my own wood blanks when I can't make them fast enough.

We used to have some serious taskmasters (you know who!) around here who "encouraged" many of us to really learn by doing and not buying...and I am so grateful they took an interest in preserving the art and science of guitarmaking by teaching and not enabling. Perhaps my rant is a way of keeping with that tradition and giving forward. Has anyone learned about the differences in tone that various FB woods can provide by buying them...no. Same with bridge material and mass. Try making your own bridges and see where the search for tone takes you. Experiment with wood species and mass and you'll be amazed. You don't get that knowledge from purchasing those components. And it may make no difference if you're only interested in the destination and result as opposed to the journey and knowledge.

But if I were a buyer, my due diligence would include an assessment of what the builder knows. And that knowledge would include a determination of how much knowledge of wood and woodworking skills he possesses and whether he has the intellectual curiosity to force himself to become proficient in making the critical aspects of the guitar that control its performance.

It's all a matter of how deep one wishes to pursue the craft. We can choose to be kitbuilders or follow the traditional methods and practices of the master guitarmakers. Each choice accrues a different value, IMO.

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JJ
Napa, CA
http://www.DonohueGuitars.com

I don't think there's anything wrong with buying premade parts. From sponsors here they are generally of excellent quality.

What you do lose by not building your own is the ability to truly customize an instrument. You can't always accommodate someone who wants a guitar with 'just a tad more radius than this one' or 'a 1/8" wider at the nut than this one'

IMHO pursuing one's craft shouldn't include calling people names reguardless of the high level one has acheived. Paul wanted a fingerboard, not a lecture. I don't have a dog in this fight anyway. I'm going back out to the shop to mix up some hide glue.

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I didn't mean to say it, but I meant what I said.
http://www.brackettinstruments.com/

OK, everybody take a deep breath. (There, now doesn't that feel better....) Nobody is calling anybody any names. "Kitbuilder" is not an insult, just a factual statement. I'm not saying (and I don't think anyone else here is) that there's anything "wrong" with buying pre-made parts. But facts is facts, by not taking the plunge the builder is the one being robbed an education. No one is lecturing, only trying to help. I can assure you, you will NEVER, EVER regret the time you took to learn to do something yourself - even if you choose one day to farm that part of the process out. It is an education, and an ongoing one.

But the choice is yours. As I stated before, you can buy the boards from LMI that are slotted and radiused if you like and simply taper and bind them. But, if not now, I encourage you to take the next step forward and learn to do it yourself at one point. When you build with pre-made parts, you limit yourself to what is available and deny yourself the experience, education, and satisfaction of doing it yourself.

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Wes McMillian
Santo, TX
http://www.wesmcmillian.com

Paul, don't feel bad about buying a pre-made fingerboard. Some luthiers have been known to outsource finishing!

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A higher purpose for wood.
Rich Smith
Issaquah, WA

Please Woody...don't accuse me of name calling when all I was trying to stress was the value of making your own and learning. Didn't realize that "kitbuilder" was a derogatory term!

This is not a fight and I object to you characterizing it so. It is an opinion that used to be accepted constructively around here. If we're going to have such thin skins about such opinions then break out the baby lotion and toughen up.

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JJ
Napa, CA
http://www.DonohueGuitars.com

I laugh at how often a thread goes off on a different direction than the OP. It reminds me of the children's game where you whisper something quickly to the person next to you - and after you "pass it on" through 20 people the message comes out completely different.

Thanks for the input on fingerboards. Yes - I DO intend to make my own, but as a new builder I am tackling one thing at a time. Right now my shop space is very limited and not having room for some important tools like a table saw, jointer and shaper creates a situation where I'm having to be creative with the things at hand.

As I said, I'm a very new builder (about 1 year now) - working on guitars 5 and 6 right now - and am trying to concentrate on "the box" and all things inside of it. So right now, I guess you could call me a kit builder of sorts. I have someone make my necks for me (to my specifications), and purchase my fingerboards - oh the SIN!!! I've learned a lot in the past year - but have SO much more to learn.

Do I want to learn this craft/art to the point of making as many things as possible myself? Yes.

I take the encouragement of all of you on this board and this thread very seriously - and welcome your comments. Please understand that the folks on this board are from all different experience levels - both as guitar builders and as woodworkers. I just happen to be a "newbie" looking for all the help he can get. Sometimes though - the "help" I'm offered seems to assume I know more than I do.

Thanks

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P A U L B U R N E R
Burner Guitars

Thank you for accepting these responses in the constructive, encouraging way they were intended. That is the attitude that will help you be a success in all you do.

Now back to helping you with your fingerboard dilemma:

The tools you mentioned are not really a necessity for making a fingerboard. Granted, a table saw is real helpful. I slotted and profiled my first by hand, though. I hunted around and found a cheap little hobby saw that happened to be .023" and used a cheap Harbor Freight $16 caliper to measure out the slots. A little square indexing off of a true edge and go to town. I now have a table saw rig to do this, but it's good to know I have the ability to "old school" it if I need to. It's really not that hard. You mentioned being creative with the things you have at your disposal - that is an essential trait for this craft. By the way, I radiused that board on the inside of a 30" pipe with some sandpaper before I built my compound radius jig. Lots of ways to get where you're going...

Again, if you still choose to buy them at least partially pre-made, I still believe that the LMI boards will go a long way toward getting there. If you don't have the ability to rip your own bindings, buy some ebony bindings while you're there shopping. All that will be left to do is taper the boards (I'm sure you have a plane?) and glue the bindings on. Done correctly, it will be as invisible as the "faux bound" boards, especially in ebony.

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Wes McMillian
Santo, TX
http://www.wesmcmillian.com

Paul,

I've used ebony bindings to make bound fingerboards from LMI's slotted boards. You can add custom purfling to your boards this way as well. (Just be sure to do the ends first.)

I'd recommend ordering the boards in groups of at least 3...saves $.

- Flori

What would you do if you did not have the money to buy pre made. Buy the wood for everything and make it all your self.
I'm on disability, can not afford anything but bare wood, anything to do with a guitar is made by me. Big deal you say, yeah it is kinda, I've been in three car accidents and have a severly messed up back. NO! Do not want or need yer pity. Not able to work any longer but I love building acoustic guitars that I can not afford to buy.
Enjoy.