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Thread: Plane the fretboard or...

  1. #1
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    Default Plane the fretboard or...

    ...remove the 'board and plane the neck? I recently got a decent (under $5000, used) mandolin that has a high spot in the fret plane at the neck/body join. In most cases like this I just yank the frets, plane out the high spot and refret. However, the fretboard binding has a wht/blk purfling along the side, and when sighting down the edge of the 'board, this side binding makes the inequity all the more apparent, and, of course, would still be there once the fretboard planing is done. I always consider the eventual resale of any instrument I purchase and/or do repairs on, and in the course of an in-hand examination, any perspective purchaser would sight down the neck...depending on the obsessiveness of the individual, this could be perceived as a defect in the instrument. I do not believe there is any structural defect...a high spot at the body join is not uncommon, even in high-end instruments...its just that damn purfling stripe that makes it jump out, visually! Perspective from any techs here...? Thanks!
    too many strings

  2. #2
    Registered User jim simpson's Avatar
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    Default Re: Plane the fretboard or...

    If it were mine, I would first pull the frets, go ahead with planing it, checking frequently to see how much I was able to take out while checking the binding to see if it's very noticeable. You may find that it's not so noticeable and you save a lot of work.
    Old Hometown, Cabin Fever String Band

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  4. #3
    Teacher, repair person
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    Default Re: Plane the fretboard or...

    I like to keep instruments "looking right" as much as possible.
    And I've done some fix-up-and-resell over the years.
    But, you have to think it through and be practical.

    1. If you pull the board, you will probably have to do some finish touch-up. Depending on your skills and how the wind is blowing, the touch up will be at least slightly visible, and some picky buyers may not like that.

    2. If the board was glued with an unfriendly glue such as epoxy, you'll have opened a real can of worms. And yes, there is a trend among some modern builders to glue fingerboards with epoxy, although I don't know whether its use has gotten into the mandolin world yet.

    3. An alternative solution might be to just pull the binding, make any adjustments that are necessary to the binding channel, and re-bind it, either with or without a black stripe, but, see #1.

    Me, I don't pull a board unless there is a compelling reason to do so, such as mis-located fret slots or a severely warped neck that cannot be straightened by other means. If you do pull the board or the binding, make sure you can do a really good job, and remember that an eagle-eyed potential buyer will probably be able to tell that the work has been done.

    As far as extremely obsessive buyers are concerned, you can't lose too much sleep over them. If one thing is right, they'll find something else that is "wrong." And this is a <$5000 instrument, not a Loar, or a pre-war Martin, or a pre-war flathead Mastertone. There will be a good sized pool of buyers in the under $5000 price range.

    My view as a player, repair person, and occasional seller is that while cosmetics and originality are important, playability, sound, and structural integrity are of greater importance.
    Last edited by rcc56; Jan-21-2023 at 5:00pm.

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  6. #4
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    Default Re: Plane the fretboard or...

    Quote Originally Posted by rcc56 View Post
    I like to keep instruments "looking right" as much as possible.
    And I've done some fix-up-and-resell over the years.
    But, you have to think it through and be practical.

    1. If you pull the board, you will probably have to do some finish touch-up. Depending on your skills and how the wind is blowing, the touch up will be at least slightly visible, and some picky buyers may not like that.

    2. If the board was glued with an unfriendly glue such as epoxy, you'll have opened a real can of worms. And yes, there is a trend among some modern builders to glue fingerboards with epoxy, although I don't know whether its use has gotten into the mandolin world yet.

    3. An alternative solution might be to just pull the binding, make any adjustments that are necessary to the binding channel, and re-bind it, either with or without a black stripe, but, see #1.

    Me, I don't pull a board unless there is a compelling reason to do so, such as mis-located fret slots or a severely warped neck that cannot be straightened by other means. If you do pull the board or the binding, make sure you can do a really good job, and remember that an eagle-eyed potential buyer will probably be able to tell that the work has been done.

    As far as extremely obsessive buyers are concerned, you can't lose too much sleep over them. If one thing is right, they'll find something else that is "wrong." And this is a <$5000 instrument, not a Loar, or a pre-war Martin, or a pre-war flathead Mastertone. There will be a good sized pool of buyers in the under $5000 price range.

    My view as a player, repair person, and occasional seller is that while cosmetics and originality are important, playability, sound, and structural integrity are of greater importance.
    All worthy points for consideration; thank you. I'll likely just plane the 'board with playability the ultimate goal.
    too many strings

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