so due to our touring van's transmission exploding two hours into tour last summer, we were forced into a minivan, leaving behind extra stuff & back up equipment, including my already damaged and first ever bass. when we finally got it out of the hot ass Alabama oven-van combo we had invented 4 months later, it had developed a serious buzz, i'm fairly certain, from the fretboard becoming dislodged from the rest of the neck near the lower notes. is there anyway to repair this, short of buying a new neck? its a esp ltd b-104 (what up, 7th grade), and its rather diagonal shaped on the bottom end, perhaps not behooving itself to an easy ebay replacement...

Sean_Engine wrote:so due to our touring van's transmission exploding two hours into tour last summer, we were forced into a minivan, leaving behind extra stuff & back up equipment, including my already damaged and first ever bass. when we finally got it out of the hot ass Alabama oven-van combo we had invented 4 months later, it had developed a serious buzz, i'm fairly certain, from the fretboard becoming dislodged from the rest of the neck near the lower notes. is there anyway to repair this, short of buying a new neck? its a esp ltd b-104 (what up, 7th grade), and its rather diagonal shaped on the bottom end, perhaps not behooving itself to an easy ebay replacement...

Sounds like you need to remove the fretboard and re-glue it.

This can be done at home, though it is not exactly easy, and you will need a lot of clamps. Necks are generally glued on with hide glue, which reacts to heat and water. So, what you do is hold the neck fretboard-down over a candle for a really long time at a distance where it will not singe but will heat up (a torch would be quicker, but be careful!). Heat up ever spot on the fretboard this way. The glue should loosen up a bit. Then, slide a razor blade in between the crack between the neck and the fretboard. Work it in there and slide it down both sides of fretboard. If the glue has melted enough, the fretboard should come right off.

Then, sand the neck and back of the fretboard lightly to remove any glue. Use fine sandpaper, 220 and up. Now, get any and all clamps you can find (you will need about 10), and get ready to glue the fretboard back on.

It is best to use clamping blocks with a U-shaped indentation at the top which conforms to the shape of the neck. Make sure you apply the clamps evenly on both sides, otherwise your fretboard will have a loose spot again. And be sure to use hide glue. If you use Titebond hardcore wood glue, the fretboard will be stuck on there pretty much permanently, and you'll be fucked if you made a mistake.

Anyway, I've had to do it a few times, and it works if you've got enough clamps. It's not a lot of fun, but it beats the fuck out of buying a new neck.

...Shit.

I would like to replace the fretboard on a 1965 Norma 2pu w/trem. I've got to replace the board for two reasons - the truss needs to be replaced and the board itself is crap. I can't seem to find a neck from a similar guitar.

Where can I find a wide selection of decent boards and truss rods? I need the gear (knife/glue/clamps/etc) to strip the old board off also.

A little nervous about this - I really love this guitar.

I have been talking to a lot of guitar repair folks lately, as this is something i'm doing a lot.

In removing an old fretboard, the only thing you should need is hot water. dripping hot water into the seam is the recommended way to remove glued on components, such as set necks, fretboards and such. The recommended tool is a thin putty knife, which goes for about $2 at the hardware store.

The recommended glue for reattaching these things is Elmers White School Glue--I shit you not. Every old dude I've talked to has warned me not to buy the expensive hide glue/unicorn spunk crap from whatever luthier supply place. The elmers is water soluable, heat soluable, generally the right viscosity and cheap.

Just take your time, protect the instrument as best you can.

hide glue should only be used on string instruments like cello's, the violin family, upright basses etc. anything that in time will need to be taken apart and repaired.
this is the only use for such glue's in this day and age.
every other luthier i know ( and ive worked along side of a lot of them)
use modern wood glues. these are less soluble in water and sweat.
the way i remove fingerboards when i need to take them right off and replace them is with a plunge router , and neck jig.
as far as prying the old fingerboard off and re attatching it, ill say its a lot of work.
best case , remove neck, find where the finger board is de-bonding from the neck. pry that area up a touch , water some 'titebond' glue down just a touch and drizzle it in. clamp it over night. now , check your frets cuz if you didnt remove them and clamped a block onto those lil guys you have definatly set them in lower, and a fret leveling and re crown will need to be done.

sonikBOOM speaks truth.

I will be re-setting a fretboard this week... this thread helps alot... anyone have anything else they would like to add???

ask me anything. ive built a number of instruments with a couple of exceptional builders in my time. i dont know it all but i know i can either help or find out for anyone that needs it