Removing Old Fender Fret Board.

[egdeltar]

I have no experience removing and replacing these old freeboards on Strats. A friend of mine has his first guitar he got which he says is a 1959 Strat. I haven’t bothered to look at the numbers to verify the age but it does have the curved fretbaord on the radiused neck.

Sadly in the 80's when he was an Yngwie freak he scalloped the entire thing and now he is kicking himself for it. The guitar is past the point for restoring for value purposes; he just wants to be able to play it again.

I searched around a bit but didn’t really find much info about removing these things and replacing them. Is there any one here with experience in this? IF so, could you point toward a tutorial or some tips and tricks?

Thanks-

**Im thinking the easiest way to replace it is to build a jig so my router can radius the bottom of the board, then Ill have to radius the top with the router flipped around.....

[marksound]

Did you see this? How about this? There's a lot of good info on the main site.

[Jehle]

Thanks for posting the links to Kevan's tutorials. I was going to do that same thing.

My additional thoughts are, a '59 Strat scalloped!

It may be easier to just get another neck and slap it on there rather than going through the fretboard replacement. I can't remember when Fender started radiusing the backs of the fretboards. I don't think they started that until the 60's. If the fretboard is radiused, Kevan's tutorials will only be the starting point. You'll have a mess to get a new fretboard attached and to fit correctly.

I would NOT destroy the neck with a router just to replace the fretboard!

[Setch]

Get fretboard replaced by an experienced tech/repairman/restorer. The value will inevitably take a knock because of the replaced board, but not nearly as much of a knock as it will if you accidentally chip a huge chunk out of the neck.

Valuable vintage instruments are *not* the place to try experimental repair techniques.

[egdeltar]

Sometimes I think people dont read very well on here.

I know how to remove and replace a fretboard with a flat fret board to neck joint. Done it a few times. I asked for people with experience doing a removal/replace on old Fender where both the fret board and neck have a radius. But thanks for posting the tutorial links.

Jehle, I never said I was going to have the neck any where even close to my router. That never even entered my brain doing it that way.....that would be horrible. I was referring to radiusing the new fret board on the top and bottom.

And Setch, didnt I say that the guitar is beyond repairing for value? I wouldnt call this an experiment either, its just slightly different than a normal board.

So, is there no one on this board that has removed a fretboard on a vintage fender neck where both the fret board and neck are radiused? im just looking to see if there are any known different techniques between the 2 different types of necks.

Thanks for the replies though.

[JPL]

You may have to shop around to find someone with that kind of experience. Here are a few forums to check out:

MIMF

The Fender Forum

Les Paul Forum

If you register at the Les Paul Forum you have access to Dan Erlewine's area who will bend over backwards to help you if he can. What more could you ask for? If he don't know, you're in trouble.

[javacody]

Are those fretboards radiused on both sides, or are they steamed to bend? I've read that they are kind of like a thick veneer. I'll have to get out the Ol' Fender Strat book and see...

Hmm, it says that the veeneer or cap fretboard wasn't in production until 1962 (and got thinner in 63). Either that isn't a 59 neck or its the normal slab board. Can you verify? If it is really a 59, it may not have a neck date, but it will definitely have a body date. It it isn't a 59, (say its a 62 or 63 neck), it will have a neck date (according to the Fender Stratocaster book).

[egdeltar]

I will have to check out the guitar to date it. He just told me it was a 59', probably what he was told when he was a kid and never bothered to actually verify that.

I really wasn't sure if it was a veneer or actually radiused so that info helps big time. I found a guy with some pretty useful info about removal and installation so Im on the right path. And if all else fails, there is always common sense.

[Jehle]

Jehle, I never said I was going to have the neck any where even close to my router. That never even entered my brain doing it that way.....that would be horrible. I was referring to radiusing the new fret board on the top and bottom.

Ah, sorry for the confusion. I went back and reread your orginal post more closely. It wasn't entirely clear what you were talking about and I thought you were suggesting a jig to route both the underside of the new fretboard and the topside of the neck to make them match.

You also didn't mention that you had removed "normal" fretboards in the past before in the first post. I think we all thought that you were trying something that you had never done before. I know I did.

Sorry.

[Huw100]

I will have to check out the guitar to date it. He just told me it was a 59', probably what he was told when he was a kid and never bothered to actually verify that.

I really wasn't sure if it was a veneer or actually radiused so that info helps big time. I found a guy with some pretty useful info about removal and installation so Im on the right path. And if all else fails, there is always common sense.

I've got an early 1963 Strat with the 'veneer' board. Frankly it's worn out because the rosewood is down to about 1mm making the neck uncomfortably thin to play. Since I've had this guitar for 20 years and have no intention to ever sell it, I'm interested in replacing the fretboard with Brazilian rosewood of the correct thickness.

How did your job work out? Did you discover what the thickness of the board was when they left the Fender factory? I also wondered who the guy with the info was and if you could put me in touch.

Many thanks.