Fretboard Thickness.

[gooberman]

What would be the maximum thickness of a fretboard on a Fender style neck and bridge? I currently have it over a 1/4 of an inch, radiused and the fret slots cut.

[Our Souls inc.]

Can't think of a maximum. Whatever you can wrap your hands around. A minimum to me would be more set in stone than a max. I don't think I'd go thinner than 1/8" at the edges, depends really on the strength of your neck wood and your FB wood. A good solid neck blank wont need re-inforcement by a thick FB. I did a poplar neck ( don't ask ) and used an extra thick-ish maple FB. Worked great.

Sorry if that was vague , but really in a nutshell - no maximum. 3/4" would be ridiculous . lets set it at that for now.......

[B. Aaron]

Just remember that when you go to carve the neck profile, a thicker fingerboard means the whole neck might have to be thicker. You still need adequate wood behind the truss rod to make sure it can't break through the back of the neck.

[Woodenspoke]

Just remember that when you go to carve the neck profile, a thicker fingerboard means the whole neck might have to be thicker. You still need adequate wood behind the truss rod to make sure it can't break through the back of the neck.

Thats true but you will need to carvve the neck profile smaller if you want a thin neck. Most truss rods will handle a thin neck and a 1/4" FB. So the answer depends on the truss rod depth if it will work for you. As long as it is not a set neck the FB thickness has no effect on bridge height.

[gooberman]

My biggest concern is the FB sticking up too high when it meets the body, wouldn't it create a downward angle for the strings to the bridge??

[Metalhead28]

My biggest concern is the FB sticking up too high when it meets the body, wouldn't it create a downward angle for the strings to the bridge??

That only comes into play if you're making the whole neck thicker overall.

If your fretboard was just a little thicker than normal, you could still make the neck the same overall thickness at the heel. And anyway, a tiny bit of difference could surely be handled by the saddle adjustment.