Looking for some repair ideas

[ejendres]

I'm in process of building a guitar neck with a dark roasted maple fretboard. It looks great but it is very prone to chipping. I actually bound this neck because it chipped so much when I milled it.

I fretted it last night and one of my frets did not seat properly, I think I didn't quite get enough of the tang off when I trimmed it. So I pulled the fret which caused a big chip. Not the end of the world, especially since I'll be spraying this with laquer. I glued it in place and installed a new fret. When I tapped the new fret in it caused a bunch of other chips to pop up.

What would ya'll do to try and fix these? my first thought is to cut them off with an exacto and super glue them back in place. Any better ideas?

 

[cmjohnson]

That bad? I hate to say it but in my workshop that's called "scrap". I'd yank the board off and start over with a non-roasted board. (But personally I'd never use maple for a fingerboard. I'm a rosewood, ebony, and African Blackwood guy.)

Just too many chips, and they're too big, and if it chipped that easily then it's going to chip more in the future just from time and stress.

Know when to toss it.

 

[BadPenguin]

Umm, your guitar? Then yeah, why waste the wood and effort?
A client's guitar? Scrap pile and redo.

 

[ejendres]

Yeah I'm not scraping the neck. That very extreme for a chip.

I glued the chips down, sanded it flat and filled the gaps. Looks totally fine. The frets are glued in. I don't think it'll be an issue.

 

[cmjohnson]

I wouldn't have scrapped the neck but I would have removed the fingerboard and replaced it. Unless I used a glue that qualifies as non-removable.

 

[ejendres]

I wouldn't have scrapped the neck but I would have removed the fingerboard and replaced it. Unless I used a glue that qualifies as non-removable.

Yeah done 2 attempts are removing fretboards and ruined the neck both times. Titebond 3 does not like to separate.

Honestly though, since the fretboard is getting lacquered I think it's gonna be alright and fairly invisible.

 

[cmjohnson]

Titebond III is pretty much "forget it" when it comes to removing it, unless you mill it off. I recently had to take a fingerboard off a neck on a cheap knockoff dobro and since the fingerboard was literally part of the neck itself, I had to plane it off using my jointer.

 

[ejendres]

Yeah the stuff is no joke

 

[failsafe306]

Why did you decide to use TBIII?

 

[ejendres]

Its what I have on hand and I didn't expect a poorly seated fret or chip out when I tried to repair it :idk:

 

[ARandall]

Maybe this scenario will encourage you to think ahead a bit more. Not only considering the aspect of fixing more common mistakes that happen all the time during building, but in the future life of the instrument.
I mean what happens when you go to re-fret this (or any) board at some point in time in the future if you're using glue that doesn't unbond???