Questions regarding a fretless fingerboard. Help please!

[Hutton]

I have just purchased a rather nice Stingray Fretless from a reputable vintage guitar dealer in the UK. After I got the info from the serial number database I find that the bass was originally a rosewood fretted bass. I would expect the board to be Pau Ferro but now don't know if it is rosewood. It isn't the original board as the wood and grain is undisturbed although there are faint marks where the frets would be. The side dots are also in the right place. I have a couple of questions which I am needing help with:-
1. Is it possible to tell from my pics if the board is Pau Ferro or Rosewood?
2. Any idea what the faint fret marks are?

 

[sanderhermans]

this seems to be rosewood. propably the Original owner pulled out the frets, then sanded the fb down to remove the fret lines.

 

[bassmonkeee]

When you say the dots "are in the right place," do you mean that they are in the right place for an unlined fretless? ie the dots are located where the fret would be, and NOT between the frets like on a fretted instrument?

It's probably a rosewood fretboard if it is an older bass. They switched to pao ferro when rosewood became too scarce/expensive to source.

I don't see any marks on your fretboard other than normal wear and tear from using roundwounds on a fretless fingerboard. Naturally, those marks would be more pronounced where the notes would be fretted and/or vibrato would be used.

I highly doubt the fretboard has been shaved since EB/MM doesn't tend to use 1/4" thick slab fretboards.

 

[jlepre]

Naaaa if it originally was a FRETTED neck you would see the lines where the frets were filled in. This looks to be an unlined frettless neck.

 

[Hutton]

Thanks for the replies so far. To answer bassmonkee the side dots are correct for an unlined fretless. In other words they are located where the fret would be. There is also no evidence of dots being filled in if it had been an original fretted neck. Like jlepre I think it is almost certainly an unlined neck. I speculated as to whether these faint lines were a previous owner having some kind of sticky markers to help learn fretless?

I'm also interested to know that earlier Stingrays had rosewood boards and not pau ferro. It will just have to remain a mystery unless someone comes with a definitive answer.

What is for certain is that it is a very nice bass. The more I play it the more I like it. In some respects it becomes academic as to whether it was originally fretted or unfretted if I like the bass. The only issue would be value if the bass is non-original.

 

[A.J.]

It is possible the necks were swapped at some point. That neck looks like it started its life as an unlined fretless.

 

[jlepre]

It is possible the necks were swapped at some point. That neck looks like it started its life as an unlined fretless.

That's what I was thinking also AJ

 

[Hutton]

It is possible the necks were swapped at some point. That neck looks like it started its life as an unlined fretless.

Many thanks A.J. Would it be rosewood in 1994?

 

[Hutton]

A.J. has kindly replied by email to say that he reckons the fingerboard is Pau Ferro. Once again great service from customer service. I am a happy bunny. Anyway, where are my manners? I should really include a couple of pics of the whole bass.

 

[Tollywood]

That is a beauty. Kudos to A.J. - he is THE man.

 

[jlepre]

Beautiful! Welcome! I was in your fair village on vacation about 20 years ago. Beautiful countryside.

 

[njhammer]

That is a beauty. Congrats. I remember Aberdeen as being where I was when Elvis died (been back since). Honest.

 

[Hutton]

Thanks for the kind words folks. The North East of Scotland is a nice part of the world. If anyone is going to be in the Aberdeen area give me a shout. I'm not a bad tour guide!

 

[2ndBassGuitar]

Dumb Question - what does the date stamp on the neck say?

 

[Hutton]

Dumb Question - what does the date stamp on the neck say?

Sorry to be a burden to you. I don't feel confident about taking necks on and off. I hope you experience the same amount of tolerance and understanding that you have displayed here in all your activities.

 

[Golem]

`

Looks like rosewood to me. My 93 is rosewood.
I have several EBMM pau ferro FLs and they're
more orange-ish brown. Agree with all who say
that if the dots are on the notes, it's a factory
FL neck. Obviously it's not the original neck. A
bit of the neck shows in one pic, and I think I
see some nice figuring ... similar to my 93 FL
rosewood neck.

Anywho, seems you have a great 'new' bass.
Happy NOBD to yoooooou ... !

`

 

[Hutton]

Got a luthier friend to take the neck off and lo and behold it seems that I have a 97 neck. The neck pocket stamp confirms a 94 body. Well, at least I now know and as Golem says I have a great new bass.

 

[jlepre]

HA! Mystery is now solved.