Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Hi Paul-

I have an '81 4001 that has the worst fretboard varnish I've ever seen. I don't have photos right now, but it is VERY yellowed, dried, and flaking off. Thick, yellow, and just plain ugly. The flakes come off when you play it and/or when it's in the case.

The bass was not played very much though. It came from a guy in Arizona who had basically stored it for over 20 years. Any who...The frets are original and in great shape and the bass structurally/electronically is in great shape.

I was hoping that there would be some way to strip the finish off the fretboard without disturbing the frets and then re-seal the fretboard.

So I took it to a couple of reputable local guitar repair shops and got the same answer: They both said that the only way to take care of this was to pull the frets, sand the varnish off, re-fret, and then re-seal the fretboard.

What say you? The thing plays fine the way it is, but you can feel the unevenness of the finished/unfinished fretboard when you play. Is it possible to strip the varnish off the fret board without pulling the frets or should I just take the plunge?

Anything is possible...(I can haz bailout?)

But, there's a simple reason why 99.44% of luthiers agree on this issue of pulling the frets: it gives you and them the best cost/benefit ratio.

Sure, a luthier could very carefully sand between each fret, and then carefully remove the varnish from each fret's two vertical sides, before re-sealing and revarnishing, but it would take about 3-4 times as long as simply pulling the frets, sanding and crowning, and refretting. Like them, whenever a customer wants a board revarnished, I recommend refretting as part of the process. Cost of doing it this way (at least in my shop, where non-standard work goes by my hourly rate) is about 25% less expensive than trying to keep the frets and working around them.

Benefits, besides a cost savings, are a more accurate, flatter fretboard, and, of course, brand-new frets.

Okay. Thanks! The plunge will be taken.

New frets, here I come!