by Beate Ritzert » Fri Jan 12, 2018 1:50 pm
My cheapest bass has a very wide neck - Precision Style, which i simply do not like. Today i gave it a Bronco Bridge with somewhat narrower string spacing, and i want do reduce the width of the neck accordingly. About 3 mm at maximum; the nut width will not be changed.
I see two options:
a) remove the frets, make the neck narrower with a plane, chisels, rasp, belt sander,.... repair the chipped out pieces of the fingerboard. reinsert the frets, shorten them, and level them. I have done this before, and know what to expect. No router, no router plane because the would surely damage the open slots in the fretboards.
But i am notoriously lazy. So i think about variant
b) do everything with sanding tools.
i.e., leave the frets on, initally use the belt sander (grain 80), and of course take care the belt will run obliquely downward so the frets would be dragged into their slots. Less working steps, and the fret slots would remain filled.
In both cases the initial cuts would be done in an angle of 45 degrees; the final shape will achived later.
Possible or too dangerous? Or will the frets (nickel silver) be to strong for the sanding belt?